Thoughts on ARHawks after Adidas Gauntlet opening session in Ft. Worth ...

[Kevin McPherson]

I posted some initial thoughts last night in a different thread that I'll include at the bottom of today's review ...

* The 17U circuit is so much better than the 16U (because so many really good or elite prospects "play up") that I think all the Hawks struggled to adjust to the consistent high level of competition. Even Perry, who was putting up big numbers and standing out, struggled with some complacency and you just can't do that and not pay for it in that league. You simply can't miss half your FTs, have so many unforced turnovers, and come out with wins. Last year playing 16U, they were good enough to overcome those types of things and win games.

* Outside of the title game at Real Deal, the Hawks were rolling (beating up on good teams like Atlanta Celtics and Urban DFW Elite), and even the title game was a game they should have won after a slow start if not for so many missed FTs and unforced turnovers -- against a very good YGC36 (Marcus Smart) team. The point is, there is recent evidence that these Hawks can be a very good team.

* I think not having Reggie Perry in for practice between Real Deal and Adidas Gauntlet really hurt the Hawks. He was in town practicing with the team just prior to Real Deal, and the Hawks came out on fire in that event and played well together. Good ball movement, good communication on D, aggressive on the boards, etc. -- it all came together at Real Deal. The Hawks never seemed in sync in Ft. Worth -- offense got stagnant too often, full-court press was not working, plus rebounding, missed FTs, and turnovers where glaring problems -- so with 4 games against quality teams played inside the span of roughly 40 hours, they just never snapped out of their funk and never got things clicking.

* Isaiah Joe, Desi Sills, and Justice Hill are all good players who complement each other, but as a backcourt, they did not have the chemistry this weekend that they've always had had up until now. It was partly due to what other teams presented (see zone defense below), but it was also a case where other factors (see Desi injury below) played a part. 

* Zone defense. Hawks faced a lot of zone, and it really affected both Justice Hill and Desi Sills. It was a big factor in slow starts and getting behind early, because Juice and Desi did not look comfortable dealing with zone defense. Offense got stagnant and this put a lot of pressure on Isaiah Joe to beat shot-clocks with forced bombs. It also led to a lot of unforced turnovers as the Hawks stopped moving the ball and tried to do too much individually at times, which is what happens when you fall behind big so early in games.

* Desi Sills was not himself all weekend. He's such a big part of making that team go. Lots of uncharacteristic mistakes and uncharacteristic passive play a times from him. I saw him head to the treatment table before games this weekend, but have not gotten a detailed explanation outside of an injured "left foot". His motor never looked full throttle, which is how he plays.

* Ethan Henderson struggles with consistency. We've seen the see-saw play -- he was solid last July in AAU and Adidas Nations Global event, then struggled at Parkview, looked like a baller at Real Deal, then really struggled over the weekend. Getting consistent production and impact is a work in progress. Now, he injured his big toe at Real Deal, and he was still playing with that. He got treatment all weekend after re-aggravating it, and it affected his aggressiveness and bounce at times. Plus, he stayed in foul trouble. In the only game the Hawks won, Ethan had a huge 2nd-half that helped the team overcome a halftime deficit.

* In response to a question in a different thread about Justice Hill not being ranked in any service's national Top 100: For starters, you won't find many players under 6-feet tall ranked in Top 100, simple as that. The under-6-foot players who get ranked typically have some "elite" tangible part (or parts) to their games. Justice is a very good player, but not elite in areas that would get him ranked at this time. I think when you add up everything he brings to the table, he's a Top 100 / 4-star talent. He'll get the needed exposure playing 17U, and if he plays like he did at Real Deal going forward, that's good enough for me regardless of rankings.

What hurt him over the weekend was he effectively guarded himself. He did not attack the D enough, did not take perimeter shots (did not attempt a 3 until Sunday, only attempted four 3's all weekend, making two of them). He also struggled at the FT line. He started to break though at times on Sunday, but he never got near the level he played at Real Deal.

Here were my initial thougts last night ...

Just got home in LR after covering the Hawks and watching other teams. Concerns are valid after a 1-3 showing, here are just a few quick thoughts ...

* Reggie Perry looks like a pro, still say he is a no-brainer 5-star. Best player on the court every game, by a lot in most cases. Affects games similarly to guys like Lamar Odom and Chris Webber = 4s whose skill allowed them to play like 3s. Can beat you inside and out. Average hops, but long, strong, and agile. He sometimes gears his motor down which leads to turnovers on offense, or missed D assignments and rebs, but that can be fixed and is not much of a concern.

