Kenner League Notes: Weekend 3!

Kenner League Notes

July 16/17, 2022

SATURDAY GAMES

Qudus Wahab: 20 pts, 8-17 2pt, 4-5 FT, 0-1 3pt, 5 reb (2 off), 1 asst

-Lefty point blank miss - all glass, no rim. Lefty bank shot is probably not a great option for Wahab

-let a guard go right at him for a layup

-nice baseline spin move, lefty finish

-Free throw stroke again looks very solid - much improved from 2 years ago

-nice pass from the post for a corner 3 point shooter

-key possession in final minute - leading by one, a very small guard on the other team (probably 5’9 or less) finished over Wahab at the rim to give his team the lead

-In the final minute - coach was benching Wahab on defensive possessions to match the small ball lineup the opponent was using.

-made game winning shot on offensive board follow up on final offensive possession.

Wayne Bristol: 12 pts, 5-9 2pt, 2-2 FT, 0-4 3 pt, 1 reb, 2 st, 5 TO

-Airball on a 6 foot floater

-airball on a 3 from the top of the key

-nice drive, used his body to create space, hit a leaning bank shot

-nice drive on key late game possession

-but a bad, forced shot on subsequent possession

-Down one in final 30 seconds - Nice steal in the lane to give his team the ball for a final possession and a

-final possession - he beat his man off the dribble. Was fouled, but no call, missed shot due to foul. Wahab grabbed the rebound and converted the game winning shot. Bristol’s strong drive created the opportunity for an easy game winning conversion by Wahab.

Jordan Riley: 7 ts, 2-6 2 pt, 3-4 FT, 0-2 3pt, 2 reb, 3 asst, 1 st, 1 TO

-Almost airmailed a 12 foot pullup jumper

-Nice catch/finish on a cut

-Played good on ball D defending Bristol, resulting in multiple turnovers

-Airballed a corner 3

-missed uncontested breakaway dunk - tried for a spectacular windmill, banged it off the back rim. Riley definitely looks for opportunities for spectacular plays.

Ryan Mutombo: 10 pts, 5-11 2 pt, 0-1 3pt, 3 reb (2 off), 6 bl

-Good D on Wahab and other bigs on low post possessions. Ryan is definitely significantly bigger/stronger. Not taller, but thicker in the lower body and shoulders.

-Solid screen led to a good driving finish by a guard. Mutombo’s screens have generally been very solid.

-had two nice pick/roll catch/finish baskets

-very energetic and engaged with is teammates

-nice pas to Riley cutting to the hoop

-Hit a tough fadeaway, one legged, “Dirk” style baseline fadeaway from about 7 feet

-fouled a lot, but also played solid interior D

Jay Heath: 20 pts, 7-11 2 pt 3-4 FT, 1-4 3 pt, 5 reb, 4 asst, 1 st

-Strong +1 finish off opening tip

-strong lefty finish

-great look ahead pass for dunk/layup - two times

-very strong with the ball. Consistently plays through contact. Gets extremely low with his dribble, using body to protect ball and making it very tough for defenders to disrupt his dribble. Gets his shoulders under the defender and uses this leverage to power past him. Much too strong for most defenders to handle when he attacks

-HIt a step back 3 off a between the legs dribble - tough shot. But he missed similar shots twice - probably not a shot you want to see Heath taking very often unless the shot clock is running out.

-Nice lefty finish after taking his man off the dribble.

-Heath is going to be a very solid player for us. He plays like a vet - smart, skilled, knows how to use his strengths to his advantage. Always plays under control. Could definitely see him being the person who settles the team down when a game begins to get a little wild or the other team goes on a run,

Akok Akok: 2 pts, 1-2 2pt, 0-2 3pg, 2 reb

-about 10 minutes into the game, he went up for a lob dunk attempt in transition. He landed off balance and went to the ground holding his right knee. He walked off with some help. Came back out with a big ice pack on his leg, but needed help walking back to training area a few minutes later. He looked like he was in some pain and upset

-but an hour or so later - he was back in the gym walking pretty will with just a light elastic wrap on his knee

-then on Sunday - we walked into the gym with no noticeable limp or wrap. He did put the light elastic wrap on his leg while watching the game.

