Scouting the Stream, January 26th
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A recap of three games this week from across Oklahoma. Starting with an OT clash in the 405 between Northwest Classen and Grind Prep. Checking out some Class 4A action in eastern Oklahoma as hosts Fort Gibson took down Wagoner.…
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Continue ReadingA recap of three games this week from across Oklahoma. Starting with an OT clash in the 405 between Northwest Classen and Grind Prep. Checking out some Class 4A action in eastern Oklahoma as hosts Fort Gibson took down Wagoner. And Holland Hall handling business in a big game for 5A District play against Tulsa Memorial.
Butler’s efficiency for a smaller guard continues to be impressive. He has great shot selection from three, rarely forcing a bad look. What was impressive for his continual development, was the calmness he played with as a decision maker in the uptempo game. He handed out dimes with either hands, finding open shooters and teammates at the rim. Attempts to speed him up never seemed to bother him. And of course when needed to, he stepped up as a scorer, including a big corner three in overtime.
With some sneaky bounce and a microwave like scoring ability to catch fire off the dribble, Rose has the upside to be a prospect who could really flourish at the JuCo level. He had a huge first half as scorer, including a pair of threes that closed out the first half. When he’s in attack mode, there’s some real game changing ability as a scorer. Especially as he gets good elevation on his mid-range, making him a very tough cover off the bounce. There’s been an archetype of recent OKC guards that found an extra gear in the JuCo and went on to have strong careers at four year scorers, even at the D1 level. If Rose wants it, he could follow that path.
Adamson is really settling into his role a strong off the ball scorer, with a variety of ways to do damage. They ran a lot of good action to get him going in the mid-range, or get down hill. He’s got a crafty way to keep his drives alive just long enough to get his shots off or draw a foul. But he looked his best just draining shots in the 15-18 range with the occasional big three mixed in. Including a huge, tough off the dribble deep triple that forced overtime. There wasn’t a lot of wasted motions in his scoring action throughout the games, which is a good sign for how his game could translate to the next level.
Highlights
Alsup provided reliable post scoring throughout the contest for Grind Prep. He’s starting to add more confidence and variety to his post moves, with quick turns and more methodical, skilled and physical finishing. There’s a blue collar mentality to the way he went to work and took advantage of his size. But the hybrid forward wasn’t limited to just battling around the basket, he routinely hit in the mid-range and even extended out to the three point line in overtime. On the defensive end, Alsup also had some good reps in covering perimeter players, understanding how to move his feet and use his height and wingspan advantage to contest or even block shots without fouling.
Highlights
It wasn’t the most productive scoring game from the high upside wing prospect, but he still showed promise on two fronts. First was Payne using his mobility, big wingspan and activity level to be an impactful rebounder on both ends of the court. The second was potentially more promising as he displayed some strong playmaking chops. He’s got the potential to be a dynamic driver and attacker, and against swarming Knights defenders he often made the right read and showed good vision in handing out assists. With a big time upside, the rising sophomore seems to be knocking on the door of a huge breakout once he fully harnesses his strong natural gifts.
Cyrus is a throwback hooper, who has a knack for sneaking through the defense and getting to the rim where he finishes strong for a smaller guard. He thrives in fast paced games, where he can shift gears and get where he wants. Promisingly, there were some flashes of improved passing in the halfcourt, including a great tight window pass from the perimeter to a rolling teammate. Factor in that he’s another shooter who can catch fire from three, and it’s clear the Knights have a quality three-header monster backcourt that should cause some havoc in the 6A playoffs next month.
Blane Scott
Blane Scott
Scott most often looked to play in the mid-range, with it being one to two dribble moves to get into a spot. Or another example came after a strong offensive rebound, then getting into his shooting motion from the mid-range. At the rim he has the small school trait of mixing skill with physicality to be an effective finisher. Fort Gibson has some promising freshmen, but expected Scott and other seniors to produce some tough scoring as the playoffs approach in Class 4A.
Cooper Wicks
Cooper Wicks
Another piece of Fort Gibson’s attack, he looks to have a knack to pop up with tough scores when his team needs it. He hit a big fourth quarter three off an elevator screen that helped pushed the lead back out to 7. Along with those occasional jumpers, the Tigers would look to him in the post when he got a mismatch, where he looked to have some sneaky country strength with a bit of a back to the basket game.
The quick guard did his damage from the perimeter throughout the contest. He provides a threat from beyond the arc as a spot up shooter, but his quickness allows him to easily attack and get into the mid-range as well. Davison’s form and elevation on his jumper is smooth and he makes it look easy when pulling up off the dribble. Davison is one of the small town gems in Oklahoma’s junior class who has collegiate upside.
As the main focus of the Tulsa Memorial defense, it was a quieter night for the senior. But when called upon, he buried big three after big three. This included a pair of dagger threes in the final frame that helped keep the opposing Chargers at arm’s length. He connected on at least four threes throughout the game, often a step or two behind the line. Benton’s unselfishness is a good trait to have when projecting how he’ll fit in at the next level.
Highlights
Ryan Lavine
Ryan Lavine
With the focus on Benton, it was on other Dutch players to step offensively. The player who most answered the call was the junior guard. He played fearlessly on drives, he attacked both sides of the rim and hit a tear drop floater as well. In the second half, he was often finding ways to the free throw line with drives. One of his better moves came early in the fourth when he showed good ability to switch gears with a stop, pump fake, let the defender go by and finish easily at the rim. For Holland Hall to compete with the top tier of 5A, the confidence and emergence of Lavine will be crucial in next month.
The junior forward has been putting up productive numbers in recent weeks and after watching a full game it’s easy to see why. He a scrapper around the rim, who’s motor allows him to get on the glass on both ends of the court. Against Memorial’s size and athleticism, it’s no easy fit to out hustle the Chargers. But there was Taber often finding himself around the ball, and making a big impact in providing extra muscle for the Dutch.
Highlights
Holland Hall kept the sophomore sharpshooter in check, but there was a promising sign of his emerging all around game. Harris appears to be buying into the Memorial culture as he took multiple charges in the contest. From sliding over in help defense to taking charges on the ball, he looked bought in and ready to become a more complete player.