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Kenner League Recap: Sunday, July 21st

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Nine Hoyas were in action on Sunday so let's get right to it!

Josh LeBlanc: 11 pts, 5-10 2 pt, 1-2 FT, 7 reb (3 off), 2 asst, 1 st, 1 bl, 1TO

-another good all around game for Josh. His passing was especially strong in this game. Even tough he only had 2 assists, he was consistently making good passes that put the team in dangerous offensive positions. He really is seeing the court well and making good, quick decisions.

-had a big lock that led to a fast break basket

-great pass out of the post to a cutter, resulting in a foul

-came flying down the middle in transition for a catch/finish. I mean FLYING - he was running full speed, but was able to easily catch the ball and lay it in. His ability to catch and finish at such a high speed is really impressive.

-Pretty behind the back pass in traffic inside, but his teammate missed the layup

-Had a strong post up on Pickett. Rather than trying to shoot over Pickett’s length, he got low and wheeled around him to the hoop. He probably hooked him a bit with his elbow, but did it subtly enough that it would be rare for the ref to call it.

-Had two tip in attempts at the buzzer (team down 1) but could not get either to fall

Jamorko Pickett: 15 pts, 5-9 2 pt, 2-3 FT, 1-4 3pt, 7 reb (2 off), 1 st, 1 bl, 2 TO

-Airballed a contested, off balance 3. But followed right up by hitting a pull up 3 off the dribble.

-Had a tough post up possession. Held the ball for a long, long time trying to find a move or an open teammate. Ended up firing up a tough turnaround 15 footer - but he made it!

-Missed a lightly contested dunk after catching a good pass right at the rim.

-Good hustle steal on a fast break

-Good sweep through move to draw a shooting foul - very "NBA" kind of play, although I think the NBA is not calling this kind of foul as frequently as they used to

-Strong +1 finish on a baseline drive at a critical point late in the game

-Had a good offensive rebound and contested putback basket

Malcolm Wilson: 0 pts, 3 reb

-grabbed a tough D board in traffic - then threw the ball away trying to start a fast break with a long outlet pass.

-good help D on a driving player to force a turnover

-did not play during the final 3/4 of the game

James Akinjo: 18 pts, 4-10 2pt, 4-6 FT, 2-7 3pt, 3 reb, 7 asst, 2 st, 1 TO

-Tried a spin move in transition - right into a waiting defender for an easy block

-Used a pick to easy clear himself for a wide open 15 foot jump shot that he hit

-stole the ball under the defensive hoop, made an immediate long pass to Gardner wide open at midcourt, resulting in an uncontested dunk

-Long NBA 3 off a screen

-Dropped a nice transition bounce pass to a trailing Gardner, but he could not convert a challenged shot at the rim

-Beautiful drive and dish - got really deep in the lane, drew 2 defenders, threw a bounce pass around them for an open layup.

Myron Gardner: 23 pts, 8-14 2 pt, 7-10 FT, 0-6 3pt, 12 reb (4 off), 1 asst, 2 st, 1 bl, 3 TO

-this was a slower, more half court game in the early going. Gardner could not get to the rim as easily, and settled for a few missed 3s that were out of the offensive rhythm. One missed three was way off - wide right!

-Stole inbounds pass after a hoop, converted the layup

-Hit a tough driving bank shot over a defender

-Great cut to the rim on a BLOB, fouled

-slipped after converting an athletic +1 - landed awkwardly, a little scary - but he was fine

-flashy follow dunk on an offensive rebound

Omer Yurtseven: 34 pts, 14-17 2 pt, 6-8 FT, 0-1 3pt, 14 reb (3 off), 4 asst, 5 bl, 2 TO

-We got the whole Yurtseven package today - lots of scoring, good passing, and some blocked shots

-it is going to be tough for anyone to contain him one-on-one in the low post. Teams are going to have to double him.

