Previewing DII A East Regional Four
A wild winter night in Tennessee disallowed games, but did not stop the typically snowy eastern teams from beginning the regional gauntlet Tuesday. Silverdale Surprise! Webb, Notre Dame, Boyd-Buchanan Pummel Four Remaining. (1) Knoxville Webb (2) Notre Dame (1)…
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Continue ReadingA wild winter night in Tennessee disallowed games, but did not stop the typically snowy eastern teams from beginning the regional gauntlet Tuesday.
Four Remaining.
(1) Knoxville Webb
(2) Notre Dame
(1) Boyd Buchanan
(3) Silverdale Academy
Players to Watch:
David Sanger
David
Sanger
6'1" | SG
Knoxville Webb | 2021
State
TN
(Webb) – Shooter, passer. Perfect system guy. Sanger can be streaky from the outside. He will have games where he misses five three-pointers, but he will also hit three in a row on occasion.
Jaylon Green Jaylon Green 5'10" | PG Knoxville Webb | 2022 State TN (Webb) – “He is about 40% (from 3-point land),” said Webb Coach Ricky Norris. “People look at it and don’t think he is a shooter. Reggie Miller had a broke shot. Jaylon has really come on in his ability to make shots. He can sit there and make stand-still 3’s. He is a coach on the floor. His ability to shoot and his game has turned the corner. ‘If you watch two or three games, then you learn that you have to close out.'”
Jacob Shockley (Boyd-Buchanan) – “Shockley is playing really well down low,” said Coach Templeton. “He looks like Big Country. He can shoot the three. He is a load inside. He has really picked it up defensively, because he doesn’t have a natural defensive body. He is the youngest kid in his class too.”
Owen Neal (Silverdale Academy) – A warrior’s heart. Unafraid of the moment. Worker bee.
Karson Gay (Boyd-Buchanan) – Gay is a force defensively. One of the reasons He guards Tim Vaughn (Notre Dame). Karson moves his feet so well. Football strong. It is a good matchup. Tim got the best of him at our place and Karson ‘did well in the next game.’
Ace Bailey Ace Bailey 6'9" | SF McEachern | 2024 State #2 Nation GA (Boyd-Buchanan) – Big scoring night for a bright prospect and a fantastic athlete.
Lukas Walls Lukas Walls 6'4" | SG Knoxville Webb | 2023 State TN (Webb) – Great prospect. Contributor since his freshman season.
Wesley Jones (Notre Dame ’21) – Wildly athletic.
DJ Brown* (Notre Dame ’23) – Wears #22 jersey. DJ has the makings of a dynamite high school player. Standing a lean 6-foot-2, Brown made a gorgeous three-pointer coming off a curl. Brown’s height at the guard spot midway through his sophomore year coupled with plus athleticism bodes well for his future in this sport. Brown is probably the third scoring option behind Smith and Vaughn. Keep in mind they are both veterans with reputation and Brown is an underclassman.
Tim Vaughn (Notre Dame ’22) – Wears #1. Vaughn is absolutely the best athlete in the green and gold. His bounce and grace at 200ish pounds is gorgeous. Vaughn, at least at this point in his development, plays much like a James Harden or Kobe Byant in that he needs the basketball in his hands for long dribbles in order to be effective. He is not a quick step, one-dribble kind of guy at all. Vaughn is adept at getting to the rim regardless of where he starts on the floor. His power and size help him usher by players.
Bryson Smith Bryson Smith 6'1" | CG Notre Dame | 2021 State TN (Notre Dame ’21) – Bryson is a player once ranked in PrepHoopsTN. I believe it was in the 80-110 range. Smith was a very promising prospect in his sophomore season. That continued somewhat last year, but what made hyping him difficult was the pedantic, methodical offensive sets Notre Dame ran. Last year, Notre Dame was a nightmare for teams to play because they defended so well. That is true this year too. Still, players like Smith do not always shine brightest in the drawn out halfcourt sets, unless they figure out their seams…their moments. Smith looked stagnant offensively against Cleveland and frankly was largely a non-factor when he touched the ball. He is not at all an irrelevant offensive piece, but Tim Vaughn is the offensive star for this team. Both, and probably even more, will need to be scoring in droves to overtake the favorites Webb.
Silverdale Academy
#1 Owen Neal* (2021)
#3 Connor Delashmit* (2022)
#4 Bryson Cline* (2022)
#12 Brett Wright* (2024)
#13 Ben Bambrey* (2021)
Themes to Watch
Boyd-Buchanan Post Defense:
“We are in a really good place defensively. I am happy with where our guys’ heads are at,” Boyd Buchanan Head Coach Josh Templeton said after the Tuesday win.
Boyd-Buchanan has size and strength that helps them against extremely skilled teams, as Webb is.
Boyd is an intriguing team, with pieces that very few private schools have.
Silverdale Balance:
“I thought it was a total team effort,” said Silverdale Head Coach Slater Belew. “We were down two guys and our guys didn’t use that as an excuse or a barrier. I thought we were gassed at the end but we stepped up.” Those two guys will not be back for this game, though they will return by the following game(s).
Webb Versatility:
“We are structured, but I think our guys have a ton of freedom,” said Coach Ricky Norris when asked about the impact young guys are able to have on the program. “With the freedom we also demand a lot of responsibility. We expect everybody to be able to put it on the floor and shoot it.”
Webb will do what they want offensively most of the night. It will take Notre Dame slowing down 2 or 3 players just to make their win possible. The Notre Dame is actually one of the stodgiest defenses in the state though.
Follow @AndrewForce8.