3 observations from Memphis East’s win over Houston
Memphis East opened up the season with a bang, defeating last season’s TSSAA Division II Class AAA state champion Houston (0-3), 83-63, in its home opener. Here are three observations from the Mustangs’ win. Memphis East’s offense can be really…
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Continue ReadingMemphis East opened up the season with a bang, defeating last season’s TSSAA Division II Class AAA state champion Houston (0-3), 83-63, in its home opener.
Here are three observations from the Mustangs’ win.
Memphis East’s offense can be really good
The Mustangs came out sluggish, missing layups and uncontested jumpers, but midway through the first quarter, Memphis East’s offense reeled off 13 straight points, finishing the first quarter on a 13-2 run to take a 23-12 lead.
The home Mustangs continued damage into the second half, building a 16-point lead, going into halftime up 46-32. Memphis East has weapons all over the floor. Jamarion Harvey, EJ Smith, Markese Washington, Alijah Curry, and Billy Richmond can all score the basketball and get hot at any given moment.
Richmond, a sophomore combo guard, started the 13-2 run with a 3-pointer from the corner, then Smith scored five straight points before Harvey connected on a 3-point play.
In the third quarter when the home Mustangs needed to fight off the road Mustangs led by junior forward Brock Vice, who scored nine of his 22 points in the period and got his team within seven (55-48), they responded with a quick 7-0 run that started and ended with 3s by Harvey and Richmond, respectively.
Memphis East didn’t look back as it built a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Harvey led the Mustangs with 21 points. Smith had 19. Richmond provided 13. Washington and Curry each had 12.
With game one out of the way, it’s fair to say that Memphis East won’t have any issues scoring the basketball, and with positions 1-5 so athletic, mobile and shifty, the Mustangs could be hard to guard.
“This is a fun team,” Mustangs head coach Jevonte Holmes said. “These guys really love each other. I love this team. I love the speed of it. I love the defensive prowess of it. I love the shooting ability of it. I love the skillset of it. This is going to be a fun team.”
Assessment of Smith’s performance
This is Smith’s first season as Memphis East’s starting point guard. Offensively, he didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but Smith made shots during two important runs in the first and third quarters. His highlight of the night came on the break when he connected on a one-handed dunk with Houston’s Kameron Clark trying to contest it.
Defensively, Smith face guarded the road Mustangs’ backcourt (Damon Sisa and Ryan Mitchell), but at times would reach for the basketball instead of just moving his feet. The talented junior played with fire in his team’s season opener and will need to play that way for the duration of the 2021 season.
“EJ is going to be good. He’s been having dynamic practices,” Holmes said. “He’s a beast. I knew he was going to be up, up for the game, so he probably got a little over-excited. Still, he came out and defended, got to the rim, got to the free throw line, even though the three ball wasn’t falling the way it usually falls.
“But, he dished it out. He was a leader on the court tonight.”
The Mustangs’ defense can be really good
Memphis East forced turnovers, deflected a lot of passes and didn’t allow Houston to get comfortable for the most part. Coach Holmes has the Mustangs pressing for the entire game. He wants his team to pick up 94-feet. Memphis East has a backcourt in Smith and Harvey that can get strips and a frontcourt in Washington, Richmond, and Curry that can contest and block shots at the rim.