BCAT Hoopfest: Good Saturday

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Plenty of college coaches were in attendance on Saturday for this year's BCAT Hoopfest. There was more-than-enough talent for college programs to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the biggest highlights from Saturday's action:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lipscomb Academy has a good core</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs have a good collection of guards in [player_tooltip player_id='2571711' first='Christian' last='Blivens'], [player_tooltip player_id='1860333' first='Langsten' last='Jordan'], [player_tooltip player_id='2537828' first='Noah' last='Kaufmann'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2933245' first='John' last='Williams']. Kaufmann is joining this roster after spending his last 3 seasons at Ezell-Harding Christian. The rising senior guard is a plus for a trio that doesn't have a problem spacing the floor. In a win over Houston, Lipscomb Academy had great ball movement. Blivens, Jordan, and Kaufmann were able to get paint touches. Blivens and Kaufmann did a great job of finishing through contact at the rim. Jordan, Kaufmann, and Williams were making shots from the perimeter. The basketball kept moving until a great shot was available. The Mustangs are going to be a tough team to defend this upcoming season and should be one of the best teams in TSSAA Division 2 Class AA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tate fitting in at Houston</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It always takes time for transfers to blend in well with their new teammates. June is the perfect month for senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2624485' first='RJ' last='Tate'] to settle in with his new teammates at Houston High School. In a win over a talented Brentwood Academy team, Tate was aggressive on offense, attacking the rim and finishing through contact. When senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2101889' first='Justin' last='Frison'] wasn't on the floor, the offense didn't have a drop-off with Tate as the team's primary ball handler. On one possession, Tate dribbled to the left off a [player_tooltip player_id='2111892' first='Jordan' last='Myles']' ball screen then hit the 6-foot-6 forward rolling to the basket for an easy layup. Tate is gradually settling in with the Mustangs. His immediate scoring is a great addition to a Houston roster with a solid 1-2 punch in Myles and Frison.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lucas is doing the small things</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bartlett defeated McCallie, 55-43, on Saturday. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2784747' first='Rod' last='Lucas'] did a great job boxing out junior big man [player_tooltip player_id='2841498' first='Luke' last='C. Smith'] on a lot of possessions, limiting his opportunities for rebounds. The Panthers were able to get out in transition and score thanks to Lucas coming away with key defensive rebounds. Lucas doesn't have to provide a lot of scoring for this Bartlett team. He will have to provide grittiness, effort on the glass, and great communication. Lucas is going to do the small things for the Panthers, who took care of business without junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2194617' first='DJ' last='Okoth'] and sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2767787' first='Kaleb' last='Taylor'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Torres is good</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2310160' first='Huston' last='Torres'] has gotten better and put on a solid performance in Knoxville Webb's win over Southwind. Torres was breaking down his defender, blowing past him, and getting to the rim. The senior guard stayed aggressive for the entire contest, handling the Jaguars' on-ball pressure with ease. Torres made shots from the perimeter early in the 1st quarter, signaling what type of day it was going to be for him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->