Column: First look at Sapulpa’s new addition
Camryn Dennis’s transfer to Sapulpa has been a cause for speculation this offseason — especially among us hoop junkies. Saturday, I was finally able to witness Dennis don a Sapulpa jersey at the Elite 14 Showcase in Wichita Falls, where some of the top teams in Oklahoma and Texas went head-to-head for a day of scrimmages. To make a long story short, I was not disappointed with the product.
In his first showing with the Chieftains, Dennis had a strong showing against The Colony (TX). In Sapulpa’s second matchup, Dennis led his team to take down a top-tier Texas program in Little Elm High School, who also happens to boast one of the top point guards in the country in RJ Hampton. Against The Colony, the narrative seemed to be “let’s see how Camryn shares the ball with this new team.” Against Little Elm, however, he managed to shift the attention from his play to his leadership. Dennis’s teamwork matched his play against Little Elm. Make no mistake, it took a total team effort to beat Little Elm, but Dennis was a catalyst in getting the ball into everybody’s hands.
Oftentimes, chemistry is our go-to accusation as we yell at our televisions when our favorite team somehow gets worse after picking up a big-time free agent. But this doesn’t appear to be the case with this Sapulpa team. Dennis and teammate Julian Smith (6’0″ Sr.), grew up together and Smith actually said that their original plan was to go to high school together, but that plan was just delayed a few years. The duo also plays together on OK Run PWP, so their companionship is far from new. Joining an already talented Sapulpa team, Dennis flourished on Saturday. He was able to score pretty much at will, without drastically limiting Smith’s touches. In fact, Dennis’s stellar play may only be overshadowed by he and Smith’s play as a duo. They were a combined force for the Chieftains and everybody on the team got their fair share of the ball, especially in the win over Little Elm.
Dennis’s addition to this Sapulpa team could be the biggest factor in whatever success the Chieftains have this season. I have a feeling the Sapulpa community is going to be pretty happy with the way Dennis fits into this lineup.