7 Intriguing Prospects: Putnam City West vs. Putnam City
Putnam City West got its revenge on Putnam City on Friday night in an 86-79 win just 28 days after the Pirates got the best of the Patriots. Rondel Walker led the way for Putnam City with 33 points. Elijah…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingPutnam City West got its revenge on Putnam City on Friday night in an 86-79 win just 28 days after the Pirates got the best of the Patriots. Rondel Walker led the way for Putnam City with 33 points. Elijah James and Trentez Scales had 13 points each for the Patriots, and Donovan Green added 11. Tre Carolina led the way for Putnam City with 17 points. Alfred Alkannama added 15 to finish second in scoring for the Pirates; Davion Rucker, Kendural Jolly, and Shayon Janloo each had 11 in the loss. Shemar Benford-Miles had 10. With such an abundance of talent, we evaluated a handful of guys that could be impressive prospects. Here are seven of the most intriguing prospects that we saw.
Rondel Walker 2020 Putnam City West guard
When Rondel Walker gets hot. . . can anybody stop him? The PC West standout has had a phenomenal year and hit his groove against Putnam City early. Playing like a man possessed, Walker was hitting three-balls, getting steals and hitting lay-ups off the steal while drawing the foul — the most disrespectful way to score, in my opinion. He was also a dominant floor general, pulling down a ton of boards and making head-turning passes that nobody in the gym saw coming. The early-season loss to the Pirates must have put a chip on Walker’s shoulder.
Trentez Scales 2020 Putnam City West point guard
Trentez Scales, the starting point guard for the Patriots, may only stand at 5-foot-8, but he has a lot of speed and a lot of range to make up for it. The talented junior helped PC West to the win with his spot-up shooting and his hustle on the defensive end of the floor. He gave Putnam City issues all night with great containment and committing property theft of Putnam City’s ball.
KD Jolly 2020 Putnam City point guard
Putnam City junior guard Kendural “KD” Jolly has to be one of the most ridiculous players to watch. All night, he was making the PC West defense look silly with those “come on now man” type of handles and insane pull-up release that the PC West reach couldn’t stop. His skill set does not stop there either; KD Jolly was also one of the best — if not, the best — passers on the floor Friday night as well.
Donovan Green 2019 Putnam City West forward
Donovan Green’s rebounding and defensive skills came in hands for the Patriots in PC West vs. Putnam City, part two. A 6-foot-6 forward, Green was the tallest player on the floor and used his height and reach to his advantage against the Pirates. He pulled down boards left and right for his team and served as a rim protector in the rim, a skill that would prove to be beneficial for the Patriots. Finishing with 11 points, he even hit a 3-pointer in the win. That one got the crowd pretty excited.
Tre Carolina 2019 Putnam City point guard
Tre Carolina is a hustle-guy for the Putnam City Pirates, but that does not mean he does not pack a lot of talent as well. Carolina was one of the best ball-handlers on the floor Friday night and had some of the best penetrating moves. He can find his way to the rim with a slash or a drive and did a great job of drawing PC West fouls. Carolina brought a lot of controlled energy to the floor, meaning he played full-speed and physical but also reserved in moments of the game where his team would benefit more from a set than from transition points. Most importantly, he did not force many bad plays that were not available.
Elijah James 2022 Putnam City West wing
Elijah James has become a staple at this point in the PC West starting lineup. As I have said previously, it takes a special freshman to start at a big-time 6A program, but that is exactly what James is. He is a shifty, slick ball-handler with a strap who does not force bad shots. He hit two from deep on Friday night en route to a 13-point performance in the win. He is as athletic as anybody else in the Patriots’ lineup, and is going to be a problem for opposing teams in the years to come.
Alfred Alkannama 2019 Putnam City guard
Alfred Alkannama is a shifty, strong, competitive guard who can hold his own on any area of the floor against the biggest and baddest. Walking into a gym with as much talent as was present on Friday night, you would not expect Alkannama to show up the way he did for Putnam City if you just went from his metrics; the 6-foot-nothing guard is nothing to marvel at in height, but he made up for it plus some with his play. The second-leading scorer for Putnam City, Alkannama did a great job of drawing PC West fouls and making tough finishes at the rim.