5 Takeaways: Freeburg vs Carlyle
Saturday afternoon we traveled to Carlyle to check out a pair of southern Illinois squads as Carlyle hosted Freeburg. It looked like it was going to be all Freeburg early, but with a slow second half Carlyle got back in it to send the game to OT. Freeburg pulled away in extra time to win by a final 60-55. Here are our 5 Takeaways: Freeburg vs Carlyle.
Luke Ervie is One to Track in 2020
Ervie impressed us when we saw him over the summer at the Centralia summer shootout with his high school team. We were looking forward to seeing his progress. He was outstanding in the first half. At 6’1” he will probably have to play point guard at the next level, but in this one he played off the ball most of the game. His jump shot was on point in the opening 16 minutes. He drilled multiple threes off the catch and also mixed in a smooth pull up. The tough sophomore also rebounds well for his position not being afraid to crash the glass in traffic. He grabbed one defensive rebound and went coast to coast for an and-1. In the second half he was a bit hampered with foul trouble (not his fault as refs were awful). He also injured his leg on one of those bad charge calls. After sitting out a bit Ervie came back to tough it out and finish the game. He had 20 points. Low-majors should start to monitor him as well as D2 programs.
Zach Muir Can Play at Small College Level
Muir is a 6’3” combo guard that mostly played on the ball against Carlyle. Good length and size at the lead guard spot. Showed off his perimeter jumper early drilling a pair of threes. As the game went on he used his athleticism and creative handles to get in the lane where he finished with runners, sweeping layups, and a nice euro step. At times he can be a bit out of control, but he consistently plays hard and is a very good southern Illinois scorer. If he wants to play at the D3/NAIA level he should be able to find a home. He finished with 24 points.
Tyler Siever Plays Bigger Than Size
Siever is a 6’3” 2018 power forward that plays bigger than his size. Granted their wasn’t too much size in this game, but he did an excellent job of sealing on the block and using the glass for scores. Also caught the ball on the move several times for quick layups. Siever is a good rebounder that high pointed them inside his area throughout the game. Also passed it for a post making a couple sweet dishes inside. He had 22 points. Could find a home as a role player at the small college level.
High Level Coaching at Freeburg
Freeburg Head Coach Matt Laur has a ton of experience that he can relay onto his team. He is being inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame this year as a player and was a former college coach at Ball State and SIU-Edwardsville. You can definitely tell that they run some advanced stuff for high school on the offensive end. He gets the most out of his players and puts them in situations to succeed.
Carlyle Classic Gym
This was my second time to Carlyle, but I haven’t been for several years. Coincidentally it was to see Freeburg as well back then with their future D1 post Justin Diecker. Their gym has a small school southern Illinois feel with nice seating and both schools had solid crowds considering it was a Saturday afternoon game in cold and icy weather.