I95 Coalition Saturday Morning Takeaways
The bump was fierce on Saturday morning at the I95 Coalition. Prep Hoops was fortunate to be in the gym two-deep today to watch some hoops. In case you missed it, Colby Giacubeno put out an article featuring standout backcourt…
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Continue ReadingThe bump was fierce on Saturday morning at the I95 Coalition. Prep Hoops was fortunate to be in the gym two-deep today to watch some hoops. In case you missed it, Colby Giacubeno put out an article featuring standout backcourt and front-court players. The purpose of this article is to identify five takeaways from this morning’s action.
District 16’s are improving
While the District fell to New World in a hard-fought contest, they should be proud of their effort. 2022 guard Garrett Brennan was one of their standout performers. With his ankle heavily taped, he gutted out a fine all-around performance. Brennan’s instinctive and effective off-ball movement was refreshing to see. Another standout performer was 2022 big man Nick Evans. He altered virtually every shot at the basket and showcased tremendous patience around the basket while on offense. Last but not least, CJ Lee CJ Lee 6'1" | CG Northwest Jaguars | 2022 State MD and AJ Thomas AJ Thomas 6'3" | SG Georgetown Prep | 2022 State MD were at it again. We’ve seen these two get buckets together on the grassroots stage before, and today they added another chapter to their story. Today Lee and Thomas combined to score 25 points while shooting 5 of 9 from deep.
Durant 15’s roll
This Team Durant 15U mob has been difficult to contain since we first saw them suit up together. Today they comfortably took care of a solid Team Richmond 16U team. Jahnathan Lamothe Jahnathan Lamothe 6'3" | CG St. Frances | 2023 State #204 Nation MD was their top performer. He made plays on both ends of the floor throughout and ended up with 20 points and 3 steals to go along with a couple of rebounds and assists. Everyone who got in the game scored and they shared the ball well as evidenced by their 18 assists. They got after it defensively as well, racking up 15 steals and 6 blocks.
Melo 16’s Impress
It looks like Cameron Whitmore Cameron Whitmore 6'7" | PF Archbishop Spalding | 2022 State #30 Nation MD has his sights set on that top spot in 2022. He certainly made a strong case today with a dominant two-way performance against a tremendously talented Team Durant group. Whitmore’s efficiency was striking. He got to the rim at will, shooting 11 of 15 from the field on his way to scoring 24 electric points. Whitmore wasn’t alone though. Melo has assembled a solid group. Some of their other standouts included sharpshooter Tyson Commander Tyson Commander 6'4" | SG The John Carroll School | 2022 State #203 Nation MD , floor general Deon Perry Deon Perry 5'8" | PG Mt. Carmel | 2022 State MD , and jack-of-all-trades CJ Scott CJ Scott 6'4" | SF Archbishop Spalding | 2022 MD , and Dunbar’s Bert Rynell.
New World 16’s show promise
New World fought back from down 8 after 1 quarter to outlast a hard-working District Basketball Club. Chase Williams Chase Williams 5'10" | PG St. Mary's Ryken | 2022 State MD and Devin Ceaser Devin Ceaser 6'1" | CG St. Stephen's & St. Agnes | 2022 State VA , who combined to record 30 points, 5 steals, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds, provided an explosive 1-2 scoring punch but also got after it defensively. It would be a mistake to ignore the contributions of National Christian’s Ty Williams and Thomas Stone’s Jerrell McCready, who were also impressive in this contest. Williams showed his ability to control the tempo, make shots, defend, and facilitate. McCready hit the boards and got into the lane frequently where he finished at an efficient rate. There is an element of physicality to this squad as well. Credit Jacory Wilkes Jacory Wilkes 6'6" | C Thomas Stone | 2022 State MD and Elliott Black for that. Wilkes set a handful of bone-jarring screens and Black was relentless on the offensive glass.
Team Richmond 17’s deserve more attention
Del Harris and company have done a tremendous job with their 17U team. Today they were missing a couple of key guys, but battled Philly Pride and put in a respectable performance highlighted by 2021 dynamo Caleb Kenney Caleb Kenney 6'6" | PF Douglas Freeman | 2021 State VA . The left-hander, who went for 18 points and 9 boards, is a freak athlete who is very crafty around the rim and extremely vigilant on the glass. 2021 Garrett Cox Garrett Cox 6'6" | SG Glen Allen | 2021 State VA and 2022 James Patterson James Patterson 6'2" | SG Meadowbrook | 2021 VA were the other two players on the team who hit double-figure scoring numbers, adding 14 and 15 points respectively. But they did it in different ways. Cox is a lanky sharpshooter who can destroy you if you give him any room. Patterson is a downhill-type slasher with a nice touch and the ability to finish from a variety of angles.