Scout’s eye: A look at some of the top players from St. Vincent-St. Mary’s win over VASJ
Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary punched its ticket to yet another Ohio state Final Four as they took out Villa Angela-St. Joseph in the Division II regional final at Canton Civic Center on March 17.
Seth Wilson (2021) enjoyed a coming out party of sorts as he scored 17 points to lead the Irish to the win. The 6’1” guard, who is already receiving feelers from Ohio State and Xavier, drained three big 3-pointers early in the second quarter to break open a tight game as the Irish cruised. Scott Walter (2018) scored 14 and Lunden McDay (2019) scored 15 for SVSM
VASJ standout senior point guard Jerry Higgins scored 35 in the loss.
Here’s who else stood out.
Chris Painter (2019), 5’10 G, SVSM
The Irish defense picks it up a notch when he comes on the floor. An absolute ball smother, whose speed and quickness and allow him to tip balls and can also jump out of the gym. He scored eight points and came away with four steals in the win over VASJ.
Darius Cone (2019), 6’3” P-W, SVSM
It’s been an up and down season for Cone, who was benched at one point for poor play. But he’s come on strong during the tournament, including the win over VASJ when he scored 14 points and was 10 of 12 at the line. He also played well in the regional semifinal win over Revere and was credited for helping contain 6’9” Northwestern-recruit Pete Nance by coach Dru Joyce. Joyce rates Cone him a high D-2 or D-3 level player at this point. His offensive skills are rough, but you can’t teach athleticism.
Seth Wilson (2021), 6’1” G, SVSM
This kid is the real deal. After a woeful shooting night in the regional semifinal, he went and worked out with his shooting coach Phil Argento Jr., who told him to keep shooting.
He responded with 17 points on 6-of-9 from field and 3-of-6 from 3-point land in the cavernous Canton Civic Center. A stat sheet stuffer he always ends the game with a handful of rebounds, assists and a couple of steals. His ball handling skills are impressive. Not ultra fancy, he dribbles so low and with such precision it’s tough to take the ball from him. If he gets aggressive going to rack he’ll be a threat to average a double-double next season.
Jaden Hameed (2021), 5’11 G, VASJ
Another of the fabulous freshman in Cleveland this year. He scored nine points in the loss and can get to the rack and finish through contact.
Jordan Calhoun (2019), 6’1” G, VASJ
It was my third time seeing Calhoun and it was the best I’ve seen him play. He was comfortable from the outset and hit big shots in the first quarter to help the Vikings build an early lead. Can find creases in a defense and knock down little pull-ups, too.
Jerry Higgins (2018), 5’10” PG, VASJ
Kept VASJ in the game with a 35-point performance, which featured a 26-point second half outburst. He may be small but his body control and speed allow him to challenge and finish against much bigger players. Winthrop and College of Charleston have shown an interest. Definitely a D-1 player.
Khalil Mitcham (2019) and Latrace Jackson (2019), P, VASJ
Mitcham is 6’6” and Jackson is 6’8”. Both pass the eye test but both struggled mightily to finish inside in the loss to SVSM. Time after time they missed point-blank shots when the game was still close. Both would benefit from personalized big man instruction. IF someone can unlock that duos’ potential, look out.