Top Prospects from the Mustang Holiday Classic Championship: Midwest City versus Carl Albert
Midwest City defeats Carl Albert 75-72 to become the 2019 Mustang Holiday Classic Champions. Here are the top prospects from the championship matchup: Christian Cook 2020 Midwest City Cook is a dynamic guard who is going to play basketball at…
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Continue ReadingMidwest City defeats Carl Albert 75-72 to become the 2019 Mustang Holiday Classic Champions.
Here are the top prospects from the championship matchup:
Christian Cook 2020 Midwest City
Cook is a dynamic guard who is going to play basketball at the next level so his name has been known for awhile now. However this season, Cook is showing off his ability to create for teammates in an efficient way.
Cook scored 12 points Saturday night but he was the catalyst for many of MWC’s points especially in the second half. There isn’t many games where the senior guard isn’t the best pure athlete on the floor so he is able to make plays on both ends of the floor that amaze you.
Cook shot the ball well from three in the first half but because his teammates were hot he took less shots and just set up his peers.
Other than Overton, Cook has the highest ceiling of any one in this game and possibly the entire tournament. I think we are just seeing the beginning of his rise to the top.
James Locke 2021 Carl Albert
Locke had a quiet first half for CA but he woke up in the second half showing off his pure jumper. Similar to Cook, Locke is a long lanky guard who doesn’t have issues getting his shot off over defenders.
You could tell MWC made it a point in the first half to not allow Locke to get any space on the perimeter. For the most part they did a good job however the junior guard came with a mindset to score in the second half and he couldn’t be stopped.
Usually Locke uses his ability to get to the rim to fill the scoreboard but it was impressive to watch him play without the ball and find open spots against the 2-3 zone to get his shots off.
Going off of the second half, it looked as if he likes shooting threes from the corners which are a tough cover for the defenders in the zone.
Whenever Locke caught the ball in his spot he let it go with confidence and it was usually all net. Cook finished with 14 points.
Kevin Overton 2022 Midwest City
Its hard not to get excited about a 6’4 sophomore wing with a good jump shot. Overton just looks like a high-level basketball prospect in 2019.
What I noticed from the lefty is his rare ability to hit tough shots from midrange. Not many young guys have built the touch from midrange to hit those shots efficiently.
Overton is a known threat from three so defenders would rush out there to prevent him from getting off a shot from deep.
When they arrived they would relax thinking they their job was finished however Overton would then put the ball on the floor and get to his spots to shoot a pull up or a floater.
Not many young guys that ability to score from all three levels like Overton and he showed that Saturday night finishing with 20 points and received the Tournament MVP trophy.
He doesn’t just play offense either as he uses his smooth athleticism to get out in the passing lane and create steals. He was surprisingly aggressive on the defensive glass as well.
Last year, Overton was known as the “next” star from MWC to blow up and be a great player. If the lefty keeps playing at this level, the “next” may become a star faster than we thought.
Jaden Harrell 2021 Carl Albert
Like most of the Titans, Harrell didn’t make much of an impact during the first half. He wasn’t running things for CA like he had in previous games which I think threw off the entire team’s timing.
You can tell he was aware of his play in the first half and he came out after halftime aggressive and willing to make whatever play needed to be made to get the Titans back in the game.
There was a possession specifically that changed the game and most importantly Harrell’s mindset going forward.
MWC was in a 2-3 zone and they were sagging off of Harrell at the top of the key closer to the right wing. Harrell was being a good teammate and not forcing it even though he was technically open.
He caught the ball and passed the ball about three times in a row but on the fourth catch he looked at the rim and shot the ball with full confidence.
The ball went through the net and changed the momentum of the game. The witty point guard would go on to hit two more threes to send MWC scrambling on defense.
After those shots went down, you could see Harrell was back in his comfort zone and he began to pile up assists.
Although CA fell short, Harrell’s 15 points were a critical piece of his team’s comeback.
Quentin Woodson 2021 Carl Albert
Woodson was a tough matchup for teams all weekend. His frame and ability to hold his grown has caused him to live at the free throw line which was the case versus MWC.
It wasn’t his best game but he did a good job of using the opportunities he was given. The matchup between him and Elliot Janish of MWC was fun to watch because neither player shied away from contact.
As only a junior, Woodson does a great job of understanding angles on the block and he usually gets a layup or earns free throws.
Woodson is a prospect for D2’s to keep an eye on especially if he grows any.
Maurice Cudjoe 2021 Carl Albert
All good teams have a spark off the bench who can get a bucket in short spurts of time. Cudjoe was that guy on Saturday. At the end of the first half, the lightning quick guard scored 6 straight points getting to the basket and even getting fouled.
Cudjoe is a great contrast to Harrell as their games are so different that they compliment each other. Harrell is calm and calculated in what he wants to do with the ball in his hands.
Cudjoe on the other hand is extremely aggressive and give the defense no breaks.
There were times where Cudjoe would receive the ball at half court on the fast break with no numbers but he continued to push and he ended up with a layup. Having a player who can score 12 points off the bench is a luxury for CA.
As a smaller guard at 6’0, he does a good job of understanding when driving to the basket when to spot short and shoot a floater to get it over the bigs.
Cudjoe played a key part in the Titans near comeback.