Five Takeaways: Fort Wayne Carroll vs. Carmel
A night off losing to Hamilton Southeastern, Carmel was looking to get back in the win column and they were able to after a slow start against Fort Wayne Carroll. Led by Jalen Whack’s 18 points, Carmel moved to 13-6. Fort Wayne Carroll drops just their third game of the season behind 14 points from Dan McKeeman and 9 points from David Ejah.
Whack Provides Big Boost To Offense
For those that have liked Jalen Whack for a while, you have really liked his defense. His offense wasn’t necessarily a second thought, but it wasn’t at the same level right now. After missing all of that time, I think Whack had something to prove as he went off for 18 points on 5/6 shooting and 2/2 from three. He’s always been a good shooter but never aggressive enough to put up big point totals. This was a much needed game for Carmel and for Whack who is still one of the more recruited players in 2018 class. If that offense can really shine, his stock will grow even more. This was the game that showed what his ceiling could be in college.
Carmel Finally Fully Healthy, Ready For Final Stretch
For Carmel, they have been without their full lineup pretty much all year but now they are back, a couple weeks before the playoffs begin. While this game was sloppy, Carmel should have enough time to put it all back together before they have to start making a run. One of the biggest contributors was Jalen Whack and he had been missing for a long time. He has the ability to really lock down individual players on defense an even though he was hurt, he should have plenty of energy for this stretch run.
Fort Wayne Carroll Has Length, Toughness
Carroll showed tonight how they were 15-2 heading into this game. They have some shooting and a little size but their length and toughness might have been the thing that stood out most. Arius Jones and David Ejah can really cause problems. They made it difficult for guys like Andrew Owens and John-Michael Mulloy in the post and on drives. It forced Carmel to be a little bit more perimeter oriented than I think they wanted to be. Carroll doesn’t try and blow anyone out, they average just 60.4 points per game, so playing grueling possessions and hard defense kind of makes them a tough matchup. Their biggest obstacle is stopping Fort Wayne North again but they might just have enough to do it a second time.
Post Production, Consistency Really Difficult For Carmel
One of the biggest takeaways all season for Carmel is their lack of consistency and production from the post. John-Michael Mulloy can score and is productive at times but it really varies from game-to-game and Andrew Owens has been much more of a wing than an interior player. Part of that seems like the amount of shooters dictate more plays ran for perimeter players but also teams bullying Mulloy down low. While this was expected a bit, there needs to be a way to be more efficient and effective. They are going to see this issue the rest of the year and if they can’t get into a groove, the postseason could be shorter than they would want.
Carroll Could Reload For Next Season
While the roster looks like it could lose a bit of talent, the two biggest scorers tonight are both juniors in Dan McKeeman and David Ejah. Take into account, Richie Gross and Blake Pocock are also a sophomore and junior, respectively, they were also a part of Carroll’s shooting attack. They will need to bring in some more size if they can but the offensive core of this team will be here another year. At 15-3, this season is exceeding expectations at this point and we could see a good two year stint here as they have good pieces in place.