Quick thoughts on Houston and Christian Brothers

<p>I sat in on Wednesday evening’s matchup between Christian Brothers and Houston and came away impressed with both teams.</p> <p>The Purple Wave and Mustangs are bringing back solid contributors from last season that will play big roles this upcoming season. Both Bubba Luckett and Charlie Leonard are still trying to figure out the identity of their teams before fall camp starts.</p> <p>While they are doing that, I will give my quick thoughts on both teams.</p> <p><strong>First, let’s start with Houston:</strong></p> <p><strong>T.J. Madlock is the key to the Mustangs’ success </strong></p> <p>Madlock is a smart point guard the makes hardly any mistakes. He doesn’t have to be the team’s leading scorer with<strong> Mason</strong> <strong>Miller</strong> (6-foot-8 1/2) and <strong>Zander Yates</strong> (6-7) on the floor. Madlock is looking to either drive or find the shooter. He still has to find a consistent jump shot, but his patience at the point guard spot will carry him a long way. Madlock had 15 points in the win over Christian Brothers. Miller added 10.</p> <p><strong>Yates doesn’t need to settle for jump shots against smaller teams </strong></p> <p>At 6-7, Yates was able to see over every Christian Brothers defender Wednesday night, and yet, he settled for outside jump shots. It’s not a bad idea for Yates to get on the block and develop a post move. With hardly any size in Class AAA next season, Yates will have plenty of advantages in the paint.</p> <p><strong>Houston doesn’t have a solid point guard to backup Madlock </strong></p> <p>When Madlock is in the game, the offense runs smoothly. Yates and Miller don’t have to force their shots. But when he’s not in the game, the offense is stagnant and Yates and Miller have a hard time creating scoring spaces for themselves. Coach Leonard will need to figure out a solid No. 2 option at point guard before the fall gets here. That’s probably what Leonard meant when he said to me “We have a long ways to go.”</p> <p>Houston is a lot of people’s preseason favorite to win the Class AAA state title after Bearden, Bartlett, Memphis East and Whitehaven lost players to either transfer or graduation.</p> <p><strong>Now, Christian Brothers:</strong></p> <p><strong>Chandler Jackson is tough to guard</strong></p> <p>The sophomore point guard was a handful last season as a true freshman. Heading into his sophomore season, Jackson is going to be a bigger headache now that he’s 6-4. Madlock and the rest of Houston’s guards had trouble containing Jackson, who led the Purple Wave with 25 points in a loss. Jackson still needs to find a consistent jump shot and become more efficient from the free throw line. Yet, his height to go along with his upper body strength will be a tough task to deal with every night.</p> <p><strong>Christian Brothers’ guards are tough</strong></p> <p>At one point, the Purple Wave held a double-digit lead over the Mustangs because of the guard play. Christian Brothers’ guards were outrunning Houston, getting easy layups in transition. That’s the way the Purple Wave will have to play next season, according to coach Luckett, who admitted with a smile that this team will be fun to watch. With <strong>Reese McMullen</strong>, <strong>Eli</strong> <strong>Federman</strong>, <strong>Harrison Kelly</strong>, <strong>Zion Owens</strong>, <strong>Sam Spence</strong>, and Jackson, Christian Brothers will definitely be fun to watch. Kelly and McMullen didn't play Wednesday night, but the Purple Wave were able to hang with a team full of size for most of the game.</p> <p><strong>Size could be an issue at times</strong></p> <p>The Purple Wave will struggle at times against teams with size. Christian Brothers found that out with Faizon Fields, Yates and Miller on the court. All three players are at least 6-7. The Purple Wave will have to tire teams out with their guard play after losing forwards Bill Norton and Clint Channell.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>