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Comments on First Round of 5A State Tournament

Started by PercussionMan, March 08, 2014, 05:05:33 pm

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PercussionMan

March 08, 2014, 05:05:33 pm Last Edit: March 08, 2014, 05:07:34 pm by PercussionMan
Can anyone who saw most of the first round action comment on what you saw?  Who looks to be playing the best?  Unfortunately, I probably won't get to see any of the tournament, because of the rescheduling and work schedule combined.

AT

It's tough to say for boys, it's wide open this year.

FC, Clarksville, PA, Morrilton, Harrison, and Jacksonville are probably the teams you'd put as the teams that can win the whole thing and not be too surprised.

Hot Springs and McClellan would surprise me if they won it all, but are good teams.

AB™

I just want to know more about #20 from McClellan.  There can't be too many sophomores in the state better than him.  Or is he not a sophomore?  I may have gotten my numbers confused last night.

Basketball

Quote from: AB™ on March 08, 2014, 06:44:25 pm
I just want to know more about #20 from McClellan.  There can't be too many sophomores in the state better than him.  Or is he not a sophomore?  I may have gotten my numbers confused last night.
Best sophomore in this tournament is #5 from PA.

Titan Spirit

Quote from: Almatrackster on March 08, 2014, 05:16:56 pm
It's tough to say for boys, it's wide open this year.

FC, Clarksville, PA, Morrilton, Harrison, and Jacksonville are probably the teams you'd put as the teams that can win the whole thing and not be too surprised.

Hot Springs and McClellan would surprise me if they won it all, but are good teams.

McClellan would not be a big surprise....if they are on and play smart they are very good...they did beat PA by 20 earlier in the year..

Titan Spirit

Quote from: Titan Spirit on March 08, 2014, 08:48:08 pm
Quote from: Almatrackster on March 08, 2014, 05:16:56 pm
It's tough to say for boys, it's wide open this year.

FC, Clarksville, PA, Morrilton, Harrison, and Jacksonville are probably the teams you'd put as the teams that can win the whole thing and not be too surprised.

Hot Springs and McClellan would surprise me if they won it all, but are good teams.

McClellan would not be a big surprise....if they are on and play smart they are very good...they did beat PA by 20 earlier in the year..not sure anyone would actually surprise me at this point...all the teams left seem to be capable of making a run.

centralarfan

#20 is Andre "AJ" Jones. He is a transfer from LR Parkview. He is a talent that has been playing bball since grade school. I really like his skill set. He is super athletic, helluva a penetrator, and can shoot the ball well. He is a matchup problem for any opponent he faces. I like #5 Kordita also. He is an excellent shooter with a high bball IQ. He has to get a little stronger and has problems handling the ball at times. But he is hard for any team to guard bc he is guaranteed to have 25 every night. You may not notice how special #20 is because he actually has players to compliment him. #5 and #11 have to carry the burden of 95% of PA's scoring every night.

ahsalum

Quote from: Basketball on March 08, 2014, 08:26:36 pm
Quote from: AB™ on March 08, 2014, 06:44:25 pm
I just want to know more about #20 from McClellan.  There can't be too many sophomores in the state better than him.  Or is he not a sophomore?  I may have gotten my numbers confused last night.
Best sophomore in this tournament is #5 from PA.

Exactly right.....#5 is mature beyond his years. An incredible player...

#11 from PA is really good too....I had no idea PA was that good....

They are gonna be a tough team beat.

Watched McClellan too....fast fast team as well.

Haven't had a chance to watch Jacksonville yet...They must be really good if they swept PA....

Motown/Jacksonville should be a great game Monday night....

On another note, I've never seen Clarksville dismantled like they were tonight...

Clarksville'a first loss ever in the Palace....


Basketball

Quote from: Steve Perry on March 08, 2014, 08:54:45 pm
Quote from: Basketball on March 08, 2014, 08:26:36 pm
Quote from: AB™ on March 08, 2014, 06:44:25 pm
I just want to know more about #20 from McClellan.  There can't be too many sophomores in the state better than him.  Or is he not a sophomore?  I may have gotten my numbers confused last night.
Best sophomore in this tournament is #5 from PA.

Exactly right.....#5 is mature beyond his years. An incredible player...


#11 from PA is really good too....I had no idea PA was that good....

They are gonna be a tough team beat.

Watched McClellan too....fast fast team as well.

Haven't had a chance to watch Jacksonville yet...They must be really good if they swept PA....

Motown/Jacksonville should be a great game Monday night....


On another note, I've never seen Clarksville dismantled like they were tonight...

Clarksville'a first loss ever in the Palace....

