3 Takeaways: St. Ignatius Opening Win

<p>Monday was the opening of Catholic League season in Chicago.  We took a look at the film from St. Ignatius and Leo game.  St. Ignatius cruised to a victory by the score of 63-39.  PHI breaks down their win in our <strong>3 Takeaways: St. Ignatius Opening Win</strong>!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>St. Ignatius Can Be Top Tier Defensive Team When It Wants</strong></p> <p>To me it starts on the defensive end for this team.  How good they ultimately will be is dependent on that end of the floor.  It was seen in this game that they can be dominant defensively, but also had some lapses.  First thing that stands out is the length and strength on the defensive end.  They have four solid defenders.  On the perimeter 2023 wing [player_tooltip player_id="989270" first="Richard" last="Barron"] has the ability to be a lockdown defender which was shown at times in this game.  Strong body and can guard two through fours with ease.  Seems to be realizing that he can take his prospect status to the next level on that end.  Junior [player_tooltip player_id="863613" first="AJ" last="Redd"] and senior [player_tooltip player_id="821805" first="John" last="Digenan"] also bring excellent length on the perimeter.  They can really cover ground laterally and alter shots.  [player_tooltip player_id="925217" first="Kolby" last="Gilles"] gives them the anchor on the back end as teams do not want to run into that brick wall.  Also an excellent defensive rebounder.  There were a couple of spurts in this game that the defensive intensity wasn’t there and they got beat for easy layups.  When this team is locked in on D they will pick up a lot of W’s.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Physicality and Skill on Offensive End</strong></p> <p>Offensively this group has a nice blend of physicality and skill.  [player_tooltip player_id="925217" first="Kolby" last="Gilles"] finishes with strength on the interior.  He had 12 points including stepping out for a three.  On the wing [player_tooltip player_id="989270" first="Richard" last="Barron"] looks primed to breakout in a major way.  In transition he turns defense into offense in a hurry.  Pushes off the defensive glass where he is tough to contain with his strength when he gets downhill.  Improved handles and athleticism have opened up more to his game on this end.  Finished with 12 points.  His wing running mate 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="863613" first="AJ" last="Redd"] is more of a slender two guard that has a silky smooth handle taking good angles to the hoop.  Hit a wing three en route to his 14 points.  Digenan knocked in a pair of threes and got loose in transition running the floor hard.  He had 8 points before he left the game with an injury.  The floor general was [player_tooltip player_id="821823" first="Parker" last="Higginbottom"] who was solid on this end with his drive and kick passing and ability to get his team out running.  He went for 9 points and several assists including a sweet 3/4 court outlet on the money.  One area offensively to be careful about with this group is taking care of the basketball.  They were loose with it at times and had some silly turnovers.  They should be able to put up points as they can beat you from all three levels.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Catholic League Contender</strong></p> <p>St. Ignatius is a contender for the Chicago Catholic League title in this abbreviated season.  They should be able to rack up wins on their home floor with their schedule.  On the road they will have tough tests against St. Rita, DePaul Prep, Fenwick, and St. Joseph’s with the first three coming during the first half of the season.  If they can split these four they have a realistic shot to be the Catholic League champs.</p>