kenner sunday 7-25

[lichoya68]

wowowo markel starks the REAL DEAL was awesome quick as well maybe quicker than jason and chris and maybe quickest ive seen next to ivesersonyup very quick great point good passer great to the hoop moves and finishes and great outside pretty good on d he is small but WOWOWOW moses a project not so much this year good rebbies needs work on offense and d lubick will contribute TOUGH KID as ad vertised pretty good rebbies and d and some good inside moves. bowen had a worse day than others have seen him. no austin today hollis GREAT stroke lots of threes adn alot of hustle.. in the first game jason pretty aok great quick and tough nose for the ball very very nice.. go hoyas

[mckspicks]

Clark and Team Takeover spent the warm-ups in what amounted to a dunk contest, so it was no surprise with Takeover up twenty, the last ten minutes of the second half devolved into a series of uncontested jams. When six footers repeatedly get open dunks in a set offense, you know ”defense” is an illusion that passes the time until you get the ball back.
Clark was 4-7 with 10 points in a relatively competitive first half. He finished with around 20, but the stats aren’t to faithful to reality. The Team Takeover was by far the better team (VaTech F Jeff Allen in particular impressed) and cruised to a 80-60 final. Clark looked sharp offensively, was strong with the ball.

No Austin today (rumored that he was in Vegas) so The Tombs underclassmen had a chance to run the show.

Reading the number crunching at Hoya Prospectus over this past week has had me anxious about the development of Hollis Thompson. A tall line-up very well might be our best despite not having the most talented 5 on the floor and Hollis hasn’t yet stood out in Kenner. His beautiful left handed take against Ohio was the single positive memory that I took into the off-season and I have high hopes for him this year. With Austin out, Hollis didn't disappoint, energetic on defense, and great on offense- he hit his spot up shots, drew fouls under the hoops and must have finished with over twenty. Dream scenario: the emergence of Hollis threatens to infringe on Clark’s minutes and forces Clark to buckle down on defense and make good on the potential he has to be an all-conference defender.

Markel Starks- The Stark Plug? Has it been said yet? Chris doesn't need breathers often, but when he does, Stark definitely can bring the energy off the bench. The name is too short sighted though- he'll be the floor general in turn. It was such a start contrast to see Starks expressionless intensity for the entire scrimmage after watching Clark and co. Harlem GlobeTrotter their matchup. It was a close game and Starks took control of the team, huddling them around the free throw line and even grabbing some jerseys. In the decisive run to seal the game, he another end to end drive and converted a 3.

Nate Lubick had a few great boards in the first half, those long white arms rising up, outspread like Field Goal Jesus. He was quieter in the second half until he consecutively dove on the ground for a loose ball and took a charge. If we create a stat for times he ends up on the floor, I think he’ll have a shot at averaging a triple double by time he’s finished at the Hilltop.

After singing the praises of Aaron Bowen last week, he started the day 0-3 from 3pt with two air balls. He looked absent in the first half and his jumper wasn't there. Finished the game with a great steal/ breakaway dunk sequence, but it wasn’t enough to wash away the disappointing game. Hopefully this was a fluke, because he doesn’t have the size to cover a 3 man in the Big East, he needs that jump shot to be as beautiful as it was last week to earn PT.

Moses really got the crowd behind him… in warm-ups. He made 5 straight midrange jump shots, with a part of the crowd “ooh-ing” at each make, before one collided in mid-air with another ball. Any hint of refinement amongst his raw athleticism is something to get behind. He also converted his first successful post move that I’ve seen, a simple baby hook, but encouraging none the less.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

My unofficial stats:

Aaron: 9pts 3-4 2ptFG; 0-4 3pt FG; 3-5 FT; 2rbds; 1stl, 1blk, 1 ast, 3tos

Hollis: 19pts 5-6 2ptFG; 2-3 3pt FG; 3-3 FT; 1 rbd; 2stls, 3 asts, 2 tos

Markel: 20pts 6-8 2ptFG; 2-3 3pt FG; 2-2 FT; 1rbd; 2stls, 2 asts, 1 to

Moses: 6pts 3-5 2ptFG; 6rbds(1 offensive); 3 blks, 3tos

Nate: 2pts 1-6 2ptFG; 8rbds( 1 offensive); 1 blk


Hopefully jkhoya will post his stats to compare to mine, because i'm not confident on my rbd numbers. The points should be correct though.

[harwoodhoya]

Starks finally got a chance to shine. He is the best of the 2010 local guards.

I'm still not sold on Lubick but my opinion means nothing.

