I got to see Willie Jackson(2016) of Garfield Heights and Kipper Nichols(2015) from Lakewood St Eds. Both their teams will be playing to get in the state's Final Four for big schools in Ohio.
One of the things that I think is important is paying attention to a player even if he is having a bad day from a scoring standpoint. You find out a lot about the character of a kid that way. It so happens that I have seen both have tough games offensively. I like to have the question answered "WHAT DOES HE DO TO HELP THE TEAM WIN ON DAYS HIS OFFENSE IS STRUGGLING?? It is as important as when he has a good night scoring, IMO.
This board has mentioned both players so I thought I would give a breakdown of what I saw, as far as strengths and weaknesses. Maybe the 'ship has sailed' for Gopher interest, I dont know. Maybe they arent interested in Minnesota anymore but I thought I would do this anyways.
Jackson's Garfield Heights team has to play Saturday to get to the state tournament against Shaker Heights led by Esa Ahmad, a West Virginia recruit and top 50 talent. Esa is a guy that I had hoped Minnesota would have shown interest as he is a multi-skilled offensive player. He leads his team in virtually every positive category. One of the best in the state of Ohio. These teams played last year and Garfield Heights won at the buzzer. Jackson will have to guard him. Both teams are far from 'one man shows', though.
I thought I would breakdown Jackson's games, as to how I have seen it, and then Nichols in a following post
Willie Jackson 6-5, 6-6 junior SF but closer to 6-5 I think. Sturdy built and a great athlete. Can run and jump very well. Built VERY LONG!!.
STRENGTHS: Can guard virtually any position in HS.Takes pride in his defense. A tenacious rebounder(at least 14 a game on average against top competition) Strong finisher in transition. Great defender both in one on one and in help. Passes the ball well. HAD AT LEAST 6 GAMES WITH 20 REBOUNDS OR MORE!!
WHAT YOU WILL LIKE ABOUT HIM: He keeps the team loose as he is always smiling. Not mean spirited but just likes having fun and keeping teammates loose. ACTIVELY looks to find ways to help his team win games(HUGE). SUPREMELY CONFIDENT PLAYER who never gives up. Comes from a program led by Sonny Johnson who has turned out quite a few Division 1 players.
WHAT HE NEEDS TO WORK ON: Mid range game is a bit shaky.. Streaky from the 3. NOT a big time scorer but really has improved.. Averaged 16 a game. Has a lot of teammates that are talented including Frankie Hughes, a SG that was mentioned in GI as well so he has not always had to dominate as a scorer.
This post was edited on 3/19 8:34 AM by Vifan
This post was edited on 3/19 8:40 AM by Vifan
This post was edited on 3/19 8:56 AM by Vifan
This post was edited on 3/21 2:17 PM by Vifan
One of the things that I think is important is paying attention to a player even if he is having a bad day from a scoring standpoint. You find out a lot about the character of a kid that way. It so happens that I have seen both have tough games offensively. I like to have the question answered "WHAT DOES HE DO TO HELP THE TEAM WIN ON DAYS HIS OFFENSE IS STRUGGLING?? It is as important as when he has a good night scoring, IMO.
This board has mentioned both players so I thought I would give a breakdown of what I saw, as far as strengths and weaknesses. Maybe the 'ship has sailed' for Gopher interest, I dont know. Maybe they arent interested in Minnesota anymore but I thought I would do this anyways.
Jackson's Garfield Heights team has to play Saturday to get to the state tournament against Shaker Heights led by Esa Ahmad, a West Virginia recruit and top 50 talent. Esa is a guy that I had hoped Minnesota would have shown interest as he is a multi-skilled offensive player. He leads his team in virtually every positive category. One of the best in the state of Ohio. These teams played last year and Garfield Heights won at the buzzer. Jackson will have to guard him. Both teams are far from 'one man shows', though.
I thought I would breakdown Jackson's games, as to how I have seen it, and then Nichols in a following post
Willie Jackson 6-5, 6-6 junior SF but closer to 6-5 I think. Sturdy built and a great athlete. Can run and jump very well. Built VERY LONG!!.
STRENGTHS: Can guard virtually any position in HS.Takes pride in his defense. A tenacious rebounder(at least 14 a game on average against top competition) Strong finisher in transition. Great defender both in one on one and in help. Passes the ball well. HAD AT LEAST 6 GAMES WITH 20 REBOUNDS OR MORE!!
WHAT YOU WILL LIKE ABOUT HIM: He keeps the team loose as he is always smiling. Not mean spirited but just likes having fun and keeping teammates loose. ACTIVELY looks to find ways to help his team win games(HUGE). SUPREMELY CONFIDENT PLAYER who never gives up. Comes from a program led by Sonny Johnson who has turned out quite a few Division 1 players.
WHAT HE NEEDS TO WORK ON: Mid range game is a bit shaky.. Streaky from the 3. NOT a big time scorer but really has improved.. Averaged 16 a game. Has a lot of teammates that are talented including Frankie Hughes, a SG that was mentioned in GI as well so he has not always had to dominate as a scorer.
This post was edited on 3/19 8:34 AM by Vifan
This post was edited on 3/19 8:40 AM by Vifan
This post was edited on 3/19 8:56 AM by Vifan
This post was edited on 3/21 2:17 PM by Vifan
