Five Takeaways: University City vs Westview
Westview looked to be in control during the early going of the Grossmont Winter Classic matchup, but the Centurions used a 23-10 run in the second quarter to capture the lead for good, winning comfortably on Tuesday. What can we…
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Continue ReadingWestview looked to be in control during the early going of the Grossmont Winter Classic matchup, but the Centurions used a 23-10 run in the second quarter to capture the lead for good, winning comfortably on Tuesday.
What can we glean from this early season matchup? Here are several key takeaways:
University City is a contender in Division 2
Last year, the Centurions fell at the hands of eventual champion San Diego in the second round of the CIF Division 3 playoffs. This year, despite losing all-league talents Casey Granfors and Benito Hurtado, the Centurions look like an early season contender in D2. What impressed most about this win was that it came without two of last year’s starters, talented senior G Kasen Dickerson and rugged senior W Alex Kohlenberg. With improved play from seniors Jalen LeFear and Luke Minnick and the emergence of talented juniors Wes Clarkson, Hansen Lee and Franky Naguidebe, the Centurions have depth, play aggressive defense and rebound the ball, all great ingredients for a run in what will be a very deep D2 field.
Jalen LeFear has made big strides
LeFear last season was primarily a defensive stopper for Coach Terry Stonebraker, but this year, he appears much more engaged on the offensive end. He scored 15 points in the win, as the 6-2 205 G was able to over power smaller defenders in the paint and take bigger forwards off the dribble and score through contact. He is still an extremely talented on-ball defender to boot.
Who is Franky Naguidebe?
One of the reasons UC has been able to weather the loss of two 6-6 forwards is the addition of the springy Naguidebe, who at 6-7 is an explosive athlete who makes his living on the glass and in transition. He’s very raw offensively and needs to improve his shot selection, but his presence in the paint clearly impacted the game.
Westview’s Ian Linn can get buckets
Linn was the lone bright spot for the Wolverines, who don’t have a lot of scorers or playmakers. He came out on fire and scored 7 of his team’s first 13 points before sitting in the rotation. When he was out, Westview found it difficult to get any easy opportunities. He finished with 17 points. The 6-2 senior would be a nice get for a Division 3 program.
Luke Minnick can get hot in a hurry
The 5-9 sharpshooter plays with an edge and fire that ignites his teammates. He scored 15 points and hit 4 threes, including two that were from well beyond the high school three. He needs to improve his shot selection, as he has a tendency to look off open teammates to call his own number, but there’s no denying his shooting and competitiveness.