Rundown: Richmond Times Dispatch Tournament
The annual Richmond Times Dispatch Tournament was stacked yet again this year, featuring eight of the best boys and girls programs in the Greater Richmond Area culminating in the final day of play at the Siegel Center on the campus…
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Continue ReadingThe annual Richmond Times Dispatch Tournament was stacked yet again this year, featuring eight of the best boys and girls programs in the Greater Richmond Area culminating in the final day of play at the Siegel Center on the campus of VCU. This year was as crazy as ever, as upstart programs took down perennial powerhouses, and some of the best players in RVA put on a show that won’t soon be forgotten. Here’s our rundown and takeaways from the three day event.
Saints Take Home the Trophy
St. Christopher’s is already coming off of their best season in school history after their first trip to the state semifinals, and they are off to one of the best starts in their history going 9-0 after convincingly winning the TDIT, leading at half and never looking back in each game.
The scoring duo of Richmond commit Nick Sherod and junior point guard Alex Petrie combined for 156 of the Saints’ 200 points in their three wins, establishing themselves as one of the best duos in not just the Richmond area, but the entire state. Shrerod was his usual self, finding his spots on the floor and elevating to hit contested shots. He also regularly found the free throw line, frustrating opposing defenders and getting easy points.
Petrie was pretty unbelievable himself throughout the tournament, handling pressure by himself and getting the team into sets offensively. He showed shiftiness with the ball, deep range off both the catch and the dribble and hit tough shots in the lane through contact. He has already established himself as one of the better point guards in the area, but he continues to improve and wow the crowd every time he has the ball in his hands.
A nice newcomer for St. Chris was also 2018 wing Justin Jasper, who defended the best player on the other team every game. He showed great energy on both ends, and was a consistent third option throughout the tournament. With two workhorses and a bevy of role players content with doing what they do well, St. Chris will be a formidable contender throughout the season.
Deep Run Quiets the Haters
Some people had claimed that the Wildcats of Deep Run were overrated because of a soft early schedule, but they quieted those skeptics with a huge come from behind win over John Marshall in the semifinals on Tuesday night. Trailing by five midway through the fourth quarter, Deep Run went on a 10-0 run sparked by pesky defense and the play of senior Campbell commit DaMontez Oliver (pictured above) and senior point guard Georgie Pacheco.
Oliver and sixth man Kimani Donovan put the comeback in motion as the two combined to score 14 straight for the Wildcats, while Pacheco iced it down the stretch with a couple of clutch baskets and free throws. Oliver finished the game with 20 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter, while Pacheco finished with 16 points, 13 of which came in the final period.
Pacheco was especially good in their first round win over Millwood, with a 30 point outburst that included 6 from deep. He showed good leadership and poise down the stretch, and with their depth and ability to defend and score it in bunches they are a true contender in the stacked 5A South.
RVA’s Best Point Guards on Display
We already mentioned the steady play of Alex Petrie and Georgie Pacheco throughout the tournament, but the TDIT also featured the likes of two high major signees on display doing what they do best.
Following what some would call a slow season, Central Florida commit and John Marshall point guard Jeremy Sheppard was on fire scoring 20+ points in every game of the tournament. He has been playing with a lot of confidence since his signing, and has demonstrated NBA range off the dribble with little effort. He also has been more aggressive attacking the paint and finishing through contact, which gets him easy points at the line.
Providence commit and reigning 3A Player of the Year Maliek White was also phenomenal in the tournament, particularly in George Wythe’s first round loss to St. Chris. After flourishing into a true point guard, White almost has to be rewired into a shoot first guy with the loss of his three best options from last year’s state championship team. However, he has helped get sophomore wing Eugene Williams going, who scored 20 points in their comeback win against Millwood on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see how he balances the two, but with his competitiveness it will only be a matter of time before he figures out what it takes to win with this group.
Millwood Still Figuring it Out
There’s no doubt about it that Millwood may have one of the deepest and most talented teams in the Richmond area. However, they have struggled early against other talented teams.
Millwood has struggled to play with a lead, and that can be attributed to the fact that they don’t have a veteran leader at the point guard position. In their loss to George Wythe in the fifth place game, the Bobcats blew a 14 point halftime lead as they took ill advised shots and turned the ball over down the stretch. One of their assistants talked about how they have struggled to play with a lead.
The one thing that Millwood has working for them is that they are long and athletic at almost every position, but without Towson commit JJ Matthews, who’s likely out for the season with a knee injury, they need someone to step up and become a leader. If they can’t find one, it will likely be a long season for them.
Benedictine Looking for Go-To Guy
Another team that has a ton of talent but hasn’t figured out how to put it all together is the Cadets of Benedictine. They won their first game against Highland Springs convincingly, but dropped close games to St. Chris and John Marshall after, finishing fourth in the tournament.
The biggest problem with Benedictine was their lack of a go-to guy that can create his own shot when they need it. Their two biggest scoring threats were junior point guard Aaron Fowlkes, who is a threat from deep off the dribble but is a ball dominant scorer, and senior forward Cutch Ellis who’s length and shooting ability made him a constant factor both scoring it and on the glass.
The guy they are waiting to fully come around, however, is sophomore wing DeAndre Thomas. The heralded prospect who’s in his second season at the military school showed flashes as he led a comeback against John Marshall that came up short, finishing with 16 points all in the second half. He’ll have to be the guy that comes along, and has to be more aggressive in looking to be that go-to guy, because he’s capable of both leading and scoring it in bunches.