Game Scouted: Furman vs Chattanooga

Furman wins 60-56

Kris Acox, 6’6″, 215 lbs, F, SR

Stats- 34 minutes, 4-7 FG, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assists, 8 pts

Strengths

Kris is a big time athlete with good explosion and a high motor. Very strong. Really active rebounder on both ends. Attacks rebounds at the highest point on the defensive end and uses the swim move to attack the offensive boards. Has really good quickness for a guy his size. Can finish with either hand inside.Goes a nice job of getting deep position in the post where he uses his quickness to go by bigger defenders. Gets his body low and attacks. Comfortable facing the basket. Efficient on dump downs- can catch and finish strong. Does a nice job of using the rim as protection.

Capable of rebounding the ball and leading the break with the dribble.

Defends ball screens really well. Hedges hard and recovers back to his man. Does a nice job of ¾ fronting the low post.

Weaknesses

TO prone at times- he gets caught on the baseline and doesnt have anywhere to go. Struggled with the length that Tuoyo posed tonight defensively.

Shooting stroke needs improvement- has a minor hitch, takes it back too far, and its not fluid. Misses are not consistent. FT’s need to get better.

Limited offensively to a degree. Rushes at times.

Overview

Entered the game 2nd on the team with scoring at 12.9 ppg and leads the team in rebounds at 7.4 rpg. Tonight wasnt his best night of the season but he hit the game winning hook with a few seconds left. Plays for the Iceland National Team, which is where he is originally from. 

 

George Mason came to town to take on Davidson in a Wednesday night A-10 matchup where both teams entered tied with 5-5 conference marks. The Patriots of George Mason were coming off a double digit win vs La Salle and Davidson was coming off a double digit loss vs Rhode Island. The game was close the entire first half but George Mason led most of the way and entered halftime with a 31-29 lead. George Mason is a tough, strong, and hard working team that is very well coached by Dave Paulsen. The Patriots controlled the glass and did the majority of their scoring inside off the bounce. Davidson struggled shooting the ball both from 3 and by missing a lot of shots inside that they would normally make.

The second half was much the same for both teams. Davidson’s defensive intensity picked up and they started getting to the FT line more too. George Mason was able to hit enough shots and stayed in the lead. George Mason did a great job of keeping the crowd out of this one for the most part.

Davidson was able to tie it with a Aldridge 3 with 9:30 left and from there on it was back and forth. In the end the combination of seniors Moore and Jenkins was too much and Mason came out with the 76-69 win.

The officials did a great job this game of letting the guys play and the flow was great.

 

Below are some of the top players from the game.

Davidson

Peyton Aldridge, F, 6’7”, JR

Mobile big who can finish inside on an array of post moves as well as hit the open set 3. Does a great job of defending the rim without fouling and controls the glass.

Jack Gibbs, G, 6’0”, SR

Looked solid all game. Was making plays for himself and teammates and the jump shot looked good. Able to finish inside in various ways. Can get to the paint and finish with contact. 

George Mason

Marquise Moore, G, 6’2”, SR

Very strong guard who is really tough to stop when attacking downhill. Good passer who is unselfish. isBig time rebounder who leads team in this area with over 10 a game. Made some big plays at the end of this one to help secure the win.

Jalen Jenkins, F, 6’7”, R-SR

Big man with a good feel for the game and can score inside with his back to the basket. Showed an array of post moves and the ability to face the basket and to shoot it from 15′.

Jaire Grayer, G, 6’4”, SO

Wing with good size who can shoot the 3 well. Plays really hard, defends, scores, and rebounds. Teams X factor who can do it all.

 

Game Scouted: Wofford vs ETSU

Wofford wins 79-76

Eric Garcia (6’0″, PG, SR)

Stats- 38 min, 10-14 FG, 4-6 3 pt, 4-4 FT, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 TO’s

Strengths

Great game control guard who is an extension of the coach on the floor. Terrific passer who gets the ball to the open man and also can make plays for teammates off the bounce and out of the pick and roll.

Underrated quickness and has a nice change of speed dribble. Can score at the rim in creative ways and angles. Great at using opposite hand to finish on different sides especially his right hand on left side. Crafty.

Big time shooter who can shoot it off the bounce and off the catch. Fundamentally sound stroke with a quick release. Makes big shots.

Competes defensively and really gets into the ball handler and takes away his space.

High IQ guard. Always under control and knows exactly what he wants to do.

Weaknesses

Honestly it’s hard to find many weaknesses in Garcia’s game and nothing is a glaring weakness.

He does struggle to create space at times to get his own shot. 

