5 Key Questions after VES-Millwood
It was a wild one in Chesterfield yesterday as two VISAA Division Two schools matched up on Tuesday in a thriller that went down to the buzzer. Millwood got out to a fast start as they pushed the tempo and made a lot of shots early as VES struggled to get it going from the field. 2019 wing Daryl Anderson led the way for Millwood with 20 points in the first half, as the Bobcats took a 37-26 lead into the break after 2019 Elijah Saunders canned a triple from the corner to beat the buzzer.
The Bishops didn’t stay down long, as they clawed their way back into the game behind the play of Princeton commit Jaelin Llewellyn. They cut the deficit to just two points heading into the fourth quarter and had the momentum on their side. The game was back-and-forth throughout the fourth quarter, and things started to get chippy toward the end. Millwood was assessed three technical fouls in the last three minutes of the game, and VES capitalized at the free throw line. They executed well down the stretch and ended up pulling out a gutsy 70-65 win on the road.
Here’s some questions we were left with following the matchup.
Who can stop Princeton commit Jaelin Llewellyn?
Llewellyn did everything his team needed him to do to win the game and then some. He came up with big plays in both halves, making some tough shots when his team was down in the first half to keep them in it and making some gutsy plays on both ends of the floor for them to pull it out, including a big steal late and hitting some free throws to help seal it. He finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists and four steals on the night, and likely would have had the triple double if his team shot a little better throughout the game. He’s an early favorite for VISAA Division 2 player of the year and should be in the running for Gatorade State Player of the Year too.
Is Daryl Anderson primed for a breakout year in recruitment?
Anderson has been progressively getting better over the past few years, and if this game is any indication of the type of impact he’ll have on the season moving forward he’s primed to put up some big numbers. Anderson finished with 25 points, 20 of them coming in the first half, and was an impact on the glass and with his length defensively. The 6’6″ wing showed the ability to score from all three levels, and did so off the catch and off the bounce. He plays with energy on both ends and if he can be a versatile scorer he should be someone that division one coaches should have on their radar moving forward.
Who will be the second guy for VES?
2019 Bryce Waterman is one of VES best options behind Llewellyn.VES has made a staple over the past few seasons of having two go-to guys and a lot of good role players. While they did it as a team, with Llewellyn leading the way, they still will need another go-to guy or two moving forward if they’re going to compete for a state championship.
There’s two obvious candidates for VES second guy, both of them being 2019 shooters. 6’4″ Bryce Waterman, who transferred to VES from upstate New York this season is a dead eye shooter and stocky guard. The problem is he didn’t shoot it particularly well in this game. He finished with 13 points, including three triples and four free throws.
The other option is 6’7″ Patrick Kelly, who had a solid summer with Team Loaded VA 16U group and was expected to have a big season this year for the Bishops. However, he also had an off shooting night, finishing with just six points, although he did chip in 11 rebounds and two blocks playing the stretch four.
If just one of them can shoot well each game, let along both, VES should be in good shape moving forward.
What will it take for Millwood compete in a tough VISAA Division 2 Classification?
Millwood showed grit and fight throughout the game, and with a roster that can go 8-10 deep they will be a possible dark horse candidate in a stacked VISAA Division Two classification. The question remains, what will it take. Here’s three things we think it will take for the Bobcats to compete come March.
- DeAndre Thomas has to be a go-to guy and a leader for the group. The 6’4″ combo guard committed to Samford this fall and had over 15 offers before making his decision, so he’ll have to play like a 15 offer guy throughout the season. He did that in the second half, scoring 12 of his 17 points after the break. He’ll have to be a guy that not only leads his team as a go-to guy, but will have to be able to keep them calm through tough stretches and be the senior leader on an otherwise young group.
- Someone will have to step up and be a rock at the point guard spot for them. The Bobcats have three viable options at point guard, each that bring something different to the table. First, there’s 2021 Christian McLeod. The youngest of the group, McLeod is a guy who can turn the corner, finish strong at the rim with his athleticism and make plays that you can’t teach. Next is 2020 Isaiah Moseley, who showed flashes of what he can do as a shot maker and defender, but melted down late and was called for a technical late in the game. Lastly is 2020 Nahlij Riley, who is the most experienced of the group. While he may not be as athletic as the other two, he is a rock that makes decisions and makes others around him better. Someone will have to step up and provide minutes for them.
- Millwood isn’t the biggest team, with Anderson as their biggest player. While he’s 6’6″, he’s more of a perimeter oriented wing who guards the ball well and gets deflections, but isn’t the best post defender. They experimented with a few different zones and presses this game, but were out rebounded by a pretty solid margin. If they can find a way to play fast and have everyone rebound, they can negate their size which is their biggest disadvantage right now.
Who will be the breakout player from these two schools?
There’s a few options, here’s some of them.
- Ish Plet | 6’6″ PF | VES 2020
Plet did a good job doing the dirty work and that’s what they’re going to need from him as one of their only true post players. He finished with six points and 12 rebounds, and was a solid force in the middle. He has the added bonus of being able to make some midrange shots and knock down his free throws, as he made two of them to help seal the game.
- Christian McLeod | 6’2″ PG | Millwood 2020
McLeod, who we mentioned before, is a an athletic point guard who showed flashes of his finishing and creating ability this game, but has been effective throughout his young career at Millwood. He’s strong and bouncy for his age, allowing him to make plays many guards his age can’t make. He plays out of control at times but his ability to get in the lane and finish makes him one of the guys to watch for them moving forward.
- Alex Decker | 6’2″ WG | VES 2018
While we mentioned Kelly and Waterman as the possible second options for this VES group, Decker picked up the slack with 14 points for the Bishops, 12 of them coming in the second half. A tough glue guy that has a solid middle game and made big free throws for his team, Decker is the guy that every coach needs because he defends, plays hard and doesn’t care about his stats, only wants to help his team win.
- Will Jackson | 6’3″ WG | Millwood 2020
Jackson is a knock down shooter and showed that by hitting a few threes in the second half when Millwood really needed them. The Bobcats have a lot of playmakers off the bounce, but Jackson’s one of the few true shooter and floor stretchers they have. If he can shoot at a high percentage throughout the season he could play a major role for them moving forward.