Week One Top Performers (Part I)

<p>Week one of the 2021-22 basketball season provided some solid action and we had the opportunity to take in a number of games. Here’s a look at some of the top performers we saw (part I) from two games, Mountainside's opening night win over South Albany and Jesuit's road win at Clackamas.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1256714" first="Isaiah" last="Crane"] (2023 Jesuit)</strong></p> <p>Crane was the best find of the week. Turns out we had seen him before playing AAU ball with Dynasty but this time around the 6-foot-1 guard, who played solely on the JV squad last season at Jesuit, really made an impression on us. He was confident handling the ball against pressure and looked to attack the basket, using his length and athleticism to his advantage. Crane also showed he could hit the open shot by knocking down a couple of threes. His two clutch free throws helped keep Clackamas at bay and helped Jesuit to the win. Crane finished with 21 points.</p> <p><strong>Tyree Blake (2022 Jesuit)</strong></p> <p>His future will likely be on the football field, but Blake has the kind of athleticism and motor that immediately translates on the basketball court. The 6-foot-3 played extremely hard against Clackamas coming off of the bench and was especially active on the glass on both ends. He’s an underrated ball-handler and passer and was able to create in the open court for others. Blake registered 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964550" first="Jackson" last="Jaha"] (2022 Clackamas)</strong></p> <p>Jaha’s college future will be baseball at the University of Oregon but he’s got all-league ability for basketball. The 6-foot-1 is extremely well-built physically and used this advantage to physically overpower opponents on the drive but he also showed off his very smooth stroke on his jumper to knock down threes. A key for Jaha will be tone down the smack talk but not lose the competitive edge. Jaha finished with 21 points.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="857364" first="Dimitri" last="Cohen"] (2022 Mountainside)</strong></p> <p>Cohen got off to a very fast start in Mountainside’s opener against South Albany. He hit some perimeter jumpers but got the majority of his points on hard drives to the basket, especially in transition. The 5-foot-10 lefty guard has a college-ready body which he utilized effectively against the competition on his forays to the hoop. Defensively, his hands were extremely quick which created several turnovers. Cohen led the Mavericks with 17 points.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="857352" first="Dezman" last="Baker"] (2022 Mountainside)</strong></p> <p>Baker isn’t a traditional big but will play a lot like one this year at Mountainside. The 6-foot-4 swingman was effective on the glass, especially on the defensive end, where he used his length and athleticism to his advantage. Offensively he picked his spots and was able to knock down some open perimeter jumpers, a focus of his during the off-seaosn, and defensively he was solid in the man-to-man. Baker ended up posting a ten-point, 12-rebound double-double.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1276628" first="Brayden" last="Boe"] (2025 Mountainside)</strong></p> <p>Boe had a solid all-around debut in a Mavericks uniform. The 6-foot-3 swingman defended, rebounded the ball, used the dribble to create for himself and others, and made some great decisions in transition. About the only thing Boe didn’t do was knock down open shots but that should come as he has good form. He finished with 11 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals.</p>