Tip Off Classic 5 Takeaways: Cadets in control in win over Robbinsdale Cooper
St. Thomas Academy opened things on the main court of the Tip Off Classic Saturday at Hopkins High School, getting a 78-75 win over Robbinsdale Cooper. Here are five takeaways from the contest: Jack Thompson is one of the best…
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Continue ReadingSt. Thomas Academy opened things on the main court of the Tip Off Classic Saturday at Hopkins High School, getting a 78-75 win over Robbinsdale Cooper.
Here are five takeaways from the contest:
- Jack Thompson is one of the best guards in the state
I don’t love making grand statements off one game though I suppose there’s always some shock value if that’s the goal but Jack Thompson has to be one of the best guards in the state. He’s getting looks from Division II, Division III and NAIA schools. If he goes DIII, he’s going to be an absolute steal.The senior guard dropped 37 points including several monster 3-pointers when the Cadets truly separated themselves from the Hawks midway through the second half. He’s smart with the ball, he can shoot, he draws fouls and he’s competitive as heck on the defensive end of the floor.
- Noah Chamberlain is in for a huge senior season
Chamberlain was a bit guy for the Cadets last year, taking a back seat to Thompson, Sam Vascellaro and a few other solid seniors. He had a terrific summer playing AAU and thus drew a lot of college interest but for a guy who was relatively unproven handling a big role for his high school team, I was intrigued to see how he’d look. He was awesome. He scored 27 points but more than that, he looked like he’d been playing a big role for his team for years. He was calm with the ball, made good decisions, handled Cooper’s pressure and passed up tough shots for either good shots for him or easy shots for his teammates. If he plays like he played Saturday, the ceiling for this Cadets team changes.
- Majay Murphy
I was super excited to see how Jalen Miller and Jalen Justice would look for Cooper and the guy who captured my attention was sophomore wing Majay Murphy. He’s 5-foot-11 but explosive going to the rim and combines it with a pretty perimeter jumper and solid handles. He was extremely disruptive on the defensive end of the floor and while there were times where his gambling got him burned, he was definitely a positive. He scored 16 points in the game and knocked some some tough shots late when the Hawks were rallying for a comeback. Cooper won’t win if Miller and Justice aren’t really good, but on a day where neither of them stood out, the Hawks had a chance to steal a win because of guys like Murphy. He’s a name to pay attention to going forward.
- Cooper Needs its Pressure
It was clear fairly early that Robbinsdale Cooper absolutely needs its pressure to control games. The Hawks halfcourt offense looked clunky – not entirely unexpected – and without a lot of great perimeter shooting and or natural playmaking, they’ll need their pressure to generate easy offense. They’ve got depth with a bevy of athletic, springy and disruptive guards, so in theory, a havok style suits them. There will be times where it doesn’t look good and the Cadets made them pay for it a lot, but it’ll also allow them to get back into games because they’ve got that spurtability.
- St. Thomas Academy ball movement
While the Cooper offense was a lot of dribbling, one-on-one and jamming as many guys inside the 3-point line as space allowed, the St. Thomas Academy offense was crisp and under control for roughly 32 of the 36 minutes. The Cadets handled the Cooper pressure and consistently got open layups or jumpers as a result of a terrific ball movement. They might not have a true third scorer behind Thompson and Chamberlain, but they’ve got an upperclass-laden team and guys who you can at least trust with the ball to make the right basketball decision quickly and consistently. That’ll be good enough for them to win a bunch of games this winter.