5 Takeaways: Huguenot vs. Trinity Episcopal
It was the first round of the annual Richmond Times Dispatch Tournament, and I decided of the four games to go to I wanted to see an intriguing private vs. public school matchup between Trinity Episcopal and Huguenot. I made…
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Continue ReadingIt was the first round of the annual Richmond Times Dispatch Tournament, and I decided of the four games to go to I wanted to see an intriguing private vs. public school matchup between Trinity Episcopal and Huguenot. I made the right decision, as it was one of the best basketball games I’ve seen in the early season. It was a barn burner from the beginning, with Trinity jumping out to a double digit lead early, but Huguenot fought back to make it 27-23 at the end of one. The Falcons continued their momentum in the second quarter, turning up the pressure and sharing the ball well, and behind junior Jordan Parham and senior Kamron Foster, Huguenot went into the locker room up 47-41.
Trinity made good adjustments to open the second half, and made a concerted effort to go to nationally ranked Henry Coleman. Behind the play of the 6’8” forward, Trinity regained the lead at the end of the third quarter 68-62. The fourth quarter was a blur, as TES kept getting the lead out to six or eight points, and Huguenot battled back to make it a one possession game each time. They went on an 8-0 run late to tie the game up with less than a minute left, and after some back-and-forth and some big shots, Huguenot was able to ice it at the line with less than 30 seconds left and escaped with a huge 88-85 win. Here’s some numbers from each team, and five takeaways we learned from the game.
Huguenot (unofficial):
Jordan Parham: 34 points (12-20 FG, 6-12 3P, 4-4 FT); Kamron Foster: 20 points (4-10 FG, 12-15 FT); Dashawn Patillo: 14 points (4-5 FG), 5 steals; Kevin Gayles: 9 points; Osmano Harris: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals
Trinity Episcopal (unofficial):
Henry Coleman: 38 points (14-22 FG, 10-12 FT), 21 rebounds; Michael Lomax: 14 points (4-10 3FG); Tyler Michael: 8 points, 3 steals; Kendrick Robinson: 6 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals.
Huguenot Different, But Still Tough to Beat
Senior Kamron Foster was big for HuguenotLast season was one of the most successful in Huguenot history, as they were the Class 4 East Region runner-ups and lost in the semifinals of the VHSL Class 4 State Tournament. They lost most of their size in 6’6” DeShawn Ridley and 6’11” Eric Rustin to graduation, but they return a dynamic backcourt that has up to six guys who can make an impact on both ends. They negated a big Trinity team by forcing 15 steals and they have shot makers, as they had three guards in Jordan Parham, Kamron Foster and DeShawn Patillo who scored 14 or more points. They can all make plays and make shots, which makes them very difficult to matchup with.
No Need to Panic if You’re Trinity
It hasn’t been the start that Trinity Episcopal fans are used to, as they’ve been the top private school in Richmond the past five seasons. The Titans have struggled somewhat to start the season, sitting at 5-3 with losses to Maret (DC), Bishop Sullivan and Huguenot. However, we need to remember that this is a brand new Trinity team with only two starters returning in juniors 6’8” Henry Coleman and 6’10” Burke Smith, and Smith didn’t play in the loss to Huguenot. They are still trying to find a guy who can handle the basketball and get into sets. Seniors Tyler Michael and Michael Lomax showed flashes and are good role players, but need someone else to help them handle the basketball because it isn’t their strength. 6’0” sophomore Erik Prosise is another option, but he’s still learning the system and gelling with his new team. Still, Trinity has Coleman and Smith, and have more size in 6’5” junior Kendrick Robinson and 6’4” freshman Joel Starlings, so they have an advantage against most teams, they just need to find the right rotation of guards to compliment them.
Jordan Parham: Richmond’s Best Kept Secret
Parham played a solid role last year for Huguenot in their playoff run, but this summer he showed in the LC Bird Summer League that he’s a guy on the come up. This game is the one that will put him on the map. Matching up with Parham is a nightmare because he has unbelievable range. He hit six three-pointers, with at least three of them coming from 25 feet or more, and he canned a big time triple from the wing with less than a minute left to tie the game for the Falcons. At only about 6’0”, Parham has good wiggle off the bounce and great pull-up, making him a tough shotmaker from all three levels. His ability to light it up off the catch and the bounce makes him one of the best shotmaking guards in the Richmond area. He finished with 34 points in the win.
Henry Coleman is a Man Among Boys
The four star power forward came into this season knowing he had to play a bigger role, and he’s backed it up early on this season. The first thing that struck me is that he looks like he’s still growing, looking like a legitimate 6’8”, maybe even 6’9” now. He plays sort of a hybrid four role for them, attacking the zone with him at the high post and also running some high-low action for him. Where he’s really great is in transition where he can run with the guards and finish above the rim, but he’s also big time on the offensive glass where he had to have at least half of his 21 rebounds. He plays with a high motor too, which makes his length and athleticism that much harder to stop. He finished with a dominant and impressive 38 points and 21 rebounds, including some vicious dunks that brought the crowd to their feet.
Richmond Area Basketball Wide Open This Year
There’s only been one day of the annual TDIT Tournament and what we’re seeing so far is that this year, a lot of the classifications in Richmond are wide open. Trinity has typically dominated the Prep League and VISAA D1 teams in the area, but this year they aren’t as dominant. However, many of the teams in that league are down as well. In the public school world, Class 5 is dominated by LC Bird and Varina and Class 3 is dominated by John Marshall and Hopewell, but Class 6 and Class 4, which features Huguenot, Monacan, Louisa and Powhatan among others, is going to be a bloodbath between a number of teams. This year’s TDIT isn’t a head on collision between two teams like it’s been in the past, but it’s wide open like much of the basketball in Richmond will be this year.