5 Takeaways: Blue Springs South
The season for the Blue Springs South Jaguars has been very up and down. At times, they look like they can play with some of the better teams in state, but they also seem to stoop down to the level of worse teams. The Jaguars earned one of their better victories on Tuesday night against another inconsistent team in the Lee’s Summit North Broncos. The game was very close and came down to the final minutes in which a Jaylon McDaniel dunk grabbed all of the momentum and ultimately put the game away. Blue Springs South won the game 77-67. Below we will talk about 5 key factors for this Jaguar team moving forward.
Senior Leadership
The Jaguars did lose a few big pieces last year to graduation, but that also had a few juniors that are now seniors move up and are now taking on bigger roles. Senior Jared Ravencamp is one of those guys. He has proven to be a leader and his teammates respect and rely on Ravencamp to guide them down the right path. Ravencamp great at just one thing, but more of a jack of all traits kind of guy. Standing at 6’1″, he has great size for a guard, he plays solid defense, comes up with big rebounds and is a big time hustler on the floor. On the offensive end, he is in charge of what they are running, and he tries to control the pace of the game to better suit his team. If the Jaguars are in need of a bucket, look for Ravencamp to drive and score or dish if the defense crashes. Another big time senior who has started the past few years is big man Ethan Swanegan. Swanegan, like Ravencamp, is definitely one of the leaders and most trusted players on this team. He is a solid 6’5″ and is capable of playing anywhere on the court. He shoots the ball with confidence and can put up some big numbers. Be prepared, because if no one boxes this guy out, he will definitely crash the boards and more than likely come up with the ball. Swanegan is getting some big looks from D1 colleges for his football talent, but this kid is an all around athlete. One last senior that is putting together a huge season is a fella that goes by the name of Jack Gillig. Unlike the other two, Gillig has spent most of his playing career either on the JV squad or one of the last players off the bench. That isn’t the case this year as Gillig has really stepped into his role and become a huge scoring threat for the Jaguars. He isn’t the best defender or ball handler on the court, but he also isn’t bad at either. The reason for Gillig’s playing time is because this man can flat out stroke the ball. He’s had plenty of games with over 20 points and he has even hit the 30 point mark this season as well. Gillig continued his hot senior season by knocking down six 3’s and scoring a game high 21 points for the Jaguars Tuesday night.
The Youngins
The Jaguars are loaded with young talent and it looks like they could be contending for the league and maybe even state titles down the road. Frosh Jaylon McDaniel is a straight up stud and has the potential to be a high level D1 basketball star! McDaniel is 6’7″ and very coordinated for only being a freshman. He is very efficient when shooting the ball and doesn’t try to force up any bad shots. He knows that he still has a lot to learn, and he is okay with not being the number 1 option. That will probably all change next year, but this year, he’s a huge addition to this team and when he is on the floor, they are able to compete with anyone around. Another player that a lot of people have not heard of is Sophomore Guard Khayden Hooks. Hooks, like McDaniel, is not quite at the level where he can just take over a game if needed, and that really is okay. He’s playing more of a 6th man role player this year, and it benefits this Jaguar team in a major way. McDaniel finished with 7 points and double digit rebounds while Hooks finished with two 3’s and 8 points on Tuesday night’s win.
Rebounding/Pressure
Blue Springs South is one of the bigger teams in the Suburban Gold Conference and around the area for that matter. They will and have been able to use their size against smaller teams giving them a bit of an advantage. Their guards are able to pressure up on defense, and with their size, they get a lot of deflections which in turn leads to turnovers and fast break buckets. The guards are also some of the best hustling and rebounding guards around. Add in the two big guys underneath, and this team will more than likely out rebound any and every team they play. Moving forward, if teams want to continue to compete, they will have to out shoot the Jags and/or muscle up and play more aggressive.
Offensive Patience
Because of the senior leadership on this Jaguar team, they tend to stay away from big time mistakes that lose them games. As said before, Ravencamp has the ball in his hand most of the time while on offense. He has no problem being patient and dissecting the opposing defense so that they are able to get good looks. On Tuesday night, the offense moved the ball very well and had the Bronco defense running all over the place. They got good look after good look and that proved to be a key and one of the main factors in the victory. One guy off the bench that proved to be huge on Tuesday night was Senior Guard DJ Hyde. Hyde’s shot doesn’t have a lot of arc on it, but it is pretty enough to find the bottom of the net as he hit four huge 3’s including one right before the half. Hyde ended the night with 12 points.
Jaguars have a Future?
As the season goes on, this team will probably still run through a few challenges. They will face some adversity and maybe lose some games that they should win, but there is also the chance that they will beat a few really good teams. As long as they are able to grow and get away from the inconsistent play, this team has a chance to really do some damage. They do have a tough district to try and make it out of, but this Blue Springs South team is a team I wouldn’t want to face late in the season.