Over the next few days, I will have several stories about the games at the Classic from Saturday. I've got game synopses, as well as interviews with North Central head coach Doug Mitchell and Panther guard Terone Johnson, and a one-on-one with Lawrence North head coach Jack Keefer. Tonight, however, I will start with a breakdown of the North Central and Lafayette Jeff game, as well as an analysis of the top players, including freshman sensation D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who had another big game. North Central won this one going away, 90-70, and from the start, Jeff looked outmatched. Here are some game notes:
* The Panthers game plan was to take the ball out of Jeff guard Jesse Berry's hands. Berry has a high game of 51 points this year, and took 27 shots in the Bronchos previous game. They made him run all over the floor and work his tail off for every touch he got. Mitchell threw an array of defenders at him, rotating fresh man on him all throughout the game. Berry struggled mightily and looked disinterested after a while, proving the effectiveness of the Panthers scheme. He scored eight points on 4-18 shooting and 0-6 from three.
* The Bronchos best player on the night was guard Roddy Richardson. He took the ball strong to the hole all game long, picking up the slack for Berry. He is a fierce competitor with great athleticism, good handles, slashing skills, and a nice outside shot. He scored 23 points on 9-13 shooting (2-5 on threes). He also crashed the glass hard on the way to 16 boards, including eight offensive ones. He looks to be a D1 prospect.
* The Bronchos have a bunch of good shooters with good forms on their jumpers, but they certainly weren't falling in Southport's gym. They went 6-33 from downtown and 6-14 from the free throw stripe.
* North Central's Justin Reid is a beast. He is flying under the radar right now. At 6'9", he has the size and skills to be a D1 player, as proven by his Game MVP honors. He was extremely active in the post and around the rim all night long on offense an defense. He scored 19 big points on 9-10 shooting, including several putbacks and dunks off offensive boards and hustle plays. He also pulled down 14 big boards. There is some talk that he will go the JUCO route before heading to a university, but some coach will be lucky to have him.
* Panther senior 6'4" guard Damon Ellison is another one who will be a steal for a fortunate school. He was injured during the AAU season, so he was not seen by many people. Coming off 21 points against Carmel on Friday, he played a solid game, going for ten points, seven rebounds, and three assists. He is a good midrange shooter and is capable from deep. He needs to be a little more assertive with the ball, and his athleticism is just okay, but his high basketball IQ makes up for that.
* Terone Johnson is good. Purdue coach Matt Painter was on hand to watch his prized recruit (and others, including LN's Jeff
Robinson, another PU recruit), rushing in fresh off a win against Indiana State this afternoon. I was able talk to him, and he's actually a very nice guy (sorry Hoosier fans). Johnson played within himself, taking what came to him and not forcing any action. He has proven he can score, going for 44 earlier this year. He went for 17 points on 8-12 shooting (1-4 threes), and added five boards, four assists, and two steals. He is also a great kid. I was able to talk to him for a while after the game and came away very impressed with this young man. I will have the specifics of that interview later on.
* Freshman standout D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera did nothing to disappoint onlookers. In fact, h did everything to impress. Smith is clearly worthy of all the hype he is receiving, but seems unfazed by it, as he plays with the utmost confidence and poise. He is incredibly strong physically for a freshman. His upper body looks like a senior football player's. His defense is stifling as well. Offensively, he does not force the issue but takes what is given by the defense. His stat line was outstanding: a team-high 22 points on 10-14 from the field (0-1 threes), nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He is definitely the prized recruit in the state in his class, and it is going to be a battle for his services. Painter was surely there in part to make his presence felt by Smith-Rivera.
* Panther starting guard Trip McFall has the best name in Indiana basketball I have heard in a long time. Hilarious. His parents must have a sense of humor.
* The Panthers only weakness might be depth. The five starters all played over 20 minutes, and after that, the bench seemed thin. Ronnie Johnson, brother of Terone, played 13 solid minutes, but after that, no one played more than eight minutes. If North Central faces serious foul trouble, they might be in bad shape. Aside from that, they are serious contenders for the 4A crown. They are an outstanding team with a great defense, a bevy of scorers, and they play with passion and urgency. They should be there until the end.
