A few quick ones before I hit the road. First of all, if there was any doubt about how highly sought-after Love and Fletcher are, I saw an interesting spectator hanging around the gym while I was leaving: Duke assistant Chris Carrawell. Duke hasn't offered either player yet, but I saw him talk to both Love and Vashon coach Tony Irons. Bottom line: Mizzou has its work cut out.
I will have stories on each player's recruitment the next couple days. But just a few thoughts about their game: Love can flat out score. He beat defenders off the dribble whenever he wanted and I bet he shot at least a dozen free throws. He doesn't have a ton of help on this team, and Vashon clearly made him the focal point of its defense, but he still scored over 20 points. He's got the size and the athleticism, too. His perimeter shot wasn't falling tonight, but I have little doubt he'll be able to score the ball at the next level.
Fletcher wasn't involved in the offensive gameplan as much as I expected for Vashon, but just looking at him, it's clear why a lot of schools want him. He's about 6-7, super long arms, and can run and jump with almost anyone on the court. He hit a couple open threes tonight, which I didn't see when I watched him in April, but he did struggle from the free throw line. Bottom line with him, he needs some work on his offensive skillset, both ball-handling and post moves, but he projects very well to be a long, athletic, versatile wing at the next level.
McKinney was the best player on the court in my mind tonight. He has some holes in his game for sure. His ball-handling was sloppy and he looked out of control at times. But he made a few dunks that blew me away. I've never seen a guard get off the ground as quick as he can. He shot the ball well from three tonight, too. There's little doubt in my mind he can contribute in some way next season, most likely as an energy guy off the bench. I don't think he has the skillset yet to really run the point, but he could play the two and he might be able to rebound well enough to play the three in a small lineup. I also have to think after a year of playing under Cuonzo his athleticism will translate to being a better defender. I'll have a story on him at some point as well.
I will have stories on each player's recruitment the next couple days. But just a few thoughts about their game: Love can flat out score. He beat defenders off the dribble whenever he wanted and I bet he shot at least a dozen free throws. He doesn't have a ton of help on this team, and Vashon clearly made him the focal point of its defense, but he still scored over 20 points. He's got the size and the athleticism, too. His perimeter shot wasn't falling tonight, but I have little doubt he'll be able to score the ball at the next level.
Fletcher wasn't involved in the offensive gameplan as much as I expected for Vashon, but just looking at him, it's clear why a lot of schools want him. He's about 6-7, super long arms, and can run and jump with almost anyone on the court. He hit a couple open threes tonight, which I didn't see when I watched him in April, but he did struggle from the free throw line. Bottom line with him, he needs some work on his offensive skillset, both ball-handling and post moves, but he projects very well to be a long, athletic, versatile wing at the next level.
McKinney was the best player on the court in my mind tonight. He has some holes in his game for sure. His ball-handling was sloppy and he looked out of control at times. But he made a few dunks that blew me away. I've never seen a guard get off the ground as quick as he can. He shot the ball well from three tonight, too. There's little doubt in my mind he can contribute in some way next season, most likely as an energy guy off the bench. I don't think he has the skillset yet to really run the point, but he could play the two and he might be able to rebound well enough to play the three in a small lineup. I also have to think after a year of playing under Cuonzo his athleticism will translate to being a better defender. I'll have a story on him at some point as well.
