A Scout’s Take: St. Anthony vs Colony (Part 1)

Joel Francisco

February 19, 2022 @ 10:09 AM

A Scout’s Take: St. Anthony vs Colony (Part 1) LONG BEACH, Ca—Colony was hoping to travel the road--a long road that is from Ontario to Long Beach--to victory, but the Saints of St. Anthony had other ideas as that “road” became even longer for the Titans as the Saints blitzed to a 31-11 lead after the 1st quarter. The Titans made a few runs, but the sharpshooting Saints—led by senior guard Lucas Gray’s 25-points—would be too much as they cruised to a 75-54 victory. Burning the nets Lucas Gray (St. Anthony) 2022, G, 5-foot-10, 155 pounds Joel’s Take: The surprise of the night had to be Gray. The Los Alamitos transfer was absolutely scintillating as he dropped in five 3s in the 1st quarter and ended up with 25-points. The shooting was spot on, but he also handed out some nice dimes off the pick and roll. Defensively he was all over the ball and he had some nice finishes in transition. Minnesota-bound Jaden Henley (Colony) 2022, F, 6-foot-7, 185 pounds Joel’s Take: Henley, who is headed to Minnesota in the fall, could never really get on track. He showed his immense skill set as well as glimpses of what is to come down the road with development. The lengthy wing can face defenders up, has a nice triple threat game, and his touch extends out to 20-feet. He had some high-level finishes off the bounce, including a smooth runner in the paint. Going forward he’ll need to add some bulk to finish at the Big Ten level, but the tools are there. Two-way stalwart [player_tooltip player_id="748743" first="Jaayden" last="Bush"] (St. Anthony) 2022, G, 6-foot-1, 165 pounds <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Jaayden-Bush-StA-crop-1774x1165-1637696770.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1333325 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Jaayden-Bush-StA-crop-1774x1165-1637696770-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a> Joel’s Take: On most nights, Bush is the best all-around player for the Saints. On this night, they didn’t need another standout performance as others stepped up. However, he still put together a workmanlike performance as he dropped in 11-points, handed out some nice passes, and showed his excellent burst off the dribble. Defensively, he and his teammates were ubiquitous as they disrupted Colony’s offense the whole night with their speed, quickness, and savvy. The next step [player_tooltip player_id="994955" first="Kollen" last="Murphy"] (Colony) 2023, G, 6-foot-3, 165 pounds <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Kollen-Murphy-Colony.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1196227 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Kollen-Murphy-Colony-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a> Joel’s Take: Murphy has all the physical tools to be a D1 guard. The rangy left-hander showed a nice burst off the dribble and he’s an ambidextrous finisher in the paint. He can knock in the 3-pointer (1-of-4 from 3), but his shot needs to tighten up. On this night his shot was all over the place (long and short). With repetition and working on his balance (playing with more pace will help), it should get much more consistent. Defensively, he has the feet, length, and hands to be a lockdown defender. The tools are there, now it comes down to slowing down, reading the situation, and playing on balance.