Hollis- shot lights out
Aaron-i didn't think he played that bad

Moses- I like him a lot

Jerelle-decent but was being muscled by Bowie Big

Jason-same old Jason

[JB5]

My first time seeing the frosh today. Given that they won without Austin, it was a good day for them as a group, although the kid from Mason shooting lights out helped. 1st impressions:

Markel: Best player in the game today. Point guard of the future.

Nate: Hustle player. Was around the ball when he was in. Got about 10 boards. Still developing the offensive game, but should contribute.

Moses: Big, strong guy. Got a couple of blocks and some strong boards. He's a project (looks lost from time to time) but I have confidence in Big Man U to bring him around.

Aaron: Kind of lost in the first half but made some nice plays late in the game. He didn't handle the ball much to show his guard skills and is too small to play the 3.

Hollis: Good game

[mapei]

I thought Jason looked quite good for most of his game, with an improved handle. Near the beginning of the second half there was a bad stretch where he got stolen fairly easily, then on the next possession shot an airball that he followed with a missed layup. But those bad plays stood out only because they were the exception. Otherwise he looked great.

#12 for their opponent (mostly Mason guys) was good. The rest weren't, and both teams sleepwalked through the last 10 minutes.

Very impressed with Markel and Nate today, though Hollis was the best player on that team. Their opponents barely made quorum: they only got five guys about 30 minutes late, and I think they got a sixth at some point midway through the game. But they were very good shooters, which kept them in it. Aaron not quite as good as when I saw him last week, Moses a little better I thought. Their 6th man - #3, also from Mason, a guard - was pretty good.

Caught just a little bit of Jerrelle's game. He was working pretty hard on offense in a couple of possessions, and got at least one of them to go in. But I didn't really see enough of his game to have an impression.

[skyhoya]

I think Hollis becomes the fifth starter this year. I love Hank, but Hollius has grasped the system and can play the offense. Defense ?

What da think HSB?

[deacon]

Markel was the star of the game. He played with poise and was deadly whether attacking in transition or in half-court sets. My boy who rolled with me is a Syracuse fan and was shaking his head at how good Markel played today and was already dreading the inevitable Markel-Brandon Triche matchup.

Hollis is playing with a lot of confidence this summer and his shot is falling more and more. Would still like to see him create more for himself in the half-court as well as finish in transition, but if his jumper is falling during the season like it has been this summer, he'll force JTIII to start him. The only problem is, does he start at the 4, or at the 3? Personally, I'd love to see him start at the 3, with Jason coming off the bench, but there's probably zero chance of that happening. All in all, looking forward to big things this season from Hollis.

First time seeing Bowen, and he didn't have a good game. Missed a few jumpers badly, and just never got in the flow of the game.

Nate was Nate.

Moses was Moses.

The best game of the day was the A. Wash/Madness - Team Turner game. High intensity, a lot of talented players and even an ejection as former Mason guard Tony Skinn threw a punch at former ER and current Kentucky guard Darnell Dodson. Tempers flared for a second, but after order was restored, it was an intense game which A. Wash/Madness came back from behind in and won going away.

[TrueHoyaBlue]

Is the punch now a signature move for T. Skinn? I would have thought he'd gotten it out of his system after the big GMU tourney run, but is he turning it into a calling card?

[jkhoya12]

Stats from 7/24 and 7/25

7/24:

Chris Wright: 22 pts, 7-15 2FG, 1-6 3FG, 5-6 FT, 4 reb, 7 A, 7 TO, 3 stl
Henry Sims: 6-10 2FG, 2-3 FG, 7 reb(1 off), 1 TO, 1 stl, 2 blk

Vee Sanford: 14 pts, 4-7 2FG, 0-5 3FG, 6-8 FT, 2 reb(1 off), 1 A, 3 T, 2 stl
Julian Vaughn: 6 pts, 2-13 2FG, 2-4 FT, 13 rebs(7 off), 1 TO, 3 stl, 3 blk


7/25:

Jason Clark: 18 pts, 8-11 2FG, 2-3 FT, 2 A, 2 TO, 1 stl

Aaron Bowen: 9 pts, 3-4 2FG, 0-4 3FG, 3-5 FT 3 reb, 1 A, 3 T, 1 stl, 2 blk
Moses Abraham: 6 pts, 3-5 2FG, 6 rebs, 3 TO, 3 blk
Nate Lubick: 2 pts, 1-5 2FG, 7 rebs, 1 blk
Markel Starks: 20 pts, 6-9 2FG, 2-3 3FG, 2-2 FT, 1 R, 1 A, 1 TO, 2 stl
Hollis Thompson: 19 pts, 5-7 2FG, 2-3 3FG, 3-3 FT, 2 R, 2 A, 2 T, 1 stl

[HoyaSinceBirth]

I would love it if Hollis could start at the 3 and some one else could play the 4. However the most likely scenario I think is at least to start the season is hollis at the 4. He has the height to play the 4, he looks taller than last year. He's just as tall as nate and moses it seems. He's obviously not as bulky as they are, so I hope one of them emerges enough to move hollis to the 3, but pitt got away with a 6'5" Nasir robinson at the PF, I think we could get away with Hollis most of the time.