Does not seem to me that the twins from Clarksville have gotten any better since their state championship run two years ago. 

centralarfan

Quote from: Titan Spirit on March 08, 2014, 08:49:23 pm
Quote from: Titan Spirit on March 08, 2014, 08:48:08 pm
Quote from: Almatrackster on March 08, 2014, 05:16:56 pm
It's tough to say for boys, it's wide open this year.

FC, Clarksville, PA, Morrilton, Harrison, and Jacksonville are probably the teams you'd put as the teams that can win the whole thing and not be too surprised.

Hot Springs and McClellan would surprise me if they won it all, but are good teams.

McClellan would not be a big surprise....if they are on and play smart they are very good...they did beat PA by 20 earlier in the year..not sure anyone would actually surprise me at this point...all the teams left seem to be capable of making a run.

Right you are TS. McClellan is special when they are playing well. However, they do have perhaps the youngest team still playing. There are 3 Freshman, 1 Soph, 2 Juniors that play major minutes. At times, coaching leads to McClellan's demise. If they lose, its normally due to being outcoached. I applaud PA's coaching staff. He has PA prepared to play for each game. It seems impossible for 2 players to consistently beat some of the best teams in 5A.

ahsalum

Quote from: Basketball on March 08, 2014, 08:59:17 pm
Quote from: Steve Perry on March 08, 2014, 08:54:45 pm
Quote from: Basketball on March 08, 2014, 08:26:36 pm
Quote from: AB™ on March 08, 2014, 06:44:25 pm
I just want to know more about #20 from McClellan.  There can't be too many sophomores in the state better than him.  Or is he not a sophomore?  I may have gotten my numbers confused last night.
Best sophomore in this tournament is #5 from PA.

Exactly right.....#5 is mature beyond his years. An incredible player...


#11 from PA is really good too....I had no idea PA was that good....

They are gonna be a tough team beat.

Watched McClellan too....fast fast team as well.

Haven't had a chance to watch Jacksonville yet...They must be really good if they swept PA....

Motown/Jacksonville should be a great game Monday night....


On another note, I've never seen Clarksville dismantled like they were tonight...

Clarksville'a first loss ever in the Palace....

Does not seem to me that the twins from Clarksville have gotten any better since their state championship run two years ago. 

They've gotten better at fouling.

Temprees

March 08, 2014, 10:24:15 pm #11 Last Edit: March 08, 2014, 10:27:16 pm by Temprees
Quote from: Steve Perry on March 08, 2014, 09:03:44 pm
Quote from: Basketball on March 08, 2014, 08:59:17 pm
Quote from: Steve Perry on March 08, 2014, 08:54:45 pm
Quote from: Basketball on March 08, 2014, 08:26:36 pmPA and Jacksonville split.  The margin of victory was 2 points in each game.  PA also lost to McClellan by 15+ in their first meeting. 
Quote from: AB™ on March 08, 2014, 06:44:25 pm
I just want to know more about #20 from McClellan.  There can't be too many sophomores in the state better than him.  Or is he not a sophomore?  I may have gotten my numbers confused last night.
Best sophomore in this tournament is #5 from PA.

Exactly right.....#5 is mature beyond his years. An incredible player...


#11 from PA is really good too....I had no idea PA was that good....

They are gonna be a tough team beat.

Watched McClellan too....fast fast team as well.

Haven't had a chance to watch Jacksonville yet...They must be really good if they swept PA....

Motown/Jacksonville should be a great game Monday night....


On another note, I've never seen Clarksville dismantled like they were tonight...

Clarksville'a first loss ever in the Palace....

Does not seem to me that the twins from Clarksville have gotten any better since their state championship run two years ago. 

They've gotten better at fouling.
PA and Jacksonville split.  Each team beat the other by 2 points.  PA also lost to McClellan by 15+ points.

hackerhog

Quote from: Basketball on March 08, 2014, 08:26:36 pm
Quote from: AB™ on March 08, 2014, 06:44:25 pm
I just want to know more about #20 from McClellan.  There can't be too many sophomores in the state better than him.  Or is he not a sophomore?  I may have gotten my numbers confused last night.
Best sophomore in this tournament is #5 from PA.

and it's not even close.

Sat on front row with a couple of old men who are both retired and all they do is go to ball games. One told me Korita (#5 from PA) played elite summer ball the past summer in Florida. Has been approached by Mike Anderson. I remember him when the Goblins knocked them out in the first round last year. He had 20+ against us as a 9th grader.

Korita and Wallace (#11 from PA) are just outright unguardable. You'd think Clarksville is the best defensive team in the tournament with the Lees out front and #14 in the middle. Play of the game was Korita lofting an alley oop to Wallace and he soundly dunked it. Just a terrific combo. Both should play D1. Especially Korita. In 2 more years he could be state's top recruit.

Other thoughts.

