Category:

News

Seton Hall Upsets Marquette

by netscoutstestg
written by netscoutstestg

Heading Title

Newark, N.J. – The Seton Hall Pirates did it again, this time taking down the #7-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles 78-75, marking their third straight win as an underdog against AP ranked opponents.

Guard Al-Amir Dawes carried the Pirates in the first half despite stud guard Kadary Richmond watching from the sidelines with two early fouls. Dawes caught fire from deep going 4-of-5 on 3s. He’d score 15 first half points and 23 total to lead all scorers. They weathered their turnover woes (22 total) by absolutely dominating on the glass, 43-25, and being highly efficient from the field with splits of 52/40/87 as an entire team. The second half belonged to Richmond, making his presence felt with 14 of his 21 points scoring off relentless paint attacks.

 

Although the scoring responsibility was mostly a 2-man crew, it took an entire team to take down this highly touted Marquette crew. Coach Shaheen Holloway had his team ready on the defensive side. They were locked in on their pick-and-roll coverages, being synchronized on all their rotations. Seton Hall had great length advantages with their perimeter players. Most importantly, they finished a lot of possessions, getting 29 defensive rebounds. That’s more than Marquette had on both sides of the floor.

 

 

Marquette coach Shaka Smart’s emphasis for deflections proved successful early, forcing 12 turnovers for 17 points in the first half. Top prospect center Oso Ighodaro played a part in forcing turnovers with incredible length to disrupt passes, in addition to running the floor for easy slams. The offense was flowing and feeding off the energy their defense created for an early 23-13 lead, then they began to stifle.

 

Marquette had their own turnover woes in the first half. All-American point guard Tyler Kolek carelessly turned it over three times, with backup point guard Sean Jones having three of his own. Marquette didn’t look comfortable on offense unless they played out in transition or got early offense scoring opportunities with Seton Hall’s defense not set. Kolek couldn’t get into much of a rhythm throughout the game going 1-of-6 for a mere five points with three turnovers. Their second leading scorer Kam Jones went ice cold almost the entire second half, shooting 5-of-15 total and at one point missing seven straight. Ighodaro was the only player who found consistent success with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting.

 

Seton Hall (10-5, 3-1) have now racked up impressive wins against #4 UConn, #7 Marquette, and at #23 Providence in just the last few weeks. Notable aces for both UConn and Providence got injured while playing Seton Hall in Donovan Clingan and Bryce Hopkins, but injury luck played no factor in the Pirates taking this one. They’ve now held ranked opponents in their wins to 43% or less shooting from the field. Coach Holloway is solidifying this squad as a team worthy of consideration to be in the national tournament. They attempt to maintain their position in the Big East table and continue building their reputation on the road against Georgetown Tuesday.

 

Marquette (11-4, 2-2) came into this game off a quality win against a ranked Creighton squad, but now fall to sixth in the Big East having lost to Providence earlier last month. Marquette has national championship ambitions but are having early struggles taking care of business within their own conference. They look to get back into championship mode in a home matchup against Butler Wednesday.

 

This article was written by Justin Maldonado, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

 

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume

Butler Romps Over Georgetown

by netscoutstestg
written by netscoutstestg

Washington, D.C. – Georgetown came into this game with an 8-10 record, looking to stop a three game schneid. Unfortunately, they were no match for Butler, as they shot 62% FG and 50% from three in the first half. The Bulldogs led the Hoyas by 12 points at halftime, scoring a lowly 32% from the floor and 27% from deep. As the second half was underway, the Hoyas cut the lead to nine several times, but Butler responded, extending the lead back to double digits. Georgetown eventually fell to Butler 90-66. Butler was simply too physical, had all their starters in double figures while the Hoyas couldn’t get consistent offensive production. Butler guard Pierre Brooks led the team with 20 points and 11 rebounds and DJ Davis finished with 17 points, five dimes and four boards. Georgetown’s Jayden Epps led the Hoyas with 16 points and three assists, Supreme Cook added 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Brooks is a junior who is having a good year for Butler. He averages 17 points and four boards on 48% shooting. Brooks is also efficient from beyond the arc averaging 44%. He made 4-of-6 threes in this game and went 8-of-15 from the floor. He is very crafty and plays in control, he has an overall high IQ. When he has the ball in his hands, he does a good job looking for players in the right spots, though he didn’t record a dime. He created angles to give himself space and while undersized he plays big. Brooks used his body to carve out 11 rebounds, which is the most he’s had this year. He just has an excellent feel for the flow of the game and great court vision. Fellow guard DJ Davis had his fingerprints on this game as well, using his quickness to gain separation on the floor. He was aggressive, driving to the basket and having the wherewithal to stop on a whim for pull up jumpers and runners. He succeeded in transition and was not afraid of contact. Davis made good cuts and came off screens. He shot 50% FG with only one made three, though he has a nice shooting touch.

Georgetown’s guard Epps did not have his best night. He led the team in scoring once again but was very inefficient. He shot 4-for-19 for the night and frankly didn’t play to his strengths. He was very hesitant to drive because there were no lanes for him to get to the basket. When Epps doesn’t get the driving lanes to the hoop, he starts to press and takes bad shots. He was very poor from downtown only making 2-of-13 attempts. Butler overmatched the team with a strong defensive performance and frankly got in his head. He added five turnovers to his stats as well which was a problem since he is the primary ball handler. Epps had a nice night from the charity stripe as he only missed one foul shot. Cook had a double-double in this game and seemed to be the only Georgetown player up to the task. He showed heart and put his arms in the body of the defenders to gain his ground. Cook is very raw but seems to be coming into his role by finishing better and being aggressive.

Butler is now 13-7 on the year and face Villanova next while Georgetown is 8-11 and goes up against Providence on the road. Butler is 8th and the Hoyas are 10th respectively in the Big East.