-Threw a nice bounce pass through traffic for a basket

-deflected an entry pass for a turnover - good defensive anticipation to get a hand on this pass without fouling

-runs the floor extremely well. Can catch the ball well on the move, and always looks to dunk emphatically. Gets off his feet quickly and is so big - very hard to stop him when he catches a pass with a head of steam heading towards the hoop

0nice bounce pass to a cutter in the lane, who was fouled

-He and Allen have really good rhythm in the PnR. Both have very good timing, and Allen finds him with both bounce passes and lobs. They tore up the defense on these plays all game

-Wahab had an impressive offensive game, but it was more a matter of Wahab playing well than Yurtseven playing bad D. It was a good battle, and Wahab showed a lot in grinding out a good scoring day

Terrell Allen: 14 pts, 6-10 2 pt, 2-2 FT, 0-2 3pt, 4 reb (1 off), 8 asst, 1 st, 1 TO

-Another outstanding game. Always probing offensively, pushing the pace and looking to make a play with his passing. Always active and disruptive on D. His play this weekend showed why he has been a starting PG for 3 seasons - he is a really good player. If he could shoot like Akinjo, he might be an NBA prospect because he is athletic, skilled with the ball, high basketball IQ, and tough/aggressive. Plus he plays with real joy - he seems to be having lots of fun, and his commitment to sharing the ball makes him the kind of player that other probably really like playing with

-His lob passing is extremely high level. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a player who looks for the lob pass so much. In both the half court and transition, he is constantly looking for lob pass opportunities. His lob passes are well timed and on target, and he very rarely throws a lob pass when it is not the right play. It will be very interesting to see him throwing lobs to our athletic guys this year - Mac, Alexander, Gardner, Yurtseven: should all get some exciting opportunities playing with Allen

-I really think Allen is going to force his way onto the court for 20-25 minutes a game. This may mean some 3 guard lineups, it may mean only 25-28 minutes a game for Mac/Akinjo. Which would be fine - will allow everyone to play hard all the time, and will minimize the wear and tear over the course of the season so they can all be fresh down the stretch.

-Hit a number of 10-12 foot pull up jumpers again today. This seems to be his go-to offensive shot. He does not need to score a lot to impact games, but if he can knock down these mid range pull ups, he becomes a very effective offensive player.

Galen Alexander: 15 pts, 3-7 2pt, 3-4 FT, 2-6 3pt, 7 reb (3 off), 1 asst, 2 TO

-This was a very wide open, loose game. Galen has the skills to thrive in that kind of setting, but his mindset seems to be more of a "real basketball" mindset. He doesn’t force things much, and consequently will go through stretches of these loose games without seeing much of the ball. I think Galen is better suited for playing in real games, where his discipline and decision making is a greater advantage

-went end to end with a defensive board

-hit a running jumper from 12 feet - really tough shot

-had an explosive follow up dunk on an offensive board

-Tried a spectacular dunk on a drive from outside the foul line, but missed off the back rim

Qudus Wahab: 26 pts, 12-16 2 pt, 2-5 FT, 5 reb (3 off), 1 asst, 1 TO

-very nice game for Wahab. Yurtseven scored a lot, but much of it was on broken plays/transition where Allen consistently found Omer for lobs and kick ahead passes

-Wahab did struggle defending the PnR. When he challenged Allen coming off the screen, Allen found Omer for lobs and easy baskets. When Wahab dropped back on Omer rolling, Allen pulled up for mid ranger jumpers that he hit consistently. Allen really had Wahab on a string with the PnR stuff, Qudus could not win no matter what choice he made. Wahab was not getting the kind of help defense behind him on the Omer rolls to the hoop that he probably should have been getting.

-Hit a nice running hook across the lane on Omer

-hit a 12 foot baseline jumper, but then airballed a shot from the same spot a few minutes later

-Nic PnR roll/catch/finish with a strong dunk

-strong Eurostep drive through traffic from the foul line. Most advanced offensive move he has displayed this summer

-Nice reverse pivot under to hoop to free himself for a jump hook finish

-Overall: two nice games for Wahab this weekend. He is showing the physical tools to be a solid backup this year, and you can see the potential to grow into a solid starter with experience and hard work.



More fun next weekend!

Stay Casual, my friends.