DJCF H.S. All-Star Basketball game -- thicks analysis

[Quality Is Job 1]

First off, I apologize for not being the first to post his thoughts on the game. I had a companion for the outing, and we went to dinner afterward; I couldn't just run home and post, could I? Second, I'm posting my thoughts in a thread separate from what the others have posted so far. I haven't read them, yet, so that I could post my analysis without additional bias.

The crowd -- I was very disappointed by the turnout. The event has enjoyed much better support in the past. Oh, there were probably more people at Fontbonne than one would typically see for a Griffins game, but nothing compared to last year. Perhaps people stayed away because they weren't impressed by the published roster of national "all-stars."

National team roster -- Not only had these guys gotten little national notoriety, they were also far from the best roster that DJ has put together. While I will admit to being ignorant about the recruiting rankings (which I don't put too much stock into, anyway) this year, I just wasn't familiar with the names of the national players not going to SLU or Mizzou. Were any of those guys reputed top 50 players? Also, How many of those national players will be playing for a school which will be featured on television that St. Louisians will be able to see this coming season? Perhaps the Junior USA team prevented Johnson from being able to assemble the type of team he really wanted.

The game -- The game was rather ho-hum -- until the fourth quarter. The St. Louis Metropolitan team led most of the game and occasionally looked to open up a blowout-margin. But in the fourth quarter, the Nationals came back from a deficit that hovered around 10 points late in the third to take the lead. The Metros fought back behind scrappy play to win 116-112, despite being considerably less athletic than the National (though there have been more athletic national all-star teams brought to this event).

MIP (most impressive player) -- The honor goes, without question, to DeSmet's Blake Ahearn. He scored 44 points (unofficial?) and was the primary thrust for the Metros. Truly, he played a fabulous game. He shot extremely well from three-point range in the first half before cooling off in the latter stages of the game (when he took over by going to the free-throw line and knocking down shots).

MOA (most outstanding athlete) -- I give that honor to Renaldo Balkman of Tampa, Fla (a South Carolina recruit). He has impressive hops, is smooth, and played within the flow of the game.

"I didn't want that relish" -- LaKeith Blanks (Capital Heights, Md.) could have been the MOA if he weren't such a hotheaded showboat. I wonder if that's the reason he's going to Texas A&M rather than Maryland? He displayed tremendous athleticism and even some long-range shooting, and I believe he led the Nationals with 25 points (unofficial), but he turned my off with his style. He displayed a lack of respect and graciousness. He thought he could just abuse Madison's Travanti Walker, and I enjoyed watching Walker shrug him off.

What's the point? -- The Metro squad featured good guard play and ballhandling; the National squad did not. It appears that the only natural point on the roster was 6-1 Anthony Harris (Chicago), who will be attending Miami in the fall (will he be playing in the ACC or the Big East in a couple of seasons? -- I haven't seen yet what Miami will do with the ACC's invitation). SLU recruit Darren Clarke played the point when Harris wasn't on the floor. Clarke made a few nice passes (including one spectacular 35-foot alley-oop out of a run-and-jump double-team -- I have no idea how he could have seen that opportunity -- and one awesome, over-the-head touch pass to a teammate he had his back to), but generally he appeared somewhat uncomfortable running the point in this setting. I thought he was forcing the action often.

What I have to look forward to:

First of all, what I CAN'T look forward to is seeing Ahearn go on a shooting spree for the Billikens or see Randal Falker display his steady grittiness in blue. Instead, I'll have to cover my eyes while they DO it to my Billikens for SMS and SIUC (respectively). Well, at least the Bills won't be playing Southern Illinios this year, correct? Okay, okay, I can understand the argument that Ahearn may be too small for a high-major level shooting guard, but it's obvious that the kid has the heart and spunk to overcome the height disadvantage. He could be somewhat like Mizzou's Jason Sutherland of a few years back (though I disliked Sutherland because I thought he was a dirty player) Granted, Sutherland had hops to dunk and Ahearn doesn't really (he did have one successful dunk, which he barely got over the rim, but he missed one dunk), but I think Ahearn could develop into a player that St. Louis would really appreciate over a career. I hope it's not like Kent Williams. I know why Falker didn't want to go to SLU, so I won't go into that any further.

