Denton Season-Opener Standouts
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M.J. Thomas HEIGHT 6'7" POS PF CLASS 2024 View Profile M.J. Thomas Instagram Twitter State: Missouri School: Link Academy Club: LIV-ON It didn’t take long for M.J. Thomas M.J. Thomas 6’7″ | PF Link Academy | 2024 MO to impact…
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Continue ReadingIt didn’t take long for M.J. Thomas M.J. Thomas 6’7″ | PF Link Academy | 2024 MO to impact the game, on the very first defensive possession, M.J. swiped his opponent for the pick pocket steal on the perimeter and started the offense in transition. But Thomas didn’t stop there, throughout his performance he proved to be a coast to coast finisher, someone that can start and complete the fastbreak while flying down the floor like a freight train with his head high seeing the entire court and exploiting the holes in the defense. In the second half of play M.J. really took off and dominated the game with his post presence, constantly ducking in the paint and floating around the high post with his hands ready to catch and score. M.J.’s strength underneath the basket was phenomenal, the way he snatched boards out of the air while being boxed out by 3 or more guys was truly remarkable along with his power to go up, draw fouls, or finish the play through multiple bumps, arms, and traffic proved to be a major x-factor for the Denton Broncos. This young man absorbed body blows like there was nothing to it, he often powered his way through his opponents chest and either scored the basket or drew the foul call, his knack for drawing so much attention down low led to several trips to the free-throw line where Thomas was good free throw shooter who made sure to make the most out of his opportunities at the stripe, making 8 of his 12 attempts. Well-polished, smooth, and unstoppable drop-step turnaround. Thomas was able to simply pivot and rise above contesting defenders for a soft touch jump hook or leap off of two feet under he hoop and pull the rim down. In the final seconds of the game, M.J. Thomas M.J. Thomas 6’7″ | PF Link Academy | 2024 MO took things into his own hands as he called for the iso and took his man downhill with a crossover at the top of the key followed by a crossover spin, and-one layup that capped off an awesome 24 point, 13 rebound, and 2 block performance for Thomas.
Highlights
Blake Courtney
Blake Courtney
Senior prospect Blake Courtney showed off his competitiveness, aggression, power, and explosiveness on both sides of the ball with consistent scoring, strong cuts through the lane, and dynamic rebounding. I was highly impressed with the way Blake let the game come to him, he didn’t force his offense and he played off of his teammates exceptionally well. He ate defenders up with his smooth dribble pull-up shooting motion, showing a high release and strong follow through alongside the potential to get more fluid with time as he drilled 3 long-range bombs throughout the night. Whenever Courtney wasn’t able to get his own shot off the dribble he used his teammates to pass and relocate or screen and score. The 6-foot-3 bucket getter finished the game with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 5 rebounds.
Jordan Kamga
Jordan Kamga
Jordan Kamga wasted no time impacting the game with tremendous utilization of his length in the passing lanes. Kamga was a defensive anchor early on ready to slow down or stop dribble penetration, forcing countless kick out passes which often led to deflections, steals, and long-range jumpshots from the Lone Star Rangers. Offensively, Jordan Kamga produced 4 points, but he showed the capability to knock down a jumper from deep with his feet set with confidence and a small amount of space.
Chase Thomas Chase Thomas 6'2" | SG Denton | 2024 State TX
Chase Thomas Chase Thomas 6'2" | SG Denton | 2024 State TX
Chase Thomas Chase Thomas 6’2″ | SG Denton | 2024 State TX entered the game off of the bench and immediately excelled at the lead guard position, showing good poise and control with the ball in hand, along with the court vision to hit open shooters popping up or out for the spot-up three-pointer. Thomas displayed an understanding of how and when to create separation from a defender, and he even did a great job of baiting his man into fouls with his constant change of pace skills. The junior point guard had a great effect on the tempo of the game each time he was on the floor, knowing when to slow the game down or speed it up both in transition and a half court set.
6-foot-3 shooting guard Carter Eddy Carter Eddy 6’3″ | SG Ponder | 2024 State TX was one of the top three-point shooters of the night. Eddy contributed heavily with his ability to space the floor and stretch the defense out, showing excellent range and sweet shooting stroke with an effortless release, his jumpshot popped the nets with a loud swish each time. Carter Eddy Carter Eddy 6’3″ | SG Ponder | 2024 State TX ‘s off-ball movement made it easy for him to find his shot in transition, spot-ups in the halfcourt, and when sprinting around screens as his teammates set him up for catch-and-shoot opportunities from outside.