Comeaux, LCA, David Thibodaux Scrimmage: Scouting Report
This week, I was able to check out two definite heavy hitters and a team that I think will surprise a lot of people this season (LCA, Comeaux, and David Thibodaux respectively) scrimmage that took place at Comeaux. Each team…
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Continue ReadingThis week, I was able to check out two definite heavy hitters and a team that I think will surprise a lot of people this season (LCA, Comeaux, and David Thibodaux respectively) scrimmage that took place at Comeaux. Each team played the other for a half a game. The scrimmage featured a lot of D1 and D2 talent, and the games were all highly competitive. I’m going to give my thoughts about each team heading into the season, as well as players for each team that stood out.
Lafayette Christian Academy Knights
After ending last season in a disappointing loss in the Top 28, LCA looks even better this season. While the loss of the Ledoux twins (now both playing basketball for McNeese) certainly shifted the load on the offensive end, it was more than made up for on the defensive side of the ball. LCA was able to hold two very talented teams to very little points. There was a much renewed energy that the Knights showed on the defensive end, that honestly I didn’t see much of last year. The only problem I saw with the Knights was that on the offensive end, I didn’t see much ball movement or movement off the ball. The Knights played with the feel of an AAU team, taking the approach of “your turn, my turn,” without much flow. That approach works when you have 3-4 legit D1 prospects on the court, but could cause problems when teams clamp down on it, as it did against Arcadia in the Top 28 last year. With the offensive firepower as well as defensive intensity that LCA played with, there is little doubt that they will be one of the top teams in not only the Top 10 preseason poll for 1A, but also the top 25 preseason power rankings that will be released soon.
Galen Alexander 6’5 2017– The recent LSU commit was clearly only going about 70% as hard as he could, but his size and athleticism were quite apparent. The most interesting part of the entire night was the 3-4 possessions straight that Galen and Comeaux’s Devaughn Thomas went back and fourth at each other. That was really the only part of the night that Galen was going all out, and it showed why he was a major D1 prospect, with aggressive takes to the goal, throwing down a few big dunks.
Greg Williams 6’4 2018- Williams looks BIG! He looks to have grown another inch and looks like a legitimate 6’4, as well as looking like he put on an additional 10 pounds of pure muscle. The increase in size certainly looked to help Williams on his way to the rim, finishing around the size and length both teams possessed. Once again, Williams seemed more concerned with getting teammates involved, so I wouldn’t surprised if he didn’t average more than 15-16 PPG, despite having the talent to score a lot more.
Terrence “TJ” Jones 5’8 2019- LCA’s super sophomore was incredibly impressive. While many of the other Knights players were in 1st or 2nd gear, it was clear from the jump that TJ only has one gear, 5th. After coming off the bench last year, he was put in the starting role this season, and I expect big things to come. His ball handling has clearly improved, and he’s fixed his biggest flaw, which was that he couldn’t always get to the spot he wanted last year. I wouldn’t be altogether surprised if TJ is the Knight’s 2nd leading scorer
Comeaux’s Spartans
After losing only a single starter from last year’s team, there is no doubt that this will be the most talented Comeaux team under Coach Jeremy Whittington, in his 3rd year. After taking over a team that was incredibly young, including two freshman and a sophomore starting, Coach Whitt is beginning to reap the young seeds he’s seow. Those two freshman and sophomore are now two incredibly gifted juniors, and a D1 commit senior. Comeaux prides themselves on slowing the game down, and grinding out wins on defense, allowing only three opponents last year to score 50. This year seems to be no different, as Comeaux ran most of their offense in the half court, and precisely carving up the opposing defense. On defense, you will be hard pressed to find another team that possesses the size and length Comeaux has throughout its roster. With a starting lineup listed at 5’10, 6’0, 6’3, 6’6, and 6’10, and bringing a 6’4 forward off the bench, that lineup reads more like a college team than a high school team. Comeaux this season has the potential to not only be a top 10 team in 5A, but in all of the state.
Jordan Foster 6’10 2017- The recent Lamar commit showed exactly what he is capable of against a high powered LCA and David Thibodaux offense, which is anchoring a staunch defense, and making anyone who dares come into his paint regret it. There was a play during their play against LCA in which Galen Alexander got around his defender and had a wide open lane to the paint. Under the basket was Foster. Mano a mano. This is ending in embarrassment for one of these young men. Either Galen is getting blocked or Jordan is getting dunked on. And Foster blocked the ball out of bounds and let Galen know about it. There isn’t going to be a more fearless defender protecting the rim in the state.
Devaughn Thomas 6’6 2018- Thomas is one of the more intriguing prospects in the state for the 2018 class. The 6’6 G/F has an outside-in game that is slowly starting to make it’s way toward the paint. The biggest knock on Thomas’s game is that he shy’s away from contact, and fades in and out of games. Over the summer, playing for EP Elite in the EYBL, he started making strides becoming more of a force on the offensive end, and he looks to be continuing those strides this season. Thomas had some big dunks, and seemed to alway get a bucket when his team needed it.
Ferontay Banks 6’0 2018- The speedy Banks continues to show the potential that he possesses on the offensive side of the ball. No matter who was the defender, it seemed like Ferontay was able to get to the rim at will. While leading the Spartan’s rather restrictive offense, he looked the best running the pick and roll with the assortment of bigs that Comeaux has. This summer as teammates with Devaughn Thomas on EP Elite, Banks silenced the doubters that said that he couldn’t shoot, proving to be a more than impressive from the outside.
David Thibodaux Bulldogs
While David Thibodaux might not be a blue-blood traditional powerhouse in Louisiana, I would not be entirely surprised if they surprised people by their results by the end of the year. During their scrimmage, they proved that they could play with the best of the best that Louisiana has to offer, despite injuries to two starters and last year’s district MVP. David Thibodaux is a fairly new school based out of Lafayette, and this is really the first year that they will have seniors on the team. After a fairly successful season last year, I expect the win total to climb between 20-25 this season, and will be in the running for a top 4 seed in Division III, along with Dunham and Christian Life.
Najja Engelton 6’3 2017- The Bulldogs lead guard is going to surprise a lot of people in the state. With an incredibly diverse skill-set on the offensive end, and a renewed intensity on defense, there isn’t much that Engelton can’t do. At 6’3 Engelton can jump out the gym, and routinely gets his head near the rim on drives. Engelton is a more than capable shooter, and uses his athleticism to finish at the rim, even over the big frontlines both teams possessed.
Tyree Bruno 6’4 2017- The swingman for the Bulldogs showed the strength of his inside-out game, showing that he can not only finish around bigger players in the post, but also that he is capable of taking smaller players off the dribble. On the defensive end, he was tasked with guarding the biggest player on the other team, and despite the height advantage, used his body to position himself in the best way possible to avoid being scored on.
Travonte’ Sam 6’6 2018- Sam is a top 20 player for the 2018 class, so despite not playing due to a concussion, we would be remiss not the bring him up. The incredibly long and athletic F/G showed last season as well as this summer exactly what he is capable of. Last season Sam lead the team not only in rebounds and block, but in steals and assists as well, showing just how versatile his game is, along the way to being crowned district MVP as just a sophomore.