KOB Showcase Scrimmage Takeaways

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday morning I made the trip to Louisville to see the first scrimmage action I'd seen this season. I was only able to stay for 4 of the 7 games (and one was a JV game) but was able to learn some new names as well as get eyes on guys I'd seen before. Here are a few of my takeaways.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Louisville Holy Cross has a lot of talent</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Most folks already have heard about Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2429605' first='Jordan' last='Jackson'] or seen his highlights but there were some new names that left a good impression. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2638035' first='DeQuane' last='Stafford'] was impressive in spurts. Standing about 6'7, Stafford went 3-4 from three when I was watching. The only concern I had was that Stafford seems allergic to the paint. With his big body, "Quannie" needs to become a true inside-out threat for Holy Cross over the course of the season. Also impressive was Junior Admere Ricketts. Ricketts showcased a big time first step and made one of the more impressive passes I've seen in a while. Lots to like about him. It was also my first viewing of Senior transfer Wade Kramer from Georgia. He showed off a smooth shooting stroke and the ability to get into the midrange and score. All in all, Coach Leiberman has multiple scholarship level players at Holy Cross in just his first year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Bullitt Central has some sleepers</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bullitt Central was missing multiple players against Holy Cross but they were still more than competitive on Saturday. 2027 Ben Street looks to be about 6'4 and has some game. He knocked down at least one three and showed some advanced passing. I did worry that he settled for some bad threes over time but it's just the first scrimmage of the year. Sophomore Braylon Brand didn't come in until late but he's got good size and nice touch around the rim. If Brand develops, he looks like he could be HUGE in a year or so. Very much a baby deer still getting coordinated. File his name away for the future. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Southern passes the eye test</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Watching them warm up, Louisville Southern was impressive. And they could be really good in time. They just really bogged down in the half court as their game against Spencer County went on. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2104598' first='Kaevon' last='Ennis'] is a talented player. He was clearly the alpha for Southern and they were at their best when he was creating off the bounce. Junior Michah Aciek has great size and length but needs to stop floating around the three point line on offense. He looks the part of a scholarship player, long term. Just have to continue developing. A lot to like with him. Also, #41 for Southern had a nice game with some polish around the rim. About 6'6, he juked a Spencer defender out of his shoes on an up and under.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Spencer County will make some noise</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 8th region is always super competitive. You may have thought that the 3 point barrage offense of the Bears would change with Luke Erhadt and Camden Cox graduating but that's not the case. Spencer launched 3s early and often. Their motion offense included staggers, pin downs and flares intended to get open looks and when they executed, that's exactly what happened. [player_tooltip player_id='2392307' first='Samuel' last='Seawright'] launched a bunch of threes and made more than he missed. It looks like he'll be the new main man for the offense but Senior Jack Armstrong also provides them a solid low post option at 6'7. He rebounded well and finished the opportunities he was presented with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Fairdale is extremely talented and pretty young</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The host school started with Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='1751496' first='Ferlandas' last='Wright'], [player_tooltip player_id='2438889' first='Kamari' last='Roberts'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1745595' first='Michael' last='Ray Stinnett'] all on the floor. All shined in different ways while Wright looks the part of the D1 recruit he already is. All three of the Sophomores did good things at times but they also have a ton of depth which allowed the Bulldogs to play fast and press on made buckets. Not to be overlooked was Senior Bodin Radulovic, who flashed high IQ and passing as a big guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='1571421' first='Miles' last='Woodfork'] is REALLY good</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Miles is a guard I've seen multiple times in the last few months and there is a lot to like about his game. On Saturday, he went right at the Fairdale guards. He scored a bunch early then in spurts from there on. Not sure how many points Woodfork ended up with but it was likely into the 20s. Tilghman was not at full strength as their football team is still playing but they competed with Fairdale for 30 of the 32 minutes in the scrimmage. If [player_tooltip player_id='1571421' first='Miles' last='Woodfork'] has a season like he did on Saturday, he'll be in the mix for top players in the first region. He's solidified himself as a future scholarship level player in my opinion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->