Takeaways From The Jump Ball Tip Off (Phase III)
Wednesday night at St. Frances Academy, the Jump Ball High School Season Tip Off continued its tour around the DMV with two games. In the first match up, Rock Creek Christian escaped with a 70-62 win over Glenelg Country. St.…
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Continue ReadingWednesday night at St. Frances Academy, the Jump Ball High School Season Tip Off continued its tour around the DMV with two games. In the first match up, Rock Creek Christian escaped with a 70-62 win over Glenelg Country. St. Frances came through like a wrecking ball in game two and walked away with a 87-50 victory over Coolidge (D.C.). Here are some takeaways we learned from the event.
St. Frances is dominant…again
The Panthers made another case as to why they’re one of the top teams in the uber-talented DMV area. Without their best player in VCU commit Ace Baldwin, they dismantled a Coolidge team that is equipped with decent talent. It says a lot about this St. Frances team to take the floor without their floor general and handle business like they did. Jahmal Banks stepped in with 24 points and completely controlled the game with his physicality and versatility around the rim. Julian Reese was a human eraser with 11 blocks and Jamal West did Jamal West things as shown by his stat line of 18 points, eight rebounds, six blocks and five assists. 2021 Khyrie Staten played a tremendous game as he was inserted into the starting lineup to account for Baldwin’s absence. Staten forced more than a handful of turnovers and converted them into point with his handful of transition buckets. Depth was somewhat of a concern for this team heading into the season, so seeing their bench rotation step up when they needed to most is very satisfying.
Rock Creek’s toughness makes up for lack of size
At 6-foot-6 (being generous), 2021 forward Zaakir Williamson is Rock Creek’s tallest player. For most teams, that would be an issue, but Rock Creek counters that lack of size with extreme toughness and grit. Spearheaded by 2020 point guard DeLonnie Hunt, they’re relentless in their attack on the rim and getting into the painted area. 2021 James Gross is a high-flyer who embraces contact any time he drives, while 2020 guard Milton Matthews and 2020 guard Kyree Freeman supply the team with outside shooting threats. Williamson is a load down low and can hold his leverage against much taller players. He does a nice job of boxing out and clearing space defensively to help limit the opposition to one shot. If there’s a loose ball, chances are someone on Rock Creek is going to dive on the floor and come up with it. They do all of the little things teams that lack height need to do and thus far, it’s working.
Glenelg Country shows upside despite a loss
The Dragons came up on the short end of their match up against Rock Creek, but showed plenty of reasons why they should be feared in the MIAA. One aspect of this team that is overlooked is their senior trio of Noah Charles, Igor Yoka-Bratasz and Jarod Robinson. The three are efficient, smart players who know how to play within head coach Garrett O’Donnell’s system. 2021 forward Cole Paar has not only grown in height, but also filled out his 6-foot-9 frame to become more of a physical presence on the glass and scoring around the rim. Paar plays a big role within the offense being the decision-maker with the ball at the top of the key for cutting guards. 2022 Noah Batchelor is the obvious piece with the highest ceiling. His off the dribble game is still a work in progress, but Batchelor has become a nightmare in transition with his athleticism and finishing ability over the rim.