Thomas Gardner was a good get for Missouri. He's got a good body, good athleticism, good shooting range. He scored 21 points tonight and was instrumental in the Nationals' comeback. He won't get much playing time in the Tigers' crowded backcourt/wing slots this season, but he'll probably be Missouri's leading scorer before he leaves there (I mean for a season, not career).

I don't think we'll get a whole lot out of Clarke this year. While I will admit that he was probably playing out of position -- in a position Brad Soderberg won't have to utilize him -- he didn't look good at all tonight, except for the aforementioned spectacular plays. None of his shots from the field, whether outside the arc (once waaay outside it) or inside it, went down. He's supposed to be a shooter, but tonight his shots didn't fall (they were all short). He's supposed to be athletic, but it didn't seem obvious here. He did grab a few rebounds in traffic, which tends to be a decent sign of athleticism, but he didn't often slash to the basket and make trips to the free-throw line. I'm still waiting to see what Earl Austin, Jr., described; I fear I'll be waiting for a year and a half or two. I don't think he'll contribute right away. A few years down the road though, I do believe he can, as Brad Soderberg said, be a difference maker. Clarke scored 1 point.

Roy, don't you wish we were getting a Chris Heinrich clone in Bryce Husak. Husak isn't even Heinrich. He's a project with a capital "P." They will need to redshirt him to put some weight on him, but even then he'll be skinny. He's not particularly fast, agile, or quick, either. I can't speak on his moves, because we all know these types of games aren't typically good for displays of post skills. He's tall, and that's the best thing I can say about him right now. If Soderberg got a steal, I'll be pleasantly surprised. He scored four points and grabbed somewhere in the range of five to eight rebounds.

[Nate Latsch]

Good analysis.

As far as national recruiting rankings go, Thomas Gardner had to be the biggest name there. I follow hoops pretty closely and hadn't heard of any of the national squad guys other than the recruits from local colleges. I thought Illinois recruit Richard McBride was supposed to be there, and he's a big-time player.

The thing I was probably most impressed with was Gardner's abillity to get his outside shot off (which went in most of the time) and that it was such an easy, effortless shot. It looked pretty easy for him to throw it up from anywhere on the floor.

- Nate

[Quality Is Job 1]

I'm writing this prior to reading anyone's response to my post and before reading any fresh posts since last night.

As I reviewed in my mind Darren Clarke's performance last night, and taking into account what some of the other posters said about him -- particularly aj_arete, who (to my surprise) was downright kind to Clarke after brutally bad-mouthing Justin Johnson last year, though I think that Johnson had the more impressive showing between the two -- I've had some second thoughts. I'd gone into the game with a pre-conceived notion about Darren. I expected him to play off the ball and be a scorer. Well, when I perceived that Clarke was running the squad (this was a few minutes in, after a couple of possessions in both directions -- I was a wee bit late and had to get my bearings), I thought, "What the heck, they're playing Clarke at the POINT?" I realize that it's because Spencer Laurie was unable to play because of injury. Still, I'm now more impressed with Clarke, knowing that he has point guard skills (solid ballhandling, decent quickness, and [perhaps as good as] superb court vision) that are at least adequate. His performance was a little uneven last night, but I think that's to be expected in such a game.

Has Clarke been touted as a combo guard? If so, I must have been tuning that out, as I've wanted a slashing wing player. I don't think Clarke is 6-4; I believe he's around 6-3 -- maybe slightly under that. Thomas Gardner was listed at 6-5, and he was at least two inches taller than Clarke. How will Brad Soderberg utilize Clarke? Will he use him as a shooting guard or a combo guard, a la Josh Fisher and Anthony Drejaj? I doubt he'll utilize him strictly at the point, as Brandon Morris is here and Dwayne Polk is coming. From first glance, Clarke appears to be a better ballhandler than Fisher and a better playmaker than Drejaj.

I still expect minutes for Clarke to be hard to come by during his freshman season, as the backcourt is crowded (Reggie Bryant, Josh Fisher, Anthony Drejaj, and Brandon Morris), but from his sophomore year on, I believe he'll be a solid contributor. He probably won't ever lead the team in either scoring or assists, but he'll probably be top two or three in both categories (not this year). Also, once he settles into his role, I'm sure his shooting stroke will come around.

