Five Key Questions After Brooks DeBartolo vs. Bishop Verot
Bishop Verot made the trip from Fort Myers up to Tampa on Wednesday night for the season opener for each team. The Vikings had a rough go of it from the beginning against a solid Phoenix team with strong chemistry.…
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Continue ReadingBishop Verot made the trip from Fort Myers up to Tampa on Wednesday night for the season opener for each team. The Vikings had a rough go of it from the beginning against a solid Phoenix team with strong chemistry. Brooks DeBartolo plays fast and they work the ball around well in a balanced attack. The first half was dominated by Brooks DeBartolo as the score was 18-8 after one period, and the score at half was 41-10 in favor of the Phoenix. BV would play better in the second half as BDCHS took their foot off the gas a bit. The final in this one ended up being 72-36 with the Phoenix securing the W.
How do you stop Brooks DeBartolo?
Great question. This team should be a force in 3A after going 22-8 last season with those 8 losses coming to quality teams. They return just about everyone from that team, so they have all played together making their chemistry some of the best I’ve seen. Brooks DeBartolo isn’t all that tall (not that short either), but that won’t hurt them if the other team can’t do anything on offense with the pressure defense that the Phoenix have.
What is Bishop Verot missing?
BV was looking to have a very talented team before a few transfers happened (or didn’t happen) that changed the outlook of this team. The Vikings are led by Sr. Catie Reszel (NAIA Ave Maria University commit) and So. Addison Potts (D1 Missouri commit) who are the only real scoring options on this squad that doesn’t give them the depth or options they need. This allows oppposing teams to focus in on these two to make like difficult for them, especially a talented defensive team like Brooks. Addison Potts was being double-teamed off of any screens that were set for her, and it only allowed for her to have a few shot attempts that led to 5 points for the game. Speedy Catie Reszel led the way in scoring for Bishop Verot with 12 points on the game with a couple nice floaters and strong free throw shooting. Other contributors were So. Lauren Broomhead with 8 points on a couple of 3 pointers, and Sr. Angela Ficarro who had 8 points that could have been more with some of the looks she got in the post. District 7 is not that strong in 3A, so BV still has a great chance to make something happen this season.
Is there a better Junior Class than Brooks DeBartolo’s?
I am sure I will miss some teams, but I think Brooks has one of the strongest trio’s in the Junior class in the state with Triniti Youngblood, Brionna McClinton, and Amarie Godwin (with the addition of Ayonna Simmons eventually). Other teams I can think of would be Tampa Bay Tech (Peaks, Godfrey, and Murray) as the only trio, DME (Weary, Grady), Florida Prep (Sorrentino, Burks), and Plant (Cheesman, Jean), but there is a lot of talent in the 2021 class throughout the state of Florida. In this game against Bishop Verot, the juniors accounted for 53 of the 72 points for BDCHS. Brionna McClinton led the way with 21 points on three 3-pointers, and she continues to impress me even more with each game I see. Triniti Youngblood added 17 points on offense and played a great defensive game against Potts to shut her down. The last Junior is Amarie Godwin who had 15 with a couple three pointers and a bunch of assists as the team’s facilitator. This Phoenix team is a lot of fun to watch with their intensity on both sides of the floor.
What is Brooks DeBartolo’s ceiling?
Brooks is a really strong team from 1 through 5 or 6. Aside from their Junior class, Brooks has two quick guards in Sophomore Jaela Davis and Freshman Maia Lewers (8 pts). This is a very balanced team that can be carried by anyone if someone is having an off game on offense like Jaela did. She played hard and really tough defense that made a difference in the game, because everyone is bound to have tough shooting nights. Maia’s game does not make her look like a Freshman as she’s definitely one of the top 2023’s in the area with her skills and poise as a young gun. They do play in a very tough District 9 with teams like Carrollwood Day, Tampa Prep, and Bishop McLaughlin so they have their work cut out for them. The Phoenix play a tough schedule this year, and we will learn a lot about them over the next couple of months for a team that should make a run this year.
Who is the biggest threat to the Phoenix in 3A?
Class 3A is going to be a fun one to watch unfold as there are a lot of talented teams in this one with the reclassification of Florida from 9 classes to 7.The teams that stick out to me the most (other than Brooks) are: Miami Country Day, Carrollwood Day, PK Yonge, Father Lopez, Seffner Christian, and Santa Fe Catholic, but there are some sleepers in there with this loaded class.
Brooks will have two big tests coming up with Armwood (Monday) and Seffner Christian (Tuesday) at their Thanksgiving Shootout. Bishop Verot will have a tough matchup today against a reloaded Gulf Coast squad.