Beach Ball Classic Scouting: Panthers vs Combine Academy

Colby Giacubeno

December 28, 2020 @ 04:35 PM

Two programs who are regarded ranked in the top 15 of many lists went head-to-head this afternoon at the Beach Ball Classic. Combine Academy proved to be too much for the Baltimore Panthers as they won the semifinal matchup handily by a final score of 72-55. It was a game with no shortage of top-notch talent. [player_tooltip player_id="854888" first="Robert" last="Dillingham"] | 6’1 | Combine ’23 Dillingham is a natural scorer who uses his quick-twitch abilities to create shots for himself. The 6-foot-1 sophomore contributed 17 points in the win on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from three. Dillingham played just 16 minutes in this game, but impressed on every touch with his burst showing why blue blood programs are involved with his recruitment. Michael Dudley | 6’6 | Combine ’21 Dudley is a versatile wing with good size and length at 6-foot-6. He took advantage of his opportunities with the ball in transition and had a couple of strong finishes through contact. In the half court he was effective at making himself available in the corners and in the dunker’s spot where he played off his teammate’s penetration and finished his looks around the rim. He and Dillingham each finished with 17 points in the win and with efficient shooting performances as the senior converted on seven of his 10 shots from the field. [player_tooltip player_id="932025" first="Kris" last="Robinson"] | 6’2 | Combine ’21 Robinson made his presence felt quickly from outside. His footwork when coming off pin downs or fades was textbook and his quick release didn’t give his defender much time at all to truly contest the shot. The Catawba commit scored 14 points in the win and nailed five of his seven attempts from beyond the arc. [player_tooltip player_id="957025" first="Jahnathan" last="Lamothe"] | 6’4 | Panthers ’23 The Panthers struggled to score consistently throughout this contest, but Lamothe was someone Combine had to account for at all times. The 6-foot-4 sophomore did a nice job of moving to the open windows around the perimeter as the defense rotated and made them pay if he had an inkling of daylight on the catch. Lamothe led the Panthers with 13 points in the loss and went 3-of-5 from three. [player_tooltip player_id="712747" first="Julian" last="Reese"] | 6’10 | Panthers ’21 Reese had his moments throughout this one. He posted a stat line of 12 points, four rebounds and three blocks. The Maryland commit was assertive and determined in finishing above the rim on dump-off passes in the first half while protecting the rim with blocks on multiple occasions. The Panthers played very up-tempo in this contest, so there weren’t many instances where Reese had the chance to operate on the block in a half court setting. [player_tooltip player_id="1089573" first="Derik" last="Queen"] | 6’8 | Panthers ’24 After a stellar scoring performance in yesterday’s win, Queen cooled off and scored eight points in the loss today. He had spurts where his special potential was in the spotlight and a couple of those came when he was getting catch as the roll man and finding Reese with crafty passes for dunks. Despite being contained, there’s no denying Queen’s upside as a high-major prospect. [player_tooltip player_id="902018" first="Byron" last="Ireland Jr."] | 6’3 | Panthers ’21 Ireland came on at the end of the game when he was the only playmaker on the floor for the Panthers. He consistently broke his man down off the dribble and got into the paint where he created contact for trips to the charity stripe. As a team the Panthers weren’t good from the free-throw line, but Ireland took advantage of his looks by going a perfect 4-for-4. The 6-foot-3 guard is still looking to get his feet under him this season, but has put together some strong possessions in the two games of this event.