10 Best: Community R-6 vs Jamestown (Norm Stewart Classic)
The 22nd of 24 straight games at the Norm Stewart Classic over the weekend featured a Class 1 match-up between Community R-6 and Jamestown. At an event that featured several Large School heavyweights and highly touted prospects, this could be…
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Continue ReadingThe 22nd of 24 straight games at the Norm Stewart Classic over the weekend featured a Class 1 match-up between Community R-6 and Jamestown. At an event that featured several Large School heavyweights and highly touted prospects, this could be an easy game to overlook. But, it very well may have been one of the most entertaining performances of the 48 hour hoops marathon. Jamestown set the tone inside early with a promising small college prospect in 6’5 Jr Christian Snyder, but very quickly the tables turned as a well coached Community R-6 team executed at a high level and started burning up the nets from deep. The Trojans talented back-court connected on 10 first half threes and continued their impressive shooting clinic to the end in route to a 66-44 final. Here are our “10 Best” from this match-up at the Norm Stewart Classic
MVP – 5’8 Jr Cadin Escamilla – Community R-6
The Trojan point guard left his mark on this one in literally every way. It was a sensational performance that had the gym rocking. He showed off his range with 5 three-pointers on the night that he triggered in a variety of ways. He has a smooth stroke coming off screens, pulling up off the dribble, and wow’d the crowd with crafty head-fakes, one dribble pull-ups, and step-backs from deep. He is small, but very quick and shifty and drove it all the way to the cup and finished a number of times. The fearless junior electrified the crowd throughout and was the high scorer for the game with 24 points. Despite his size, with another year to develop he should be on the D3/NAIA radar.
Best Offensive Performance – 5’8 Jr Cadin Escamilla – Community R-6
Hard to argue with this one. On a team that features a back-court full of guys who can fill it up on any given night, the junior PG was feeling himself from tip to final horn and every time Jamestown started a run he ended it with a bucket. He ran the show well, stayed within himself, and never forced the issue in route to an uber-efficient 24 point night in the win.
Best Defensive Performance – 5’7 Sr Blaze Escamilla – Community R-6
Chatting with Trojan fans before the game, I had my eye on Blaze as a knock-down shooter who buried 8 threes in their season opener earlier in the week. Well, the senior guard knocked down his first three and didn’t find the bottom of the net the rest of the night. However, it was his defense that stood out in this one. The other “Splash Brother” was all over the place on the defensive end. He picked the pocket of Jamestown guards, jumped passing lanes for steals, had multiple deflections, and was the first one on the floor for loose balls.
Patrolling the Paint – 6’5 Jr Christian Snyder – Jamestown
The Jamestown big man had a nice game inside for the Eagles. At 6’5 he has a strong, athletic build and good skill set inside. He knows how to use his body and had a couple early finishes off seals and lobs over the top. He showed the ability to score with either hand back to the basket with nice touch. He’s tough on the boards and is a good passer from the post. He finished with a dozen points. Projects as a nice small college forward.
Cleaning the Glass – 6’5 Jr Christian Snyder – Jamestown
The Eagle big man was the tallest player on the floor and he played like it. He used his size and length well, boxed out on every shot and boarded anything near him. He was also aggressive on the offensive glass crashing hard looking for put-backs.
Sharp-Shooter – 5’10 Jr Danny Kuda – Community R-6
We could have essentially picked anyone on the Trojan’s roster for this one, but the Jr guard stood out the most. After sustaining an injury in this event last year, Danny came back on a mission and delivered a dazzling performance from behind the arc. Typically known as the lock-down defender of the team, Kuda stroked 4 deep threes and finished with 18 points for the game.
Swiss Army Knife – 6’3 Jr Clark Rhorbach – Jamestown
We came away impressed with the junior swing-man who did a little bit of everything for the Eagles. The lefty showed his range from three, had a steal and went coast to coast for a transition finish twice, hit the boards hard on both ends, and took two charges!
Hustlin’ Hustlin’ – 6’0 So Cole Higgins – Jamestown
The sophomore guard played with high energy every second he was in the game. He was very active defensively, sprinted down the floor every possession, had a number of steals and deflections, and was not afraid to hit the deck for loose balls
Dimer – 6’0 Sr Eric Hombs – Community R-6
Also under consideration for his shooting performance, the senior guard really caught our eye by dropping some impressive dimes for his teammates. Catching in the post several times, he found cutters for easy lay-ups and showed a little swag with some no-look drop-offs.
Promising Youngster – 6’0 So Christian Jones – Jamestown
We came away intrigued by the sophomore guard in this one. He has a strong build, is quick, and has sneaky athleticism. Expect him to get more comfortable and aggressive and be a big factor for the Eagles this season.