Post by FLHoya on Jul 15, 2012 21:14:30 GMT -5
Besides Jeff Green's first summer league appearance, the only surprise at today's Kenner League action was that going into the Tombs-Emery Heights game--the fourth of the afternoon--the games were 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Generally at Kenner, if you're on time, you're early. Those game clocks are running clocks for a reason!
(*To be fair, running clocks made up a 30-minute late start to yesterday's first game by the start of Game 3.)
Sometimes, you can be too early to Kenner League. In year's past, when Kenner often shared McDonough with the morning session of various GU summer sports camps, the doors wouldn't open until at or past the first scheduled start time. The early arriving fans would mill about in McDonough's lobby (home to, I verified today, the first working pay phone I've seen in a couple years) while behind the big wooden doors to the gym the sounds of pre-game warmups echoed through an empty gym. Late openings used to be as much of a KL tradition as the snack bar.
So it was a little slice of tradition today when the doors opened just after the first game's scheduled noon start time.
Unclear whether there was a delay, or the only open door had shut itself and nobody had noticed. The lobby? Occupied for the early afternoon by registration for a soccer camp.
DCX 90 Tree & The Top Boys 54
Today's selection from the scorer's table during pre-game warmups and halftime: Prince.
Prince: I Would Die 4 U
Some days Kenner League taketh away. On the plus side, the Top Boys were all present at the appointed tip off time. They didn't have the legs to keep up with DCX, who quickly built a double digit lead and never looked back. Most of the second half was played at "pickup" pace, and by consequence you should probably read the following eight paragraphs or so accordingly.
Jabril Trawick: 18 points, 6-12 2FG, 1-3 3FG, 3-3 FT, 2RB, 2A, 1TO 7F
Today was probably the least active Jabril's been during the summer leading the DCX offense. This was mostly a consequence of the game being a blowout, but some of it also had to do with other players like Jamal Olasuwere getting their touches. For a lot of the game--especially the second half--Jabril hung deep on the perimeter and generally served to balance the floor in the event of possession changes (3-on-1 breaks are common in blowout Kenner League games).
When he did get scoring and distributing opportunities, Jabril followed his normal pattern. He doesn't have great moves off the dribble, but he's very strong and very determined. What that leads to are a lot of trips to the free throw line or, particularly today, a lot of bumps and tough finishes. This can be hit or miss of course--he takes a lot of difficult shots.
Where I personally think his game can go to another level is becoming a better distributor once he draws in a defense. In the first half, Jabril went to the post a few times, but couldn't create once the double team came. He was better, to be fair, in the second half on driving and dishing, and lost at least 2-3 assists to missed layups. Still, the combination of driving into traffic (at times) and reacting to double teams puts him in a lot of tough situations. Plus side--his turnover number was low today.
If Chris Wright was a wrecking ball, Jabril is a boulder that you've just pushed over a hill. If he can contain that energy a little more, I think he'll be very effective as a point guard--should that be his role going forward.
Gotta be careful about those fouls; he plays very tough, physical D for a summer league.
A late game sequence: Jabril is called for a questionable hand-check foul (his seventh), the opposing team immediately runs the play (to Lawrence Moten) in the same spot on the court, this time Jabril makes an impressive clean steal, dribbles the length of the court, but gets his layup blocked after driving into a double team in the lane.
Greg Whittington: 11 points, 1-5 2FG, 3-7 3FG, 5RB, 1 TO, 2STL, 1BLK, 2F
Greg was barely involved in DCX's offense in the second half; like Jabril, the game being a blowout had a lot to do with it. But even in the first half, Greg stayed largely camped around the perimeter on offense. His offense came almost if not totally exclusively from jump shooting. He was around the rim once or twice to attempt offensive putbacks, but that was about it.
This is the downside of Kenner League games: sometimes they're just duds, and don't leave much to talk about.
(*To be fair, running clocks made up a 30-minute late start to yesterday's first game by the start of Game 3.)
Sometimes, you can be too early to Kenner League. In year's past, when Kenner often shared McDonough with the morning session of various GU summer sports camps, the doors wouldn't open until at or past the first scheduled start time. The early arriving fans would mill about in McDonough's lobby (home to, I verified today, the first working pay phone I've seen in a couple years) while behind the big wooden doors to the gym the sounds of pre-game warmups echoed through an empty gym. Late openings used to be as much of a KL tradition as the snack bar.
So it was a little slice of tradition today when the doors opened just after the first game's scheduled noon start time.
Unclear whether there was a delay, or the only open door had shut itself and nobody had noticed. The lobby? Occupied for the early afternoon by registration for a soccer camp.
DCX 90 Tree & The Top Boys 54
Today's selection from the scorer's table during pre-game warmups and halftime: Prince.
Prince: I Would Die 4 U
Some days Kenner League taketh away. On the plus side, the Top Boys were all present at the appointed tip off time. They didn't have the legs to keep up with DCX, who quickly built a double digit lead and never looked back. Most of the second half was played at "pickup" pace, and by consequence you should probably read the following eight paragraphs or so accordingly.
Jabril Trawick: 18 points, 6-12 2FG, 1-3 3FG, 3-3 FT, 2RB, 2A, 1TO 7F
Today was probably the least active Jabril's been during the summer leading the DCX offense. This was mostly a consequence of the game being a blowout, but some of it also had to do with other players like Jamal Olasuwere getting their touches. For a lot of the game--especially the second half--Jabril hung deep on the perimeter and generally served to balance the floor in the event of possession changes (3-on-1 breaks are common in blowout Kenner League games).
When he did get scoring and distributing opportunities, Jabril followed his normal pattern. He doesn't have great moves off the dribble, but he's very strong and very determined. What that leads to are a lot of trips to the free throw line or, particularly today, a lot of bumps and tough finishes. This can be hit or miss of course--he takes a lot of difficult shots.
Where I personally think his game can go to another level is becoming a better distributor once he draws in a defense. In the first half, Jabril went to the post a few times, but couldn't create once the double team came. He was better, to be fair, in the second half on driving and dishing, and lost at least 2-3 assists to missed layups. Still, the combination of driving into traffic (at times) and reacting to double teams puts him in a lot of tough situations. Plus side--his turnover number was low today.
If Chris Wright was a wrecking ball, Jabril is a boulder that you've just pushed over a hill. If he can contain that energy a little more, I think he'll be very effective as a point guard--should that be his role going forward.
Gotta be careful about those fouls; he plays very tough, physical D for a summer league.
A late game sequence: Jabril is called for a questionable hand-check foul (his seventh), the opposing team immediately runs the play (to Lawrence Moten) in the same spot on the court, this time Jabril makes an impressive clean steal, dribbles the length of the court, but gets his layup blocked after driving into a double team in the lane.
Greg Whittington: 11 points, 1-5 2FG, 3-7 3FG, 5RB, 1 TO, 2STL, 1BLK, 2F
Greg was barely involved in DCX's offense in the second half; like Jabril, the game being a blowout had a lot to do with it. But even in the first half, Greg stayed largely camped around the perimeter on offense. His offense came almost if not totally exclusively from jump shooting. He was around the rim once or twice to attempt offensive putbacks, but that was about it.
This is the downside of Kenner League games: sometimes they're just duds, and don't leave much to talk about.
