10 Best: John Marshall vs. Bishop Sullivan
In the first week of public school basketball, we had one of the most different matchups of the early season so far. Richmond vs. Hampton Roads, public vs. private as Bishop Sullivan travelled from Virginia Beach to play against Richmond…
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Continue ReadingIn the first week of public school basketball, we had one of the most different matchups of the early season so far. Richmond vs. Hampton Roads, public vs. private as Bishop Sullivan travelled from Virginia Beach to play against Richmond public power John Marshall.
It was a barn burner from the beginning, as Bishop Sullivan jumped out the gates on fire going 8-for-11 from the field in the first quarter, allowing them to jump out to a 23-15 lead after one. The Justices of John Marshall woke up in the second quarter, but the Crusaders continued to shoot the basketball extremely well as they headed into the half up 46-41.
The third quarter was the turning point, as John Marshall came out with a lot of energy on the defensive end and started to turn over Bishop Sullivan and turn it into easy offense, as they took a 64-61 lead in the final quarter. In the fourth, they started to pull away, but Sullivan refused to go down as they held their own and continued to make shots, but in the end it wasn’t enough. Marshall was able to hit their free throws down the stretch and come away with a 90-79 victory on their home floor in a barn burner to start the season.
MVP: Jason Nelson | John Marshall 2021
The transfer from Varina picked up right where he’s left off the past few years and more as he was phenomenal throughout the game. He set the tone early on both ends of the floor, he controlled the pace and scored it at will when he needed to. More on him below.
Play of the Game
With John Marshall going on a run late in the fourth quarter, 6’11” junior Roosevelt Wheeler helped put the nail in the coffin with the play of the game. On a missed shot, Wheeler muscled his way in and got a big time offensive rebound, and without hesitation he gathered and took off, going back up with authority and finishing it strong with two hands.
Best Offensive Performer: Jason Nelson | John Marshall 2021
The numbers only tell part of the story for how good Nelson was, and that says a lot because the numbers were fantastic in themselves. With the Justices getting off to a slow start and even with Nelson in foul trouble, he jump started their offense late in the first quarter and continued it throughout the game. He was 6-for-8 from the field in the first half and 3-for-4 from deep, scoring 16 points in the first half, and despite dealing with foul trouble continued his strong performance throughout the game. He finished with a game high 29 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field and pitched in four assists and four rebounds.
Best Defensive Performer: Roosevelt Wheeler | John Marshall 2021
The biggest guy on the court, Wheeler played like it with his huge frame and quickness in the paint, showing good timing as a rim protector when coming help side and he guarded well in the post in one-on-one situations. One of the top ranked big countries that’s known for his defense, he had three blocks on the game and altered plenty more, and he pitched in 11 points on the offensive end as well.
Best Guy off the Bench: Kamari Braswell | Bishop Sullivan 2021
Braswell provided a great spark off the bench for Sullivan as he came in immediately and scored the basketball well for them. The 5’11” guard showed the ability to make shots from deep, good quickness off the bounce and an array of floaters and pull-ups in the midrange. He finished with 14 points off the bench, going 5-for-8 from the field and pitched in two steals on the defensive end as well.
Best Intangibles: Brandon Jones | Bishop Sullivan 2020
Arguably their most consistent performer on the day, Jones is a 6’3” position less guy who did a little bit of everything for the team while playing multiple positions as well. He showed good versatility on the offensive end, making shots from all over the floor, putting it on the deck and finishing over bigger players. He dominated the glass too, finishing with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
Best Under-the-Radar Performer: Dana Woodley | John Marshall 2021
A transfer from Lee-Davis, Woodley is a budding prospect that continues to improve every time I see him and was phenomenal down the stretch for the Justices as he helped put the game away. The 6’3” wing scored the ball efficiently from every level, making shots from deep, getting to the rack and getting to the free throw line as well. He finished with 21 points, 14 of them in the second half, while shooting 7-for-10 from the line and hitting four key free throws down the stretch.
Best Underclassman: Dennis Parker Jr. | John Marshall 2023
I had heard a lot about Parker but had only seen him briefly in an AAU game, but last night I saw flashes of what has JM coach Ty White speaking so highly of him. He doesn’t look like a freshman, as he’s about 6’6” with a strong and athletic frame, he has some toughness to him and he plays with poise on both ends of the floor. Throughout the game he showed that he can guard multiple positions and has good instincts on that end of the floor, he showed good athleticism with some strong finishes in traffic and he made good decisions within the flow of the offense. He finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in his first official high school game.
Best Under-the-Radar Performer 2: Misha Zuribashvilli | Bishop Sullivan 2020
One of two Serbians on the Crusaders roster, Zuribashvilli was lights out in the first half and showed great instincts on the offensive end. He isn’t the quickest guy but at 6’6” he has good size, makes shots from deep and understands how to attack closeouts and get to the line as well. He came out the gates on fire, scoring 15 points in the first half while going 3-for-4 from the field and 7-for-7 from the line. He finished the game with a team high 20 points in the loss.
Best Floor General: Sterling White | Bishop Sullivan 2021
One of the main reasons that the Crusaders played so well, White set the tone and made others better throughout the game while taking care of the ball against a daunting John Marshall defense. The 5’10” guard was great handling the pressure, created for himself and others and showed great poise running the offense. He finished with 10 points and 7 assists, going 4-for-5 from the field on the game.