Glass Cleaners

This is the first article that I am releasing in 2022. I was excited about this one, as I am talking about a group of players whose work often goes unnoticed but is always one of the things that coaches say is a part of their keys to winning. That particular key is rebounding. So let’s take a look at a few glass cleaners that I saw during holiday hoops across the state.   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/PH-Treyce-Oden.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1358924 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/PH-Treyce-Oden-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>Treyce Oden (6’5/Center/2023)   School: Hartselle HS Instagram: Trxycx Twitter: @Odentreyce   Treyce was active on the glass during the contest against Minor. Having to battle with Minor’s 6’11 man in the middle, I have to say that Treyce held his own. They were not calculating rebounds at the table, but Treyce was pulling down another board in traffic every time I looked around, so there is no telling how many he ended the game with. <blockquote> He brought a lot of grit to the court. </blockquote> You would think that his size at 6’5 going up against a 6’11 center would be a problem, but Treyce just literally outworked others on the glass. He kept possessions alive and finished well around the rim.   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/PH-Dresean-Knight.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1316095 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/PH-Dresean-Knight-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="890743" first="Dresean" last="Knight"] (6’11/Center/2022)   School: Minor HS Instagram: Dresean_knight Twitter: @knightdresean   When you see the 6’11 next to Dresean’s name, you are probably thinking, yes, he should be controlling the glass. In the game against Hartselle, he was active on the glass, but Hartselle’s players made him work to secure the ball off the rim. As I watched DK play, I kept saying that he needs to ramp up his aggressiveness. <blockquote> Yes, he secured some rebounds due to his size, but no one was stopping him when he was determined to grab the board. </blockquote> Getting him to bring that determination every trip down the court is something I know Minor’s coaching staff hopes that DK can bring more of the 2nd half of the season.   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/PH-Ethan-Acosta.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1358927 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/PH-Ethan-Acosta-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>Ethan Acosta (6’7/Power Forward/2022)   School: Helena HS Instagram: eacosta2442 Twitter: @EthanAcosta20   Ethan has good size and was one of the hardest working players that I saw when it came to crashing the boards. With a lot of scorers around him, it is easy for Ethan’s work to go unnoticed. During the holiday hoops season, I got to see Ethan and his crew for the second time of the season. Even though his work may go unnoticed, what was noticeable is the state that Helena would be in if Ethan wasn’t doing what so many call dirty work. <blockquote> Ethan competed with tremendous effort on the glass and was mobile in the paint as he traced the ball. </blockquote> I would have liked to have seen a stat on how many boards he collected against ACA because it seemed that he was the only one going to glass for his squad.   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/PH-Michael-Richardson.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1358928 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/PH-Michael-Richardson-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>Michael Richardson (6’3/Power Forward/2022)   School: Central-Tuscaloosa HS Instagram: Z.a.e.4 Twitter: @Mikerich04   To say that Michael is an undersized PF would be an understatement. However, he is an absolute warrior on the glass. In the match-up against Shades Valley, it is not like Shades Valley had a major post presence in which Michael was battling against, but they did have a lot of athleticism across the board. It was against the high-flying players on Shades Valley team that Michael was battling against in the paint. <blockquote> Two things separated Michael from everyone else on the court. </blockquote> The first thing was that he ran the floor harder than anyone on both teams, and secondly, he was the most active on the boards. He wasn’t ball watching, but he was establishing position, getting his body on an opponent, and going after the board. Yes, he is small in size playing the PF position, but his effort made his play big for his squad.   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/PH-Karmelo-Montgomery.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1358931 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/PH-Karmelo-Montgomery-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>Karmelo Montgomery (6’4/Power Forward/2023)   School: Sparkman HS Instagram: Realkmont Twitter: @Realkmont11   You can tell that Karmelo understands his role on the Sparkman’s squad because he was consistent in his efforts. He contested shots, took high percentage shots around the rim, ran the floor, and went to the glass. The #HunstvilleCityClassic provided stats, and against Columbia, Karmelo had 8 rebounds (4-offensively; 4-defensively) in 15mins of action. <blockquote> You would say that Karmelo is an undersized PF standing at 6’4, but he can get off the floor and is aggressive in hitting the glass. </blockquote> He is not an elite rebounder, but he is a very good one for his size. A player that will be a key silent piece to Sparkman’s goal of reaching Birmingham.   Big shoutout to these guys…your work does not go unnoticed.