Who will start at shooting guard for Center Hill?
Olive Branch, Miss. – Center Hill has its point guard in senior Braxton Morris, who’s more of a facilitator than a scorer, so he will need to play alongside a reliable shooting guard. So, who will it be? That’s the…
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Continue ReadingOlive Branch, Miss. – Center Hill has its point guard in senior Braxton Morris, who’s more of a facilitator than a scorer, so he will need to play alongside a reliable shooting guard.
So, who will it be?
That’s the question head coach Newton Mealer is trying to figure out in the early days of fall workouts. As of right now, 5-foot-11 guard Jacquez Hardin will start at the two spot if the season started this week. However, DeShun Dunn, 6-foot, has emerged as a solid candidate to play a lot of minutes for the Mustangs. Many people don’t know about Dunn, who didn’t log in any varsity minutes last season.
At this year’s Jerry Peters Memphis Summer Classic at MUS against Olive Branch, Dunn emerged, dropping three straight 3s during a pivotal run in the second half against the ‘Quistors, shocking many people in attendance. During Thursday’s scrimmage, Dunn made a handful of shots from deep. He’s not afraid to shoot the basketball, and he seems to be confident that every shot is going to go in as he lets it rip.
Dunn’s shooting is something the Mustangs will need in order to find balance offensively.
“Dunn played really well for us this summer,” Mealer said. “And he’s coming on strong.”
Hardin is playing football, so he’s not able to practice with the team, but he’s the starting shooting guard once he gets back as Mealer mentioned that “it’s his spot to lose.” But, there may be some competition with the way Dunn has emerged since the start of the summer.
“DeShun Dunn, if you look at his body, is one of the most physical players you will see all year, and he can shoot the basketball extremely well,” Mealer said. “And for me, it’s all about how they fit into our system. Dunn fits extremely well, because he can shoot it.”
“We got guys that can dribble it. We got guys that can pass it, and we got scorers, so if he can sit in that corner and make shots like Kenneth Lewis did last year, he’s probably going to win that spot out.”
Junior guard Carlos Torres, 6-2, will also be in the mix to play at the two guard spot. Torres, who’s from Spain, just joined the team at the beginning of the school year, so he’s having to learn Mealer’s system and the speed of the game. Like Dunn, Torres can shoot from long range and is an underrated passer. He will need to get stronger before the start of the season.
According to Mealer, Torres could play some minutes at the point guard spot behind Morris because of his passing ability.