11/18 Scrimmage Takeaways

<p>On November 18, 2021 I watched a four-team scrimmage involving <strong>Glendale Apollo, Peoria Liberty, Paradise Honors </strong>and<strong> Sandra Day O’Connor.</strong> There was no score being kept and each team played two 10 minute quarters against two different opponents.</p> <p><br /> Here are some of my takeaways from each team:<br /> <strong>Apollo</strong>- This is a well coached team that will be led by the guard trio of [player_tooltip player_id="701265" first="Ahamed" last="Mohamed"], [player_tooltip player_id="996161" first="Lashy" last="Perez"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1141680" first="Bobby" last="Holcomb"]. They do not have a ton of height but they will beat many teams just with the skill of the guards. Mohamed calmly runs the show and locks up the opposing teams best guard.</p> <p><strong>Liberty</strong> – Coach Wood had them running at their traditional breakneck pace. With their substitution pattern you never know who will catch fire like in the first scrimmage. They had a rhythm going and 3’s were coming from every angle. <strong>Brennen Neal</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id="1216984" first="Caden" last="Hunter"] were leading the way with multiple 3’s from each of them. They were missing another one of their weapons in shooter [player_tooltip player_id="1132004" first="Davis" last="Hester"]. They added transfer [player_tooltip player_id="814037" first="Ky" last="Green"] who adds athleticism and scoring from the wing position.</p> <p><strong>Paradise Honors</strong> – This team picks up full court and attacks the opposing ball handlers once they pass half court. They were led by senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="827004" first="Blessing" last="Nwotite"] who keeps the team under control. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="1114578" first="Luke" last="Light"] showed nice touch from 15 feet in. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="814519" first="Matthew" last="Henry-Harrison"] was the leading scorer in the scrimmages. He sliced his way to the rim and also hit some nice outside shots. [player_tooltip player_id="973563" first="Jason" last="Ernest"] and [player_tooltip player_id="814506" first="River" last="Bell"] provided that extra energy that they will need in their tougher games during the season.</p> <p><br /> <strong>Sandra Day O’Connor</strong> – This team played hard and were scrappy. They were led by senior [player_tooltip player_id="1118369" first="Xavier" last="Ali"] who showed some promising offensive skills. Freshman big man <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1333492" first="Michael" last="Simcoe"]</strong> will be one to watch as he gets comfortable playing at the varsity level.</p>