Size makes him vulnerable to the post up by bigger guards but he is stronger then you would think so this doesnt happen much. 

Overall

He leads the SoCon conference in assists per game and FT% this season. His 4 to 1 assists to TO ratio is the best in the conference and is also number 3 in the country. Eric is coming off a career high 12 assists in a win over UNCG a few weeks back.

Eric would be a valuable piece to add to a team in Europe. Is having a good enough season to garner PIT consideration as well.

 

Game Recap

Both Wake and Georgia Tech entered this afternoon’s contest in Winston-Salem with a 13-9 record overall. They left tied in ACC record too after the Demon Deacons beat the road team 81-69. Wake Forest wore their retro bright yellow uniforms today and Tech had their road blues, no pun intended.

The 1st half was back and forth after a fast start by Wake in which they scored their first 4 baskets from the post. This was clearly an early emphasis by the coaching staff to get the ball in side early and often today. Georgia Techs offense never really did click in the first half and both teams struggled to manufacture baskets as they went into the locker rooms with a score of 37-31.

Both games struggled to get any flow in the 2nd half until Wake got hot midway through and was able to keep the lead the rest of the way. Wake built up a 16 point lead with 10 minutes to go after a flurry of 3’s. Tech tried to make a run but the run fell short and Wake picked up a good conference win.

Here were the standouts from both teams below.

Wake Forest

John Collins, F, 6’10”, SO

Practically impossible to stop on the block once he gets position. Scored on the block, on the face up, off the PnR, and from the FT line on this one. Did a great job of protecting the rim and rebounding it in this one as well. Finished with another double double.

Bryant Crawford, G, 6’3”, SO

Confident combo guard who can be playmaker for himself and others. Has a high motor and is aggressive. Can score with the jumper and at the rim. Was solid all day today and made some big plays.

Georgia Tech

Josh Okogie, G, 6’4”, FR

Aggressively attacks the baskets,Moves well off the ball, and gets to the FT line at a high rate. Has a great build for a freshman and has good length as well.

Finished with a game high 23 points.

Quinton Stephens, F, 6’9”, SR

Primarily plays on the perimeter. Smart player who you cant leave open behind the arc. 

One of the best rivalries north of the Carolina’s took place tonight as Richmond and VCU both battled it out to see who the king of the city of Richmond was. This was the 77nd meeting of the cross town and A-10 Conference rivals. VCU was able to pull away late in what was a close battle throughout and got the win 81-74. The game was shown on CBS Sports Network and was sold out.
VCU held a 1 point lead at the half and was able to use their size to score in the paint. Richmond stayed in the game with 3 point shooting and did a nice job of defensive rebounding.

VCU stayed in their matchup zone and pressured for most of the game. Richmond did a nice job of moving the ball but in the end didnt have enough to overcome VCU’s speed and athleticism. VCU was at its best when it sped the game up in the 2nd half and was able to stay in control the last 8 minutes of the game increasing its lead to 11 points at one point with 1:50 left.


Here are a few of the standout players from both sides below. Richmond got all of its contributions from Cline and Jones (combined for 45 of their points) while VCU scoring load was more spread out with 4 players in double digits and 1 with 9 points.

VCU

Justin Tillman,F, 6-7,JR

Great rebounder and efficient 10’ and in. Rebounds it outside his area. Go to move is right hook. One of the best athletes on the team.

Mo Alie-Cox, F, 6-7, SR

Is a man amongst boys and plays hard. Very strong and protects the rim nicely. A big limited offensively but did a nice job of finishing through  contact and finished with 13 points tonight.

1-JeQuan Lewis, G, 6-1, SR

Quick and athletic guard who rebounds it well for his size. Can finish at the rim and is a good enough 3 point shooter that you cant leave him open.

 

Richmond

TJ Cline, 6’9”, F, SR

Fundamental big who can pass, score, and rebound the ball. Knows how to score from different areas and has great footwork in the mid and low post. Came alive in the 2nd half after a slow first half.

Shawndre’ Jones, 6’0”, PG, SR

Best player in the game tonight in my opinion, the SR guard finished with a game high 30 points including 4 made threes. Big time shot maker who is tougher then he looks. Really good ball handler who changes speeds well and can create for himself and others. High basketball IQ.

