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City of Palms: Day 2

On Day 2 of the City of Palms Classic, Jerryd Bayless (pictured) would try to lead St. Mary's to a win over nationally ranked Arlington Country Day; Greg Monroe took center stage with his Helen Cox team; and Taylor King would become Mater Dei's all-time leading scorer.

Game 4: Palmetto vs. Panama City Bay

Panama City Bay led 31-21 at halftime of this game, but Palmetto rallied in the second half and outscored Bay 15-3 in the fourth quarter to win the game 53-46.  6-0 junior Joe Hills led Palmetto with 20 points on 9-11 shooting, while 6-3 junior Jonathon Murner scored 22 points for Panama City Bay.

Game 5: Mater Dei vs. Jeannette

Mater Dei came into this game undefeated and ranked 7th in the country.  They are led by 6-7 senior Taylor King (Duke), 6-8 sophomore twins David and Travis Wear, and a roster full of other future Division 1 college players.  Jeannette was coming off a state title appearance in football over the weekend, and their basketball team hadn’t even held their first practice yet this season.  Jeannette’s top player is 6-6 junior Terrelle Pryor, who is widely considered a top 50 player nationally in the 2008 class.

Taylor King started where he left off on Saturday by scoring 8 of Mater Dei’s first 12 points as they jumped out to a 12-2 lead to start the game.  The blowout just got worse as the Wear twins started to get involved and they both went 3-3 from the field and chipped in with 6 points apiece in the first half.  Taylor King went perfect from beyond the arc for 19 points before the break (he had 17 in the first half on Saturday).  At halftime Mater Dei was leading 46-18.

It looked like Mater Dei was going to call off the dogs in the second half when none of their original starting five took the court in the entire third quarter, but with the Monarchs up 40 points, their starting 5 reentered  the game to start the fourth quarter.  This seemed like an odd move considering the biggest news in hoops right now is the Knicks-Nuggets brawl from the weekend that supposedly started over the Nuggets leaving their starters in after having an insurmountable lead late in the game.  Taylor King ended up breaking the all-time scoring record at Mater Dei in the final quarter and that seemed like an easy explanation for them being in the game… but why didn’t he come out after breaking the record?  Why were the other four starters in the game?  Well, Jeannette’s coach James Nesser refused the mercy rule that would have allowed the clock to run continuously in the final period, so Mater Dei decided to show no mercy and left their starters in for the 94-45 blowout.

Player Evaluations:

Taylor King 6-7 Sr. GF Mater Dei (DUKE)
King continued to put on a show at the City of Palms Classic as he once again lit it up from downtown.  He was 10-14 from the field for 26 points and also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.  Congratulations Taylor on becoming the all-time leading scorer in Mater Dei history!

David and Travis Wear 6-8 So. SF Mater Dei
These guys combined for 20 points on 10-12 shooting.  They have been the hottest topic of conversation among the coaches this week.

Jamal Trice 6-5 Jr. GF Mater Dei
He’s a big reason why this team could just get better next season.  He is a well built athlete with a good skill set.  Finished with 12 points on 5-6 shooting.  Had the attention of a lot of the college coaches in attendance.

Terrelle Pryor 6-6 Jr. SF Jeannette
Pryor has been busy with football during the past few months so it’s safe to say he wasn’t at his best.  He has a good body and is a good athlete.  It looks like his ball handling has improved as he handled the ball well in transition.  The questions right now are about his shooting and if he has a go-to move.  Pryor finished with 11 points on 4-10 shooting.

Game 6: Liberty Tech vs. Miami Pace

Liberty Tech jumped out to an early 6-0 lead over Miam Pace and Tech’s 6-6 senior Josh Sain had all those points.  Miami Pace’s 5-6 sophomore point guard Raymond Taylor quickly became a crowd favorite as he used slick dribbling and acrobatic finishes to get Pace back in the game.  The teams looked evenly matched as the first half ended with Tech leading Pace 30-27.
Liberty Tech looked like a different team as they came out hitting everything in the second half.  They outscored Pace 24-5 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.  The final score was Liberty Tech 69, Monsignor Pace 49.

Player Evaluations:

Josh Sain 6-6 Sr. SF Liberty Tech
We liked him when we saw him 3 weeks ago at the Marshall County Hoopfest and he was even better in this game.  Sain lets the game come to him and as we heard a lot of fans say: “he’s smooth”.  He doesn’t have great hops, but he is long and moves very well.  He has a lot of nice moves in his offensive arsenal including a hard-to-guard spin move and he can hit the jumper and has a nice floater.  His passing could have been the most impressive part of his game on this day as he made numerous slick dishes that you don’t often see from a 6-6 kid.  Sain finished with 22 points (10-13fg) and 8 rebounds.

Raymond Taylor 5-6 So. PG Miami Pace
Taylor was fearless driving against kids at least a foot taller than him and had some of the most creative finishes we’ve seen.  He is quick and handles the ball well and is a capable outside shooter.  He’s a player- even with his lack of size.  Scored 18 points and added 3 steals.

Rayford Shipman 6-5 Jr. SF Miami Pace
Shipman got the attention of many of the coaches in attendance as he was one of the top slashers on this day.  He has a good build and above average athleticism.  His 10 points all came on dribble-drives including one that resulted in an impressive dunk.  He needs to improve his outside shot to become a solid mid-level guy.