-So Akok may have dodged a bullet. It looked like it could be a serious injury initially, but seeing him walking comfortably today was encouraging

-I have seen Akok in highlights and some UConn games before. But seeing him live - his legs are incredibly thin. I don’t know if I have ever seen a player with such thin legs, especially a 6’8/6’9 guy. It is hard not to think that he could be pretty leg injury prone- there is very little muscle supporting those leg joints. I think he is probably just a super thin framed guy - he may well be unable to put on much muscle/weight

-He is definitely a smooth, explosive athlete. In his 10 minutes of play, you could see that he moves very quickly/smoothly, and gets off his feet quickly with good elevation

-his three point stroke was solid mechanically. He missed both tries, but they were good shots. His shot is a touch too flat, but he looked like he could be a legit catch/shoot 3 point threat

-hopefully his knee is OK. He has had so many serious injuries in his college career, you have to be rooting for him to get a chance to play for a healthy stretch this season

Dante Harris: 6 pts, 2-6 2pt, 2-2 FT, 0-2 3pt, 4 reb (2 off), 2 asst, 2 TO

-Twice beat his man off the dribble but missed layups at the rim that were only lightly contested

-badly missed a pull up 16 foot jumper, was not close on his first two open 3 pt. attempts

-good hit ahead pass to create a fast break opportunity that resulted in a two shot foul

-nice lob pass from midcourt for a transition finish.

-just did not seem on his game. He did not play with his usual energy. Seemed a beat or two slower than usual, and just generally seemed off

-Note: I had to leave before the last game on Sunday - but reportedly Harris played very well in this game (20+ points), so he probably just had an off day on Saturday. Also - Ezewiro did not play on Saturday, and his team was at a big talent disadvantage. Ezewiro did play on Sunday, and the entire team played much better. A little more on Ezewiro below

Dante Bass: (Note - I had to leave at halftime of the Bass/Anglin game, so their stats are only for one half) 3 pt, 0-1 2pt, 1-2 3 pt, 2 reb, 1 st, 1 bl

-his 3 point shot looked good in warmups - he was hitting a significant majority of his tries. His mechanics/rotation are very good

-forced a travel with good help D

-helped force another travel - very active on D, always moving his feet and getting involved in the play

-sometimes leaves his feet too aggressively on pump fakes, leading to fouls

-Steal, but missed the contested layup badly - all backboard, no rim

-got burned trying to front the post on D. Pass over his head to his man for a dunk

Denver Anglin: 3 pts, 0-2 2 pt, 1-4 3 pt, 1 re, 1 st, 1 TO

-used a screen to get himself a good look on a straight on 3 from three feet beyond the line

SUNDAY GAMES

Brandon Murray: 19 points, 4-9 2 pt, 2-4 FT, 3-4 3 pt,7 reb, 5 asst, 1 st, 4 bl, 1 TO

-fantastic game. Did it all on offense and defense. He is a very, very impressive player. Strong combo of athleticism, skill, and hoops IQ. I won’t be surprised if he ends up being our best player since Otto. I also won’t be surprised if he is a Hoya for just one year. In fact, I’ll be pretty surprised if he plays more than one year here before going pro.

-Active on D, consistently dipping in off his man to help challenge perimeter drives. Got a nice steal doing this

-went end to end with a D board, with a strong euro step finish through a defender

-D board, immediate pass to spears at midcourt, lob pass for dunk

-had 2 LeBron-style blocks where he flew in from behind and pinned the shot on the backboard

-Seemed to get a bit tired in the second half. His team played at a quick, intense pace and they had no subs. But he rallied down the stretch and finished strong

-very good passer - sees open cutters and spot up 3 point shooters

-came off a dribble handoff for a big 3 late in the game

Primo Spears: 22 pts, 5-7 2 pt, 3-4 FT, 3-7 3 pt, 4 reb, 6 asst, 4 TO

-Also played very well, He goes for the flashy play sometimes, which can result in mistakes. But it also results in some exciting play. He and Murray definitely have a very good feel for how to play together. Hopefully this carries over to real games.

-great quick full court pass after a D board for an easy layup

-did the same thing moments later, after a made basket

-step back 12 foot baseline J - good handle to get separation. But likes this move a bit too much. Looks great when it works, but it is a tough shot

-loves to throw lobs to Murray for dunk attempts, even in traffic. Murray had two awkward landings on these lobs today - always anxious about an injury on an awkward landing like this. Murray was fine today, but might be wise to save these attempts for games that count!

