Most Intriguing Prospects: Benedictine vs. VES
In an intriguing matchup, a young but talented Virginia Episcopal School traveled from Lynchburg to Richmond to play another young but talented team in Benedictine. The game was a back and forth affair as both teams came out hot and…
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Continue ReadingIn an intriguing matchup, a young but talented Virginia Episcopal School traveled from Lynchburg to Richmond to play another young but talented team in Benedictine. The game was a back and forth affair as both teams came out hot and with good energy, and traded leads multiple times throughout the first half, but they went into halftime tied at 27 a piece.
The second half was much of the same, as VES rode senior guard Fabio Dias and scored four straight points at the end of the third to take a 42-40 lead into the final frame. Benedictine started the comeback by going through sophomore forward Jaden Daughtry, who was their horse down the stretch. He converted a number of plays in traffic, and Benedictine was able to pull ahead just under five minutes left and never looked back. They won a close one 59-54. Here’s a look at some of the top standouts from the evening.
Jaden Daughtry | 6’6” F | Benedictine 2022
Daughtry showed a lot of versatility and already has a very strong and impressive frame, and he was very productive, especially down the stretch as he scored 11 of his team high 15 points in the second half. He was able to use his strength to finish in the paint and through contact, he showed the ability to put it on the deck in transition and get to the rim off the bounce and he’s a good athlete who had multiple impressive blocks. He’s already a very good player, but it’s his ceiling and potential that projects him to be a very good player moving forward.
Ismael Plet | 6’7” PF | VES 2020
One of the best available prospects in all of VA, Plet dominated at times throughout the game with his ability to simply catch and finish over top of guys in the paint. He’s a big and physical guy in the paint who can finish with either hand, but he didn’t settle for that as he had to have had five or more dunks in the game. He also rebounded and defended very well, and he finished with an impressive double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
Whitt Williams | 6’8” C | Benedictine 2021
Williams dealt with some foul trouble late, but when he was in the game he was one of the best players on the floor. At 6’8” he showed nice touch out to the midrange, he rebounded well on both ends of the floor and he played with good energy as well. He’s an inside-out threat that can stretch the floor and attack closeouts and he can contest shots with his length as well. He finished with 10 points and 4 rebounds while missing much of the second half with foul trouble.
Fabio Dias | 6’3” G | VES 2020
Dias had perhaps the best game I have seen him have, as he came out in the second half on fire and kept VES in the game with his ability to get to the rim and finish off the bounce. He showed good change of pace, finished in traffic with both hands including a couple of nice reverses and he continually put pressure on the other guards on both ends. He finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds, scoring 13 in the loss.
Brandon Jenkins | 5’9” PG | Benedictine 2021
The floor general for this young but talented group, Jenkins was flat out fantastic taking care of the basketball and making plays for others. He handled pressure well, got in the paint at will, pitched ahead in transition when he needed to and he made enough shots to keep the defense honest which allowed him to continue to make plays for others. He finished with just six points but had 9 assists and only one turnover the whole game.
Walker Andrews | 5’11” G | VES 2022
Andrews is known as a shooter and rightfully so as he hit three three-pointers and was hounded the entire game with the defense shading his way. However, one thing that also stood out with Andrews was his instincts and playmaking ability on the defensive end. He has great anticipation, stays in the right position in help side and shoots the passing lanes really well. He had 6 steals to go along with his 9 points in the loss.
Lorenz Boykin | 6’0” G | Benedictine 2020
The senior leader for the Cadets didn’t have his best game coming off a big performance against Cape Henry the night before, but he did make some big plays down the stretch and provided great leadership throughout the game. He’s a big slashing wing that can get to the rim off the bounce, and he’s also able to stretch the floor and is a good rebounder as well. He finished with 9 points and 3 rebounds in the win.