Memorial Practice Report

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 5A's #2 Memorial went on the road and beat TPS rival East Central 63-39 on Tuesday night. The Chargers bounced back on Tuesday after suffering a tough loss against 5A's #6 Edison on Saturday. The Chargers are now 12-3 on the season and looking to defend their crown as Class 5A's state champion. This group of Memorial Chargers are looking to continue Memorial's winning ways but one thing is certain as we are a little over a month away from the playoffs, Class 5A is more competitive than it's ever been during Memorial head coach Bobby Allison's tenure.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chargers have the rest of this week off as they've already played in all three of their tournaments back in December. Memorial will need the rest as they prepare for a busy week ahead of them next week. We're looking forward to seeing them in action on Tuesday night in a top three showdown with Nathan Hale. The Rangers are 13-1 and the only blemish on their record is a season-opening loss to Memorial back in November. That game will go a long way to deciding who the top overall seed is on the east side in Class 5A. Later in the week, the Chargers host Lawton Eisenhower on Friday followed by Lawton on Saturday. The Wolverines beat Memorial back in early December. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Since 2013, Memorial has played for seven state championships and have six gold balls during that stretch, including the one they brought home last year after beating Del City. However, the Chargers definitely have not had as much competition on the east side of Class 5A as they are getting this season. Stretches like next week are going to give the Chargers a look at what to expect when February and March roll around. With Holland Hall moving up from 4A to 5A a few weeks ago, Memorial has even more company on the east side. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below, we take a look at four standouts for the Chargers from this season. Prior to this year, all four were various role players but now as seniors, these four look to continue the tradition of Memorial basketball and cap off their careers with another state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1634188"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Memorial senior [player_tooltip player_id='1634188' first='Ben' last='Radford'] has been the breakout player for the Chargers this season. With Memorial losing Bradyn Hubbard to graduation, the Chargers needed a player to step into the post to replace that double-double production Hubbard had last season. Radford has been that guy for the Chargers and he's been playing really well over the last week. Radford has scored in double figures six times this season and three of the occasions have come in the last three games. That includes a career-high 20 points in their loss to Edison on Saturday. Memorial getting the addition of Radford in the post allows fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='1068565' first='Jarreth' last='Ingram'] to do what he does best and that's be the best athlete on the floor. He doesn't have to just play in the paint as the Chargers can now rely on Radford to be a steady presence in the paint on both sides of the floor.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1068565"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Speaking of Ingram, the Memorial senior standout is leading scorer for the Chargers with nearly 18 points per game. This was the most predictable thing about Memorial heading into the 2022-2023 season. After playing a sixth man role last season, anyone who watched Ingram last year knew that he was destined for a big season this year as he stepped into the starting lineup. He didn't waste much time getting into the swing of things as he went for 30 and 31 in Memorial's first two games of the year. Ingram has been held to single digits in points only two times this season. And when we saw him in person back in December at the Tournament Of Champions, we were really impressed with how he played in the final two days after a slow start to the tournament. When Ingram is playing aggressive, this team is going to be hard to beat in March.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1372131"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"New roles is the theme of this report and another Memorial senior that has stepped into a new role is point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1372131' first='Montae' last='Collins']. Replacing a player like Ty Frierson, who was arguably the most impactful player in the state last season is no easy task but Collins has done a really good job. Collins plays the role of facilitator on this Memorial team as he has a few options around him to score the ball. Running the show on offense and then playing on the opponent's best guard has been what was asked of Collins this season and he's done a good job in that role. He's also shown at times this season that he can score if the offense for Memorial is struggling as a whole. In terms of being a prospect, Collins is a 2023 point guard that feels like his best basketball is still ahead of him. As he continues to improve, the Chargers will benefit down the stretch.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["967378"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"The most experienced Memorial Charger on this year's team is senior guard and sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='967378' first='Seth' last='Pratt']. The NSU commit has been a mainstay in the Memorial lineup since his sophomore season and he's known around the state as one of the best shooters from beyond the arc. This season, Pratt is shooting at a 43% rate from the perimeter and the duo of Pratt and Ingram is one of the best in Class 5A. Like Ingram, Pratt played a specific role last season and has seen his role this year blossom into more of a scorer and an overall playmaker for the Memorial offense. Pratt is looking to pick up where he left off in December when it comes to scoring. He hasn't been as productive so far in January as we saw from him in December and the Chargers are going to need that to change as they look to lock up the top overall seed on the east side in Class 5A.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63c872680a8ad"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->