Game 7: Charlotte vs. Helen Cox

Charlotte came into this game with a 7-1 record and their only loss came to nationally ranked Arlington Country Day.  They are led by 6-5 junior Dago Pena, 6-3 junior Chris Stephenson, and 6-0 senior Michael Wilkie.  Helen Cox sported a 16-1 record and are led by 6-10 Greg Monroe, who is the 3rd ranked junior in the country.

Helen Cox outscored Charlotte 21-10 in the first quarter to take control of the game.  Charlotte’s sharpshooter Michael Wilkie hit a pair of 3-pointers in the second qaurter to close the gap to 6, but Helen Cox took a 35-28 lead into the half. 

Charlotte hung within 6 or 7 points for most of the second half, but Helen Cox’s 6-3 senior Calvin Thompson completely took over late in the game to help his team pull away for the 70-60 victory.

Greg Monroe 6-10 Jr. PF Helen Cox
Even with Charlotte doing a superb job of defending the big guy, he still got his.  Monroe finished with 21 points (10-15fg), 9 rebounds and 4 blocks.  He scored in every way possible including big-time post moves, dribble drives that ended in dunks, and coast-to-coast finishes in transition.  One of the very elite players in the 2008 class.

Calvin Thompson 6-3 Sr. PG Helen Cox
We’re surprised this kid hasn’t recieved more press.  He has great size at point guard, and although he isn’t exceptionally quick, he is very skilled and uses creative dribbling to get where he needs to on the court.  He has a great floater and body control when he’s in the air.  He hit numerous shots inside 10 feet while driving to the basket.  His 3 assists aren’t that impressive on the surface, but he did show ability to get his passes to the right guy.  Calvin finished with 24 points on 8-9 shooting (2-2 outside).  He said that he is being recruited by Tulane, Auburn and USC and that Tulane has offered.  Thompson would be a steal at the mid-major level.

Game 8: Arlington Country Day vs. St. Mary’s

Arlington Country Day entered this game as the 9th ranked team in the country.  They are led by 6-7 senior AJ Stewart (Kentucky), 5-11 senior Gabriel Charlie, 6-2 senior Devon Lamb, and 6-0 freshman James Bell.  St. Mary’s entered the game with a disappointing season so far, but their 6-3 senior Jerryd Bayless (Arizona) is one of the best players in the country and can single-handedly change a game.

St. Mary’s started the game with a 10-6 lead behind a pair of big shots by 6-5 junior Matt Skelly, but Gabriel Charlie nailed a couple outside shots of his own to start a 13-2 run for Arlington Country Day.  The teams continued to trade leads for the rest of the first half and it ended with St. Mary’s up 40-39.

St. Mary’s outscored ACD 12-3 to start the second half including 7 straight points by Jerryd Bayless that gave them a 10 point lead.  Bayless continued to control the game in the second half and his team held a comfortable lead until the final minute when ACD rallied to get within a point with seconds on the clock but they never could capitalize and St. Mary’s pulled off the 83-80 upset.

Jerryd Bayless 6-3 Sr. G St. Mary’s (Arizona)
Bayless is listed at 6-4 in the program and he looks like he could be that tall now.  When you combine that height with his solid frame, he has an NBA-ready body now.  He played to his rep in this game tallying 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists while knocking off a team that had national-title hopes.  His elevation on his shot is ridiculous and he can hit from anywhere.  He knows how to use his body to drive to the hoop and his finishes are second only to Derrick Rose.  Had a couple of highlight worthy dunks.  Our only concern after this game was that he didn’t seem to have the ability to dribble out of trouble or break a press like the very best point guards in this class, but all that tells us is what we already knew, that he is more of a combo guard (when you figure his scoring abilities).  He will be one of the very best in the 2007 class when it’s all said and done.

AJ Stewart 6-7 Sr. PF Arlington Country Day (Kentucky)
Stewart had a solid game with 17 points and 11 rebounds and that is what Cats fans can expect when he takes his game to Kentucky next season: a solid player, but not a savior.  The problem is the Kentucky program is in need of a star.

Devon Lamb 6-2 SG Arlington Country Day
Lamb did a great job of being a force on the boards and getting to the line.  He was the biggest reason ACD stayed in the game like they did.  Finished with 29 points and 10 boards.

Gabriel Charley 5-11 G Arlington Country Day
Charley has earned a rep as a lights-out shooter this season, and he definitely is one of the top shooters around; but he is a 5-11 shooter and not a 5-11 point guard and that keeps him from being a high level guard prospect.  He doesn’t have a great handle and his lack of size doesn’t help when he drives to the hoop.  Charlie is at his best knocking down the outside shot like he did in this game when he hit 3-5 trifectas (he was only 5-18 from the field).

Day 2: Top Performers

1.  Jerryd Bayless 6-3 Sr. G St. Mary’s (ZONA)
2.  Greg Monroe 6-10 Jr. PF Helen Cox
3.  Taylor King 6-7 Sr. GF Mater Dei (DUKE)
4.  Josh Sain 6-6 Sr. SF Liberty Tech
5.  Calvin Thompson 6-3 Sr. PG Helen Cox
6.  Jamaal Trice 6-5 Jr. SF Mater Dei
7.  Raymond Taylor 5-6 So. PG Miami Pace
8.  David and Travis Wear 6-8 Jr. SF Mater Dei
9.  Rayford Shipman 6-5 Jr. SF Miami Pace
10. Devon Lamb 6-2 Sr. SG Arlington Country Day