Lawrence North head coach Jack Keefer was also kind enough to talk with me after his team won last night 67-52 over Marion County foe Ben Davis. First, I will post some game observations and notes, and then I will have the transcript of the interview.
* Ron Hunter and his staff at IUPUI are getting a good one in Ben Davis senior guard Greg Rice. Rice was the lone bright spot for the Giants, going for 26 points in the losing effort. He is strong with the ball in his hands and is an excellent slasher. He also handles point responsibilities well, and is an adept outside shooter, connecting on four threes. He could be another one like George Hill that slipped through the cracks in recruiting to be a big-time college player.
* Lawrence North barely played any starters after the first few minutes of the third quarter, getting minutes for lesser used players, including 6'10" sophomore Michael Chandler, who Louisville coach Rick Pitino was on hand to see, among others. Chandler still has a long way to go and occasionally gets lost on the court, but there is no denying his huge upside. He is big and long, and is in no way a plodding big guy. He can get out on the break and run and jump with the best of them. Watch out for him as an upperclassman.
* LN junior Dominique Ferguson (pictured) is an all-around great player. He hit two threes, slashed nicely to the bucket, finished with dunks on the break, defended, and blocked shots in a reduced role tonight. He led LN with 12 points and was very impressive.
* Junior Justin Martin came out hot and firing, hitting his two threes within the first few possessions of the game. He is extremely versatile in who he can defend, guarding spots 1-4. He will be even more of a force when he decides to play his hardest all the time. He finished with ten.
* I've said it before and I really believe IU should have gone harder after LN senior Stephan Van Treese. His impact on the game is not limited to the box score. He really affects what other teams want to do with his size, length, athleticism, and smarts. He attacks the glass so hard on both ends of the floor, constantly trying for a tip dunk. He finished with nine.
* It's not fair to judge Purdue recruit Jeff Robinson on his stats or playing time with LN. He would start and contribute heavily for every other team in the state. He got good minutes last night and finished with five points and several boards. He did miss a few free throws. He has it kind of tough at LN because Keefer has the luxury of subbing 6'9" for 6'9" at any time. I think he will be much better at Purdue.
* Sophomore forward Ryan Taylor is a beast. He epitomizes the "non-stop motor" term. The kid never gives up on a play, never stops crashing, never gives an inch. He may not have ideal size for a power forward, but he more than makes up for it with incredible effort.
Now here it the interview transcript:
P-Hoops - Coach Keefer, thanks for talking with me again. Your team is on a nice winning streak with big winds against teams from Indiana and the nation. What are your thoughts on your team right now?
Jack Keefer - Well, we're very spurty. We're not really where we want to be yet. There are some encouraging things. We're doing more right than we are making errors. Our big kids are really running, which is good. But we sometimes lose focus, and we don't want that.
PH - What are the current goals for the team?
JK - We have to take it one game at a time. Our sectional is so hard, so if you get out of that, you've done something right. County would be nice, but you see there are two or three ranked teams just in our bracket.
PH - You're playing well, but do you have any concerns going forward?
JK - We're freelancing better within the offense, so that is good, but we need to stay within the offense at the same time. It's finding a happy medium, and we have to do that better.
PH - I saw Coach Pitino was here. He's made his presence felt lately with four commits from LN. What were those commitments like for you as a coach and for the kids?
JK - It's a big compliment to the kids and to our players. I mean they're just sophomores. It says a lot about trust, that he trusts us to develop the kids to get them ready for the next level. To have them prepared with everything like grades for college. It shows he really trusts us and trusts the kid.
PH - Thanks again for your time, Coach.
JK - Of course.
Check back later today to see the interview transcript with Stephan Van Treese to see what he had to say about his game, his future, and IU.
* Ron Hunter and his staff at IUPUI are getting a good one in Ben Davis senior guard Greg Rice. Rice was the lone bright spot for the Giants, going for 26 points in the losing effort. He is strong with the ball in his hands and is an excellent slasher. He also handles point responsibilities well, and is an adept outside shooter, connecting on four threes. He could be another one like George Hill that slipped through the cracks in recruiting to be a big-time college player.
* Lawrence North barely played any starters after the first few minutes of the third quarter, getting minutes for lesser used players, including 6'10" sophomore Michael Chandler, who Louisville coach Rick Pitino was on hand to see, among others. Chandler still has a long way to go and occasionally gets lost on the court, but there is no denying his huge upside. He is big and long, and is in no way a plodding big guy. He can get out on the break and run and jump with the best of them. Watch out for him as an upperclassman.
* LN junior Dominique Ferguson (pictured) is an all-around great player. He hit two threes, slashed nicely to the bucket, finished with dunks on the break, defended, and blocked shots in a reduced role tonight. He led LN with 12 points and was very impressive.* Junior Justin Martin came out hot and firing, hitting his two threes within the first few possessions of the game. He is extremely versatile in who he can defend, guarding spots 1-4. He will be even more of a force when he decides to play his hardest all the time. He finished with ten.
* I've said it before and I really believe IU should have gone harder after LN senior Stephan Van Treese. His impact on the game is not limited to the box score. He really affects what other teams want to do with his size, length, athleticism, and smarts. He attacks the glass so hard on both ends of the floor, constantly trying for a tip dunk. He finished with nine.
* It's not fair to judge Purdue recruit Jeff Robinson on his stats or playing time with LN. He would start and contribute heavily for every other team in the state. He got good minutes last night and finished with five points and several boards. He did miss a few free throws. He has it kind of tough at LN because Keefer has the luxury of subbing 6'9" for 6'9" at any time. I think he will be much better at Purdue.
* Sophomore forward Ryan Taylor is a beast. He epitomizes the "non-stop motor" term. The kid never gives up on a play, never stops crashing, never gives an inch. He may not have ideal size for a power forward, but he more than makes up for it with incredible effort.
Now here it the interview transcript:
P-Hoops - Coach Keefer, thanks for talking with me again. Your team is on a nice winning streak with big winds against teams from Indiana and the nation. What are your thoughts on your team right now?
Jack Keefer - Well, we're very spurty. We're not really where we want to be yet. There are some encouraging things. We're doing more right than we are making errors. Our big kids are really running, which is good. But we sometimes lose focus, and we don't want that.
PH - What are the current goals for the team?
JK - We have to take it one game at a time. Our sectional is so hard, so if you get out of that, you've done something right. County would be nice, but you see there are two or three ranked teams just in our bracket.
PH - You're playing well, but do you have any concerns going forward?
JK - We're freelancing better within the offense, so that is good, but we need to stay within the offense at the same time. It's finding a happy medium, and we have to do that better.
PH - I saw Coach Pitino was here. He's made his presence felt lately with four commits from LN. What were those commitments like for you as a coach and for the kids?
JK - It's a big compliment to the kids and to our players. I mean they're just sophomores. It says a lot about trust, that he trusts us to develop the kids to get them ready for the next level. To have them prepared with everything like grades for college. It shows he really trusts us and trusts the kid.
PH - Thanks again for your time, Coach.
JK - Of course.
Check back later today to see the interview transcript with Stephan Van Treese to see what he had to say about his game, his future, and IU.
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