22 Feet Academy Shows Out
Sure 22 Feet Academy beat Oak Hill, it has been spoke about ad nauseam over the past couple of days. But I want to take a look at why they beat Oak Hill, namely I want to look at their personnel, and why you should be recruiting the heck out of them
We need to congratulate the Mississippi State staff. They did a great job evaluating 6’4” shooting guard Eli Wright. While Rivals.com was the only scouting service to have him in the Top 100 coming into the weekend, they will clearly have him in the mix after. Not only is Wright a Top 50 type of guy, he should be in consideration for McDonald’s All American and Jordan Brand Classic teams.
As a whole, they got supremely athletic guards that buy into tough defense. It was 6’3” combo guard Clifton Powell and 6’5” shooting guard Jordan Bowden that accompanied Eli Wright with a very aggressive and suffocating type of defense. They made it tough on Oak Hill point guards to create any space.
Once these guard were able to funnel Oak Hill into the paint 6’7” Darius Hicks and 6’9” Sedee Keita were able to block or alter shots. Hicks, especially, played very tough protecting the paint. Also, Justin Miller fits into this area, while he didn’t alter many shots, he was a staple on the defensive boards coming away with 14.
Also, the group made shots from each area on the floor. They started their plays from various positions, and were able to capitalize with execution. The second half they were keyed by turning their defense into easy offense, as Eli Wright and Justin Miller took over.
All in all, it was a team win. But more importantly, there are many kids here that need recruitment.
What’s Up With The Players:
6’5” Senior Jordan Bowden
It is memorizing this kid has no offers. Bowden has a great frame, with good length and athleticism. He also shoots the ball with range, at a very high clip. With no offers everyone CAA/CUSA and below should be looking in on the Kentucky native.
6’3” Senior Clifton Powell
Powell has breath-taking athleticism. He defends with quickness and finishes with explosion. Powell carries and offer from Tulsa and should have CUSA and less looking in on the California native.
6’7” Senior Justin Miller
What a weekend for Miller. The lefty is very skilled with a high IQ from multiple spots. He has great court vision and touch in the high post and has good foot work and hands in the low post. He carries South Carolina St and Eastern Kentucky offers. Should have the MEAC, SoCon, and Big South looking in o on the Kentucky native.
6’7” Senior Darius Hicks
Everyone knows about Hicks’ athletic exploits. This event showed his ability to battle in the paint. He blocked shots and rebounded against Oak Hill. Offensively, he is a short corner type big. Providence, UMass, and Georgia Tech had offered the Mississippi native.
6’4” Senior Eli Wright
Talk about a stock boost. The lefty went from outside most top 100 lists to in consideration for post season all star events. Wright is deserved, because when motivated he will be the best players on most floors he walks on. Great get for Ben Howland and company!