5 Key Things I learned About Shadow Ridge’s 3-0 Start
A lot of basketball has already been played so far in the early part of the season. It is pretty early to make any brash assessments. However, their is one team in particular that has caught my eye and that…
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Continue ReadingA lot of basketball has already been played so far in the early part of the season. It is pretty early to make any brash assessments. However, their is one team in particular that has caught my eye and that is Shadow Ridge who is off to a 3-0 start. So what does that fast start mean?
(1) DOES SHADOW RIDGE HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN THEIR CONFERENCE?
The 4A Mountain Northwest conference is headlined by Arbor View it is hard to bet against a team that has Donovan Yap, Mikey Medlock and Larry Holmes. Another strong team in this conference is Faith Lutheran and Centennial. What I have come to know about this conference is you need to be top heavy to be a contender and overall well rounded on both sides of the ball. So far Shadow Ridge has shown that they are a solid team.
(2) DOES SHADOW RIDGE HAVE THE DEPTH TO COMPETE?
As of right now YES! In their three wins thus far each performance was pretty well rounded. So far they have four young men on their roster averaging double figures. Their leading scorer is 6’3 SG 2021 Zach Jefferson. Jefferson burst on the scene game one against Rancho and got a solid 21 points and did not slack a game later against Valley scoring 19 so his average thus far on the season is 19 ppg. Every scorer needs a solid rebounding foundation right? So far Shadow Ridge has two young men that have eclipsed the 10 rpg mark. Justice Jackson 6’1 Combo 2021. I’ve already nicknamed him the “Transformer.” He is the ultimate stat sheet stuffer so far on the year he’s averaging 14.5 ppg and 10 rpg along with 3 assists and 2.5 steals. Jackson has showed that he is capable of doing it all. One thing this team isn’t short on is talent, hustle and effort. However the question that needs to be answered. Can they maintain the same energy during conference play? A season ago they finished with an overall record of 15-12 but was 5-7 in conference play. That conference record needs to improve if they want to compete this season.
(3) WHAT ABOUT THEIR GUARD PLAY?
Effective guard play in this conference is extremely important in a conference with Donovan Yap, Azavier Johnson and Shane Thomas just to name a few. Being able to not take a back seat to any of these great young players is important. The PG position is the life blood of a team. I’ve mentioned two of their guards already here is another.
DJ Turner 5’9 G 2021- Turner is the captain of the ship. He is an undersized but gritty guard with tons of heart and he plays the game the right way. Turner is the type of guard I call the Rajon Rondo guard. He won’t lead your team statistically in scoring but that’s ok! He will lead your team in effort and you can be darn sure your team will be ran like it’s suppose to be run. Thus far Turner has done that and then some averaging 10 ppg 9 assists 5 rebound 2.5 steals. Its a mixed bag of everything with him. If Turner can keep that kind of consistency all the way through the season he can be an X-Factor for this team’s success.
(4) WHO IS BRADY JOYNER? AND IS HE A LEGIT BIG MAN
Brady Joyner 6’5 F 2020- Brady Joyner is a two sport athlete he is a pitcher on the varsity baseball team. As far as his basketball prowess is concerned this year he leads the team in rebounds with 10.5 rpg. Before we call it a three game fluke last season Joyner had multiple 13 rebound games which are career highs for Joyner. Last season he had a monster game against rival Faith Lutheran with seven blocks. Joyner is clearly the eraser for this team. The 10.5 rebounds he is currently averaging can stick and he has shown in conference play he can keep that high level up once he is given the proper minutes. His offensive game could use some refining. However, that isn’t who he is for this team. Ben Wallace esque one might even say. He knows what his role is on this team. If he can keep leading his team in rebounds and blocks. Shadow Ridge can be legit contenders.
(5) CAN SHADOW RIDGE WIN MORE THAN 15 GAMES? CAN THEY IMPROVE THEIR DIVISION RECORD?
YES! They can compete with any team in their conference. So far this season they have averaged 82 points. My question how battle tested are they? Their non conference schedule consists of a lot of out of state teams like Arizona and Apple Valley. Their most recent game they completely dismantled San Luis by the score of 82-35. With those games it does make you wonder are they that good or was the team they played not up to their level? The more this team plays together and each young player understands their role the better they will be in the long run. If the basketball bounces a certain way one game they can win big games in their division. Can they beat Arbor View? We will fully find that out 1/7/20