Nike TOC Takeaways
The Nike Tournament of Champions has officially concluded and there was a ton of good basketball all weekend. Teams from all across the country made the trip to Arizona for the esteemed event and it gave teams a true measure…
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Continue ReadingThe Nike Tournament of Champions has officially concluded and there was a ton of good basketball all weekend. Teams from all across the country made the trip to Arizona for the esteemed event and it gave teams a true measure of who is local good, regional good and national good. Multiple Washington teams had the courage to make the trip and play in some of the better divisions in the event. These are some of my takeaways from all that transpired.
Takeaways:
1) Eastside Catholic’s program is headed in right direction, quickly
The young and talented Crusaders came ready to compete. The team is comprised of almost all freshman and sophomores, but finished 3-1 for the event. Although they played in the third most competitive division, Eastside Catholic competed in the first game with the highly talented Windward team out of California, losing by just 7 points. They would go on to win the loser’s bracket and place 9th for the John Anderson division. 2023 5’7 G Isabel Sullivan was really solid throughout and saved her best for last. She finished with 21 points on 9/9 shooting and three made 3’s in their blowout win over Valley Vista out of Arizona. 2023 5’5 PG Malia Samuels really got it done on the offensive end and still contributed double digit points in multiple games. 2022 5’10 SG Zahirah Walton was super consistent throughout. She plays a bit out of position on this team, but her fluidity and all around natural feel for the game was very apparent. She had some athletic finishes and turnaround jumpers that will translate to the next level. Overall, Eastside Catholic appears to have the pieces to truly compete for a state title if they can continue to develop.
A trip well worth it for Mjracle Sheppard
2023 5’9 PG Mjracle Sheppard has some really bright moments throughout the event, consistently contributing in scoring, rebounding, passing and steals. Her motor and competitiveness is what separates her at this stage of her career. If she can sure up her free throw shooting and outside shot, then the sky is the limit. Dozens of coaches spread throughout the five gyms and Mjracle walked away with an offer from St. John’s of the Big East. Yale, a program that has been recruiting her, was also in to see her.
Garfield will need to regroup
The Lady Bulldogs came into the Nike TOC with a lot of momentum built up from easily beating up on Washington area teams, but playing in a truly top division is no easy feat. Garfield entered Nike TOC ranked 19th in the country by MaxPreps and the number one team on the west coast outside of the top 25 nationally by Blue Star Media. Garfield gave La Jolla Country Day (CA) all they could handle in half one of the first round, but things went down hill from there for the majority of the tournament. Dalayah Daniels was the standout versus La Jolla Country Day, but then went down with an injury in a blowout loss to Corona Centennial. Garfield would go on to finish the tourney 0-4. One bright spot in the final game was Meghan Fiso who had a a strong game in the final outing scoring 19 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. She is definitely at her best when she is aggressively looking to score and getting to her mid range jumper. A key for Garfield will be getting her and Daniels to have those explosive games on the same night. If they can do that, they still have enough talent to make a run at the state title.
Hamilton Heights is the real deal
Hamilton Heights (TN) is every bit as good as people thought they were. They absolutely destroyed competition in the Clare Droesch division. Their game versus Blair Academy (NJ) was one of those games where the talent on the floor was appalling. Hamilton Heights started out slow and then just put their foot on the gas pedal when they felt like it. They would finish out 4-0 behind 6’2 Kentucky signee Treasure Hunt and 6’7 C Kamilla Cardosa who is headed to Syracuse next year. Both players run the floor so well and bring a real inside-out punch that is difficult to defend, especially out of the pick and roll where Hunt can get to her sweet mid range, hit the three or pass off the dribble to a rolling Cardosa who keeps the ball high and finishes. With this strong performance, Hamilton Heights should find itself right back in the top 5 in every national ranking.
Some major differences between good teams and great teams
There was talent right across the board at Nike TOC. The major difference between the pretty good teams and the great ones was a mixture of discipline, basketball IQ, shooting and ability to execute half court offense. If you look at the teams that were the most successful, none of them free lanced or just ran around. Flare screens, high-low, 1-4 high action, flex, continuity ball screen offenses and other varieties of good offense were a regular for the best teams. Yes, they were quick, could pressure and beat some teams off of talent, that alone does not work at the highest levels. Sierra Canyon (Alica Komaki), La Jolla Country Day (Terri Bamford) and Hamilton Heights (Keisha Hunt) are outstanding examples of this. Super talent and high level coaching. Hats off to those programs.