Basketball

Game Scouted: North Florida vs USC Upstate

North Florida wins 73-65

Michael Buchanan (7’0″, C, SR)

Stats: 26 min, 6-15 FG, 1-5 FT, 9 rebounds, 1 assist,  2 blocks, 1 TO

Strengths

Can score with his back to the basket- showed a variety of post moves and couldn’t be stopped when guarded by 1 guy. Really solid footwork. Loves the drop step, spin move, and right hook. Can score with contact and has great hands. Displayed great patience on the block and makes good reads against the double team. Really efficient scorer inside who is shooting over 60% from the field on the season. 

Can rebound the ball on both ends. Rebounds it in traffic and keeps the ball alive with one hand until he can grab it with 2. Leads the country in offensive rebounding %.

Runs the floor pretty well especially for a player of his size.

Controls the paint on both ends. Size is such an issue for opponents to deal with. He is able to secure deep post position and keep players from scoring in the paint at the other end. Solid shot blocker who uses his length to his advantage.

Weaknesses

Plays under the rim. Needs to continue to improve conditioning- Is able to play strong for about 5 minute spurts but starts to tire after (to his credit he played a long stretch to close out the game). Loves to finish over left shoulder and rarely goes over right shoulder.

Upstate plays practically almost all zone while he is in so I wasnt able to see how he would guard the ball screen.

 

Needs to improve FT shooting- has a hitch on the way up.

Overall

Has been named the ASUN Player of the Week twice this year. Michael is currently one of 26 D1 players who is averaging a double-double and is the only one of the group to do so while playing less than 25 minutes per game. Mike is currently averaging 15.3 ppg and 10.6 rpg in 23.4 minutes.

 

Upstate runs their offense through Mike and he has done a great job this season of finishing or passing out to shooters when the doubles come.

Professional basketball is definitely in the future for Mike and he should have more then 1 option. I can see him as a possible PIT guy and should receive several NBA workouts. His game would be great in a solid European league.

 

 

 

Basketball Court

By Brant Short

Cameron Jackson

HT 6’8”

WT 235  lbs   

Position: Forward   

Year: SO

Hometown: Winchester, VA

Game Stats:  20 Pts, 3 Blk, 1 Stl, (4-5 FT)

Due to a season ending injury in 2015-2016 the 2017 season was a “unknown”,not only to Wofford, but also to Cameron. Jackson has clearly put his injury behind him as is ready for a explosive campaign. Cameron Jackson has all the physical  tools to achieve those results. Cameron’s injury has not shown lingering effects as he can take over a game on both sides of the floor. Jackson does a great job of helping and recovering with the addition of blocking shots.

On the offensive side Cameron has a very reliable release on his free throws which will cash out. Jackson has showed the ability to catch tough passes and finish in small windows. Late in the contest Cam grabbed a rebound, reposted and rolled off a beautiful running one hand hook shot. Shortly after, Jackson made the defensive play of the game with pinning a potential dunk with two hands on the glass.

Strengths 

Explosiveness 

Physical attributes 

Clean footwork and touch

Weakness

Perimeter defense

Mid range shooting

Basketball

Game Scouted: Wisconsin vs Prairie View A&M

Wisconsin wins 95-50

Vitto Brown, F, 6’8”, 235 lbs, SR

Stats

23 min, 2-6 FG, 1-5 3 pt, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 6 TP

Strengths

Good build with excellent wingspan/good size for position. Unselfish player who is willing to give up an OK shot to give a teammate a great shot. Willing to make the extra pass on the perimeter. Crafty passer and underrated passer who really understands passing angles. Only dribbles to set up a shot for himself or a better passing angle. Knows how to feed the post.

Above average 3 pt shooter who can stretch the floor. Struggled shooting the ball today but he shoots a straight ball and his misses were off the back of the rim.

Looks comfortable on the perimeter on both ends.  Great hands.

Showed he could score inside w/ back to the basket when went down there and posted p smaller defenders.

High IQ player who sees the 2nd line of defense and plays before they happen.

Smart defensive player and solid overall on this end. Gets down into defensive stance, understands rotations, and help side defense. Keeps the ball in front of him and contests shots with his length.

Ultimate team player who others love to play with.

Weaknesses

While Brown is a good shooter, his shot is a little slow and he struggled to hit shots that were contested this game. Needs to continue to improve ball handling- showed he could put it on the floor for 1 or 2 dribbles in a straight line but I didn’t see him change directions with the ball.

Lacks athleticism and explosion.

I love his unselfishness but I would also like to see him be more aggressive.

Would like to see him be a better rebounder on both ends outside his area.

Overview

Not Vitto’s best day in the box score but you can tell how solid of an overall basketball player he is. Coming in I knew he was a good shooter, but I was pleasantly surprised with how good of a passer and defender he is. Has a pro career for sure and has some skills that are attractive to NBA teams. Will certainly be a PIT invite and will be in NBA Summer League. From there it depends if he can hit the NBA 3 with consistency. If the NBA doesnt work out, then he can be a high level European pro.

