Team Breakdown: Fort Vancouver
During the Saint Martin’s college high school team camp. I was able to get a first look at the Fort Vancouver Trappers. James Ensley has done a wonderful job getting these young men to believe in his system and he has instilled the confidence in these men to perform at a high-level on there on the court. I was extremely impressed with how they were able to dismantle the Kelso Varsity boys basketball team. The trappers were simply the more aggressive, the more physical and the more athletic team. They used a assortment of traps to bother the Kelso guards. During the first half of the game Kelso turned the ball over more than eight times within the first 10 minutes of the first half.
I caught up with Coach Ensley and asked him how they were able to pull off such a convincing victory over a tough Kelso team.
“We simply used our speed, athleticism and length to get their guards to turn the ball over. This year I am fortunate to have three very athletic backward players who share the ball, pass the ball very well and can all shoot and attack the basket. Anyone of those guys can get hot and can fill up the scoreboard quick. Our other guys know their rules and they do a great job in contributing whether it’s rebounds, steals, hustle plays and solid defense. This was a good showing by our guys and I look forward to the season.”
Let’s take a look at a few players who really stood out at this camp.
6’0 senior guard Jameel Morton is a super athletic combo guard who can get to the basket at will. He shoots the ball and a high clip from the three-point line and has a pretty good mid range pull up as well. During the game against Kelso I was impressed with his ability to maintain a high level of productivity throughout the game. In a small interview with the guard he stated, “we play very well when we are counted out. Some teams might look at us and see that we are smaller on the front line and they underestimate how talented our guards are. In our league I would be surprised if we weren’t the obvious choice to win our division.” Jameel Morton didn’t get too much into what his plans are this July with the live viewing. it would be good to see him land on a really good D2 program.
5’9 junior guard James Husband Junior is a very heady point guard who can create shots for others. Even though he is a little undersized he does a great job of using his upperbody strength to ward off bigger defenders. The junior guard explained what his goals are for his sernior year. “We are a force to be reckon with . Our speed, ability and defensive toughness will propel us into the rankings this year. Last year I felt defensively wasn’t locked in as consistent as we should have been. I am very excited to start season play and look to become the vocal floor leader that I know I can do for our team.”
5’8 senior guard Jayonn Howard is a scorer first and can literally get his shot off on anybody regardless of their height. Another guard who is undersized plays with a lot of heart and doesn’t back down from a challenge. The senior guard hasn’t signed to play anywhere next year as of right now but I do believe that there are some JUCO programs that can use his services.
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