O’Dea vs. Ballard – player notes
On 1/6 The O’Dea Fighting Irish physically took the game away from the Ballard Beavers in their first meeting of the year winning 69-66. The Irish which are traditionally a lot more physical than most teams came out with a chip on their shoulder. The beavers didn’t just give up and they fought until the end. The game could have went either way. Both teams exchanged baskets for the better part of the second half. Both benches were extremely animated and gave there teammates an emotional lift on the floor.
O’Dea Fighting Irish:
Fighting Irish Senior Wing Cal Hansen is a 6’5 beast on the floor. He is a little underdeveloped but the intangibles is there. He can rebound and block shots fairly well. His skill set will increase as time goes on and he fills into his body. I think that he will be a big asset as the years go on. In this particular game he played well with limited minutes. During the game he had some key possessions where he made good solid moves around the basket and scored on a couple. I look forward to his growth and development throughout the season.
Fighting Irish Guard Noah Williams was a instrumental in the game staying close in the first half. His ability to push the ball and change direction in the middle of traffic drove the offense for the Fighting Irish. He did a great job defensively when pressuring the ball and playing the passing lanes. coming up with some key steals and key defensive possessions which helped them take a big lead in the 3rd quarter. Noah already receiving D1 offers will be a huge pick for a pac12 program is he chooses to stay on this side of the mountain.
Ballard Beavers:
Beavers Junior guard Luke Waters though down most of the game, made some spectacular plays at the rim. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and plays hard. I saw some creative ways to get his shot off against a physical team. Standing 6’1 he also poses match up problems for the beavers. In the 1st half he was able to get deep in the paint and score in the paint. In the 2nd half he didn’t get as many touches but affected the game defensively. His role will increase as the season goes on. He will be instrumental in the games to come.
Beavers senior wing Kole Knutsen played with a very up-tempo style. He was able to get into the paint and create shots for his teammates. I was impressed with his intensity on defense. He was able to somewhat on occasion cause a turnover just off of sheer pressure. Kole looks to be a key contributor on a stacked 3pt shooting team. With his ability to penetrate and intensity on D. He should be in the mix during close games. His game remind me of a young Mark Price because of his ability to get his shot off anywhere on the court.