5 Takeaways: Perry vs. Pinnacle
1. Nico Mannion and Trent Brown are the best backcourt duo in the state. This statement might cause quite the stir, but the reality is that no one in the state has been able to prove otherwise. Spencer Rattler made the…
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Continue Reading1. Nico Mannion and Trent Brown are the best backcourt duo in the state. This statement might cause quite the stir, but the reality is that no one in the state has been able to prove otherwise.
Spencer Rattler made the decision to be done with basketball: No problem. Jordan Mains, who was going to be a huge contributor for the team, misses the vast majority of the season: They keep winning.
While Mannion is having an incredible season, it is easy to miss all that Brown does. Mannion is good enough to win games, but Brown adds another dynamic to this backcourt that makes them nearly unstoppable. They both shoot the basketball at a high level, play solid defense, and make high level plays.
2. The future is bright for Perry. While they lost the game, they are without a doubt the favorite to win the 6A state championship next year. Dylan Anderson demonstrated why he has college coaches drooling over him. He is the real deal.
He is a versatile, lengthy four who is only going to get better. That is an important statement because the reality is that he is already very good. In four years, Anderson has the ability to play long after college.
Anderson is not the only skilled underclassmen on the roster. Christian Tucker was solid in the game. He is smooth and has a good feel for the game. Further, while he did not play, Carter Van Hammond is another prospect to watch on this team.
3. While Mannion stole the show, Jalen Williams and Kyle Patterson did all they could to keep Perry in it. It was a 13 point game in the 2nd quarter, but Patterson refused to go down. He hit a couple of tough shots from deep and played with the motor that always makes him special.
Williams hit a couple of tough shots, especially late in the game. While Perry has a bright future, these two graduating will be tough on Perry. They are extremely skilled and have high IQs. Further, their competitive mentality carries to the rest of the team.
4. Tosh Baker is getting a lot of love for football, and deservedly so. However, he is a skilled basketball player. He had a couple of drop step finishes and extremely skilled passes.
He has a good feel for the game and makes those around him better. When the defense collapses, he does not rush. He finds the open man and makes the defense pay for collapsing.
He is a big man who has good footwork and competed well on the defensive end of the floor against an extremely versatile prospect in Anderson.
5. Don’t get Pinnacle mad… I understand wanting to get into Mannion’s head, but making him feel like he has something to prove has not worked out for opponents. Prior to dominating the final four game against Perry, Mannion wore a shirt that said, “Over-rated,” which was chanted against Brophy and numerous other games. There are a lot of words that could be used to describe Mannion, over-rated is not one of them. He has made sure to show that over and over again.
Against Brophy, the student section chanted “Nico’s shadow” as Brown shot free throws. Needless to say, they found out how good Brown is.
This team is good enough to win without locker room material. Anything extra is just gasoline on an already blazing fire. This group has been on a mission since losing to Mountain Pointe. Since that lose, they have only allowed 4 in-state teams to keep the deficit under 10 points while winning all of the games.