#24 Tray Thompson from Forrest City put up big numbers versus Alma, but looked slow and couldn't jump. But he suffering with a leg injury, so hard to really grade him. If they get past McClellen, Their semi-final versus PA would feature the best 3 kids in the tournament.

Harrison played very well today in spite of playing versus a style they would care not to see. Grind it out ball is not what Harrison wants to play. They want to run. #20 Atwell held his own with the Paragould bigs and #23 Grant, #25 Marseilles, and #30 Jenkins all had big games. #2 Husky had an off day, but Hot Springs style will be something he's more comfortable with.

Morrilton / Jacksonville will be a can't miss game. I'll admit I've only seen Jacksonville once... their loss to Harrison. Seen Morrilton plenty. Morrilton plays with high IQ and can shoot... and quick. And if Jacksonville played PA close twice, then they are a force.

I thought the tournament was wide open earlier, but after watching PA tonight... and basing this opinion on them playing Jacksonville close twice... I think we're headed to a PA / Jacksonville final.

Hope I'm wrong.

centralarfan

Welcome back Hacker...Keep in mind that McClellan is the only team that beat PA by 20+ this season my friend. So don't count them out just yet.

hackerhog

Quote from: centralarfan on March 08, 2014, 08:49:57 pm
#20 is Andre "AJ" Jones. He is a transfer from LR Parkview. He is a talent that has been playing bball since grade school. I really like his skill set. He is super athletic, helluva a penetrator, and can shoot the ball well. He is a matchup problem for any opponent he faces. I like #5 Kordita also. He is an excellent shooter with a high bball IQ. He has to get a little stronger and has problems handling the ball at times. But he is hard for any team to guard bc he is guaranteed to have 25 every night. You may not notice how special #20 is because he actually has players to compliment him. #5 and #11 have to carry the burden of 95% of PA's scoring every night.

I haven't seen the McClellan soph yet, but heard a lot about him sitting next to the two old men. They too think he's better than Korita, but one said he changed his mind after tonight. I look forward to watching him play on Monday.

centralarfan

If McClellan makes it past FC, the PA matchup will be a dandy. It will be a great game to see the two soph's compete against each other.

MJB

The biggest difference from my view was coaching. The best I witnessed was Alma boys and PA boys. Both of these guys were like maestros . Calm, seem to make the right decisions most all the time. Both on defense and offense. Their teams both played hard. The coaches gave their team the best opportunity to win. Whether up or down their demeanor never changed much. PA won 2 times , Alma lost in OT. But had every opportunity to win. It was a pleasure to watch those teams play.  I also was impressed with the Morrilton coach. He seems to find a mismatch and exploit it. It should be a great game seeing what he can come up with vs. Jacksonville. Wouldn't be at all surprised if they upset Jacksonville.I would also add the coach from Watson Chapel did a good job. McClellan played a great game to beat WC.

On to the bad. Lets start with Forrest City boys. They had an athletic and size advantage at most every position, yet couldn't put Alma away. Team seemed uninspired and lacked patience and discipline. Very fortunate  to win. I don't know how many free throws Alma missed. But it was the difference in the game. The worst example i saw was Little Rock Christian boys . Their Coach screamed from the tip to the buzzer. Only problem was he wasn't saying anything. They ran the same play the whole game. Hot Springs was beating them to the spot knowing what was coming and had them handcuffed most of the game.It was even worse on defense watching/hearing him scream at each player,,what he wanted them to do. Reminded me of a Dad coaching boys club.1 point game at half. Hot Springs made a couple of adjustments. Christian made none. Game over. Surprised this team made it to the tourney out of the obviously tough 5 A Central.

My prediction based on what I saw would be a PA- Jacksonville final. Should be a great game. I believe these two split during the regular season.

centralarfan

The difference in the game PA defeated McClellan was the PA coach was able to give #5 and #11 a breather for a second or two. The first game where McClellan beat PA the press smothered #11 and forced #5 to handle the ball more. He struggled making turnover after turnover. It is guaranteed that Kordita and Wallace will score. If McClellan can manage egos and remain disciplined on defense, they will defeat PA easily again. A team with balance scoring is always difficult to beat versus placing the weight of a team solely on two players no matter how good they are. They are still kids who are not perfect. And they are bound to have a bad game sooner or later. PA has no other help besides #5 and #11. Lord forbid either gets in foul trouble.

hackerhog

Quote from: centralarfan on March 08, 2014, 11:40:11 pm
A team with balance scoring is always difficult to beat versus placing the weight of a team solely on two players no matter how good they are. They are still kids who are not perfect. And they are bound to have a bad game sooner or later. PA has no other help besides #5 and #11. Lord forbid either gets in foul trouble.

This is why I have not counted the Goblins out. They have 5 players any of which can drop 20 on you on any given night. In a variety of ways. They can go inside. Shoot it from deep. Or dribble drive. And they have more than 1 who can score each of those 3 ways.

