The inaugural Phenom Hoop State Challenge was a successful event with quality teams and players participating. It was a great tune up for the upcoming NCAA “live period” starting April 16-18th. With a sold out event of 42 teams, there were many story lines over the course of the weekend. However, today we will attempt to cover a few brief story lines from Saturday.
Defense wins championships
There’s an old saying, “offense sells tickets and defense wins championships.” With this in mind and also after watching Villanova win the NCAA championship, maybe there will be more emphasis on recruiting players that get after it on defense. Without question, Villanova was the best defensive team in college basketball. They play excellent on ball defense and know how to play team defense. Two players from this past weekend at the Phenom Hoop State Challenge that fit this mold is sophomores 6’2 Will Dillard and 6’5 John Newman of CP3 and Greensboro Day. We have often stated that Dillard and Newman may just be the best on ball defenders in the state regardless of class. Up first is 6’2 Will Dillard. We’ve watched Dillard countless times and the athletic wing guard can defend at a very high level. Dillard gets low on defense and makes himself tougher on “D” by playing with a strong stance and arms out wide. He has excellent lateral quickness and has active hands. Dillard knows how to close out properly and gets his hands up in the air to make it difficult for the shooter.
With Newman, you have a lengthy and athletic 6’5 wing. Like Dillard, he has excellent lateral quickness and is very aggressive on the defensive end of the court. In addition to being an outstanding on ball defender, Newman excels in team defensive principles. He has great anticipation and often shoots the gaps in the passing lanes. Newman has been well coached in team defensive schemes and understands weak side defensive help.
It’s no secret that both these prospects play for legendary Greensboro Day Freddie Johnson. In addition, CP3 head coach Andy Poplin has enjoyed amazing success at the high school level. For college coaches that are recruiting players that know how to win, these guys are for real. One thing is for certain; it will make their job a little easier once these prospects are in college. You won’t have to spend a lot of time teaching these young men the importance and fundamentals of defense.