Top Standouts From The WCAC Finals and Semi-Finals

All three games in the Semi-finals and finals were competitive, which is no surprise given the high quality of this conference. Here are the players that stood out to me the most.    I really don't think PVI beats O'Connell in the semis without [player_tooltip player_id='2916390' first='Ryan' last='Bahr']. There was a stretch of time in the second half of this game where PVI ran its offense through [player_tooltip player_id='2916390' first='Ryan' last='Bahr'] in large part due to Bishop O'Connell putting a huge onus on stopping [player_tooltip player_id='3336930' first='Jordan' last='Smith']. Ryan was terrific, getting to the rim with an array of dribble moves and spins. He had some crafty finishes and was everywhere on the glass, as well as on defense. In the final, Ryan knocked down a three, and his put-back lay-in tied the game late, which ultimately sent it to overtime. I loved what he did, crashing the boards late, and after the past few days at American, Ryan's stock definitely has to be up.     [player_tooltip player_id='2252287' first='Darius' last='Bivins'] is a really easy watch. Watching Darius a few years ago at the MLK classic in a tourney that kind of felt like his blowup, something that stood out to me was that it felt like he had a truly elite understanding of pace and feel for the game. That was best exemplified when he had [player_tooltip player_id='3336930' first='Jordan' last='Smith'] on him. Smith is a special defensive prospect, and he showed that a few times while on Bivins. But Darius definitely got the better of him a few possessions. Smith is a bigger, stronger, and more athletic player, and Darius got by him multiple times because of the way he's able to string together his handles into space creation. He had 18 points and was especially good in the second half as the rest of the O'Connell team went a little cold.     [player_tooltip player_id='2194710' first='Brian' last='Mitchell Jr.'] saw his stock rise a lot this year, and I love what he could give to a lot of programs at the next level. He is an elite shooter and the type of plug-and-play off-guard/wing that teams love. Brian took a hard fall at home against St. John's about a week ago, and he didn't look 100% against O'Connell. He still had a big game, hitting a number of threes and finishing with a game-high 21. He fouled out against St. John's, but he hit a few threes to help kick-start PVI's run to get back into the game.     Although [player_tooltip player_id='3336930' first='Jordan' last='Smith'] took over the final late, I really felt Turk Brown kept PVI in it early. Turk hit a number of shots in both games, and he helped get PVI's run going with his shooting. Turk showed his toughness against O'Connell by coming back into the game and making some plays after getting hit in the face diving for a loose ball, and having his knee bent in an awkward position. Turk's leadership and fit next to [player_tooltip player_id='3336930' first='Jordan' last='Smith'] were crucial to why PVI was so great this year.     There were long stretches of the semis and small spurts of the final that Jymin Veney took over. In the semis, Carroll really had no answer for him. In both games, he did well finishing through contact, and he had a number of really crafty finishes. He displayed great footwork and knocked down a few spot-up threes. He was a huge reason St. John's was able to push their lead to 16 in the 2nd half, and he had a combined 41 points in the two games.     Jordan Taylor's otherworldly athleticism was a huge factor, and he dominated the glass. Another thing that he brought was that he did an outstanding job the few times he was switched on [player_tooltip player_id='3336930' first='Jordan' last='Smith']. St. John's has good defensive personnel with their athleticism and ability to switch, and Jordan Taylor is a good example of that. Jordan had 14 points and 15 rebounds in the final and finished with double-digit boards in both games.     Senior Guard Geremy Clark had a big day for St. John's. Geremy hit a couple of circus shots at the end of the shot clock, one of them being a tough free-throw line floater with his right hand. Geremy had some outstanding finishes, and he did a great job using his body in mid-air to finish. Geremy finished with a team-high 23 points.

All three games in the Semi-finals and finals were competitive, which is no surprise given the high quality of this conference. Here are the players that stood out to me the most.