As my week of Vegas Tournaments continued I saw both days of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational at the Orleans Hotel. The tournament featured 8 teams with 4 teams in one “upper bracket” and 4 in another bracket.

There were several legit NBA prospects and even more European prospects playing as Arizona, Butler, and Santa Clara had several players each. Butler was able to come from behind in the 2nd half to defeat Arizona in the championship game. Andrew Chrabascz, a senior F for Butler, was named MVP.

Below I have put together my own version of the All-Tournament team (5 players) plus a few honorable mentions. These are players who I thought deserved it for the play in this tournament, so no other factors were included, such as hype coming in, or what the player had done in the past.

All Tournament Team

G- Jordan Davis, G, 6’2”, SO, Northern Colorado

The breakout start of the tournament. Back in his hometown, Davis put on a show. He leads the country in usage rate and showed why here. Plays like a mix of Russell Westbrook and Damien Lillard, Davis scored at will and got the paint over and over. Athletic and quick guard who is an excellent rebounder for his size. Davis is definitely a pro prospect and a player for NBA teams to monitor.

G-  Jared Brownridge, G, 6’3”, SR, Santa Clara

Big time scorer who can play on and off the ball. Had a big time scoring output in the 2nd game vs Vandy w/ 36 points. Loved his demeanor throughout the tournament, he never gets rattled. Pro prospect who should do very well in Europe.

F-  Kelan Martin, F, 6’7”, JR, Butler

Versatile wing with pro size and strength. Can handle the ball well and showed he could create and score off the bounce. Played consistently well in both games.

F- Andrew Chrabascz, F, 6’7″, SR, Butler

Fundamental and skilled forward who knows how to play and makes winning plays on both ends. Can stretch the floor with his shooting ability.

F– Lauri Markkanen, F, 7’0”, FR, Arizona

Talented stretch 4 from Finland showed why so many NBA teams are so high on him. He has a pure stroke from deep, can handle the ball like a guard, and has fluid movements. Very high upside.

Honorable Mention

Dusan Ristic, C, 7’0”, JR, Arizona

Rawle Alkins, G, 6’5”, FR, Arizona

Nate Kratch, F, 6’8”, SR, Santa Clara

Jeff Roberson, F, 6’6”, JR, Vanderbilt

Tyler Lewis, G, 5’11”, SR, Butler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basketball

For the 2nd straight year I was able to cover the Men Who Speak Up Tournament put on by BD Global Sports and held at the MGM Arena in Las Vegas. Once again the field of 8 teams was divided into two brackets, a heavyweight and middleweight. Valparaiso beat BYU in one of the best college games Ive seen in a while to win the championship of the heavyweight bracket in front of a boisterous crowd. The game featured two NBA prospects, Alec Peters, a 6’9″ SR for Valpo, and Eric Mika, a 6’10” SR for BYU. Alec Peters was named MVP after another 20+ point effort to help Valpo secure the win.

Below I have put together my own version of the All-Tournament team (5 players) plus a few honorable mentions. These are players who I thought deserved it for the play in this tournament, so no other factors were included, such as hype coming in, or what the player had done in the past.

All Tournament Team

G- Shane Hammink, 6’7”, SR, Valparaiso

Versatile SF who can pass, score, and defend. Team player who is an underrated athlete Had a breakout game in the championship to help his team win.

G-Jermaine Bishop, G, 6’1″, SO, Saint Louis

Solid ball handler who can really shoot the basketball. Had 27 points in the opening game.

F- Franko House, 6’6”, SR, Ball State

Is a load to handle on the low block where he uses his strength to physically overwhelm opponents. Is a matchup nightmare- can go by bigger players on the perimeter and can overpower smaller defenders in the post.

F-Alec Peters, F, 6’9”, SR, Valparaiso

Tournament MVP had 2 double-doubles. Can space the floor with 3 point shooting and gets to the FT line at a high rate. Secures rebounds with 2 hands. One of the best pro prospects if not the best I saw here.

C- Eric Mika 6’10”, C, BYU

Good athlete who is really comfortable facing the basket. Solid rebounder and rim protector as well who is a pro prospect.

Honorable Mention

Sean Sellers, F, 6’6″ JR, Ball State

Jubril Adekoya, F, 6’7”, SR, Valparaiso

Reggie Agbeko, F, 6’7”, SR, Saint Louis