Standout Bigs – McDonald’s Texas Invitational Day 1
The McDonald’s Texas Invitational Basketball Tournament kicked off on Thursday, November 18. It was an impressive and exciting show with 48 different men’s games played on Day 1 throughout eight different gyms in the Southeast Houston area. I had the…
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Continue ReadingThe McDonald’s Texas Invitational Basketball Tournament kicked off on Thursday, November 18. It was an impressive and exciting show with 48 different men’s games played on Day 1 throughout eight different gyms in the Southeast Houston area. I had the pleasure of attending 6 of those games in person and assessing several players throughout the day. Here are my top standout bigs in all 6 of the games I attended.
Also check out: Standout Guards | Standout Wings | Standout Bigs
#14 – Abou Camara – 6’7″ – SF/PF – Senior – Katy Paetow vs. San Antonio Clark
Camara put on an extremely impressive performance against San Antonio Clark, making some of the most impactful plays every time he was involved in a possession. He hit from deep at least once, but it was his inside presence and constant movement and slashing ability that really stood out. He had multiple strong drives to the basket and finished in a variety of ways, utilizing his strength, length and composure to get the ball in the basket any way he could. He also provided beautiful ball movement, seeing the floor well and setting teammates up in a timely manner, and he relentlessly attacked the offensive boards. He was active the entire game on both ends of the floor and was arguably Katy Paetow’s most valuable player..
#23 – Charles Chukwu Charles Chukwu 6'9" | C Katy Paetow | 2022 State TX – 6’8″ – PF/C – Senior – Katy Paetow vs. San Antonio Clark
Chukwu was his usual physically dominant self down low in this game, although it seemed like he could have done more at times with his overpowering physique and stature. He had several nice possessions in the post, utilizing his strength to pound his way to the basket and even attempting some nice midrange shots to stretch the defense. There are no individual plays for him that stood out on defense, but his presence in the paint clearly made an impact on San Antonio Clark’s offense, as they seemingly couldn’t score at times and struggled to get into the paint.
#33 – Ethan Croley – 6’9″ – C – Junior – San Antonio Clark vs. Katy Paetow
Croley was one of the few bright spots for San Antonio Clark in their game against Katy Paetow, although no one shined as bright as his teammate, Jordan Mason Jordan Mason 6'2" | PG San Antonio Clark | 2022 State TX . Croley was the lone big man for Clark, matching up with the numerous bigs Katy Paetow could throw at them, especially the 6’8″, 260 lbs Charles Chukwu Charles Chukwu 6'9" | C Katy Paetow | 2022 State TX . Croley held his own though, utilizing the big body of his own to limit what Chukwu could do on offense and effectively helping out on drives to the basket from opposing perimeter players. He also managed to get several put backs, utilizing his soft touch around the rim and his height to get shots under the basket to fall.
Several other bigs put on strong performances in the games I saw on Day 1, as well. Check out my reviews of Sean Elkinton Sean Elkinton 6'7" | PF Crosby | 2022 State TX and Caleb Malik here, my review of Dan Morgan here, and my reviews of Caden Powell Caden Powell 6'10" | C Waco Midway | 2022 State TX and Cole Reid Cole Reid 6'8" | PF Waco Midway | 2022 State TX here.