OTR Elite 32 Dynamic Duos
It seemed like almost every team I watched last weekend had some impressive guard duos that were very productive each game. Starting with Team Speights Blue, we have Preston Urbancic and Jordan Curtis. They were two of the better shooters in the whole event and came through in big moments. Not just shooters, both Urbancic and Curtis read closeouts well and make the right play when they put in on the floor. Curtis is an effective pull-up shooter and Urbancic has nice touch on floaters and layups inside. They will be back in Atlanta this week.
For the Georgia Canes, Marcus Foster and Koby Isaac had solid performances at the Elite 32. Against God’s Property, they put up 48 of the team’s 56 points. Foster is more of a primary ball-handler, he gets himself going with his slashing ability but also has a smooth jump shot. Isaac took advantage of his catch and shoot opportunities while also squaring his man down and hitting contested mid-range pull-ups. They create matchup problems because of their size on the perimeter and understand how to force smaller defenders into fouls.
TMP has two of SC’s top 5 players in 2019 with Josiah James and Trae Hannibal, forming one of the best backcourts in the Southeast. Hannibal overwhelmed opponents this weekend with his running back-like speed and strength, exploding to the rim every chance he got. He also showed some nice court vision and adjusted with pull-up jumpers once the defense made a point to stop him from getting inside. James may not make tons of highlight plays, but his impact is undeniable. He is an extremely efficient player and orchestrates the TMP beautifully at 6’6”, seeing over defenders with ease and creating clean looks for himself and others.
I only saw the Georgia Kings once, but Josh Lusane and Trey Brown were impressive. While many forwards like to float around on the perimeter in today’s game, both of them made a point to control the paint with physical play. Brown was a frequent visitor to the rim, trying to dunk everything, even in traffic. Both rebounded well, but Lusane was especially in this area, gobbling up boards on both ends. Lusane and Brown are mobile and active, their motors and willingness to run the floor are traits the coaches appreciate.
The addition of Trey Smith has been very helpful for God’s Property, taking some attention off of Ben Sheppard and Brian Knight. If one hits a rough patch during a game, the other two are likely to step up. All 3 consistently reach double figures in the same game, using balance and unselfish play to keep defenses from keying in on a specific player. Knight is a great at getting to the basket with his strong frame but showed some outside shooting ability this past weekend as well. Smith and Sheppard are snipers from deep; once opponents identify them as shooters, both are skilled and crafty when they decide to attack off the bounce.
If you know me, you know that I think highly of Team SC. They don’t just have one duo, they have multiple pairs that will hurt you and it doesn’t matter how you match them up. Their bigger guards are Tre Jackson and Walyn Napper. Jackson excels as a shooter but is a reliable ball-handler with well-rounded scoring ability and a patient game on offense. Napper is a great passer who is a dangerous scorer off the dribble when he decides that’s what he wants to do. I’m pretty sure everyone in SC knows, but as a warning to other teams in the Southeast- if you think you’ll have an advantage over Russell Jones or Traye Carson because of their size, you are just wrong. Jones is one of the toughest players I’ve seen this spring. He will go at anybody and can hurt you in so many. Carson is a microwave on the perimeter. If you give him an inch he will either drain a deep or blow right past you. When you add in another confident and efficient player in Javon Anderson, it is so hard to stop this squad. They all accept challenges on defense and take pride in getting stop each possession. It seems like it’s personal when they go against sponsored teams and have showed that they are the real deal. This week will present more opportunities to keep solidifying themselves as one of the best teams around.