Watzone went to the TOC and sent us these notes. Thanks Watzone!!
JJ Redick can shoot. Thus far Redick has pumped in 26, 27 and 39 points in his three games. His team won their first two games before losing a thriller today in the Dean Dome to Beach Ball 99-96. More on that game later...
JJ has a very complete game in my eyes. He has a beautiful form on his
shot and is deadly when left open, or not, for that matter. He drives
and dishes the ball well. He is also an adept ball handler with a
decent cross-over dribble. He positions himself well without the ball
and plays pretty good defense. If he has a weakness it is his mid-range
game. He could also come off picks a little better.
He got several shots off with little room or a hand in his face. He
passed the ball well, especially off the dribble, and made good decisions.
His team is loaded, but suffered chemistry problems from not playing together
often before this weekend. The Heat also feature the heralded Shavlik Randolph,
whom we are recruiting and Michael Thompson, who has committed. They also featured Walsh,
who is headed to Florida and several other prospects.
Shavlik was slightly disappointing. That's hard to say with back to back
games of about 17 points and 12 rebounds, but he was hobbled by a leg
injury and not at one hundred percent. Look for an Al Featherston piece
in tomorrows Herald Sun.
By losing to Beach Ball, they go to the losers bracket at 2-1. The Heat
squandered an eighteen point lead in what turned out to be the most
exciting game of the tournament.
It was literally a highlight reel. JJ Redick had 39 in the
loss. Beach Ball was led by UNC recruit Raymond Felton who tossed in
forty five. These two future stars traded baskets down the stretch.
Felton got hot in the end, as his team pulled a comeback. In fact, the
Heat team lost big leads in all three games.
Felton is the real deal. He will start the point from day one as a
Heel. He has speed, slashes to the basket and plays a good, hustling
defense. He excited the UNC crowd, pointing to the stands after a
driving layup that clinched the game. Our rivals have good reason to be
excited about this kid.
JJ, on the other hand, was all over the place too.
Up until that game, and perhaps still -- he put on the best show of the
tournament and is sure to move up in many gurus rantings.
Michael Thompson is a solid player down low. He had several stick backs
and rebounded fairly well. He needs work on his offensive mid-range
game. He'll be fine with maturity and the natural growth that is to
come. Remember, a lot of these guys are sixteen years old.
The aforementioned goes for Randolph too. His main goal should be to add
a little more strength and to work on defensive footwork. He showed
tremendous basketball skills, and will be a prized catch. He was too
unselfish today.
UNC Coach Matt Doherty and assistant Quarterbalm chatted with many
between games. This was just outside of the court area. Boone and
Holmes were present too, probably worrying about Felton taking their
time. Many recruting gurus were in attendence, along with local media.
I met several people. Putting faces with bulletin board names was
interesting. I think it defuses some of the tension the rivalry can
bring. Duke and UNC folks got along quite well together. There was a
little verbal jousting between Redick and Felton, but sportmanship took
over as soon as the game ended.
I'll be sending another update later on the games at Cameron this
morning, that featured Duke PG targets Dockery and Roberson going head
to head, and the Raleigh Heats second win. I'll also list the
happenings in Durham and recap Bob Gibbons TOC events, including who was
present at this event. I'll also attempt to break down the Duke
players, with the help of several respected Duke brothers who are
attending. That said, Go Devils!