Practice Makes Perfect: St. Mark’s School Part I
I had the opportunity to check out the St. Marks’ Lions inter-team scrimmage, and it was great to see the student-athletes out on the hardwood. Head coach Joe Dicruttalo has a fundamentally sound, defensive-minded St. Marks’ squad who play with…
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Continue ReadingI had the opportunity to check out the St. Marks’ Lions inter-team scrimmage, and it was great to see the student-athletes out on the hardwood. Head coach Joe Dicruttalo has a fundamentally sound, defensive-minded St. Marks’ squad who play with so much energy. You can tell they are elated to be playing basketball again. In a 4v4 full-court scrimmage, I got the chance to observe the talent on the Lions’ roster. Here is what I saw from Team Blue
Team Blue:
Tatum Forbes – PG/SG – 2022
The only way to stop Forbes is hoping that she misses. Her crafty ball-handling and electric finishes at the rim are unguardable. She is a sensational passer who threads the needle beautifully to her teammates for open looks. Forbes’ leadership was put on display during the scrimmage right from the jump. She accepted the challenge of guarding Brianna James, the best player on Team White, and she played with high intensity. Picking up James full court and competing so hard, Forbes set the tone for the scrimmage, and her teammates followed suit. Whenever you see one of your best players give that much effort in practice shows how bad she wants to make herself better and push her teammates.
Jasmine James – SG/SF – 2024
James is a freshman to keep an eye on moving forward. An athlete who got better and more confident as the scrimmage progressed. Right away, you notice her ability to run the floor and shoot the ball, but early on was not that aggressive. By the end of the scrimmage, she showed her full repertoire of skills. She can step out and hit threes or attack the basket strong and finish with her off-hand. Her confidence when she was isolated on the wing shined, and she has the potential to be a dominant scorer.
Ella Carr – PF – 2024
The lefty post player showed a lot of promise in the post. A reliable scorer down low, Carr can step out and show off her touch from 15 feet, too. Carr flashes to the block hard and does a good job sealing her defender. She is the kind of post player who can draw many fouls because she is so physical in the post. The power forward runs the floor well also, which compliments Forbes well since she loves pushing the ball in transition.
Megan Miantsoko – PF/C – 2021
One of the toughest players on the team, Miantsoko, is an absolute force on the glass. She was a basketball magnet on the offensive glass, and she secured numerous extra possessions for her team. Her free throw shooting stood out because she had excellent form and touch when shooting. This is important for the senior because as physical as she is underneath the rim battling for boards, teams will hack her a lot. Being a reliable free throw shooter will make Miantsoko extremely valuable when she is on the court.
Maddie Bazinet – SG – 2024
Bazinet is one of the most active defenders on the team. She plays with maximum effort and is terrific off the ball. She was bumping cutters and being very physical with her assignment. Bazinet also boxes out well. It was very encouraging to see the guard close out to the shooter in control and then box them out. Many times, players forget to box out the shooter after they closeout, so Bazinet finishing the play with a physical box out was great to see.
Aime Murillo – SG/PG – 2023
Murillo moves well without the ball. She face cuts hard looking for the ball, and she is rarely stagnant on the perimeter. I liked the confidence she showed when she caught the ball. In one play, in particular, she ran baseline, curled to the free-throw area, and received the ball. Recognizing the late closeout from the defense, she pulled up from 15 feet with no hesitation. Murillo also attacked the basket, which a lot of undersized players don’t normally do. The sophomore combo guard was fearless in her pursuit of the basket.
Natalie Zaterka – SF – 2022
Zaterka showed confidence in her jump shot from 15-18 feet. Not shy at all to pull the trigger, the junior small forward was fluid and showed picture perfect form on her jumper. What I liked most about Zaterka was when she turned the ball over and hustled back on defense. She did not sulk or give up on the play, and her transition defense led to a missed layup. It is that kind of effort in practice that will translate into real games.