CYO City Tournament: Holy Name vs St. Lawrence- Top Players

Joseph played an excellent all-around game Sunday afternoon! He showed more aggression than he did the first time around. After watching Joseph play a month ago, I believed he was holding back from showing his true potential. On Sunday, everyone saw the real Joseph play ball. He was a monster on the boards, despite battling a player who had three inches of height on him. Joseph was very physical in the paint. He scored on numerous occasions despite being fouled by the opposition. This lead to him stepping to the free-throw line and converting three-point play opportunities for the Holy Name squad. Joseph was able to score transition baskets on multiple occasions throughout the game. He even knocked down a couple of mid-range shots! On this day, Joseph had every facet of his game working for him. He was solid on the defensive end of the court also. Joseph blocked a few shots and played great defense in the paint against the St. Lawrence team. He definitely made it hard for opposing guards attacking the basket while he was in the game. He finished with (11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks) Great job Joseph!!     AJ came to play in Sunday's contest versus St. Lawrence. He aggressively slashed to the basket and made plays for himself or teammates. The floater down the lane was a weapon for him during the game. He also knocked down a couple of mid-range jumpers despite being closely guarded by St. Lawrence defenders. AJ is a big combo guard who mostly played the point guard position as the team's facilitator. He made nice passes throughout the game that lead to effective shots for other Holy Name players. On some occasions, AJ was a one man fast-break. He grabbed rebounds and drove the ball full-court for easy lay-ins or dish-offs to open teammates around the basket. Defensively, AJ was aggressive on this side of the ball. He excelled at playing passing lanes and forcing turnovers from the St. Lawrence guards. AJ finished with (8 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals) Way to go AJ!!     This guy is a shooter! Thomas excels at knocking down shots from the perimeter. On numerous occasions, he was able to create off the dribble and make shots inside the key and beyond the arc. He's also a great free-throw shooter who converted most of his attempts in Sunday's game. Thomas is an excellent team player who played hard on both ends of the floor. He was able to get into the paint and fight for rebounds despite being smaller than the opposition. Defensively, he stays with his opponent and constantly swipes at the ball. Thomas made things really uncomfortable for the St. Lawrence guards in regard to getting around him. Keep it up Thomas!!     I loved watching this young man play! Jaden displays fire and energy on both sides of the ball. He plays hard and hustled to make every possible play he could to be effective. I watched Jaden dive on the floor for loose balls, take charges and play defense. There were big moments in the game where Jaden knocked in a couple of threes. Both shots either brought the score closer or gave his team the lead. Jaden also made plays with his passing ability. He was able to find his teammates cutting to the basket with pin-point assists. I remember how fired up he became after he nailed a three-pointer. His energy helped the Holy Name team become more competitive as a whole. As I said, I really appreciated the fight this young man had on the basketball court. Keep it up Jaden!!     It was good to see this young man play again. I watched D'Arren play AAU ball over the summer and he was good then. Fast-forward to Sunday afternoon and this guy is even better. He continues to be an excellent all-around player who does everything on the court. D'Arren can easily break down defenders and get to the basket. Some of those baskets were scored despite being fouled by the opposition. D'Arren stepped to the free-throw line and converted it, along with most of his attempts. He's a combo guard who spent most of the game as the point guard. As the team's facilitator and lead assists man, he always found teammates for open looks at the basket. D'Arren has a nice mid-range game. I watched him knock down turn-around shots and off the dribble pull-ups despite being closely guarded. Watching him play, showed why he was the clear-cut leader of the St. Lawrence team. D'Arren lead by example, while staying in constant "attack mode" the entirety of the game. On defense, he excelled at pressuring the ball and forcing the Holy Name guards into turnovers. As I said, this young man is a great all-around player who has the opportunity to be even greater. He finished the game with (12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 1 block) Keep balling D'Arren!!     The big man played awesome Sunday afternoon. He was dominant on both sides of the ball. Micheal was able to dominate in the paint against the Holy Name defenders. Many of his baskets came from nice passes from his teammates. These assists were setup perfectly in his sweet spot underneath the basket. Micheal excelled at grabbing rebounds (11) on both ends of the court. He showed excellent footwork in the post. Micheal has the ability to finish with either hand around the rim. He's also strong enough to score despite being fouled. He was able to run the floor and score during fast-break opportunities. Defensively, he was excellent at blocking shots. Micheal was awesome at using perfect timing to cast away the shots (5) of Holy Name players attempting to score in the paint. Micheal has tons of potential! If he continues to enhance his game offensively, he'll do serious damage in high school next season. Keep grinding Micheal!!     A tough minded small forward who lives in a guards body. Brian was great at rebounding the basketball inside the paint. He was one of the smallest players battling for boards and succeeding. Many of those rebounds lead to easy put-back baskets under the rim. Brian showed the ability to attack and beat his opponent off the dribble. He's a good ball handler and passer who made numerous plays with his decision making. He knows how to use his body to box out players after missed shots. Having this skill allowed Brian to successfully grab rebounds. He also understands how to set screens and occasionally roll to the basket for open shots. On defense, Brian was great at body-ing up his opponents in the post and staying attached to them on the wing. He had multiple steals that lead to positive outcomes for the St. Lawrence squad. Keep working Brian!!     This little guy was a knock down three-point shooter. Daimian had the green light to shoot long distance shots. I watched him make four of them in Sunday's contest against Holy Name. He's very knowledgeable of how to use teammate screens to free himself for good looks at the basket. Daimian can also make shots from inside the perimeter, such as runners and short jumpers. In some cases, he was able to get to the basket and have positive impacts on the team. Because of his aggression, Daimian was able to get to the free-throw line and convert most of them. On defense, Daimian played good man-to man defense and fought through every screen set on him. Keep shooting Daimian!!     Darren showed the ability to handle the ball and drive around defenders. Whenever he attacked the basket, either he scored or passed it off to a teammate. A number of his assists came from him getting into the lane and finding open St. Lawrence players. Darren has the skills to make shots from long or mid-range. during Sunday's game, he was able to create off the dribble and score on pull-up jumpers in the paint. Many of his points came by running the floor and scoring in transition. Darren can also rebound the basketball and play defense at a very high level. I was truly impressed with this young man on the defensive end of the court. Darren was the best defender on the floor against Holy Name. He's an excellent on-ball defender who forced Holy Name players into a lot of mistakes. Darren also excelled at perfectly timing his steals in the passing lanes. Many of his defensive plays lead to positive outcomes for the St. Lawrence team. Keep it up Darren!!