* Isaiah Joe is just a good basketball player, but he's the only guard willing to shoot and teams played junk-zone Ds to chase him while collapsing whenever Desi or Justice tried to drive and penetrate. Isaiah is so much more than catch-and-shoot on offense, and he is a good defender (plus-defender in Arkansas).

* Justice did a better job of finding seams and attacking on Sunday than he did on Fri and Sat, but he did not shoot enough to counter the Ds thrown at the Hawks. Also was woeful at the FT line except for the final game. Struggled with execution once he beat his man off the dribble in the first 2 games, then did a better job today as stated.

* Desi was not himself, neither was Ethan. Both spent time with the wellness folks before games, not making excuses for them, but especially in regard to Desi, I could tell he was off. Ethan was in constant foul trouble all weekend, but had a huge 2nd half in today's 1st game that was a big reason the Hawks got a W.

* I really like DJ Weaver. Does good things inside and out, has a nice shot all the way out to the 3-point line. Smart and unselfish player, but mobility and timing are still off some because of the lingering effects of the knee injury that kept him out for 18 months.

* Teams were just too good for the Hawks' full-court pressure D. At Real Deal, the Hawks turned teams over and it snowballed in a good way for them, but this weekend their full-court D usually resulted in a made 3 or a layup for the other team. Poor rebounding, missed FTs, and turnovers were downfalls in 2 of the 3 losses.

[Hogs49ers]

Was the competition stronger in Dallas than it was in Little Rock a couple weeks ago?  Thanks for your take on everything.

[ShadowHawg]

Play enough games and you will have some slumps. If it continues through the entire summer, then there is a problem.

[Kevin McPherson]

Was the competition stronger in Dallas than it was in Little Rock a couple weeks ago?  Thanks for your take on everything.

Hawks are 3-4 against good competition (3 played at Real Deal, 4 played at DFW Gauntlet), and they're 3-0 against lesser competition. Here's a breakdown of the results against those 7 worthy opponents ...

* Hawks are 3-0 against these worthy opponents (combining Real Deal and DFW Gauntlet results): won close game against The Firm (went 2-2 in DFW, but would have been 3-1 if not for 83-80 loss to Hawks), blew out Atlanta Celtics (went 2-2 in DFW), and blew out Urban DFW Elite (went 2-2 in DFW).

* Hawks are 0-2 against worthy opponents in games they coulda/shoulda won -- losses to YGC36 (went 3-1 in DFW) by a point at Real Deal and Team Loaded NC (went 2-2 in DFW) in OT at DFW. These were games they could have won by shooting at least 60% from the FT line.

* Hawks were 0-2 against worthy opponents -- Louisville Magic (went 4-0 at DFW) and Garner Road (went 3-1 at DFW) -- in games where the opponent built early leads and maintained a healthy cushion.

Too early to draw big conclusions right now as grassroots is still just getting under way.

[hdturner]

Reggie was mention as standout in rivals article this weekend. Hopefully he upgraded to 5 star before summer over.

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/adidas-gauntlet-2019-big-charles-bassey-reminds-of-once-dominant-big-man

[Kevin McPherson]

Reggie was mention as standout in rivals article this weekend. Hopefully he upgraded to 5 star before summer over.

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/adidas-gauntlet-2019-big-charles-bassey-reminds-of-once-dominant-big-man

Here's another one from Scout.com ...

http://www.scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/story/1773177-adidas-top-performers

[Letsroll1200]

Here's another one from Scout.com ...

http://www.scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/story/1773177-adidas-top-performers

Is there a danger in these guys becoming complacent since they are local celebrities and are already committed to the UofA? Reggie Perry is a top recruit and showed as much in Dallas.

[Kevin McPherson]

Is there a danger in these guys becoming complacent since they are local celebrities and are already committed to the UofA? Reggie Perry is a top recruit and showed as much in Dallas.

I don't think so. Isaiah Joe is a very good player who keeps getting better, plays the game the right way. Desi Sills is a bulldog and the results over the weekend will not sit well with him. I truly think his injured foot limited him. Justice Hill will learn from those games and do a better job of running the team. DJ Weaver is going to have a productive role, too.

We'll know more after next weekend's Adidas Gauntlet games in Atlanta.