Tuesday’s Tape Don’t Lie: December 12th
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This week’s edition of tape aka Youtube review focuses on a couple big district clashes from Tuesday night and sneaks in a review of a Monday contest. Putnam City West 43 Lawton 48 Choctaw 51 Broken Arrow 38 Metro Christian…
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Continue ReadingThis week’s edition of tape aka Youtube review focuses on a couple big district clashes from Tuesday night and sneaks in a review of a Monday contest.
Putnam City West 43
Lawton 48
Choctaw 51
Broken Arrow 38
Metro Christian 58
Victory Christian 65
Few players are having better starts to the season than Deans. He was in attack mode from jump, living by getting downhill in the halfcourt and getting out in transition with purpose. He closed out the first quarter with a late slam to put a cap on a productive opening quarter for himself and his team.
Late in the third quarter when Putnam City West was making a push, Deans went the length of the court for a chase down block. That play was one of the best examples of his insane motor. The next quarter, he then took a huge charge in transition in a tied game. The junior simply finds ways to make it happen, especially on the defensive end.
While improved the junior’s guard skills aren’t quite to the level of a traditional guard at the next level. Yet. He’s made good strides in that skill development recently and will likely continue to before graduating next year. But there is a blueprint to success at the next level year based on his current skillset. Chris Braggs had a similar build, high motor style and production on the 2018 Putnam City North team that won 6A. He followed up his outstanding high school basketball career with a great career at Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford. Deans has a similar energy, intensity and feel as a junkyard dawg type producer as Braggs.
Highlights
Midway through the second quarter, it became obvious that Cacciola is one of the top rising sophomores in Oklahoma with major upside. As Lawton built the lead in the first half, he nailed three pointers, operated in the dunker spot when Lawton broke the press, where he was good finisher around the basket. One of the most intriguing aspect about Cacciola’s game is his huge wingspan. Which he put too good use on the defensive end, often covering and applying pressure when picking up the ball around half court. He also looked very smooth when he took advantage of a mismatch, used a crossover to gain separation and nailed a long two over an opposing forward.
Cacciola wasn’t as efficient in the second half as the first half, but a couple aspects still stood out. Teammates continued to look for him in transition, and the coaching staff even drew plays for him to get him three points attempts. It appears the sophomore has a bright future ahead of him, with a potentially big sophomore campaign could be a launching pad to longterm success.
When West made their second half push, it was on the back of Warrior’s relentlessness pushing of the tempo and attacking the rim in the halfcourt. He hit big bucket after bucket through the second half, and while he’s a WR-DB on the football field, in Lawton he looked like a running back, finding or creating the lane and attacking with strength and confidence.
The senior crossed the 1,000 points mark early in the first quarter in a very Valentine way. Valentine got the defender on his heels with a crossover and then drilled an 18 footer off the dribble. He was composed throughout the first half, even having a couple good instances of identifying how to attack double teams. At one point he had a mismatch with a big, saw a second defender coming and Valentine correctly judge he had the burst to just go around the big. He did and earned two easy points. Another instance came when he saw a double coming, and perfectly led a cutting teammate to the hoop for two more easy points.
The four year contributor continues to be one of the top players in Oklahoma, with a mix of an exciting playing style and the more mature decisions fitting of a senior.
Highlights
Howell is a do it all guard for the Tigers, with the upside to be the best defender in the state of Oklahoma. He uses his huge wingspan to block, alter shots, deflect passes and scoop up steals. He even takes charges. When he does create changes of possessions or grabs rebounds, he does an outstanding job of looking ahead and getting it down court to teammates.
The junior did not shoot it well on the night from distance, but made a point to get it inside. Especially in the third quarter, in attempt to jump start the struggling Tigers offense. As a big guard he’s comfortable posting up smaller foes, along with earning trips to the line. More consistent shooting and scoring are the next step for Howell’s development. But his foundation as a defender and creator for his teammates is an outstanding base to build on.
While Choctaw is loaded with seniors, Steelman is one of the juniors who might hold a key to their season. He’s playing stronger, quicker and with more confidence that last year. The stretch forward still hits occasional three, but he was more impactful around the rim in this game. From an one dribble power move into a finish, off the ball cutting and even a nice two handed flush. This impact also translated to the defensive end, as he showed some good helpside defense principles with contesting shots in the fourth quarter.
If the junior plays more games like he closes the second half, Shockley could emerge as one of the players to know about from the 918. He played like his hair was on fire in an attempt to spark a Tiger comeback. Which included an impressive steal and transition slam. With his combination of size and good movement, there’s real upside for the wing-forward to emerge as a key piece of a Broken Arrow team that has the traits to be one of the better defensive teams in 6A.
Mason had a huge game and two parts of his mindset standout as the reason why. In the halfcourt he was quick with his movements, from spinning scores on the block to fluid jumpers when defenders sagged off. And perhaps most importantly, he pushed it in transition. When the powerful wing forward plays in attack mode off defensive rebounds and turnovers, he’s like a runway train getting the ball down court and either drawing the foul or scoring at the rim. This dominating performance was an encouraging sign for the super talented prospect as he starts his senior year on the right foot.
The big man in the middle had an active showing on both ends of the court. He did a good job of either securing rebounds himself or tapping them out to teammates. Offensively he was a reliable source of production when he got it down low, and even showed some soft touch extending out to 8-10 feet. Size can’t be taught, and the height Moses has often brings an impact beyond the box score to the Patriots.