From alley-oop dunks to hard-nosed defense, the opening evening certainly set the tone for the next two days.
"It was a great day 1," said camp director Imad Qahwash. "Players are competing; a lot of talent in this region that sometimes goes unnoticed. It was great to have most of the top players in one region in the same gym."
"Being able to see some of these players from 8th grade now develop into next level (OCAA/CIS/NCAA) talent, it's a special thing," he added.
Speaking of the next level, over a dozen coaches were in attendance on Friday. Programs included Ryerson, Algoma, Laurier, Waterloo, Guelph, Nipissing, Toronto, McMaster, Seneca, Humber, and several prep programs.
Those coaches would have certainly been impressed with what they saw on the court, but as I alluded to in a tweet last night, also the calibre of student-athlete that this region produces:
One notable thing from @Top40Camp that won't get a lot of publicity is the calibre of kids this region produces. From kids shaking hands of coaches in attendance and thanking them for spending their weekend in the gym to guys helping their opponents up... (1/2)— CWOSSA Basketball (@CWOSSABball) May 12, 2018
Friday's festivities saw the players in attendance assigned to their (four) camp teams, and the initial camp games got underway.
Providence vs. Notre Dame
Things tipped off with a tight opening half between a couple teams with some solid talent. Ladera Obang, considered one of the top prospects nationally in his class, came out agressively for Providence, scoring 8 of his team's first 10 points.
#TriCity40 -- Ladera Obang and Ethan Passley keeping Providence tight with Notre Dame early on in the first scrimmage @Top40Camp... pic.twitter.com/YIv88NGyto— CWOSSA Basketball (@CWOSSABball) May 11, 2018
However, on the other end, Layee Jabateh's production was as expected. The guard was a bully in the paint, getting to the rim for buckets as well as doing his part on the glass in conjuction with his usual hard-nosed defense.
Emanuel Otong, who helped Glenview Park to an "AA" OFSAA appearance this past season, was also solid for Notre Dame. Otong was displaying his versatility on the offensive end, and his awareness on the defensive end where he was disruptive at the rim with a couple of blocked shots (and/or making things difficult for the opposition).
The first half ended with Notre Dame up 29-24.
In the second half, Ethan Passley got Providence off and running with a quick three-pointer, before Otong took charge with a drive for an "and one". From there, Providence went on a bit of a run, keyed by Ayden Jackson, who had a couple of consecutive baskets including a mid-range jumper and a nice drive to the basket. A Zach Jones three-pointer extended the lead to double-digits, and Notre Dame closed things out with a highlight-reel alley-oop from Michael Allen to Otong in a 62-46 win.
Arkansas vs. Kansas
With only 6 players on the opening evening (a couple of out of towners will join them on Saturday), you might have thought that Arkansas might be in trouble against a full Kansas roster that included Kanayo Nnadi, Zach Cudmore, Kuel Thomas, and others.
Arkansas, though, had other ideas. Khaled Djabo (George Brown Commit / D10 MVP from JF Ross) set the tone early with an inside layup, a three-pointer, and then a steal and behind-the-back pass for an assist -- in the game's first 45 seconds.
Diego Garcia's basket (below) capped a 17-1 lead to start the game.
Diego Garcia's bucket gets Arkansas off to a 17-1 start. Kanyo Nnadi answering on the other end for Kansas. #TriCity40 @Top40Camp pic.twitter.com/BGpO4T2pzx— CWOSSA Basketball (@CWOSSABball) May 11, 2018
Tyreak Farquharson (Eastwood) was another consistent, solid performer for the Arkansas team -- he showed his deep outside range on a couple of occasions in the first half, and helped them build a 37-19 lead after the opening 20 minutes.
Although Djabo and Farquharson did a lot of damage, Terrell Lloyd (Woodstock College Avenue) had an impressive first half as well. Diego Garcia (JHSS), Alex Garbuio (St. James) and Ben Mascarenhas (SBCSS) also contributed nicely -- especially on the boards for an undersized squad.
In the second half, Ethan Mercier (PHS) -- a camp all-star last year -- got things going for Kansas, running the floor nicely for a big and then converting a pass from Nnadi for two.
Darius Skinner (Pickering HS) also did his part in trying to keep Kansas on the comeback trail:
Darius Skinner getting inside for 2, but Arkansas still with a comfortable lead midway through the 2nd half. #TriCity40 @Top40Camp pic.twitter.com/IEezkjuEyM— CWOSSA Basketball (@CWOSSABball) May 12, 2018
But, in the end, the Arkansas team was too cohesive and made timely baskets while getting stops (one of them an emphatic block by Djabo) to extend their lead. A couple of District 8 products finished strong -- Mascarenhas had a solid offensive board and putback, while Paolo Malacad of St. Mary's was able to get inside for consecutive layups for Kansas.
In the end, Arkansas finished up with a 78-51 win.
Mark's Top 5
In alphabetical order by last name, here are my "top five" performers from Friday night's action:
Khaled Djabo, Arkansas
Tyreak Farquharson, Arkansas
Layee Jabateh, Notre Dame
Ladera Obang, Providence
Emanuel Otong, Notre Dame
Honouarble Mentions: Ayden Jackson & Michael Allen (Notre Dame). Both played heady basketball, made good decisions, set their teammates up nicely, and had solid contributions in their own right.
Saturday
Camp continues Saturday morning at RIM Park, with development skill sessions in the morning and games in the afternoon. Again, I'll be in attendance and keeping tabs on the action.
In alphabetical order by last name, here are my "top five" performers from Friday night's action:
Khaled Djabo, Arkansas
Tyreak Farquharson, Arkansas
Layee Jabateh, Notre Dame
Ladera Obang, Providence
Emanuel Otong, Notre Dame
Honouarble Mentions: Ayden Jackson & Michael Allen (Notre Dame). Both played heady basketball, made good decisions, set their teammates up nicely, and had solid contributions in their own right.
Saturday
Camp continues Saturday morning at RIM Park, with development skill sessions in the morning and games in the afternoon. Again, I'll be in attendance and keeping tabs on the action.
No comments:
Post a Comment