This article was written by Kenneth Moore, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

St. John’s Rolls Past Butler

by netscoutstestg
written by netscoutstestg

Queens, NY – The St John’s Red Storm (10-4) came out on top Tuesday night in a Big East conference match-up against the Butler Bulldogs (10-4) 86-70.

The Red Storm had a balanced offensive attack that saw six players reach double figures on the night. Leading that attack was senior guard Daniss Jenkins who finished with a team high 17 points (6-12 FG), five rebounds and seven assists. Jenkins continues to showcase his ability to effectively run the offense as he’s done all season. He has a good sense as to when to reset broken plays in the half court sets and get the ball moving to the right spaces on the court. He is also great at taking care of the basketball and minimizing his and the team’s turnovers when he’s in the game. His pace with the basketball and his court vision leads to his high assist and low turnover numbers.

Another big contributor to the Red Storm’s victory was RJ Luis Jr., a sophomore guard. Taking a team high 15 field goal attempts, Luis Jr. constantly found himself weaving into the lane and to the rim for tough finishes. He effectively used his strength to keep defenders on his back on his pick & roll drives. From there he either could use that strength and ball handling to get to the rim for a layup or a foul or stop on the dime for a pull up mid-range shot. Freshman forward Brady Dunlap came off the bench for St John’s and provided instant offense. Finishing with 13 points (5-7 FG, 3-5 3PT) Dunlap had his best scoring game of the season, taking season highs in field goal attempts and makes and three pointers made. His role in this offense can still grow if he consistently takes and makes those outside shots.

Rounding out the scoring for the Red Storm was senior Joel Soriano with 14 points, followed by fellow seniors Chris Ledlum (13 points) and Nahiem Alleyne with 10. The Bulldogs offense couldn’t maintain a rhythm against the zone defense of St John’s which led them to shot clock violation turnovers, bad passes or ending possessions taking tough contested shots. Senior guard DJ Davis was the high scorer for Butler finishing with a game high 25 points (10-17 FG). Davis was the only Butler player who seemed to be able to get open looks and find holes in the Red Storm zone defense. Whenever the Red Storm guards would close out or go over the screen in the pick and roll, Davis was also able to get good dribble penetration and get good close shots to go down while moving downhill. However, his effort alone wasn’t enough to carry his team to the win tonight.

Butler looks to rebound from tonight’s loss Friday night at home in another Big East matchup vs No. 4-rated UConn (12-2) while St John’s goes on the road to face Villanova (9-4) on Saturday afternoon as they look to extend their win streak.

This article was written by Frank Amankwah, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

San Francisco Runs Past Minnesota

by netscoutstestg
written by netscoutstestg

San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Dons (5-2) took an early 9-1 lead against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2).  The Gophers were 0-for-5 from the field for the first four minutes of play.  San Francisco’s lead swelled to 11 points with 6:31 on hot three-point shooting from point guard Ryan Beasley who hit a pair of threes and Mike Sharavjamts added another which made the score 26-15 San Francisco.  Mike Mitchell Jr. stemmed the tide with a smooth short corner jumper.  Mitchell’s jumpers proved to be the first steps toward the Gophers comeback as they cut San Francisco’s lead down to eight points (37-29) by the end of the first half.

In the second half, the Dons and Gophers traded baskets for the first three minutes.  Then, the Gophers’ Elijah Hawkins made two jumpers in a row that cut the Don’s lead to four points – 43-39.  Minnesota’s Cam Christie’s three ball cut the Dons lead to just one – 47-46.  But this was as close as the Gophers would get. Sharavjamts made a jumper to push the lead back to three points. The Gophers could not keep pace and succumbed to a rash of turnovers and missed shots.  Despite Christie and Mitchell being above average three-point shooters the Gophers insisted on getting the ball to their bigs Dawson Garcia (19 points and 6 rebounds) and Pharrel Payne (15 points and 6 rebounds) who scored almost exclusively in the paint during the second half.   San Francisco pulled away to win the contest 76-58.

USF’s Jonathan Mogbo, (So,. Forward) scored 28 points with 10 rebounds and three assists.  Mogbo’s chiseled frame is perfect to dominate mismatches and he’s a versatile defender who scores efficiently, shooting 76% from the field.  t the rim.  Mogbo scored exclusively at the rim, he could be an interesting NBA prospect if he can establish at least some three-point shooting effectiveness.

USF’s senior guard Marcus Williams scored 20 points.  While he was 0-of-3 from 3, he effectively pushed the tempo and scored in a variety of ways – jumpers, layups as well as free throws.

Senior forward Dawson Garcia is the hub of the Gophers scoring.  Garcia has a nice touch around the rim and even stepped out and nailed two threes.  However, at 6’11” he averages just 1.1 blocks per game.  The Gophers will need Garcia to make a much bigger defensive impact if the they are going to make any noise in the Big 10 come conference play.

Minnesota’s freshman forward Cam Christie scored seven points on 3-of-7 shooting (1-3 3PT).  Cam is the younger brother of Max Christie, the Lakers 2022 NBA second round draft pick.  For a freshman Christie looked smooth and completely comfortable.  He had three turnovers but with time and experience he showed glimpses of a high ceiling with his shooting and shot creation. 

Minnesota’s Mike Mitchell Jr., a transfer from Pepperdine, scored nine points with six rebounds and four assists.  Mitchell, a natural point guard, plays the shooting guard position for the Gophers, no doubt because of his +40% three-point shooting on high volume his previous two years.  The Gophers play a traditional slow it down offense that doesn’t seem to play to Mitchell’s strengths.  Look for Mitchell to be a big part of the Gophers scoring arsenal going forward.

This article was written by Damon Burris, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Newer Posts
Older Posts