Biggest Takeaways from the Junior All-Star Games
After a win over Indiana on Sunday, a loss in the Monday rematch and a loss to the Kentucky Senior All-Stars last night, the dust has settled on the Kentucky Junior All-Star team. Here are some takeaways from the 3…
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Continue ReadingAfter a win over Indiana on Sunday, a loss in the Monday rematch and a loss to the Kentucky Senior All-Stars last night, the dust has settled on the Kentucky Junior All-Star team. Here are some takeaways from the 3 games.
Brayden Sebastian continues to impress. There are some players who stand out in these all star games for the wrong reasons. Brayden stood out because he showed what an efficient scorer he can be with a lot of talent around him. Instead of a volume scorer, Sebastian was a knockdown shooter and held his own on defense, even adding some rebounding in the win on Sunday. Brayden is going to be a very solid college player and is likely the favorite to be the 12th region’s Mr. Basketball nominee.
Tyren Moore is instant offense. Tyren was very average to start things on Sunday. He missed shots and had a couple of turnovers. Then he flipped the switch and lit it up in his next turn on the floor. He hit shots, created offense for others and pushed the pace to get the Kentucky Juniors on a big run. It will be interesting to see where he ends up at the next level but Tyren has been really fun to watch.
Dayvion McKnight was dominant. Sunday night the Collins guard posted 18 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Monday he followed it with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. In the win Sunday, McKnight was the best player on the floor. He affected the game in a lot of ways and facilitated the offense for Kentucky’s wing shooters.
Ques Warrick shot the ball very well. The leading scorer for the Juniors on Sunday was the young man from Henry Clay. He helped to ignite a big run in the second half and finished with 19 points on 3/5 from three and 7/11 overall. Warrick recently got his first D1 offer and could see more in the future.
The Kentucky selection process should mirror the Indiana one. Indiana had a core of 6 players and then two secondary groups of 6 for a total of 18 players. The core 6 played both games and were joined by a secondary group at each game. Kentucky chose to pick 14 players for both games. Howard Fleming and Thomas Spencer were hurt so Kentucky played with 12 total for two games. Expanding to 18 players would allow for a player like Justin Powell to play at least one game for Kentucky. I understand picking 10-12 All Stars for the Senior team but the selection committee may want to consider expanding the roster for the future.
Defense didn’t travel. After getting the Sunday win, Monday night was a rough one for the Kentucky team. Indiana beat Kentucky 142-105. Kentucky had 24 turnovers to only 8 for Indiana and the Hoosiers shot 53% for the game while Kentucky gave up open looks left and right. In order for Kentucky to take the series as Seniors, they’ll need a better defensive effort.
All things considered, the 2020 Class had a good week. The Juniors split with Indiana and held their own against the Seniors despite there being a talent gap in the two rosters. Coach Henley and staff did a good job coaching the team and the 2020 class has a chance to knock off Indiana next season, assuming the series continues.