Post by FLHoya on Aug 13, 2009 21:57:35 GMT -5
Glad to hear you missed me. ;D
It's playoff time in the Kenner League, and they really pull out all the stops to make it a special evening.
Okay, maybe that's exaggerating things.
But they DID put a guy back on the microphone to announce the players' names. Good luck if you went to a multi-syllabic JUCO.
And they DID...wait for it...play music at halftime and in between games!
Well now we're talking.
Okay, no we're not.
Sometimes I think Flo Rida is in reality a clever marketing ploy brought to you by the people who sell you cell phone ringtones and remix songs to make them sound like they're being sung by Alvin and the Chipmunks.
On the plus side, the Kenner League gave us some intense, competitive, exciting basketball--probably the highest level of play during the summer, if you discount Jeff Allen's dozen or so missed putbacks and dunks.
And from the Hoya fan's perspective, there's a plus side, as one of the remaining GTown-influenced teams will be playing in Saturday's semifinals.
CLYDE'S 66 DCX 52
Great energy on the floor throughout the first half, as both teams really hunkered down and played some defense despite a relatively high paced game. DCX scored the first two baskets but Clyde's roared back with an 11-0 run and maintained a comfortable lead for the entire first half...at the half it was 33-24.
During halftime (before we were treated to T.I. and Rihanna for some reason), the KL organizers announced all of the seeds for the quarterfinals. This was a 2 vs. 7 game, though I'm not sure which was which--leaning towards Clyde's being the 7 based on the results I jotted down. To be honest, the entire Kenner League was pretty even this summer, and last time I was keeping track only We Are One wasn't hovering around .500.
The other QF games: (4) Beyond Belief vs. (5) Tombs; (1) We Are One vs. (8) Bearcats; (3) Aquamarine Hunger Force vs. (6) Premiere Athletics.
Clyde's took control right away in the second half, opening on a 14-3 run that gave them a 47-27 lead with 12:35 to go. It never got close after that, although the intensity never cooled down either. Clyde's Chase Adams got a big hand from the crowd for essentially wrecking a guy with a hard foul to prevent a dunk on a 3-on-1 break even though his team was up 17 at the time.
Clyde's plays next in the semifinals on Saturday at 1:00pm.
Jason Clark: 23 points, 7-11 2pt, 1-3 3pt, 6-7 FT, 7RB (3off), 4A, 3TO, 5STL
Crazy amount of energy expended by Clark. He was all over the court in a number of ways. The two that stick out:
In the first half, Clark was all over the passing lanes on defense. Clyde's was putting a lot of pressure on the perimeter, and Clark was reading the opportunities for steals quite well. In fact, his first two baskets were off of steals, once from an inbounds pass and once in the frontcourt. His transition from defense to offense was impressive, and he was able to finish on his own and set up teammates.
In the second half, Clark was all over the glass. He'd come flying in from all over the place and get his body in amongst the trees, often coming out with tough rebounds the bigger guys couldn't get. Maybe his best play of the night was in the first half, when he twice collected his own offense board off tough reverse layup attempts despite there being at least four other players in the lane, finally earning himself a three-point play attempt.
If you're a more cynical type, your favorite play may have been the one later on when he crossed over Mo Creek and left him flat footed as he went in for an acrobatic layup finish.
His play was sparked by the energy, but his efficiency rises and falls with the decision making. He had a few nice looks that were too difficult (a little too fine on a fast break when he tried to find a cutting Sims). The review of Clark from last night was a bit harsh, IMO...seemed to get on him too much for what I call "KL turnovers"--i.e. the kind that would get you benched in the regular season and that you'd never try anyway.
Remember, we play one of the most structured offenses in the NCAA.
Also remember, we've been waiting for a spark plug like this since Patrick Ewing Jr. left.
Henry Sims: 11 points, 3-6 2pt, 0-1 3pt, 5-7 FT, 7RB, 3A, 2TO, 1BL, 4F
Now, I'd call this one a highly successful outing, though I'm not sure everyone who watches KL games would.
Let's get the potential negatives out of the way first:
It's still too easy to score on Henry Sims. He doesn't really have the size to intimidate the smaller players or match up with the bruisers on the inside, nor is he quite athletic enough to really handle dribble penetration or a more nimble small forward/point forward type. You see a lot of "tough" layups over Henry Sims in a KL game.
He also doesn't rebound as well as he could. Too often he goes for the big block or checking out a shooter that's already marked, and takes himself out of rebounding position. He could also stand to block out better, and his hands aren't exactly from the mold of Mike Sweetney.
Now here are the positives:
He has a much better offensive game than people give him credit for. Yes, I covered his 30 point game earlier in the summer, and that was mostly off layups and putbacks. But he's more than that. He's moving decent without the ball--got him a fortunate driving dunk early on. He's going for the running hook more, and taking jump shots with limited success, but the point is he's making the effort and working on the skills, which is what you want in KL.
The best part...and I'm surprised nobody else is really playing this up...is how good a passer Henry is. He had at least three legitimately great assists tonight from the high post. He manages to do just enough to draw in a double team, and has great vision to hit the weak side player (often this was Ian Hummer--who despite having a really good game probably cost Henry three assists by missing layups). He's even better when you get him on the free throw line, finding the dump down or pass out...although he needs to show he can consistently hit a foul line jumper to keep a defense honest.
Really think having he and Jason together on a team this summer will pay dividends in the regular season. They work very well off each other.
