Francisco’s Geico Takes: IMG Acad. vs Sunrise Christian (Part 2)

<p class="p1"><span class="s1" style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Francisco’s Geico Takes: IMG Acad. vs Sunrise Christian (Part 2)</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1">FORT MYERS, FL—Each and every season one of the events I look forward to is the Geico Nationals. The combination of high-level talent and effort never disappoints—and this year’s version of the event was no different. Whether it was the potent point guard play of Tennessee-bound <b>[player_tooltip player_id="537220" first="Kennedy" last="Chandler"]</b> or the immense potential of 2022 <b>[player_tooltip player_id="1062409" first="Jalen" last="Duren"]</b>, each and every game did not disappoint.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p3"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s2"><b>Burly 4-man with touch</b></span></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>Eric Dailey Jr. (IMG Academy)</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>2022, PF, 6-foot-6, 215</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>Joel’s Take</b>: Dailey is a high motor 4-man who can play inside and out. He uses his big frame to finish through contact and he can explode in transition. In the half-court set, he displayed a solid touch from the elbow, especially when he’s on balance. Improving his ball skils against pressure and becoming more consistent from the 3-point stripe will increase his stock.</span></p> <p class="p3"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s2"><b>Mr. Motor</b></span></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>[player_tooltip player_id="527386" first="Moussa" last="Diabate"] (IMG Academy)</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>2021, PF, 6-foot-10, 215 pounds</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>Joel’s take</b>: The Michigan-bound power forward has been one of the more enjoyable players to watch over the past 4 years. His motor always runs hot and he quick-twitch athlete who affects the game in multiple ways. He can hit the face-up jump shot, attack off the dribble, and he rebounds with aggressive intention. Not to mention opposing “bigs” next season will need to adjust because Diabate is one of the better rim-runners around. On the flip side, he needs to strengthen his core (gets off balance when bumped), but I’m sure Juwon Howard will get that tightened up. face-up, motor, LH finish, unorthodox post-game, fade-away touch, needs balance and strength, rim-runner, multi-positional defender</span></p> <p class="p3"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s2"><b>Son of a Coach</b></span></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>[player_tooltip player_id="814897" first="Jett" last="Howard"] (IMG Academy)</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>2022, SG, 6-foot-4, 170 pounds</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>Joel’s Take:</b> Howard has that prototypical frame for the shooting guard position with broad shoulders and long arms. He is a good athlete who slides his feet well and his head is always up monitoring the opponent’s offense. Offensively, he has a smooth stroke that extends well beyond the arc. He sets up the shot nicely and he gets it off quickly.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p3"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s2"><b>Kansas-bound</b></span></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1094517" first="Zachary" last="Clemence"] (Sunrise Christian)</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>2021, 6-foot-9, 215 pounds</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>Joel’s Take:</b> The first two attributes that come to mind for Clemence are soft hands and touch. The Kansas signee is a stretch 4-man who works the post and can score over either shoulder. He didn’t get a many touches in this one, but he showed his savvy for the game with his passing and terrific hands in the area of rebounding.</span></p>