Five Questions: Garfield Bulldogs (81) vs. Cleveland Eagles (65)
GARFIELD BULLDOGS, Seattle, WA— In a matchup between a pair of 2 powerhouses, it was nationally ranked bulldogs who prevailed in the season opener, taking a 81-65 home win over CJ ELLEBY and the Cleveland Eagles.
The game got off to a bit of a sloppy start on both sides, but started to pick up in the second quarter, as the bulldogs used an aggressive defensive attack to take the eagles out of there sets offensively.
The second half saw more of the same, with Garfield eventually building a good sizable lead early in the fourth quarter, before an onslaught came from the 3 headed monster of Kemp, Cockrell, fuller and brooks. Garfield went on a huge run
Can anyone in the state contend with Garfield?
It is not hard to believe that the bulldogs were able to add such talent to there roster. If you look at the bulldog pedigree and the history of championships and high level talent to come out of that school. I’m sure there is a line leading around the school of basketball talent wanting to play for Brandon Roy and beside Jamon Kemp and PJ Fuller. With the addition of Pierre Cockrell another nationally ranked point guard and D1 recruit J’raan Brooks makes this roster really stand out and fill the gym when it’s game time. I do foresee this team playing on the national stage and a great homecoming would be the Dick’s Nationals. I don’t believe they will suffer a loss by any team in the state of Washington. I believe that this will be one of the greatest teams ever assembled in the history of the state.
And if so, what’s the recipe?
If you’re going to beat the Bulldogs, you’ll want to start with a point guard who doesn’t turn the ball over and who can attack the rim in transition. The bulldogs will pressure you full court and with there length they cover a lot of ground. So the opposing team will need to put length on the floor and do the same thing on the defensive end. The opposing team cannot play a half court game and allow Garfield to load up. Every rebound, every steal, every chance you get to push the ball you HAVE TO. The only chance you have is speeding the game up and using foot speed to create easier opportunities for yourself. On the glass you’re going to need length and beef as well. Brook and Kemp have superior athleticism and can out jump anybody. Big physical guys in the post could pose a issue for the Garfield big’s. With all that said you will also need to play a near perfect game especially on the offensive end.
How good will the bench of Garfield be?
The Bulldogs have a really talented starting five, a group that plays really well together. But they need to get more production off of the bench so that the starts don’t use all there miles throughout the season. They have some solid guys coming off the bench but they can at times play with a non-aggressive attitude. With Marjon Beauchamp leading the pack he is a D1 recruit who can get his shot whenever he wants. Sometimes playing behind studs like that psychologically it can take a toll and minimize your aggression. Joe and Jorrell Saterfield have a the green light coming of the bench as well. With time the bench will produce 30% of the scoring output per game.
Is there a way to quantify the state tournament experience of the program and there history?
Probably not, but when you watch them play, it’s clearly an edge they have over their competition. As Garfield was making their run, that trio was calm and made winning plays. Cockrell took advantage of a gambling defense and had a few drives for layups. Turner calmly knocked down a couple of corner 3’s with a defender flying at him. PJ was key with jumped the passing lanes and got multiple layups out of it. As other players were scrambling around, they were composed on the floor, and that’s something that comes with the experience of playing in high-level games. The biggest difference in this game was that the bulldogs’ have state champions on their roster and they looked unflappable.
How do you slow down the 4 headed monster of Jamon Kemp, PJ Fuller, Pierre Cockrell and J’raan Brooks?
Garfield Bulldogs star guard Pierre Cockrell was tremendous in leading the attack and making sure everybody got involved and the ball was being distributed to multiple guys. PJ Fuller as good a shooter as there is in the state off the dribble, with the ability to stop and elevate into his jumper on a dime, and he’s become a much more confident shooter from the arc as his high school career has progressed. If you leave him six inches of space, he’ll shoot it over you after a hard dribble. J’raan Books is a high level scorer in the paint gut he can also make plays for others. You have to make him give the ball up, then deny and don’t let him get it back. Jamon Kemp is a super talented scorer who is always going to get his points, but the more you make him play without the ball, the better. There is no stopping there attack. You literally have to match there output with scorers of your own. The best way to take down the 4 headed monster is to OUTSCORE THEM!!!