Thanksgiving Scrimmage Tip-Off Takeaways
Dulaney hosted their annual Thanksgiving Scrimmage Tip-Off this morning. Patterson, Thomas Stone and Gaithersburg were all teams who attended. Because of the rules, public schools couldn’t officially practice until November 15, so these teams are still very much in the early goings of their season.
With that being said, each team is projected to finish high in their respective area/conference. Here are some takeaways from the event.
Dulaney
After getting off to a slow start, the Lions picked up their play as the morning went on. Sophomore wing Ike Cornish was solid throughout, being very aggressive with the ball as a driver. He was constantly hunting for seams in the defense to get into the paint and either finish around the rim or find a teammate for an open opportunity. Sophomore point guard Ryan Conway shot it well from three and showed improvement on his development as a floor general. Junior forward Cam Byers had a productive day as the inside presence for Dulaney. He rebounded well and finished efficiently when he got the ball on the block. Junior wing Che Evans got hot throughout portions of games. Pulling up in transition and breaking his man down off the dribble before pulling up from mid-range.
Gaithersburg
The Trojans’ pair of super sophomores in Jao Ituka and Jordan Hawkins both played well today. Ituka has grown tremendously as a leader since his freshman campaign and continues to be a wrecking ball when he attacks the rim. Hawkins is one of the smoothest shooters you’ll see in the DMV area and has grown to be a legit 6-foot-5 sniper. What has improved the most in Hawkins’ game is his athleticism. He is getting more comfortable with his body and can finish well above the rim when the opportunity presents itself. The two mesh well together in terms of their play styles. It reminds me of a John Wall and Bradley Beal combination.
Patterson
Senior guard Gerard Mungo was the most productive player on any team today. The Millersville commit was scoring in every way possible, while being a hard-nosed rebounder at the guard slot as he was last season. TJ Thomas had some good moments, especially shooting from three. He capitalized on many opportunities in transition on kick-out passes. Senior Marvin Price still looks to get back to his old form after returning from a knee injury. It appears he still has some ways to go in terms of conditioning, but if he’s able to get his confidence back, the team has a chance to do big things.
Thomas Stone
Senior Gary Grant was the standout for Thomas Stone today. He scored from the perimeter and nicely on drives to the basket. Defensively, he was communicating effectively and crashing the glass hard. Stone doesn’t have many great athletes, but they move the ball well and saw themselves get out to early leads in each other their first quarters.