10 Best: FL-Royal Palm Beach vs. OH-LaSalle (Kingdom of the Sun)
STORY- LaSalle took home the win in this “Kingdom of the Sun” matchup despite lacking size against a visibly taller Royal Palm Beach squad. The Lancers won 52-44 behind senior guard C.J. Fleming’s 16 points. Royal’s senior guard Jules Jasmin…
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LaSalle took home the win in this “Kingdom of the Sun” matchup despite lacking size against a visibly taller Royal Palm Beach squad. The Lancers won 52-44 behind senior guard C.J. Fleming’s 16 points. Royal’s senior guard Jules Jasmin notched 18 points of his own.
MVP: C.J. Fleming (LaSalle)
Fleming was undoubtedly the leader for his Lancers. Very poised, visibly-focused on-court. Nine of his 16 points came by-way of three triples during the first half. He also went 3-of-4 at the charity stripe. He didn’t mention of any schools that may be in pursuit, but if you’re looking for a student-athlete that a roster can get behind, Fleming’s worth a shot.
BEST OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE: Jules Jasmin (Royal P.B.)
Jules Jasmin is a guy who has the frame of a shooting guard, with the game of a stretch-four man. He could work the painted area, as well as give you a three here or there. He had a quiet first half, just four points off two field goals. In the second half, Jasmin posted 14 points while going 3-of-3 from the line with one three-pointer.
BEST DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE: Jules Jasmin (Royal P.B.)
Jasmin is not only a solid scorer, but his presence in the defensive realm shouldn’t be ignored. He will give you effort on help-side defense. His three blocks all came from either rotating towards a shooter who was not his assignment, or in transition. He made guys who liked to drive to the paint weary of making that move.
BEST RESERVE: Da’meak Brandon (LaSalle)
This senior guard was a light off the bench for the Lancers. He was able to put up a bucket in all four quarters, including a triple in the third stanza. Totaling nine points on the day, Brandon has solid sixth-man features, but can move up should he choose to keep working his game.
BEST INTANGIBLES: C.J. Fleming (LaSalle)
When you’re talking about one person who is going to captain a team, I like to see people who don’t mind going up to every teammate, starter or not, and positively challenging them. Fleming’s intensity seemed to rub off on the entirety of the team, not just a few. It also helps that he scores the way he does. It shows the team that a court personality like that is rewarded.
BEST UNDER-THE-RADAR: Leonard Thorpe Jr. (Royal P.B.)
This 6’4” senior guard can drive the ball to the cup, but showed his jump-shooting ability during this game. He’s a guy that likes to get to his spots off-the-dribble and give you that 9-to-12 footer. Six of his 10 points came in the first half. His third quarter was quiet, but he rattled in four more points in the final period.
BEST ASPECT: Head Coach Dan Fleming (LaSalle)
I preface this by saying, I think he did it on purpose to make sure his team could hear the sound of his voice in a loud gym. When coach Fleming really wanted to get a point across while the game was in motion, his voice would go up a few notches in pitch. Something similar to a slight squeal. Every time his team was on the opposite side of the court, you’d hear it twice, minimum. But, they won. So it works!
BEST STORY TO WATCH MOVING FORWARD: The Progress of Royal Palm Beach
Talking with Royal head coach Scott Dobbs throughout the tournament, he comes off as a guy who wants to instill a sense of toughness into his squad. There wasn’t a time where I felt they were out of the game because of the seriousness they played with. They have two gems in Jasmin & Thorpe Jr. If their bench can come in and play their roles at top-notch, I’m excited to see what their capable of in the post-season.
BEST QUOTE: Shaquille Peters (Royal P.B.)
“I’m very vocal. I’m the one that will tell my teammates ‘Watch out, that man is back door cutting.’ Or ‘Watch out, I got him!’ I try to set an example, and be a leader on the court.”
BEST ENERGY: Da’meak Brandon (LaSalle)
To see this guy really try to make the most of his reserve minutes was great to see. No matter who you are, you want to be a player that affects the game, makes their presence known during the game. Not only did he score in every quarter, the senior’s hustle outweighed his muscle. This senior guard was a light off the bench for the Lancers. He was able to put up a bucket in all four quarters, including a triple in the third stanza. Totaling nine points on the day, Brandon has solid sixth-man features, but can move up should he choose to keep working his game.