Check back tomorrow and early this week for more on this game, as well as the Lawrence North versus Bishop Luers game. A little foreshadowing: Deshaun Thomas is the real deal.....
* The Panthers game plan was to take the ball out of Jeff guard Jesse Berry's hands. Berry has a high game of 51 points this year, and took 27 shots in the Bronchos previous game. They made him run all over the floor and work his tail off for every touch he got. Mitchell threw an array of defenders at him, rotating fresh man on him all throughout the game. Berry struggled mightily and looked disinterested after a while, proving the effectiveness of the Panthers scheme. He scored eight points on 4-18 shooting and 0-6 from three.
* The Bronchos best player on the night was guard Roddy Richardson. He took the ball strong to the hole all game long, picking up the slack for Berry. He is a fierce competitor with great athleticism, good handles, slashing skills, and a nice outside shot. He scored 23 points on 9-13 shooting (2-5 on threes). He also crashed the glass hard on the way to 16 boards, including eight offensive ones. He looks to be a D1 prospect.
* The Bronchos have a bunch of good shooters with good forms on their jumpers, but they certainly weren't falling in Southport's gym. They went 6-33 from downtown and 6-14 from the free throw stripe.
* North Central's Justin Reid is a beast. He is flying under the radar right now. At 6'9", he has the size and skills to be a D1 player, as proven by his Game MVP honors. He was extremely active in the post and around the rim all night long on offense an defense. He scored 19 big points on 9-10 shooting, including several putbacks and dunks off offensive boards and hustle plays. He also pulled down 14 big boards. There is some talk that he will go the JUCO route before heading to a university, but some coach will be lucky to have him.
* Panther senior 6'4" guard Damon Ellison is another one who will be a steal for a fortunate school. He was injured during the AAU season, so he was not seen by many people. Coming off 21 points against Carmel on Friday, he played a solid game, going for ten points, seven rebounds, and three assists. He is a good midrange shooter and is capable from deep. He needs to be a little more assertive with the ball, and his athleticism is just okay, but his high basketball IQ makes up for that.
* Terone Johnson is good. Purdue coach Matt Painter was on hand to watch his prized recruit (and others, including LN's Jeff
Robinson, another PU recruit), rushing in fresh off a win against Indiana State this afternoon. I was able talk to him, and he's actually a very nice guy (sorry Hoosier fans). Johnson played within himself, taking what came to him and not forcing any action. He has proven he can score, going for 44 earlier this year. He went for 17 points on 8-12 shooting (1-4 threes), and added five boards, four assists, and two steals. He is also a great kid. I was able to talk to him for a while after the game and came away very impressed with this young man. I will have the specifics of that interview later on.* Freshman standout D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera did nothing to disappoint onlookers. In fact, h did everything to impress. Smith is clearly worthy of all the hype he is receiving, but seems unfazed by it, as he plays with the utmost confidence and poise. He is incredibly strong physically for a freshman. His upper body looks like a senior football player's. His defense is stifling as well. Offensively, he does not force the issue but takes what is given by the defense. His stat line was outstanding: a team-high 22 points on 10-14 from the field (0-1 threes), nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He is definitely the prized recruit in the state in his class, and it is going to be a battle for his services. Painter was surely there in part to make his presence felt by Smith-Rivera.
* Panther starting guard Trip McFall has the best name in Indiana basketball I have heard in a long time. Hilarious. His parents must have a sense of humor.
* The Panthers only weakness might be depth. The five starters all played over 20 minutes, and after that, the bench seemed thin. Ronnie Johnson, brother of Terone, played 13 solid minutes, but after that, no one played more than eight minutes. If North Central faces serious foul trouble, they might be in bad shape. Aside from that, they are serious contenders for the 4A crown. They are an outstanding team with a great defense, a bevy of scorers, and they play with passion and urgency. They should be there until the end.
Check back tomorrow and early this week for more on this game, as well as the Lawrence North versus Bishop Luers game. A little foreshadowing: Deshaun Thomas is the real deal.....
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