[rosslynhoya]

Hollis looked great yesterday in his matchup versus Mike Madden, from the stands.

No seriously, only 2-3 guys from The Tombs showed up yesterday, and so after a 15-20 minute delay, THEY PICKED DUDES OUT OF THE STANDS to put on the silver jerseys.

I thought Hollis played well yesterday, but his line reflects the quality of opposition.

Nate was an undeniable beast, very physical play (including one terrific Teddy Bruschi-esque clothesline that came a little too naturally for comfort!!) even if he needs to work on his finishing touch on offense. Could he be our starting 4 by the beginning of BE play?

Bowen had nice moves in the second half and definitely seems to have the desire to earn some minutes, but I've got not the slightest idea where on the roster is the best fit for him. I hope we can count on him for energy off the bench somehow.

FYI, the Tombs' line also masks the performance of Vertrail Vaughns, the GMU shooter that bailed the team out time and time again, and apparently ended with 30+ points.

[BigmanU]

Jul 26, 2010 9:00:30 GMT -5 HoyaSinceBirth said:

I would love it if Hollis could start at the 3 and some one else could play the 4. However the most likely scenario I think is at least to start the season is hollis at the 4. He has the height to play the 4, he looks taller than last year. He's just as tall as nate and moses it seems. He's obviously not as bulky as they are, so I hope one of them emerges enough to move hollis to the 3, but pitt got away with a 6'5" Nasir robinson at the PF, I think we could get away with Hollis most of the time.

I actually think that is exactly what will happen (Still feel best lineup would be Hollis @ the 3 spot). I hope they rotate players alot more than recent years (earned minutes a given). Especially the Bigs (Julian, Nate, Moses, Henry). I will say again, I know its just Kenner. They seem to have quality depth at all positions.

[sweetness]

I was at Kenner for the first time this year and came away very impressed with Hollis Thompson -- competition notwithstanding, his jumper looked great and he shot it with confidence from deep. His height and length enables him to shoot above almost anyone at the college level. He also looked to have put on some weight, and overall seemed more physical and aggressive. He is clearly one of our top 5 players.

Also want to add that Vee Sanford and Markel Starks both looked great this weekend. Our depth at backcourt will be very impressive this year.

[kchoya]

Jul 26, 2010 7:47:50 GMT -5 TrueHoyaBlue said:

Is the punch now a signature move for T. Skinn? I would have thought he'd gotten it out of his system after the big GMU tourney run, but is he turning it into a calling card?

Surprisingly, no mention of this incident in the kenner league thread on the Mason message board, but they do have time to bitch & moan about the Tombs starting five GU players.

boards.caazone.com/showthread.php?t=94982&page=4

[lichoya68]

pss hollis GREAT STROKE and hustles like heck a LITTLE more muscle he needs a break out year for us to be good.. go hoyas

[idhoya]

Hollis gonna be the sp off the bench until AF and CW leave. Then JC and MS will man the backcourt and he'll slide in at the 3. So I'm thinkin three guards, HS and JV to start.

[BigmanU]

Jul 26, 2010 12:18:30 GMT -5 idhoya said:

Hollis gonna be the sp off the bench until AF and CW leave. Then JC and MS will man the backcourt and he'll slide in at the 3. So I'm thinkin three guards, HS and JV to start.

No disrespect but when Big East starts , I hope your wrong. With this lineup who will play the Green/Monroe distributor role out of the bigs??? Julian or Henry???

I don't see that lineup flowing that well. but.....If Henry steps up and this does happen. That means were having a great season. I will gladly eat my words.

[BubbleVisionBiff]

Jul 26, 2010 13:57:58 GMT -5 BigmanU said:

With this lineup who will play the Green/Monroe distributor role out of the bigs??? Julian or Henry???

No one will, because we have neither a Green nor a Monroe on this roster, at least not right now. JT III basically said we're gonna have to find new ways to skin the cat on offense at an event in Chicago a few weeks back.

[sleepy]

I think the offense will take care of itself. I'm more concerned with the defense and rebounding, or lack there of from the small lineup.