North Houston’s Top Performers of the Last Week – Bigs
Had the pleasure of checking out three different games in the North Houston area during the week of January 16. On Wednesday, January 19, the 14-10 Benjamin Davis Falcons came to the loud and energetic home court of the 19-1…
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Continue ReadingHad the pleasure of checking out three different games in the North Houston area during the week of January 16. On Wednesday, January 19, the 14-10 Benjamin Davis Falcons came to the loud and energetic home court of the 19-1 Westfield Mustangs but were no match for the dominant forces of Westfield, ending in a 66-44 blowout for the home team. On Friday, January 21, the 15-10 Woodlands Highlanders visited the 9-16 Conroe Tigers, and it was the Highlanders that came away with a close 60-55 victory on their opponent’s home court. Lastly, on Saturday, January 22, the 14-11 Nimitz Cougars played host to the 13-12 Dekaney Wildcats in a very close game, with the Cougars taking it, 48-45. There were several impressive contributors on each team in these three games. Below we review the top performing bigs.
Also check out: Top Performers: Ball Handlers | Top Performers: Wings | Top Performers: Bigs
#23 – Willie Williams Willie Williams 6'7" | PF Westfield | 2022 State TX – 6’5″ – PF/C – Senior – Westfield vs. Ben Davis
Williams put on a show for everyone in the arena in this game and proved to everyone why he’s considered one of the top bigs in the state, let alone in the 6A division. He was a dominant force in the paint on both ends of the court and had an amazing head-to-head battle with Ben Davis’ interior force, Deadric Fikes. Williams did what he did best, scoring from the post early and often, using his big body to bang down low, create space, and then use his soft touch to finish near the basket. He was aggressive on his drives and on the offensive boards and it took more than just one person to stop him at times. On the defensive end he came away with several blocks throughout the entire game, showing his incredible timing and length, and put his special IQ on full display, staying vertical on almost every play and rarely fouling. His performance was perfectly capped off in the 4th quarter when he came in for a monstrous poster over his adversary, Fikes, which ended in a few words and shoves exchanged between the two, getting both crowds riled up. Once the aftermath of the energizing play settled down, Williams followed it up with a huge block on the other end to get the crowd right back on their feet on the way to the convincing win.
#12 – Deadric Fikes – 6’6″ – C/PF – Sophomore – Ben Davis vs. Westfield
Fikes came into this game with the tall task of taking on Westfield’s dominant interior force in Willie Williams Willie Williams 6'7" | PF Westfield | 2022 State TX . Williams had the experience over the younger Fikes, but he still put on an impressive performance and was able to get several nice plays over the star Westfield big man. He was a beast on the boards on both ends of the court, using his strong base to seal out opponents and his height and length to swallow up rebounds in bunches. He operated from the post fairly well for a young big man, especially going up against the big body of Williams, and he showed some potential as a stretch big, shooting from midrange with confidence. He also showed some impressive grit and skill on the defensive end, staying strong in the post, outstretching his long arms to stay vertical and challenge opponents’ shots, and getting good contact on the ball on several occasions. He managed to get several steals in the game, using his quick hands and good coordination to swat the ball from opponents’ grips and interfering with passing lanes.
#15 – Gary Lewis – 6’2″ – PF/SF – Sophomore – Conroe vs. Woodlands
Lewis took full advantage of the smaller Woodlands team with aggressiveness and strength, and dominated the inside game along with his teammate, Kamari Weatherspoon. He hit a 3-pointer early in the 2nd quarter, but the rest of his game came completely from within the paint where he made play after play throughout the game. He made several strong post plays, backing down the smaller Woodlands defenders and simply muscling his way to a basket. He was overpowering on the offensive boards, as well, getting several putbacks to fall. He even managed to finesse his way to a couple baskets, pulling off a beautiful euro step in the 2nd quarter. On defense he was just as aggressive and dominant, blocking shots, aggravating any inside attempts the Highlanders had, and knocking the ball loose on drive attempts with his strong hands and good coordination.
#33 – Kamari Weatherspoon – 6’3″ – PF – Senior – Conroe vs. Woodlands
Weatherspoon, like his teammate, Lewis, used his aggression and strength to keep his team in this game until the very end. He even mixed in impressive shot making and hit several 3-pointers to lead the Tigers in scoring. He was hitting long range shots early and often, but his biggest shot of the game came late in the 4th to bring Conroe within 3 points before the Highlanders put it away for good. If he wasn’t shooting the long ball, Weatherspoon was playing bully ball and using his big body to create space down low and muscle through traffic for layups. He hit a tough and-1 in the 2nd quarter and played phenomenal out of the post even with the Woodlands smothering him with every defender they had. He didn’t have many eye-catching defensive plays, but he was still a solid and intelligent contributor on that end, staying vertical in the paint and challenging any shot that came his way.
#21 – McGrover Odili – 6’5″ – PF – Senior – Nimitz vs. Dekaney
Odili was the biggest guy on the court in the game between Nimitz and Dekaney and he definitely made his presence felt because of it. On offense he was setting hard ball screens for his teammates at the top of the key, and he was dominating the paint with his offensive rebounds, putbacks, and strong and aggressive post play. He had a huge and-1 putback in the 4th quarter to help his team hold onto the lead late in the game. On defense, he was even more dominant in the paint. Not only did he swallow almost every defensive rebound and get long and vertical on every paint attempt by the other team, but he had several huge blocks, especially late in the game when Dekaney needed a basket.