Point guards on display at Avon Lake Summer League
A couple of underclassman point guards put on impressive performances during the July 28th edition of the Avon Lake summer league.
MarSaun Robinson (2021) from Elyria and Quentin Richardson (2020) of Holy Name both played well as their teams recorded easy victories.
Robinson, who started as a freshman for Elyria, didn’t start in his team’s blowout win over Avon Lake. When he did finally get in the game he scored off at the rack after nifty dribble penetration, got some deflections on defense and looked very comfortable in running the offense for the Pioneer. Robinson has spent the summer working on his strength and outside shooting.
His ball handling and decision-skills are at the higher end of the grading scale for a player of his age, but he has to get stronger.
Elyria coach Brett Larrick said Robinson will also have to take the next step in being a leader for his team on the floor after a year as being the youngest starter on the floor.
“He knows he’s got to work on his shooting. He’s played hard this summer. Now he needs to step up his scoring,” Larrick said.
Richardson was also impressive as I watched his team beat Elyria Catholic as he scored going to the rack and from the perimeter and showed a good burst in the open court with the rock. He started as a sophomore in the Holy Name backcourt last winter with Dayton-signee Dwayne Cohill, which was a learning experience for the 5’11” point guard.
“Knowing when to push it, when to slow it down, finishing, shooting,” were some of the aspects of the game in which Richardson learned from his older teammate, he said.
During the win over Elyria Catholic at Avon Lake summer league he was the best player on the floor. He broke down the defense and scored on a layup early on, using his superior handle and body control to finish.
He knocked down a 3-pointer later with a smooth repeatable stroke.
“I’ll play with a high IQ and facilitate to my teammates,” is what Richardson said he’ll bring to a college program.
Elyria Catholic’s post player Branson Taylor (2020) showed he can rebound with the best players on Cleveland’s west side. Several times the 6’7” Taylor ripped away offensive boards and got a putback or was fouled.
You can’t teach size and has plenty of it. A big wide body, he understands the game and always seems to be around the ball.