By NICK SLOAN, NJSloan212@gmail.com
The first few sessions are in the books for the 2011 Hy-Vee
Shootout.
Here’s a round-up of thoughts, many of which will be
associated with Kansas City, Kan., basketball since the city was on display
Thursday night.
• Dominique Wilson has most of the rust off.
Wilson, who had not played any varsity basketball in around 18 months, took a
little while to get going – and that’s naturally the case. It’s tougher for 6’9”
guys to get into game-shape simply because of the long legs and so on. After an
up-and-down start, I think Wilson is set to display why I’ve given him a lot of
love this year. Wilson had 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 blocks in
about three-fourths worth of a game against Raytown. He has 20 blocks in four full
games this year for the Wildcats and is a great defender inside, causing steals
and deflections. While it’s fair to say Raytown is down in basketball this
year, the man holding Wilson and the man Wilson was defending is very solid.
Trent Richardson is a gamer and one of the best in Missouri. Richardson had
just nine points. Victory, Dominique.
• Deandre King for Washington is now the new
#1 on my list of 2013 basketball prospects from KCK. King’s 12 points, 4
assists and 2 steals may not be flashy. King, however, was a difference both
offensively and defensively. King is a good enough defender to play man defense
and in the zone Washington used, his ability is even better. That big frame and
long arms makes Washington’s zone tougher. King created havoc at times
defensively and he’s put his name out there as one of the top three or four
defenders in KCK. King will only get better over the next few months and next
year, he will be a stud.
• Deon Tripp is my #2 player from the class
of 2013. And yes, I know other juniors on Sumner’s roster have outscored this
year. But Tripp is a more all-around player. He can create a shot, get inside
and force the issue. I like his defense and he can lead an offense, though he
doesn’t have to with Benny Parker on that team. Tripp may not pass the stats
test immediately, but he passes the eye-test of talent. He has it.
• The “big win” continues to escape Harmon.
While Eudora is 4-1 right now, it’s probably not the best thing to say a
victory against them is the best win you have when Blue Valley Northwest, Lee’s
Summit North and Emporia on your schedule. While I picked Lee’s Summit North to
defeat Harmon Thursday night, I didn’t anticipate them building a 21-point lead
on them at one point. That speaks to how well the Broncos are, but it’s also a
bit of a disappointment. Last year, Harmon was 3-7 against teams with winning
records. They are 2-3 this season, though again one of those wins is against a
1A program from Bishop Seabury. As much talent as Harmon has, their inability
to get a major scalp in the form of an upset is why I think Sumner Academy and
Washington are more of a “favorite” to win league than them. It’s not that they
are losing to better teams. It’s the fact that outside of a stretch against
Emporia, the opposition has picked apart Harmon’s defense consistently.
• Sumner Academy’s Benny Parker and Harmon’s
Branden Roark both need a “Robin” who consistently has their back. It’s either
feast or famine so far with Sabre forward Marcus Allen. It’s been mostly famine for
Roark’s supporting cast. Mike Carson has good ability, but his production
should be higher. No player has had to do more for their teams this year than
what Parker has done for Sumner Academy, Roark has for Harmon and Adrian
Goodlow for Wyandotte. Those three guys need help badly.
• Lee’s Summit West, top to bottom, might be
the best team in the metro. The trifecta of guards Shaquille Harrison, Nathan
Jackson, Monte Harrison and big man Trevor Gregory present a scary lineup of
balance and talent. Each of those guys made huge contributions to their victory
over Sumner Academy Thursday night. Monte Harrison took over that game late and
he’s just a sophomore. The younger guys on that team are stepping up and that’s
dangerous for the opposition. The Titans have four players who can go on
game-changing streaks. That’s not bad.
• Shawnee Mission East delivers big win. I
picked Ruskin to win this game simply because of quality of schedule. It turns
out that 20 point loss to Shawnee Mission South wasn’t that big of a deal. The
Lancers dominated Ruskin in one of the bigger upsets so far, 64-46.
• With their victory against Blue Valley
Southwest, Liberty North has six wins on the season. They had all of eight last
year in their initial season. Liberty North beat BVSW by 15 points.
• Lee’s Summit North’s Will Harrington had
quite the stat line against the Hawks. Harrington’s 19 points, 8 rebounds and 7
assists were very close to a triple-double. Harrington is a candidate for
all-metro and his performance against Harmon was awesome.
