PCI Thursday Evening Standouts
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Another busy week in basketball in Oklahoma with tournaments all over the state. One of the top fields is the Putnam City Invitational, with a blend of teams from Muskogee, Lawton and all the OKC metroplex. The two evening contests…
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Continue ReadingAnother busy week in basketball in Oklahoma with tournaments all over the state. One of the top fields is the Putnam City Invitational, with a blend of teams from Muskogee, Lawton and all the OKC metroplex. The two evening contests were Putnam City vs Westmoore and Norman vs Northwest Classen. The two programs from south OKC suburbs both came away victorious, with a pair of seniors torching the nets in their wins.
It was a stellar shooting performance for the UCO signee in Westmoore’s comfortable victory over Putnam City. There’s a microwave aspect to Barber’s shooting, as the rim must look huge after the first make, and the proceeding threes come in bunches. On a rare miss, he showed great anticipation to corral the long rebound, then rifled a no look pass that set up an “hockey assist” for a teammate’s three of his own. A date with the iconic pressure defense of Putnam City West awaits on Friday night, it will be a good test for Barber and Westmoore as they look to gain momentum and build their resume to be a potential Regional host next month.
Highlights
Caison Cole
Caison Cole
It takes a lot to match an Evan Barber Evan Barber 6’1″ | CG Westmoore | 2023 State OK shooting clinic, and Cole more than held up his end of elite shooting in the night cap against Northwest Classen. Not only was the 6’1 guard efficient in his scoring (5-6 from beyond the arc), all his makes on the night had DEEP range. Three pointers from NBA range looked like layups on the night, and while it’s somewhat sacrilege to mention any player in the same breath as current NBA all star Trae Young, Cole was even hitting from volleyball line range similarly to Young when he played for a Norman Public School program. Cole also did a good job of handling pressure from the Knights’ quick guards. An encore test against an aggressive, guard heavy Lawton team awaits tomorrow.
The motor never turns off for Hays, who was at his best when pushing defensive rebounds and creating his own offense. He’s strong with deceptive speed for a physical wing. In the half court, he’s tenacious on the offensive glass while also capable of stopping and hitting in mid range. The hard working Hays is still at his best as an aggressive “bully”, finishing powerfully at the rim on putbacks, cuts and attacking open lanes on drives.
Highlights
Marquis Combs Pierce
Marquis Combs Pierce
The big man in the middle proved that post play can still change games with his 18 points. He has a strong understanding of how to carve out space and establish great positioning around the basket for post ups or offensive boards. After he’s won that half of the battle, his soft hands and touch finishes the battle with efficient scoring.
The shifty lead guard has improved quickness and handles, allowing him to often to get defenders leaning which creates space for him to attack in the mid-range or get to the rim. While he does have good floor vision, he can try “too cute” passes to teammates instead of scoring himself. Stephens appears to be physically and skill wise maturing into a dynamic attacker but needs more aggressiveness and fire to his game.
Brandon Butler Brandon Butler 5'9" | PG Northwest Classen | 2025 State OK
Brandon Butler Brandon Butler 5'9" | PG Northwest Classen | 2025 State OK
An up tempo guard. Butler not only gets after it on the defensive end, he’s an excellent finisher for a smaller player. On drives he has a mix of euro steps, floaters and other methods to avoid the trees in the middle. Norman is one of the few teams that can somewhat simulate next level height with their frontline, and it was impressive that the youngster was able to have success as a driver. Butler had a team high 14 points.