Purple Knight Classic Recap: St. Augustine Wins 3rd annual Purple Knight Classic
St. Augustine, Purple Knight Classic Results: W vs. McDonogh 35, 62-35 (1st Round) W vs. KIPP Renaissance, 71-38 (Quarterfinals) W vs. McMain, 68-46 (Semifinals) W vs. Thibodaux, 89-55 (Championship) Purple Knight Classic Recap: Part 1 St. Augustine solidified itself as…
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Continue ReadingSt. Augustine, Purple Knight Classic Results:
W vs. McDonogh 35, 62-35 (1st Round)
W vs. KIPP Renaissance, 71-38 (Quarterfinals)
W vs. McMain, 68-46 (Semifinals)
W vs. Thibodaux, 89-55 (Championship)
Purple Knight Classic Recap: Part 1
St. Augustine solidified itself as a top contender for the Division I state title with their performance in the Purple Knight Classic — particularly against Thibodaux. They completely dominated the Tigers with a 31-5 run over about an 8-minute span in the second and third quarters and never let up the rest of the way.
6’2” 2020 G Jaron Pierre was scorching hot from deep dropping nine 3-pointers in a 30-point performance. He was impressive coming off of screens and getting his feet set quickly before releasing picture-perfect jump shots, but also hit a couple off the dribble with defenders near him.
St. Augustine 2020 G Jaron Pierre (@_EliteRon1) was on 🔥🔥🔥 in the Purple Knight Classic Championship against Thibodaux. He went 9-of-17 from 3-point range and finished with 30 points – here's all 9 trey balls from the Purple Knight sharpshooter https://t.co/DFmJC4e5gR pic.twitter.com/rskFRNpsGa
— Josh Preston (@JPrestonSports) December 31, 2018
Most of Pierre’s shots came off dishes from 2019 5’9” PG Damon Landry and 2020 6’0” PG D’Mari Wiltz, who both had eight assists. Landry is the quicker guard of the two with great vision as a passer and the ability to consistently finish when he gets to his right hand.
Wiltz is the bigger-bodied guard of the two, and does a good job shielding the ball from defenders and keeping the ball low. He rarely allows the defense to speed him up and nudges his way into the lane where he can finish over smaller guards.
The Purple Knights’ other four top players are:
2019 6’1” G Dante Smith, a gritty player who’s energy is contagious throughout the team.
2019 6’3” G Devon Jefferson, a superb athlete who’s also a capable shooter.
2019 6’1” G Darius Henry, the team’s second-best shooter behind Pierre.
2019 6’5” F Jalvin Mitchell, St. Aug’s primary big man who patrols the paint well defensively and is somewhat of an x-factor when he can make his layups consistently.
St. Augustine also gets occasional minutes from its 2021 crew:
2021 6’4” F Jason Malbrue, an even more explosive athlete than Jefferson, but is still raw in his development.
2021 6’1” PG Nasir DeGruy, a thinner version of Wiltz, both of whom play at their own speed and understand how to change speeds to get by their defender.
2021 6’0” G Ashton Trufant, another knockdown shooter the Purple Knights can employ if need be.
In addition to St. Aug’s depth, they’re made even more dangerous under the tutelage of coach Mitchell Johnson. He’s a demanding and intimidating figure on the sideline but is one of the absolute best in the business who always gets the most out of his teams. Johnson and his coaching staff have this group playing at an insane level on defensive end of the floor, which is where their true identity lies as they suffocate teams defensively from the tip.
They are now 19-2 on the season with quality wins over Crescent City (54-53), KIPP-Booker T. Washington (65-57), Hahnville (58-48, 64-47), East St. John (61-52), McMain (59-42, 68-46) and Thibodaux (89-55). The Purple Knights’ only two losses were to Bonnabel, 61-50, in the McMain Tournament title game (Dec. 1), and 50-48 early in the season (Nov. 19) vs. Karr, who they later beat, 81-40, in the Newman tournament on Dec. 7.
St. Augustine was No. 4 in the latest Division I power rankings released on Dec. 28 and are without question one of the top contenders along with No. 1 Scotlandville, No. 2 Jesuit, No. 3 Holy Cross and No. 5 Catholic-Baton Rouge.