Varsity Basketball Spotlight- Herron Achaeans

I witnessed a tough minded team who plays hard and does whatever it takes to win games. These players represented the Herron basketball program at the highest level.    Jaden is a true "floor general" who facilitates the ball at a high level. He's an unselfish player who always looked to get teammates involved offensively. Jaden ran the team's offense with precision. Whenever he pushed the pace up-court, Herron made positive plays in transition. Whether it's flashy assists, floaters down the lane or mid-range shots, Jaden was hard to handle for Traders Point Christian defenders. He's an excellent ball handler who had no issues breaking down the opposing defense. Jaden was great at drawing in defenders and dishing out passes to his teammates. The majority of those assists led to perimeter jump-shots or scores near the basket. Jaden is a talented player who will continue to progress as he continues to work on his overall basketball skills.     CJ showcased his skills for all to see Tuesday night. Whether it was playing big in the post, driving to the basket, knocking down perimeter shots or scoring in transition, CJ was effective from everywhere on the basketball court. Whenever he grabbed offensive rebounds, CJ immediately put them back up around the basket. This led to many of his scores. Everything he did was off sheer hustle and determination. Whenever he had opposing players in one-on-one match-ups, CJ beat them off the dribble and effectively attacked the rim. I appreciated the energy he showed throughout the game. CJ played like a person who was determined to win at all cost. He's an excellent player who I expect to have an outstanding season the rest of the way.     Clyde is what I call a “glue guy.” He showed a knack for being effective in all facets of the game. Whether it's scoring, grabbing rebounds, assisting teammates or defending, Clyde found ways of making a difference on the basketball court. He was great at handling the ball and making plays for his teammates. The majority of his assists led to easy scores for other Herron players. There were countless times where he grabbed rebounds, pushed the pace up-court and scored in transition. He also showed the ability to knock down three-pointers. Defensively, Clyde stalked his opponents and forced them into turnovers. Most of the steals he generated led to positive plays for Herron. Clyde is a great team player. I expect him to be the focal point of the Achaeans offense next season.     Elijah is a play-making combo guard who is more scorer than facilitator. He has the skills to get his teammates involved with pin-point passes but I view him as a pure scorer. Elijah excelled at getting to the basket and making acrobatic lay-ups. He's great at scoring with either hand. Whenever he needed to beat a defender going right, he did so. The same applied whenever he attacked the defense going to his left. Elijah has a nice pull-up game from the mid-range area of the court. I watched him knock down these shots regularly throughout the game. He was great at creating the space he needed to shoot over opposing defenders. Whenever he needed to extend his range beyond the three-point line, he did so effectively. On defense, he forced multiple steals by intercepting careless passes thrown by Traders Point Christian players. Elijah is a great scoring guard who's capable of filling up the stat sheet.     In my opinion, this young man was Herron's best shooter. Josiah knocked down three shots from beyond the three-point line. He also made a host of short perimeter jump-shots during Tuesday's game. He excelled at finding ways to free himself for clean looks at the basket. His teammates played a big role in successfully getting him open shots. They set screens and ran plays that allowed him to be effective. In isolated situations, Josiah used his ball handling skills to beat Traders Point Christian players off the dribble. This allowed him to create open shots for himself. Josiah was great at rebounding on both ends of the floor. He's a good all around player who showed the ability to make plays with his passing, scoring and defending. In the second half of the game, Josiah became a sniper! Whenever he was left alone, more than likely the shot was going down.

I witnessed a tough minded team who plays hard and does whatever it takes to win games. These players represented the Herron basketball program at the highest level.