And yes, the margin of error is greater when you are depending on 2 players. Foul trouble... bad night... that could be their undoing.

But those 2 were just on another level tonight. Wallace went in pure #BEASTMODE

centralarfan

Yes, I agree. Wallace and Kordita are guaranteed to give you 25 each a night. However, that is not always good enough to win.

AB™

Seeing them both play, I don't know how anyone can definitively say #5 from PA is better than #20 from McClellan or vice versa.  Both are VERY good players and both will likely receive attention from D1 schools.  I really like McClellan's team and if they don't win state this year I do think they'll go into next year and the year after as a favorite to win state unless someone like Jacksonville returns a lot.


godeep

March 09, 2014, 09:17:32 am #21 Last Edit: March 09, 2014, 09:21:05 am by godeep
Your  comments about FC  are so far off it is laughable. Which of the No.1 seeds would have blown Alma out under those circumstances? Home team playing n a state tourney? Thompson was in pain the whole game and went 27/15. Please define for me undiscipline? Did they get a stupid  tech? Are they disrespectful to opponents? Is the coach crying to the refs? Will they win it ?  Don't know and it will be tough. Nobody has mention they beat PA by 15 on a neutral court this year. Nobody has mentioned they started the year 1-3 and have won 20 of last 21 with 16 straight.

DogsWin7

Quote from: godeep on March 09, 2014, 09:17:32 am
Your  comments about FC  are so far off it is laughable. Which of the No.1 seeds would have blown Alma out under those circumstances? Home team playing n a state tourney? Thompson was in pain the whole game and went 27/15. Please define for me undiscipline? Did they get a stupid  tech? Are they disrespectful to opponents? Is the coach crying to the refs? Will they win it ?  Don't know and it will be tough. Nobody has mention they beat PA by 15 on a neutral court this year. Nobody has mentioned they started the year 1-3 and have won 20 of last 21 with 16 straight.

Whose comments?   

Jake Wade

Quote from: DiehardFBfan on March 09, 2014, 10:02:56 am
Quote from: godeep on March 09, 2014, 09:17:32 am
Your  comments about FC  are so far off it is laughable. Which of the No.1 seeds would have blown Alma out under those circumstances? Home team playing n a state tourney? Thompson was in pain the whole game and went 27/15. Please define for me undiscipline? Did they get a stupid  tech? Are they disrespectful to opponents? Is the coach crying to the refs? Will they win it ?  Don't know and it will be tough. Nobody has mention they beat PA by 15 on a neutral court this year. Nobody has mentioned they started the year 1-3 and have won 20 of last 21 with 16 straight.

Whose comments?   

MJB made comments saying how FC was undisciplined. That's very far from the truth. Lofton has his kids very disciplined year in and year out. As godeep mentioned, Forrest City defeated PA pretty soundly on a neutral floor earlier this year. FC is the only 5a team in the top 10 state overall, yet everyone has penciled in PA/ Jacksonville seems like. I think the FC boys kind of like it that way.



MJB

By undisciplined , they had a huge advantage inside, yet took a lot of forced outside shots. They didn't run a patient offense. Also they committed a ton of fouls that Alma didn't capitalize on. If Alma had made their free throws. FC is sitting at home.

centralarfan

Quote from: MJB on March 09, 2014, 12:02:35 pm
By undisciplined , they had a huge advantage inside, yet took a lot of forced outside shots. They didn't run a patient offense. Also they committed a ton of fouls that Alma didn't capitalize on. If Alma had made their free throws. FC is sitting at home.
You are more than right. I saw a ton of bad outside shots taken by FC guards. Thompson should have had 40+ instead of 27. I didn't see teamwork and heart Alma had. I do not believe FC was tested much in conference this season. There is not much athleticism to battle against every week in 5A East. It will be interesting to see how FC guards will handle the full court pressure Monday night. I was not impressed with FC's backcourt. It will also be critical for an injured Thompson to keep up with the pace the entire game. Lets just say Monday will be fun to watch.

woods

So Alma gets a pass on stupidity for playing a guy who is killing you on the blocks single coverage all night? So # 33 gets 5 3's in first half but doesn't even get a look in 2nd half. I guess Alma was so dumb how does that happen. If the Coach wasn't so dumb he would have been smart enough to get him more touches. All those statements are FALSE!!! Just wanted to show this guy why others have a problem with his comments.

centralarfan

Alma had a great game plan. I was surprised how effective their rebounding, penetration, and defense was. The only problem I had with their defense is Thompson was allowed to get too deep before the help came. Other than that, Alma was great besides the missed free throws. Alma should have won the game. Airedales coach did a great job preparing his team. Hate to see Alma leave 5A.

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