Five Takeaways: Findlay at Whitmer
Whitmer jumped out to an early lead last night against Findlay and never let it go, eventually winning 65-42 at home. It was the Panthers second win this season over Findlay, a Three Rivers Atheltic Conference counterpart.
At 11-3, Whitmer has earned their spot in the upper tier of Division I teams in Northwest Ohio. They’ll be a part of the conversation when the District Tournament rolls around in the Toledo area.
Now, Five Takeaways!
Syroka is the offense
Whitmer’s 5’9” point guard Trey Syroka (2019) dominates the ball-handling and playmaking responsibilities. They play at a pretty patient pace in half-court offense, where Syroka is asked to handle ball pressure while plays develop. Their most successful possessions came when he was able to get into the lane or operate in the pick and roll. Even though they slow it down, Syroka is capable of making quick decisions at the point of attack. Last night, the high-academic junior prospect finished with 12 points and seven assists.
The other side of this is that Syroka isn’t really playing within an offense. Instead, he’s usually directly involved with scoring plays as a scorer or facilitator. In other words, he doesn’t really have to do much away from the ball. However, he does have the ability to stretch the floor with an unorthodox jumper. Also, he has most of the requisite skills to adapt into a college offense.
Colbert’s upside
Whitmer’s 6’5” wing/forward Eddie Colbert (2019) was a mainstay in local headlines during the first half of the season with high scoring nights. He was once again the leading scorer last night byway of 20 points, adding 13 rebounds also. Colbert’s scoring most often comes at the first level, as he has soft touch around the rim. He doesn’t look quite as comfortable outside yet, but his shooting stroke and athleticism points to some upside. The junior is a springy athlete with good instincts as a rebounder and shot-blocker. He’s definitely a player to keep track of in the grassroots season.
Team rebounding
Along with Colbert, Whitmer’s junior wings Leon Hughes and Aeron Evans are aggressive rebounders from the perimeter. They dominated the boards last night, often happening into wide open layups after coming up with a loose ball scramble. Their collective athleticism was unmatchable for Findlay.
Findlay was out of sorts
The Trojans’ offense is reliant on their pair of rhythm shooters, juniors Ryan Roth and Ryan Nunn. Whitmer’s defensive gameplan centered around forcing guards to dribble with their off-hand and using their athletic length to pressure full-court. In turn, the two Ryans combined for 14 points. Open shots were a rarity. Even when they succeeded in finding separation, Findlay’s shot attempts looked rushed.
Whitmer’s future
As talented and athletic as Whitmer is this season, next year is twice as promising. Overcoming the experience of Toledo St. John’s or Sylvania Southview is going to be tough this season. However, Whitmer starts four juniors and a sophomore this season. As St. John’s and Southview graduates their top contributors, there’s a void that Whitmer should fill next season in Northwest Ohio. The pieces fit and they could be argued as preseason favorites going into a wide open year in the Toledo area in 2018-19.