Francisco’s Finest: St. Bernard vs St. Anthony (Part 1)

Joel Francisco

April 30, 2021 @ 01:24 AM

LONG BEACH, Ca—It’s almost surreal being in a gym after almost fifteen months watching games on the “big screen”. However, after diving into St. John Bosco and Windward to break the ice, I could see myself getting back into the groove of venturing from one gym to another seeking out prospects for all levels of college basketball—and that is exactly what I received as I watched 2023 standout [player_tooltip player_id="994964" first="Tyler" last="Rolison"] (St. Bernard) slice-and-dice his way to the rim in leading his team to a thrilling 55-50 victory over host St. Anthony. [player_tooltip player_id="994964" first="Tyler" last="Rolison"] (St. Bernard) 2023, PG, 6-foot, 155 pounds <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/IMG_3569.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1181639 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/IMG_3569-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a> Joel’s Take: The star of the game was definitely Rolison. He played as if he was shot out of a cannon from the get-go. He blitzed the Saint defense with his crafty handle and elite speed. Getting to the rim was not a problem for him as he dropped in a couple of nifty floaters. His pull-game looked tight and he handed out several look-ahead passes while in transition.     [player_tooltip player_id="954255" first="Elijah" last="Price"] (St. Anthony) 2022, PF, 6-foot-8, 190 pounds Joel’s Take: The rangy 4-man is just scratching the surface of his potential. In the first half, he endured some foul trouble and struggled to get into the rhythm of the game. However, in the 2nd half, he impacted the game in a variety of ways. Rim protection, rebounding, nifty passing, and some stellar finishes were all part of an impressive performance. He still needs to get stronger and get comfortable knocking in the elbow jump shot (it was there all night), but overall he was impressive. [player_tooltip player_id="680224" first="Damion" last="McDowell"] (St. Bernard) 2021, PF, 6-foot-6, 200 pounds Joel’s Take: The Rice-bound 4-man was very active in the 1st half as he displayed a true nose for the ball at both ends. At the D-1 level, he is a bit of a “tweener”. He has good hands, solid length, and can finish with either hand. However, he isn’t overly bouncy and needs to improve his 3-point shot to be more versatile at the next level. DeDrick Martin (St. Anthony) 2021, PF, 6-foot-7, 195 pounds Joel’s Take: Martin is slowly coming off a devastating knee injury from a year ago. He is still gaining his strength and bounce back, but he’s not there yet. However, his motor was quite impressive. He is a rim-running 4-man who can guard multiple positions. He hedged well on screens and showed the necessary lateral quickness to defend the perimeter. Darren Mitchell (St. Bernard) 2023, WF/PF, 6-foot-7, 185 pounds Joel’s Take: Mitchell didn’t show much in the “production” category, but you could see his impressive upside. He has that prototypical Division 1 frame with great length and he’s an evolving athlete. His ball skills are on the come and he showed a 3-point touch as well. Once he gets a nice dose of experience and continues to gain strength and maturity, he projects well for the next level.