Fall League: St. Frances vs Mt. Zion Prep Takeaways

<p>Yesterday morning I stopped in St. Frances Academy to watch what is always a great preseason matchup between the hosting Panthers and Mt. Zion Prep. St. Frances was without two of their starters in 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1110545" first="Cortez" last="Johnson"] (ankle) and 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="957025" first="Jahnathan" last="Lamothe"] (official visit to LSU), but still managed to put themselves in a great position to win. They forced overtime, but ultimately came up short by one point. Here are some takeaways from the contest:</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1277422" first="Devon" last="Barnes"] leads the Warriors</strong></span></p> <p>I’ve been a fan of Barnes since I first saw him live as a rising sophomore at Will Barton Elite Camp. Now standing almost 6-foot-2, Barnes has good size for a point guard to go with a lethal three-point shot. He led the way for his team with 22 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc, but Barnes also made just as much of an impact on defense by coming away with four steals. His active hands won’t allow for any slip ups on or off the ball. He’s always focused in on his surroundings and he has accurate anticipation with his steal attempts. Offensively not only was he making shots, but he also made a handful of good reads coming off of ball screens and creating for others.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Bryce-Linsday.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1299740" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Bryce-Linsday-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="777095" first="Bryce" last="Lindsay"] asserts himself</strong></span></p> <p>Lindsay looked extremely comfortable as he continues to adjust to his new team. It’s clear that opposing coaches will need to game plan for him and demand his matchup to defend him closely at the volleyball line. On multiple occasions, the 6-foot-3 lead guard pulled up from deep and converted with ease. In the second half, Mt. Zion was determined for Lindsay to beat them off the dribble by applying pressure. He used it to his advantage by getting an edge, creating driving opportunities and finishing with craft or soft-touch floaters. Lindsay totaled 22 points in the effort. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Tyler-Jackson.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1299741" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Tyler-Jackson-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Freshman catches eyes</strong></span></p> <p>2025 guard Tyler Jackson took advantage of Lamothe’s absence and proved why many believe he’s the best freshmen in the Baltimore area this year. The 6-foot guard is fearless when it comes to attacking the basket and doesn’t allow contact to change his mission. He scored in transition, isolation situations and buried a couple of three-pointers from the corner playing off of other’s penetration.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="902031" first="Cole" last="Paar"] is improved</strong></span></p> <p>I’ve had the pleasure of watching Paar since he was a freshman in the high school ranks. Now attending Mt. Zion for a post-grad prep year, the 6-foot-9 big seems a lot more mobile than I remember. Coach Harrison and Coach Scott emphasize Paar to rim-run almost every time they gain possession and the players are good at quickly locating him after he establishes deep position. Paar scored with his back to the basket over each shoulder while also making good skip passes to shooters when turning into double teams. He rebounded at a respectable rate and did a nice job of defending ball screen actions.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Intangibles </strong></span></p> <p>For those that know my evaluation process, I always have a weakness for guys who just play hard all the time. 2024 guard [player_tooltip player_id="1089572" first="Daquan" last="Davis"] is one that fits that description. It doesn’t matter if it’s practice, pick up games or a championship game, I know that every time I walk into a gym where Davis is playing that he’s going to give it everything he has. His overall game is coming along, but his defense and toughness are unmatched. He nailed three triples on his way to 13 points and made several important plays that wouldn’t show up on the stat sheet.</p>