Tuesday, December 22, 2009

IPSAC Midwest Basketball Challenge-Bowman/Broad Ripple

The Bowman Academy/Broad Ripple game was fast paced from the start. Both teams were pushing the ball, creating turnovers, forcing passes, and looking to attack the rim. Bowman led 27-19 after one period to give you an idea of the pace.

In the second quarter, Bowman increased the gap. Cyllk Joesph had a big first half. Joesph had a couple of 3's and a couple of dunks. Not to be out done, Chris Bond also had great success around the rim including a monster dunk. Bowman was up 14 at the halftime break.

The second half was mainly the Tyrae Robinson show. Robinson got to the rim nearly anytime he wanted. Most of the time he would finish the basket and the rest of the time he found open teammates for easy baskets. Robinson ended with 18 points on 6-10 shooting from 2point range and 2-4 from 3.

The game became a true blow out in the third. DeJuan Marrero dominated the paint getting multiple blocks and clearing every rebound. Marrero ended the night with 15 points and 14 rebounds. I did not keep track of his blocks.

In the fourth quarter, Broad Ripple made the game respectable. Steven Jamison started to be really aggressive and capitalized on it. He ended the night with 27 points. Ron Patterson was quiet for most of the night other than 2 big first half dunks. Patterson finished with 16 points.

Tyrae Robinson 6'1 point guard might have turned the most heads of college recruiters. Robinson did a little bit of everything. He showed his quickness and explosiveness getting to the basket. He consistently made the correct play while leading his team. Robinson also displayed a smooth jumper. Robinson looks like a solid mid-major point guard.

DeJuan Marreo 6'6 small forward is the most hyped player for Bowman. He is and will be a very good high school player. I'm not sure how that will translate to the next level for him. At the high major level, he will have to be a 3 and I'm not sure he has those skills in order to handle the ball, shoot from the perimeter, or the quickness to guard a small forward in the Big Ten for instance. He's not big enough to be a power forward unless he grows which I think is unlikely. I think he projects to be a very good mid-major player, but would struggle in the major conferences.

Cyllk Joesph 5'11 shooting guard was 3-6 from 3 and 2-2 from 2 including a dunk off a nice alley-opp. His shooting form looked really good...smooth and quick. He didn't handle the ball very much because Robinson handled those duties. He might be an undersized shooting guard but he can make up for that with his athleticism.

Christopher Bond
6'4 forward showed great atleticism and ability to finish in the paint. He has great springs and very good lateral quickness. He is more of a power forward, but he can handle the ball a little bit and is quick enough to guard a small forward at the mid-major level. He would be really good at the low-major level.

Steven Jamison
6'7 small forward was the main bright spot for Broad Ripple. He is a legit 6'5 and maybe 6'6. He is a streaky outside shooter and he will take some shots that leave a lot to be desired. He is long and is a good finisher especially above the rim. I see Jamison as a solid mid-major prospect. I think he would be really good in a style like IUPUI's.

Ron Patterson 6'3 shooting guard is a big time player. Today was not his best game though. In the first half, he wasn't real aggressive looking for his shot although he had 2 dunks including 1 over the top of a Bowman player. He is explosive off the floor while also being a good shooter from the outside. I saw him play in a D1 open gym this year that featured NBA players and he fit right in.

Aaron Payne
6'1 point guard is a promising young player for Broad Ripple. He struggled with decision making against the Bowman pressure but a lot of good senior guards would struggle too. He did have 6 points on 3-6 shooting. He got to the rim a few times and had shots rim out.

IPSAC Midwest Basketball Challenge

The first game of the day due to Gary Roosevelt not showing up was Lew Wallace against Indianapolis Tech.

The game was only close for the first quarter. In the second quarter, Wallace started to pull away and they never looked back. Wallace was led by Branden Dawson and LaTroy Taylor. Everyone knows Dawson, but Taylor might be a new name for people.

LaTroy Taylor
6'2 guard was the game's MVP finishing with 27 points and 7 assists. He played mostly the off guard in this game, but it looks like he could play the point at the next level. He showed very good vision while getting to the basket constantly against the Tech defense. He might be a stretch for the good mid-major programs because I'm not sure about his outside shooting. His free-throw form looked good though.

Branden Dawson 6'7 forward was impressive with his length and athleticism. He is listed at 6'6 but looked taller than that and taller than he looked in the summer. He is still developing his shot and it was very inconsistent this game. He dominated around the rim though and showed good quickness. Dawson handled the ball a little bit, but not where you would want to put the ball in his hands all the time. He was better than my first impression of him last year.

Isaac Mack 6'1 guard was the main bright spot for Tech. He hit numerous 3's although he also took a lot of them. He wasn't on fire by any stretch. He has a nice lefty shooting form though.

Mo Cross 6'3 forward was in foul trouble the whole game. He actually picked up his fourth foul in the first half...fouling a jump shooter to make things worse. It was disappointing not to get a better look at Cross.

Beecher Ward 6'4 forward looked like he could make a good post at the NAIA/D2 level with his athleticism and quickness. He could guard a 3 or 4 at that level.