The New Look Math, Civics & Science Squad: Player Evals

The New Look Math, Civics &#038; Science Squad: Player Evals

Chad Graham February 8, 2021 @ 05:57 PM

[player_tooltip player_id="990933" first="Nisine" last="Poplar"] is the main returner for the Elephants, with Tayshon Nixon who was also a contributor in their 2020 championship run. [player_tooltip player_id="991197" first="Jaheim" last="Bethea"], [player_tooltip player_id="991322" first="Trent" last="Middleton"], and [player_tooltip player_id="991199" first="Khalif" last="Crawley"] Jr are the newest members of the team. They haven’t had much time together as a unit, but 3 games into the season, they’re starting to mesh on the court. [player_tooltip player_id="990933" first="Nisine" last="Poplar"] 6’5 CG ‘21 K-Low Elite Against Wilkes-Barre, Wooga showcased his improved jumpers. The Miami commit knocked down 4 of 8 threes as he racked up 22 points and 4 rebounds. His athleticism shows up in the box score with his 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game averages. As he works on his micro-skills, Poplar will gain more respect, nationally. [player_tooltip player_id="991197" first="Jaheim" last="Bethea"] 6’2 PG ‘22 Team Final For someone who missed his Soph season at Imhotep due to injury, Bethea controlled the pace of the game fairly well and made plays for his teammates (6 assists vs Chicester). Over the first three games, Jah demonstrated he can manipulate help-defenders with his handle and quickness, then hit skip passes to open shooters and execute dump-offs to the post. [player_tooltip player_id="991322" first="Trent" last="Middleton"] Jr 6’3 CG ‘22 Team Assault The McDevitt transfer is currently averaging 10.7 points and 3.0 rebounds. Middleton Jr contributed 14 points in the first game & 11 in the second by attacking the rim with his skillful footwork and touch. He’s 73% on 2 pts FG attempts. The strength and change-of-direction Trent displays when slashing is also visible on defense. Khalif “Deuce” Crawley Jr 6’8 PF/C ‘22 Team Assault Because of his mass, Deuce is tough to handle on both ends of the floor. Crawley Jr made his presence felt most against Chichester by scoring 10 pts, grabbing 9 boards, making good defensive rotations and altering shots. It doesn’t show up in the stat sheet but he’s a good passer too. Tayshon Nixon 6’0 G/F ‘21 Nixon does a lot of the dirty work for MCS. As the fifth starter, he averages 4.7 points & 4.0 rebounds with offensive low usage - cuts to the basket, put-backs and hustle plays. His impact can’t be counted statistically, yet shows up in the ways in which he sets screens for teammates, guards perimeter and post players, and makes all-around winning plays. Chauncey Pressley 6’1 G ‘23 Chauncey is the team’s sixth man. He’s averaging 5.0 pts off the bench, without ever having plays called for him. He’s a competent ball-handler and a solid shooter, who will blossom as he gets more reps on varsity. Other MCS Contributors MCS: ‘21 PF Bocar Semega, ‘22 G Hymid Snead, ‘22 C Darryon Prescott, ‘24 G Aasim Burton   Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre played to their strengths and played well all-around in their 8th game of the season. ‘22 F Naquan Hollman cleaned up the glass and scored 18 opportunistic points. ‘21 F Cole Walker added 14 pts by slashing to the basket. And ‘21 G Matt Egidio scored 13 pts by stretching the floor from 3. Chichester ‘21 G Josh Hankins can hoop. He consistently knifed into the defense and finished, giving his team 14 pts. ‘21 G Ramir McDowell scored 12 pts, made plays for others and got MCS in foul trouble. ‘23 G Mazen Sayed and ‘21 F Ousmane Fofana added 9 and 8 pts, respectively. Constitution The Generals don’t have any stats available yet but [player_tooltip player_id="990969" first="Quadir" last="Miller"] (6’0 PG ‘21) and [player_tooltip player_id="991231" first="Jacob" last="Beccles"] (6’3 CG ‘22 Team Durant) stood out in the team’s win. Miller, who averaged 16.3 pts as a junior, used his quickness on-ball to create quality looks. Beccles was third in scoring Constitution last season (14.7 pts/g), but looks like he could lead them in points this season. His slashing and finishing were a problem all game long for MCS.   The Elephants have a well-balanced team. It’s only a matter of time until they put it all together. As everyone gets more comfortable in their roles, we can expect Bethea and Wooga to attack the basket more often, creating easy buckets for themselves and open shots for Crawley Jr, Middleton and others.