[Taj79]

Nice analysis, thicks. Thanks. I read your first post and then the second. I never .... NEVER (for added emphasis)... considered Clarke as anything near a ballhandler .... point guard or otherwise. Maybe it tells of his athleticism to be able to come in and in dire emergency handle the duties. If that's the case, I would expect his offense to suffer. Kind of like Josh's offense suffering as he concentrates on shutting whomever down on the defensive end.

Still, great report and interesting news to ponder.

[3star_recruit]

I was surprised by Clarke's court vision. I know he can shoot it so I'm not worried about last night's brickfest. And you're right, he is 6'3.

I'm not sure if I reported this before, but Clarke sprained his ankle in March and had to be held out a week. Not sure if it was a high ankle sprain but I've had one and those suckers hurt.

[aj_arete]

I don't look at shooting ability when looking at a player in one game. Anybody can have a good shooting night (i.e. Blake Ahearn) However, I look more at athletic ability and skill level based his projected position. At least, Clarke showed decent athleticism and ballhandling skills. In contrast, Johnson didn't show many post moves, didn't appear overly quick, and was skinny; however, I will admit he appeared to have a decent jumper.

[davidnark]

A player's shooting performance in a game is usually dictated by his ability to find a good rhythm and comfort level. For those of you who play pickup, don't you find yourself shooting the ball better when you are on a team with your friends? Unlike Ahearn, who was playing in front of his friends and family on a team with guys who he has played with or against for years, Clarke was playing in front of strangers on a team with guys he probably met ten minutes before the game. I suspect that Clarke's poor shooting performance reflected his inability to find a good rhythm and comfort level last night. We know from Darren's AAU and high school success that he can shoot the ball.

I am real encouraged by the reports of Darren's passing and ball-handling skills. Darren is essentially replacing Drew's spot as an outside shooter. If Darren can both shoot and handle the ball, then he will bring a lot more to the table offensively than the player he is replacing.

Husak sounds like needs to spend the next 15 months eating, lifting, and growing.

[billiken_roy]

actually dave in my day of playing in local leagues and pick up games, i seemed to play better when i WASNT playing with my gang. i dont know, but maybe i wanted to show the unknown's my best stuff, whereas when it was my normal group, it seemed to always digress into one sloppy night of running and gunning.

after reading all the posts today, there are two things i think i am hearing. first, husak isnt going to even replace chris braun this upcoming season let alone contribute towards replacing kenny brown. might as well redshirt him right now. but my point i have been making about our bigs being a disappointment and probably not 2003-04 contributors, is 1/3 of the way there. i just hope bryce isnt a huge mistake and can put in the time and effort to become a contributor in three or four years.

as to clarke vs ahearn, way to early to tell, but the one aspect no one has commented on was the defensive effort of either. the two times i saw ahearn, he might as well have set up a lawn chair on the offensive end and sat there each trip down the floor because he was totally worthless defensively. he put on a show shooting both times i saw him, but damn near gave up as much on the other end. i can guarantee you that would make brad nuts. i was always under the impression that clarke was a better athlete and if he played any kind of defense, there is your reason why brad picked him over ahearn. good luck to ahearn in springfield, but i personally dont want him.

and to whomever compared him to kent williams, kent williams played defense.

i dont want to say who, but a friend here on the board e-mailed me and suggested that maybe the problem with our spring recruits was the fact that brad committed to going after juco's early on and then the new academic rule came out which obviously made getting juco's into slu much more difficult. by then, our staff was too far behind the needed size and quality high school big men to get much better than what we got to properly switch gears. so we were faced with holding our breath that the likes of dennard abraham would pass his ACT (he didnt) or something else falling in our lap (like maybe the greek kid might be). i remain totally pessimistic about fericks. i just dont picture the guy being much more than what travis tadysak was considering the size the guy is and the lack of other attention he garnered.

i hope i am wrong, but i think our hopes for an improvement with the upcoming season lie in bryant and morris and the hopeful improvement of i/o, sloan, fisher, and drejaj. of course the one big piece to the puzzle missing in that list is any kind of a big man. the thought of possibly playing louisville, memphis, cincy, marquette and charlotte without a center is scary as hell. maybe we can get the shot clock rule rescinded and play 4 corners next year.