2020 Grantham Holiday Classic: standout freshmen-juniors
Zac Dunn | 2023 Casady G (pictured above) Dunn, though he started out slow, was shooting bombs-away for Casady on Tuesday to help bury HFC in a tough deficit. Once the sophomore sharpshooter got into a rhythm, he was electrifying,…
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Continue ReadingZac Dunn | 2023 Casady G (pictured above)
Dunn, though he started out slow, was shooting bombs-away for Casady on Tuesday to help bury HFC in a tough deficit.
Once the sophomore sharpshooter got into a rhythm, he was electrifying, and gave that three-versus-two advantage to Casady that makes it almost impossible for any team to keep up.
During a third-and-fourth-quarter stone, Dunn nailed five 3-pointers (with a couple mid-rangers sprinkled in) to pace the Cyclones. Catch, sink, catch, sink, etc.
He also worked out some of his off-the-dribble shooting mechanics once he reached his comfort zone, a skill I would like to see him continue to improve on.
Sentinel Moore | 2023 Destiny Christian C
Moore probably was not terribly far from recording a triple-double in points, rebounds — and blocks.
The 6-foot-6 sophomore was everything the Wildcats needed Tuesday to advance past a quick OKC Storm team. Defensively, he was the generator that kept Destiny going as he played SWAT team all day to, albeit, disciplined shot attempts by Storm, many that may have found their way in the hold if not for Moore’s focus.
Scoring 12 points in the contest, as well, says what you need to know about Moore. A couple of his buckets came straight from assists, in which the sophomore leveraged himself off-ball into great scoring position to score above defender (with credit to the passing talents of his fellow Wildcats).
The rest of Jefferson’s buckets came from returns after missed shots, an attribute that helped his Destiny teammates get into a cohesive rhythm with the insurance of his dominant rebounding day.
KJ Jefferson | 2022 Destiny Christian PF
Jefferson, standing about 6-foot-5-inches, has a sweet bag, offensively.
As a scorer, the forward is no stranger to shooting the basketball, as he knocked down a couple 3-pointers on Tuesday’s contest with OKC Storm.
However, he was equally capable on the slash and in the paint. Jefferson packs a lot of power into his frame, and he bullied a couple defenders, face-up, straight from the perimeter to the rim. Though he did not score much with his back to the bucket, he certainly can, as he displayed at our Top 250 camp a few months back, a day in which I was impressed by his strength.
Steph Okenge | 2022 Casady G
Scrappy as they come, Okenge seemed to be in the middle of every play for the Cyclones, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
The junior has impressive closing speed as well as intuitive ball-hawking skills, both displayed equally in his performance against HFC on Tuesday afternoon. He took advantage of casual or undisciplined efforts by HFC to gather steals, cause turnovers for others, force jump-balls and more.
Offensively, that same grit transferred to his slashing game. On a few occasions, he simply bodied defenders at the rim, absorbed contact and finished with hands in his face — no finesse, no English, just power.
Okenge absolutely generated Casady’s early energy, especially during the second quarter when the Cyclones took a stout lead.