March Madness: Championship Saturday Standouts
Championship Saturday was definitely like the first day. There was action from the morning tip until the ending session. Once again, certain players during the stood out with their effort. These young men are known as my championship Saturday standouts.…
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Continue ReadingChampionship Saturday was definitely like the first day. There was action from the morning tip until the ending session. Once again, certain players during the stood out with their effort. These young men are known as my championship Saturday standouts.
Kaleb Jenkins / 5’9″ / Metairie Park Country Day / 2019
In these championship games, it appears that the small guards keep coming up big in game situations. This applied to the Division III championship with Country Day. When Country Day was pressured by Dunham in the 2nd half, Jenkins seemed to always make a winning play. He scored a three point play that pushed the lead back to 9 on the fast break. When the offense bogged down in the halfcourt, Kaleb made the right cute to produce a bucket. Jenkins is a heady player who makes winning plays. He may not be as flashy as some of the other point guards we have in the state. Consequently, none of them have a better basketball IQ than him either. Kaleb Jenkins was a definite championship standout and showed it on Saturday.
Reece Beekman / 6’3″ / Scotlandville Magnet / 2020
When it comes to point guards, the 2020 class is chalk full of players who can make a difference on the next level. The head of that class is Reece Beekman. On Saturday afternoon, he displayed a floor game that was worthy of the top player in his class. St. Augustine could not manage to stop Beekman from finding open shooters or making shots of his own. He was 3-3 from behind the arc and had a 3 to 1 assists-to-turnover ratio in the championship game. His 28 points and nine assists was essentially a one man wrecking crew against a talented Purple Knights team. Beekman handled the pressure of leading his team with the style and confidence of a true point guard. While he will assurdly play on the next level, Reece definitely displayed why he was one of Saturday’s championship standouts.
Jaden Shelvin / 6’2″ / St. Thomas More / 2021
New players usually break onto the scene during Marsh Madness. In the double overtime classic with St. Thomas More and De La Salle, sophomore wing Jaden Shelvin stepped up to be one of those breakout players. Shelvin was one of the players at the top of STM’s press and made life difficult for the Cavs smaller guards because of his wingspan. When he was not causing turnovers, he showed his ability to drive to the cup and shoot the perimeter jumper. When he went to the rim, the Cavs smallish front court could not stop him from scoring. Shelvin put other Division II (as well as 4A) teams on notice that when they play STM, they have a game changing wing that can carve a team up in a variety of ways. Because of his performance on both ends of the floor, he walked away with most outstanding player honors. He was definitely one of my championship standouts from Saturday, also.
Jakemin Abney / 6’3″ / Simsboro / 2020
There are times when a 6’3″ wing plays as a big man out of necessity. During Saturday’s class B championship game, Jakemin Abney did just that. When the game was over, Jakemin won the most outstanding player award for his double-double performance. As the game evolved, Abney revealed why he is such as threat on the floor. Early on he took players off the dribble. He coupled that with his ability to get to the free throw line with the bounce. Jakemin even displayed his outside touch within the arc. Even with his display on the offensive side, it was his 9 defensive boards that helped secure defensive stops and allowed his team to get into transition. Abney also display the ability to finish on the break. His performance was one of the main reasons Simsboro won the game. It was also a great influence on him being one of my Saturday championship standouts.
Kobi Johnson / 5’9″ / Thibodaux / 2019
Coming into the 5A championship game, all players knew about Walker guard Jalen Cook (6’0″, 2020) semifinal performance. Obivously one guard who was not glossy-eyed by the challenge was senior guard, Kobi Johnson from Thibodaux. Johnson put together a definitely most outstanding player performance. His early defensive work against Cook set the tone for the rest of the team. In the second half, his constant drives to the basket broke down a walk defense that gave Thibodaux shooters enough room to make shots. His ability to cause pressure on the offensive and defensive ends showed that he was built for the moment. Johnson should get a chance to showcase his work on the next level. He was definitely one of the championship standouts from Saturday’s action.
Jason Perry / 6’4″ / Madison Prep / 2020
With Jahein Spencer injured and Elijah Tate not shooting well, someone had to step up. Jason Perry was that player during the 3A title game. Tate led the team with 17 points and displayed timely shotmaking during the team’s victory over Wossman. Early in the game, he took a charge, provided rim protection, and played well on offense. During the course of the game, he continued to make timely shots when Prep needed to keep the Wildcats at bey. He was 2-2 from deep which displayed his ability to play inside and out. Perry was the two way player that Jahein Spencer had been for the Chargers all season. His 17 points led the team to victory and their fifth consecutive title. His play was also championship standout worthy during the final game of Marsh Madness.
Marsh Madness definitely did not disappoint. It was an evident that showcased the talent on different levels in the state of Louisiana. As we move into the AAU season and senior signing period, we will see if some of these championship standouts get to take their talents to the next level. If they do, their next team will have some of the most talented players that this state has to offer.