[AHEAD: The explosion in KL media coverage]
It's playoff time in the Kenner League, and they really pull out all the stops to make it a special evening.
Okay, maybe that's exaggerating things.
But they DID put a guy back on the microphone to announce the players' names. Good luck if you went to a multi-syllabic JUCO.
And they DID...wait for it...play music at halftime and in between games!
Well now we're talking.
Okay, no we're not.
Sometimes I think Flo Rida is in reality a clever marketing ploy brought to you by the people who sell you cell phone ringtones and remix songs to make them sound like they're being sung by Alvin and the Chipmunks.
On the plus side, the Kenner League gave us some intense, competitive, exciting basketball--probably the highest level of play during the summer, if you discount Jeff Allen's dozen or so missed putbacks and dunks.
And from the Hoya fan's perspective, there's a plus side, as one of the remaining GTown-influenced teams will be playing in Saturday's semifinals.
CLYDE'S 66 DCX 52
Great energy on the floor throughout the first half, as both teams really hunkered down and played some defense despite a relatively high paced game. DCX scored the first two baskets but Clyde's roared back with an 11-0 run and maintained a comfortable lead for the entire first half...at the half it was 33-24.
During halftime (before we were treated to T.I. and Rihanna for some reason), the KL organizers announced all of the seeds for the quarterfinals. This was a 2 vs. 7 game, though I'm not sure which was which--leaning towards Clyde's being the 7 based on the results I jotted down. To be honest, the entire Kenner League was pretty even this summer, and last time I was keeping track only We Are One wasn't hovering around .500.
The other QF games: (4) Beyond Belief vs. (5) Tombs; (1) We Are One vs. (8) Bearcats; (3) Aquamarine Hunger Force vs. (6) Premiere Athletics.
Clyde's took control right away in the second half, opening on a 14-3 run that gave them a 47-27 lead with 12:35 to go. It never got close after that, although the intensity never cooled down either. Clyde's Chase Adams got a big hand from the crowd for essentially wrecking a guy with a hard foul to prevent a dunk on a 3-on-1 break even though his team was up 17 at the time.
Clyde's plays next in the semifinals on Saturday at 1:00pm.
Jason Clark: 23 points, 7-11 2pt, 1-3 3pt, 6-7 FT, 7RB (3off), 4A, 3TO, 5STL
Crazy amount of energy expended by Clark. He was all over the court in a number of ways. The two that stick out:
In the first half, Clark was all over the passing lanes on defense. Clyde's was putting a lot of pressure on the perimeter, and Clark was reading the opportunities for steals quite well. In fact, his first two baskets were off of steals, once from an inbounds pass and once in the frontcourt. His transition from defense to offense was impressive, and he was able to finish on his own and set up teammates.
In the second half, Clark was all over the glass. He'd come flying in from all over the place and get his body in amongst the trees, often coming out with tough rebounds the bigger guys couldn't get. Maybe his best play of the night was in the first half, when he twice collected his own offense board off tough reverse layup attempts despite there being at least four other players in the lane, finally earning himself a three-point play attempt.
If you're a more cynical type, your favorite play may have been the one later on when he crossed over Mo Creek and left him flat footed as he went in for an acrobatic layup finish.
His play was sparked by the energy, but his efficiency rises and falls with the decision making. He had a few nice looks that were too difficult (a little too fine on a fast break when he tried to find a cutting Sims). The review of Clark from last night was a bit harsh, IMO...seemed to get on him too much for what I call "KL turnovers"--i.e. the kind that would get you benched in the regular season and that you'd never try anyway.
Remember, we play one of the most structured offenses in the NCAA.
Also remember, we've been waiting for a spark plug like this since Patrick Ewing Jr. left.
Henry Sims: 11 points, 3-6 2pt, 0-1 3pt, 5-7 FT, 7RB, 3A, 2TO, 1BL, 4F
Now, I'd call this one a highly successful outing, though I'm not sure everyone who watches KL games would.
Let's get the potential negatives out of the way first:
It's still too easy to score on Henry Sims. He doesn't really have the size to intimidate the smaller players or match up with the bruisers on the inside, nor is he quite athletic enough to really handle dribble penetration or a more nimble small forward/point forward type. You see a lot of "tough" layups over Henry Sims in a KL game.
He also doesn't rebound as well as he could. Too often he goes for the big block or checking out a shooter that's already marked, and takes himself out of rebounding position. He could also stand to block out better, and his hands aren't exactly from the mold of Mike Sweetney.
Now here are the positives:
He has a much better offensive game than people give him credit for. Yes, I covered his 30 point game earlier in the summer, and that was mostly off layups and putbacks. But he's more than that. He's moving decent without the ball--got him a fortunate driving dunk early on. He's going for the running hook more, and taking jump shots with limited success, but the point is he's making the effort and working on the skills, which is what you want in KL.
The best part...and I'm surprised nobody else is really playing this up...is how good a passer Henry is. He had at least three legitimately great assists tonight from the high post. He manages to do just enough to draw in a double team, and has great vision to hit the weak side player (often this was Ian Hummer--who despite having a really good game probably cost Henry three assists by missing layups). He's even better when you get him on the free throw line, finding the dump down or pass out...although he needs to show he can consistently hit a foul line jumper to keep a defense honest.
Really think having he and Jason together on a team this summer will pay dividends in the regular season. They work very well off each other.
[AHEAD: The explosion in KL media coverage]
