Upon Further Review: December 22nd

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Checking in on some game "tape" from further back in the season with a review via NFHS of McLain's upset win over Hale from November 28th. The Titans of north Tulsa are off to a strong start at 7-1, with their win over Hale as one of the signature victories this season. They have a pair of senior scoring guards that should give them the opportunity to be in contention for a trip to the Class 4A State Tournament in March. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After that is a breakdown of a couple guards from one of the hottest teams in Class 6A, Piedmont. The Wildcats are 8-1, which included an early season win at Mustang. And finally a look at a pair of prospects from Purcell when they were at the Madill Winter Classic a couple weeks ago. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>How many stream, tape, film puns can I come up with for articles this year? It's at 3, can I get a full starting 5 of article series names for ways to justify myself entering my Ryen Russilo era of just grinding that game tape and writing about it? I just need to shave my head and start working out. At the very least, I need to follow through on the working out part. Anyway, this has been another Sam ramble before the most important part of the article, the player blocks with analysis! These meandering asides entertain me, at least! Exclamation points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2303771"],"_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":"In their win over Hale, McLain would race out to an early double digit lead and protect it throughout the contest. The senior guard was a large part in both aspects.  Nichols was in attack mode from the jump, getting downhill before getting hot from distance.  It was good to see him get into a rhythm off attacking before starting to look to hit from distance.rnrnTo protect the lead in the second half, Nicholes didn't settle for those same threes. He went right back to getting inside, where he was often rewarded with trips to the foul line. With his variety of ways to score the rock, the senior is one of the more undervalued scoring prospects in the state.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1482830"],"_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":"While it wasn't the best showing for his squad in that early season contest, there were some very promising signs in the development of Lewis.  He's always played fast and hard, but now he seems more calm and controlled when attacking even at pace.  One example came with his willingness giving it up and trusting his teammates to get it back for better looks.  But also impressively is the way he navigated the extra defensive attention he often drew on drives. He was consistently able to find pockets of space to get his shot off, especially in the mid-range.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["2303774"],"_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":"Three pointers and defense, Crosslen excelled in both crucial aspects.  His bombing from deep often came from set opportunities, but one time when the defense went under on a ball screen, he made them pay. That's something to keep an eye on going forward, as when his feet were set he looked great. But in some of his off his dribble attacking, it looked like he drifted and didn't have the same textbook mechanics he displayed on catch and shoot chances. On the defensive end, the senior used his good wingspan and a tenacious mindset to create a handful of turnovers.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1665873"],"_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":"With a big week at the Tournament of Champions coming up, Adams is one of the players who could shine the brightest at the event. With his combination of size, athleticism and developing ball handling, there's immense ceiling to his game. There were times when he pushed it himself, that he looked unstoppable as he easily covered ground with his long legs and had a reliable crossover to seemingly glide past opponents.  But there were other times he dribbled into trouble or floated along the perimeter too much.  At the next level, he could be a huge weapon as a face up driving threat against fellow bigs, but trying to dribble through guards would be an issue.rnrnOn the defensive end, it was a bit up and down. There were some big time highs, with the occasional shot block. And most importantly, when he sat down and just moved his feet, he would seemingly engulf the opposition and can make life very difficult for opposing guards.  He does need to take less chances gambling to force steals. That was more evident when he would try to poke the ball out from behind, which made him an easy target for the refs to call cheap fouls on him.rnrnThe 918 standout is one of the most talented prospects in Oklahoma. A week at the Tournament of Champions will be an interesting benchmark for him as Hale will play some of the toughest games on their schedule.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1796295"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Kennedy is having one of the best starts to his junior campaign of any Class of 2025 guard.  He looked nearly unflappable in the win over Mustang, always taking what the defensive gave him. There were multiple times,  he made the defense pay for overplaying him. He opened the game with a nice score on a backdoor cut, then consistently took advantage of lanes left open when the defense tried to pressure him. Kennedy is developing into an outstanding finisher at the rim.rnrnHe flashed a few times on the defensive end, with a good understanding of when to trap or help off the ball.  The Wildcat is simply a player who often knows when to be in the right place at the right time, at both ends of the court  It was a nearly flawless game, but he did have a couple turnovers off passes in the second half.  Continuing to refine his passing touch and accuracy along with the start of his big time scoring chops will make him an even more complete player.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1391441"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Miller is one of the top scorers in the state thanks to the variety in his scoring package. He did a little bit of everything in this game, hitting tough off the dribble jumpers. His long arms allow him to hit tough shots on drives and he has mid-range counters to balance out his off the dribble attacking.rnrnKeeping track of his development athletically is one of the important next steps for him. He flashed some of that with a steal and two handed slam. And after a slower start on defense, he started to use his wingspan plus improving athleticism to cause more havoc with deflections and altering shots at the rim.  If Miller's motor continues to run hotter on the defensive end, he could be one of the better two-way players in the state.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["1552326"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Similar to Kennedy, Hite pays with outstanding pace and control. Especially for a sophomore. He made his biggest offensive contributions in the third frame. With a pair of great drives and finishes at the rim, including one old fashion three point play.  He also flashed on the defensive end during one opportunity to cover Miller, where had a great defensive rep and earned a stop on one of the best u0022isou0022 players in the state.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["2140800"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"The game against Piedmont was the freshman's third varsity start.  With that in mind, it could explain some of the youthful turnovers he made as he adjusted to the speed of varsity basketball.  But outside of those turnovers, he looked extremely cool and composed for a freshman.  The way Pogi gathers for three pointers off the dribble is better than many upperclassmen in Oklahoma. And that range extends well past the high school lane.rnrnThere was a chance at late glory, as it was a one point game in the final minute.  Instead of settling for a deep jumper, he glided to the rim and got a great look that just missed.  More chances at glory are likely to come for one of the most skilled freshmen to enter the Oklahoma high school ranks.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["1475986"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"One aspect really separates Freeman from other small town guards. He does NOT dribble the air out of the ball. His dribbles come with purpose, and most importantly he's willing to get off the ball quickly.  That unselfish nature means not only does he set up his teammates for good looks, Freeman can get efficient looks himself.  The junior actually does some of his best work when running off the ball, and sneaking open for catch and shoot threes.rnrnIn the game against Madill, he got to go against some post players with solid size.  Which was an opportunity for him to show off some strong, diverse finishing at the rim. He has a floater game and had one great switch hand finish in transition that stood out.rnrnPurcell has had an up and down start to their season, but a recent blowout win could set the stage for a big January with a pair of in-season tournaments on tap.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["2303775"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"The senior brings important size to the table for the Dragons.  He has a solid verticality when it comes to battling around the basket. DeFreeze was active with contesting shots and corralling rebounds in traffic. Athletically, he'll need to continue to work on his lateral movement and quickness.  But on the offensive end, he's more than just a finisher inside.  Based on the contest vs Madill, he has a reliable mid-range jumper.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6584c591bd4e5"} /-->