Columbus City League Preview: Northland Vikings

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Northland Viking head coach Sean Taylor took the job in place of the great Satch Sullinger, leaving Eastmoor Academy (and breaking this writer’s heart) in 2011 he continued the stranglehold he had on the Columbus City League, representing the north division six of the last nine seasons. But with the school only making it once in the past three seasons, the time is right now for the Vikings to raid again. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finishing third in the north division last year, the Vikings look to bounce back with their main scorer, </span><b>[player_tooltip player_id="919015" first="Makhale" last="Massey"]</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, leading the way. Massey averaged close to 14 points per game and his offensive production must increase in order for this team to get back to the top.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Massey is a 6-foot-3 guard that can score with the best of them, utilizing every tool in his bag. He is bigger than most guards in Columbus and he uses that to his advantage by shooting over smaller defenders, especially in transition where his pull-up jumper is amazing. His ball handling skills are smooth and effective, he gets to wherever he wants to on the court and can finish with contact in the paint. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Massey will have a much higher level of responsibility being the senior, the guy, and a potential sleeper of a Division 1 prospect.  </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Northland loses a tandem that includes a literal big part of their team, [player_tooltip player_id="917448" first="Isaiah" last="Ingle"]. The 6-foot-8 beast was a senior and coach Taylor will definitely miss his presence and size inside. They also lost their third leading scorer, Eldon Boateng, who was a leader of the team and averaged close to 13 points per game in the balanced Viking offense. </span></p> <p><b>Shemar Watson</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> hopes to electric slide into that third scorer position after being the fifth leading scorer on this team during the 2019-2020 season. Watson will have the ball in his hands more which will help lend to his offensive increase from the just over 7 points per game he put up last season. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shemar is a 5-foot-10 guard who has longer arms than someone would expect for his size, he also needs to improve on using those long arms to disrupt on defense. Many of his baskets came from drive and kicks as well as put-back shots, but he proved on numerous occasions that he can make open jumpers with regularity. He naturally spaces the floor very well, without having to be told where to go, he also handles the ball well enough to take the pressure off of Massey next season. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the history of Northland basketball from the late 2000’s through the late 2010’s, much is always expected with this school. They have the perfect coach to handle the expectations and get the most out of his players and they have the player who can put the scoring load on his back and carry a team. </span></p>