5 Takeaways: East St. Louis vs Carbondale

Scott Burgess January 24, 2020 @ 08:43 PM

Friday night East St. Louis and Carbondale met up in the semifinals at the Salem Invitational Tournament. Each had blowout victories in the first round and were much more tested in the second round. Early on Carbondale looked like they were going to take control, but East St. Louis’ defense, speed, and size were just too much. They took home the victory by a final of 63-40. Check out our 5 Takeaways: East St. Louis vs Carbondale!   Macaleab Rich One to Watch in 2023 Wednesday was our first look at East St. Louis 2023 wing Macaleab Rich and we saw some flashes. Rich showed much more to his game on Friday night. The 6’4” powerfully built wing has such a physical body for a freshman, but has some projectability as well. He is at his best around the hoop using his superior strength to post up defenders and get on the glass for put backs. Displayed handles on a hesitation drive from the wing where he beat his man to the cup. Also connected on a three. Plus defender in the bits we saw, but it was kind of hard to tell in ESL 2-3 zone. Rich finished with 15 points. Early on looks like one of the best freshman in the 618.   East St. Louis Backcourt Defense and Transition Play Jabril Olivaria got the start in this one and he made his coach look really smart. The senior guard was a key for his squad igniting them with his speed and defensive intensity. Scored a lot on scoop shots and in transition for 15 points. The usual starting point guard Jashawn Anderson came off the bench to do what he usually does. Hit a three from the top of the key, got to the hoop where he made a layup off a jump stop, and dished the rock to his big men inside. He had 7 points. Lashawn Johnson is one of the top uncommitted wings still on the board. Plus athlete with a long and rangy frame. He was good getting on the offensive glass for multiple put backs in this one and using his length defensively to create transition opportunities. Finished with 9 points.   Flyers Front Court Shows Versatility East St. Louis 6’8” center Armond Williams is among the best uncommitted posts still on the board in 2020. Early on it was mostly about his defense swatting shot after shot. Good length and timing on the defensive end as a rim protector. Made it difficult for Carbondale to get consistent clean looks on drives. He got it going offensively as the game went along running the floor for a dunk. Also had a pair of finishes off quick passes inside. Fluid five man that has mobility in the paint. Went for 6 points and 6 blocks. Their other big man Patrick Readye showed for the second game in a row he has improved his perimeter shot hitting a three which we haven’t seen a ton of in his career. The strong post also connected on a baseline 15 foot jumper en route to 7 points.   Davaris Macklin Worthy of Small College and JUCO Attention Carbondale 2020 6’4” wing Davaris Macklin put his name on our radar for sure with a strong couple games at the SIT. Good length from his wing spot. The lefty has a smooth looking jumper that he connected on from three multiple times again. Free and easy release. He is also quick to the glass for second chance opportunities and plays with a good motor. Worth a look at the D3 and NAIA levels. Also could see his stock rise playing at the JUCO level. Went for 16 points.   More on Terriers 2020 Prospects Three other Carbondale seniors had solid outings. Tavaris Macklin is a 6’2” two guard that does most of his damage on drives and scores in the paint. Finished with 7 points. James Baltz is a power undersized small forward that uses his strength inside getting fouled and finishing inside. He scored 6 points. Clayton Greer flashed with a few jumpers scoring 7 points.