-hit a pull-up 15 foot baseline jumper

-step back jumper from the foul line

-hit a 3 off the dribble from about 27 feet

-late in the game got pressed by two defenders - tried to bounce the ball to himself through the legs of a defender. Needless to say - it did not work!

-Spears is a skilled, fun, athletic player. He seems to bring quite a bit more to the table than Dante Harris. Better shooter, a bit better as a ballhandler, a few inches taller, longer. I’ll be surprised if Spears is not starting along with Murray and Heath.

Qudus Wahab: 12 pts, 6-10 2 pt, 9 reb (3 off), 1 bl, 2 TO

-Nice offensive board, lefty finish over a defender

-tried a power rip dribble move through a double team, but defender easily stole the ball

-nice turnaround jumper over a defender from 8 feet

-better on D today. Was getting into position in the lane, contesting/discouraging shots

Wayne Bristol: 4 pts, 2-3 2 pt, 0-3 3pt, 1 reb, 2 asst, 1 st, 1 bl, 3 TO

-Bristol’s shot always looks good, but it has not gone in much

-he has good size, some athleticism and some skill. But the whole package looks to be just a bit below big east starter level so far this summer. Looks like a guy who can contribute, but not a guy who is going to be a major player. But he only has one year of college play. Over time - he has the fundamental athleticism/skills to build on. He may never develop into anything more than a bench player, but there is some potential for more.

Dante Bass: 9 pts, 3-6 2 pt, 0-2 FT, 1-3 3pt, 8 reb, 2 asst, 1 bl, 2 TO

-Took a defensive board end to end

-bad turnover on a casual behind the back pass

-hustled in transition D to force a missed layup

-very fast - exploded to rim for a transition dunk

-hit a corner 3

-good quick outlet pass of D board for an easy dunk - did this twice

-forced a turnover on Riley

-confident in his 3 point shot - takes it decisively. Has only made a few so far this summer, but almost all of them have looked good.

-makes quick decision with the ball. Has a good feel for the game on both ends.

-blocked a weak Mutombo post attempt

Denver Anglin: 3 pts, 1-1 3 pt, 1 asst

-early in game Anglin and Riley went to the floor fighting for a loose ball. Anglin seemed to bang his head on the ground as Riley fell on top of him. The trainer also looked at his ankle, and Anglin did not return to game

-it did not look like anything particularly serious. Anglin remained on the bench and did not have any obviously noticeable limp.

Ryan Mutombo: 0 pts, 0-3 2pt, 0-2 FT, 8 reb (2 off), 1 st, 1 TO

-Nice roll/catch/drew foul. But missed both foul shots. He has developed a hesitation/hitch at the top of his foul shot that looks pretty funky.

-got beat badly on an up/under move, twice

-Generally struggled with GW center Noel Brown. Brown is a big guy (6’11, 270 lbs) and he is pretty athletic, with some skill. He has not done much at GW, but he has looked good this summer. He was too quick and powerful for Mutombo today.

Jordan Riley: 9 pts, 4-7 2 pt, 1-3 FT, 0-2 3 pt, 4 reb (1 off), 1 asst, 1 TO

-banked in a 16 foot straight on jumper. He did not call ‘glass’

-hit a nice running bank shot n the lane

-finished a tough +1 with a circus scoop shot spun off the glass

-on a corner 3 - he hit the backboard but not the rim.

-generally struggled with his shot today, from the field and the foul line. He had multiple real bad misses. His shooting has looked pretty rough so far this summer.

-works hard on D. Uses his strength and quickness well.

Final game of the day: I could not stay for this game, but based on twitter reports

-Bradley Eziwero played, and played well again. I am very eager to see him - he has had two strong games in his two kenner appearances. He may end up being our starting power forward

-Bryson Mazone made his first Kenner appearance. I have not seen anything yet on how he played.

-Dante Harris had a good game, with 20+ points. Nice bounce back after a rough game on Saturday. Spears has looked quite good this summer - I think it will be tough for Harris to crack the starting lineup ahead of Murray/Heath/Spears.