Most Outstanding Prospects: Freeburg vs Salem

<p>Freeburg traveled to play a conference road game at Salem on Tuesday night.  It was tight in the first half as the game was tied 26 all at the midway point.  Freeburg opened up the lead with a monster run to start the third quarter and the Wildcats could never get back in striking distance as Freeburg won 57-48.  Check out our <strong>Most Outstanding Prospects: Freeburg vs Salem.</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PG Luke Ervie (Freeburg – 2020)</strong></p> <p>Ervie is a prospect that has been on our radar for a while.  The 6’1” guard can play both on and off the ball.  Mostly played at the point on Tuesday night.  Tough kid that has improved his ball handling.  Scored on several drives with crafty layups.  Solid jumper as he hit a spot up corner three early and then worked in the mid-range for a pull up.  Like how he directed the offense while still scoring.  Rebounded well from his guard spot.  Ervie had 17 points and 7 boards.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>SG Connor Diecker (Freeburg – 2019)</strong></p> <p>Diecker is a small college sleeper.  Wing with size who can stretch the floor with his shooting.  Did just that against Salem connecting on an array of triples.  Quick and concise release when spotting up.  Couple nice finishes in traffic and closed the game out leaking out for an open layup.  Really liked what he did on the glass hitting the boards at a high rate.  He had 21 points and 10 rebounds.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PG Owen Smith (Freeburg – 2019)</strong></p> <p>Smith provided a spark for Freeburg.  The 5’9” thick bodied point guard drilled two huge threes and also got after it defensively finishing with 8 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>F Colin Brueggemann (Freeburg – 2021)</strong></p> <p>This 6’5” sophomore is intriguing.  Good size, length, and projectability.  Mobile four that ran the floor well.  Both his buckets came in the paint one on a dump off and another on a put back.  Missed both of his free throws.  Forward to track as he presents some upside especially if he shows some perimeter skill.  The sophomore scored 4 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PG Jacob Harness (Salem – 2019)</strong></p> <p>Harness was outstanding in the first half for the Wildcats.  This 5’10” point guard plays with reckless abandon.  He netted some points from deep while also flying around for a few runners along with an and-1.  Finished with 14 points with most of them coming in the first half.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>F Brett Whitney (Salem – 2019)</strong></p> <p>Whitney gets the most out of his ability.  He is only 6’1”, but plays bigger than his height with his toughness, motor, and grit.  Whitney is a junk yard dog that finishes around the hoop on quick passes and offensive rebounds.  Also had a couple assertive moves including a left handed hook shot en route to 10 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>SG Eric Brubaker (Salem – 2019)</strong></p> <p>Brubaker has stepped up big for Salem throughout the season.  The senior 6’0” guard is a thick wing who likes to attack with a head of steam behind him.  Got a layup off a steal, converted a put back, threw in a runner, and even hit a three.  Showed some versatility going for 10 points.</p>