Prospect Spotlight: James Berry (2020)
6-foot-3 wing James Berry will be an intriguing player to watch at Bishop Ireton this season. This will be his first year on varsity, and he will be expected to step in and make an immediate impact on both ends of the court. Berry is coming off a fantastic grassroots season with Mid Atlantic Select, and is prepared to apply the lessons he learned over the summer in his first varsity season.
“The biggest thing I learned over the summer was how to play defense and control his hip,” Berry explained. “Because without his hips he can’t go anywhere. So if you control that, you control him. And that’s a good defensive possession.”
Ireton loses a handful of key seniors from last years team, and Berry’s inclusion in this version of Neil Berkman’s team will certainly be instrumental to their success.
“I’m kind of an all around player. I can dish the ball but I can also score,” Berry said of his overall game. “Using my length is usually what I do. I’m really good at rebounding for a guard.”
Berry mentioned that he’s working on getting legs stronger on his jump shot, and just getting stronger in general. What are his goals?
“My personal goals are just to get better all around,” Berry stated. “As a team, our goal is to play our best basketball around February 22. Thats when the playoffs start, so if we play our best basketball then, we will be set.”