Observations from Paradise Honors at St. Mary's

On Thursday February 18th I attended the 4A Paradise Honors Panthers at the 4A St. Mary’s Knights.   Here were some observations from the three games I viewed: #1 Paradise Honors have a good freshman class and prospects on all 3 levels. #2 Two freshman from Paradise Honors stood out in the freshman game. [player_tooltip player_id="1135900" first="Samson" last="Chabala"] Paradise Honors -A PG who has a good burst into the lane with some speed. He has a nice crossover and he advance passes well. He can score it with either hand and has the floater game. He can handle the ball in traffic and changes speeds plus he is a good passer with his left or right. Nathan Cosio CG 5’10 2024 Paradise Honors -A combo guard who is a catch 3pt shooter. He is very crafty and skilled. He is tough on defense picking some pockets of the opposing guards. #3 Two freshman from Paradise Honors stood out in the JV game. [player_tooltip player_id="1135901" first="Aiden" last="Dunne"] Paradise Honors -A pure PG with a good feel for the game. He can make passes with his left or right hand and understands the timing already to lead his teammates to the open spot. He can make the catch-3 and he could be the closest to a [player_tooltip player_id="885820" first="Jalen" last="Scott"] type that they have in the program. [player_tooltip player_id="1135902" first="Thomas" last="Moore"] Paradise Honors -A big wide-bodied post player has good skill. He has a drop step and a hook shot. He knows how to seal his man and gain position with good hands. He plays a cerebral game and is very strong to rebound the ball. He moves fairly well for his size.   Varsity game: #4 St. Mary’s is the 4A favorite to win it all this year. #5 Paradise Honors is still the favorites to play them in the finals, if they are on the other side of the bracket. #6 Both teams will be good next year and could end up being the top two teams again, if everyone stays. #7 Here were the Varsity standouts: St. Mary’s 78 Paradise Honors 67 (unofficial stats)   St. Mary’s [player_tooltip player_id="701238" first="Garrison" last="Phelps"] St. Mary’s (24 pts 4 rebs 1 ast 2 stls) -A wildly athletic guard is a very good defender and is slowly improving his jumper. His mid-range J looked better but can still make strides with his 3. He does rise very high on his shot. He is best getting downhill and can use the floater to score it or get to the FT line. He is a stud on the break with nice body control. [player_tooltip player_id="831119" first="Jason" last="Fontenet Jr"] St. Mary’s (Pictured) (21 pts 4 rebs 3 asts 2 stls 1 blk) -A bigger combo guard can score it plus make plays. He has a nice pull-up from mid plus a good catch 3pt shooter. He can get into the lane with his stronger build and tighter handle and score it with the euro step or get fouled. He is a physical defender and can collect steals plus is tough on the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="994006" first="Styles" last="Phipps"] St. Mary’s (11 pts 3 rebs 2 asts 2 stls) -A pure PG with an ultra tight handle. He probes the court and looks to make plays and can score it. He throws the lob alley-oop to teammates perfectly. He has a nice pull-up from mid to the 3 and plays like a crafty veteran. He is one of the better PG’s in the class and his skill and toughness shine through in every game. [player_tooltip player_id="826997" first="Foune" last="Doucoure"] St. Mary’s (8 pts 10 rebs 1 ast 1 stl) -One of the top rebounders in the entire AIA. He is a true rebound chaser and plays with a big motor. His length, athleticism and toughness allows him to corral out of area rebounds. He grabs the ball at its highest point with two hands. He can score it around the hoop with put backs and layups.   Paradise Honors [player_tooltip player_id="885820" first="Jalen" last="Scott"] Paradise Honors (19 pts 5 rebs 4 asts 1 stl) -One of the top senior guards in the state is improving. He is known for his elite passing skills but he is now shooting better then ever before. He fixed his shooting mechanics and it showed. His stroke also has a very fast college-type of release getting it off in a blink of an eye. He hit three 3’s and don’t be surprised if he shoots it even more vs the top teams in state. He rebounds well for a PG and still made some impressive passes in the game. He slings the ball effortlessly around the court. [player_tooltip player_id="827004" first="Blessing" last="Nwotite"] Paradise Honors (22 pts 6 rebs 1 asts 3 blks) -Nwotite is playing the best ball of his life right now. Like teammate Scott, he is shooting it really well and he grew almost two inches. He is a top defender on the guards and wings and a natural downhill player. He had multiple blocks on the Knights top players and scored it in traffic using his bounce, speed with the ball and long arms. But it’s his skill that is making him the better prospect now. He changed his shot with a smoother release and it is paying dividends in the games. [player_tooltip player_id="1114578" first="Luke" last="Light"] Paradise Honors (13 pts 7 rebs) -A transfer by the way of Southern IL. He is a face-up 4-man who has a pretty stroke from the 3pt line. He gets it off quickly and it looks good coming out of his hands. He rebounds well out of his area and tracks the ball to block or alter a shot. He gives good ball fakes and plays the game with a high IQ.