Beach Ball Classic Scouting: Black Panthers vs Real Salt Lake
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This afternoon, the Black Panthers made the trip to the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach to take on Real Salt Lake Academy (UT). The Panthers escaped with a 65-63 victory in a battle between teams with two opposite playing…
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Continue ReadingThis afternoon, the Black Panthers made the trip to the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach to take on Real Salt Lake Academy (UT). The Panthers escaped with a 65-63 victory in a battle between teams with two opposite playing styles. The Panthers like to play up-tempo and use their swarming defense to make their opponents feel rushed. Real Salt Lake is a disciplined team on both ends who like to execute in the half court and get up a ton of three’s.
Derik Queen Derik Queen 6'9" | PF Montverde Academy | 2024 State #18 Nation FL | 6’8 | Panthers ’24
Queen continues to prove himself as one of the best players nationally in the 2024 class. At his size, his versatility and creativity with the ball makes him extremely difficult to matchup against. The 6-foot-8 freshman led the Panthers in scoring with 20 points on an efficient 10-of-12 shooting from the field. Queen did most of his damage after establishing deep post position in the charge circle. He kept his position on lob passes and finished with both hands around the basket. On a couple of possessions, he faced up around the high-post and utilized a few jab steps before performing his routine one-legged fadeaways that dropped softly.
Adam Stewart Adam Stewart 6'11" | C RSL Academy | 2022 State UT | 7’0 | Real Salt Lake ’22
Stewart was a massive presence in the paint for Real Salt Lake given his natural size. He isn’t packed with too much athleticism, but his length enables him to routinely finish around the rim and when he wasn’t finishing dump off passes from penetrating guards, Stewart was drawing fouls and converting at the charity stripe. He also helped deter some shots around the rim as indicated by his three blocks. He led Real Salt Lake with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and also pulled down four rebounds in just 16 minutes of play.
Taki Uluilakepa Taki Uluilakepa 6'0" | PG RSL Academy | 2023 State UT | 6’1 | Real Salt Lake ’23
While the majority of the players on Real Salt Lake were limited to one or two dribbles, Uluilakepa controlled the pace from the point guard position and had some craft in his attack off the bounce. Whether in the open floor or in half court sets, Uluilakepa was quick to expose driving lanes and draw contact on his way to the basket. He was aggressive on the defensive end especially in the passing lanes where he collected four steals. The 6-foot-1 sophomore added 12 points and five rebounds for his team in the loss.
Khyrie Staten Khyrie Staten 6'2" | CG St. Frances | 2021 State MD | 6’2 | Panthers ’21
Staten got off to a quick start and helped the Panthers establish an early lead that they would never let go of. The Delaware State commit converted on three triples in the first half and forced the defense to account for his presence at all times. Staten was disciplined on defense pressuring the ball while being extremely aggressive acting as a safety in football when he was playing off the ball. Staten finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three steals.
David Kotoa | 6’4 | Real Salt Lake ’24
It was hard to believe that Kotoa is just a freshman when you see the confidence and body control that he plays with. He boasts great size for on the perimeter at 6-foot-4, is equipped with a quick first step and has intriguing athleticism that helped him finish around the rim and avoid shot blockers. He had a scoring mentality when he caught the ball as he finished with 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting, but in the second half he used his aggression to help create open shots for teammates and he located them with sound passes. Kotoa dished out four assists and pulled down five boards in his 30 minutes of play.
Julian Reese Julian Reese 6'8" | C St. Frances | 2021 State #109 Nation MD | 6’9 | Panthers ’21
Reese dealt with foul trouble that would keep him from ever getting into a groove, but when he was aggressive in his post ups he was producing. The Maryland commit finished with eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 21 minutes. Reese came through at the end with a big bucket where he finished through the foul as momentum seemed to be swinging in the favor of Real Salt Lake Academy.
Jahnathan Lamothe Jahnathan Lamothe 6'3" | CG St. Frances | 2023 State #204 Nation MD | 6’4 | Panthers ’23
Lamothe didn’t have his usual scoring outbreak, but he didn’t allow that to stop him from having an impact in other ways. Lamothe was quick to attack off the catch, get into the heart of the defense and find open teammates to collect a team-high five assists. When he wasn’t dishing, Lamothe was embracing contact and earning his way to the free-throw line where he converted five of his six attempts on his way to eight points.