Top Performers Tuesday Night
Tuesday evening the state got a small taste of what the basketball landscape may look like by the time season comes around. El Reno, Mustang ,and Putnam City North all took to the floor to get a feel of where their…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingTuesday evening the state got a small taste of what the basketball landscape may look like by the time season comes around. El Reno, Mustang ,and Putnam City North all took to the floor to get a feel of where their teams stand. A few familiar faces along with a couple of new faces were the top performers of Tuesdays scrimmages.
Jakolby Long 2016 Mustang SG (Committed to Iowa State)
It was evident that Long had spent a large part of the summer working on his jumpshot. He opened up the first scrimmage dribbling down the court and knocking down a triple. That set the tone for Long as he had a superb night from deep and made it look very easy to rise up over smaller defenders. Another thing Long has always excelled at is decision making in the open floor. He doesn’t have the flashiest handles, but does enough to get the job done. The lefty drove the ball well in transition even finishing one drive with a poster. Its early, but indications suggest Long has taken his game to another level.
Curtis Haywood II 2016 Mustang SG
Haywood was a bit out of position for this scrimmage as the Broncos were playing without 2016 Center York Benjamin. That didn’t affect Haywoods productivity as he took his game to the post in more of a forward position. The athleticism of Haywood wreaked havoc on the offensive glass creating second chance opportunities for himself and his teammates. He also got his time at shooting guard and capitalize knocking in a few triples. Haywood may have to play in the post more for Mustang in Benjamins absence. Nonetheless, Haywood will still be a big time player on this team.
Callen Haydon 2017 El Reno PG
If scrimmages handed out awards Haydon would be the unanimous MVP. After a lackluster performance in his first outing, Haydon seemed to flip the switch and come out scorching. Presumably due to the fact that he embraced the challenge of going up against former AAU teammates Kejuan Frazier and Karl Madison. In the early going, Haydon looked to find opportunities for his teammates more often that not. When that proved to be inaffective he took matters into his own had. Haydon scored at the cup, stop and pop, or firing away from deep he was on fire. Aside from his stellar performance those watching could clearly tell that Haydon was enjoying himself and having fun out on the court. Haydon appears to be set for a breakout year at El Reno.
Micah Speight 2016 Putnam City North PG
There aren’t very many true point guard in high school basketball, but Speight may be one of the last of a diminishing species. Speight has the ability to score and we all know that, but what some may not see is that he has faith in is teammates. He is looking to distribute the ball more often than not. He has a high basketball IQ and his chemistry with his teammates allows him to be an even better facilitator. Speight took to the floor with a balance between the two. He choose between when he was in best position to score or when he is in best position to pass. Speight poured in buckets from and used his speed to attract defense and kick the ball out for wide open shots. As much as Speight can get the offense going he looks a bit more intense on the defensive end. He is a good perimeter defender, but got into some foul trouble adjusting to the new rules of the 2015-16 season. All in all Speight had a solid outing and will once again be the head of the attack for this Panthers squad.
Micah Thomas 2019 Putnam City North PG
After watching last night most would assume that at the end of this season the torch will be passed from Micah Speight to Thomas. The fresh face in Thomas took to the floor with the confidence and IQ of a four year starter. He worked well with Speight and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time to be on the receiving end of a Speight assist. Thomas is not afraid to let it fly from deep as he shot the ball often and efficiently. He moves well without the basketball and showed he isn’t afraid to get scrappy with the big boys. The role of Thomas with the Panthers will be interesting to keep an eye on. He was used as a spot up shooter this time around, but showed signs that he is capable of making plays with the ball in his hands. In Thomas, the Panthers have something special for the future.