Charm City Challenge Thoughts
by Dave Tucker on Apr 6, 2009 8:43 AM EDT
Email
Print
Ha! I finally get to credit myself for a photo. (c) - David Tucker
I was up on the campus of Towson University yesterday to watch the Charm City Challenge in person, getting my first in person view of 2009 Maryland commits James Padgett and Jordan Williams. Another potential Terp, Terrell Vinson, also participated in the game. Many believe the four star Vinson wants to be a Terp, but the Maryland coaching staff is still going hard after Stephenson. If BR ends up somewhere other than College Park, look for them to make a push to land Vinson.
Padgett was fantastic for team United States, winning tournament MVP honors after the 6'8" forward scored a game high 22 points. Future teammate Jordan Williams put up seven points, grabbed seven boards and also blocked four shots. Terrell Vinson scored 15 points (at least, according to my tally) for team Baltimore.
Team U.S. dominated team Baltimore, winning 112-86. Padgett was tasked with guarding Vinson, and did a very good job doing so. Vinson was unable to stop Padgett when they were matched up with each other. Padgett did a great job finishing/cleaning up missed shots, and was 11/13 from the field. The entire game was more about individuals running plays rather than setting up an offense in the half court, which allowed Padgett to get a lot of opportunities but also prevented Jordan Williams from getting a lot of looks. But Williams made his presence known on the defensive end and was a force inside that team Baltimore couldn't overcome. Williams was sometimes matched up with Oklahoma-bound Andrew Fitzgerald and did a fantastic job shutting down the big guy.
I was really impressed with how fast both Padgett and Williams ran the floor. Padgett got several of his points by hustling back on a fast break and scoring off a teammate's missed shot or after being fed the ball by a fellow teammate. Williams was good at getting back on defense and getting into the lane. It was also fantastic to see a player BOX OUT to get rebounds.
When the players for each team were introduced, Jordan Williams and James Padgett each got standing ovations for the crowd of about 2,000 who were on hand, which was really nice to see.
I came away from the game very satisfied, especially with James Padgett. He reminded me of a quicker, more athletic version of James Gist, but someone who does 90% of is scoring within a 3-5 foot radius of the basket. I was really impressed with the size of Jordan Williams. Jordan looks like a sophomore or junior who's been in a weight lifting program for a few years. It's hard to believe this guy is still a high school senior.
The ACC was also well represented in the game, mostly on team United States; two players attending NC State; two one for Clemson; one for UVA; one for Wake; one for Georgia Tech; and one for Miami (although he was playing on team Baltimore).
I can't wait to see these two in a Terps uniform next year and it was great to get a preview of both of them on the court together for the first time.
18 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
FWIW (lest I get harassed again) TTK and TTD claim Vinson is done to UMASS
the exact words were “he’s on the UMass express” and that “we expect him to sign when he visits next month”
…sounds like the coach at UMass (a calipari guy) has made an impression…
Also...I hear padge is not much of a leaper...
you say he’s athletic…what do you mean by that
difference between quick leaper and good leaper
i know he is an efficient leaper…but that isn’t like gist who could touch the top of the backboard
by tiimbitz4786 on Apr 6, 2009 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions
quick leaper WHO CAN OUTJUMP guys
I think that makes him quick and able to jump high…
Can he jump as high as James? No, I don’t think so. But I never said he was a Gist clone. I just said that is the player of recent Maryland past that he reminds me of the most.
TTK is not God, and other thoughts
Keith from Terrapin Times is not God, and is, I’d say, wrong 75% of the time. This is the same guy who said he was 99.999% positive Jin Soo Kim would not qualify academically for this past basketball season. Everything I’ve read said Vinson is still up in the air, so if you can provide some sort of evidence to the contrary, I’d gladly read it. I’m not saying your wrong or that TT is wrong, I’m just saying that just because Terrapin Times reports something, don’t think of it as law/set in stone/being correct.
Vinson played pretty well yesterday, but as I said, he struggled in the first half. I’d compare him to Cliff Tucker.
Re: Padgett – When I say athletic, I mean he’s strong, is powerful around the rim, can definately jump (who said he’s not a leaper?!?), and has a lot of stamina – the guy runs the court really well and can do so repeatedly.
More info on Vinson not being set on UMass
…and why you shouldn’t believe everything you hear from TT…
This is from Matt Bracken’s “Recruiting Report” on the Baltimore Sun’s website. He spoke with Vinson after the game.
Vinson said he’s looking primarily at three schools. "I like UMass, Maryland and possibly Louisville," he said. After the dead period is over, Vinson plans on visiting UMass and most likely Maryland. Louisville has a scholarship crunch, but they could factor in depending on attrition. Vinson said he’ll likely make his commitment next month, and until then he’ll pay close attention to the news. "There’s going to be coaching changes and you don’t know what’s going to happen," Vinson said. "Somebody might say they’re going to be staying at their school today, but [they] might have a different feeling tomorrow."
The last sentence, talking about people who say they are staying but might be leaving, leads me to believe he’s holding out hope that a scholarship at MD will open up. That is just my reading into it…
I take it with a grain of salt knowing that things change rapidly in recruiting
that’s why i say fwiw…
i’ve read in several different scouting reports that padgett is an efficient leaper on the boards but not the high flying type…i dont know having never seen him but you are the first i’ve heard say the dude has serious ups…I hope you are right!
by tiimbitz4786 on Apr 6, 2009 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Cool cool
I mean, he wasn’t touching the stratosphere, but I never said he was flying above the rim. I said he reminded me most of Gist, but that’s just because of the way he scored, his body-type, etc.
Yeah, your description of Padgett’s athleticism is what I had read/heard previously, and he reminds me of Gist as well. In all honesty, even if he doesn’t jump quite as high as Gist, if he is effective at jumping for rebounds, tip ins, etc, I will be ecstatic. Functional athleticism is what matters…for all of Gist’s athletic qualities, sometimes he didn’t seem to use them properly when it mattered.
On that we can certainly agree
gist had all the tools…never quite put it together to become that “really special player” but he was a pretty damn good player…i’ll take anything even in the same ballpark
Acronyms
I’m horrible at them, and didn’t even realize that you said For What It’s Worth (FWIW) at the beginning of the first comment. I read it real fast and just assumed it was some recruiting website that was agreeing with TT. My bad!
Boxing out
Will Bowers on Gary Williams:
“GW hates boxing out. Not only does he not teach it but he tries to get you to unlearn the boxing out techniques you were taught growing up. … This was my main beef with GW coaching wise. I just didn’t get it.”
more:
“He says rebounding is all about who goes after the ball hardest, which I agree with. But I also think it is important to box out and try to make a bubble around the rim so to speak. I just don’t think every defensive possession should end in a free for all for the rebound. There needs to be technique to defensive rebounding.”
Game Over T-shirts: http://www.cafepress.com/beltwaysports
^^^This is my biggest beef with GW's coaching
I think there is truth to it, not just b/c it came from Bowers but because it’s been evident over the years that we don’t, as a team, do much boxing out. The last really dominant defensive rebounder we had was Jamar Smith, and he would just outjump people to get the ball.
I've heard this criticism before
I think it’s being oversimplified…i think that gary wants his guys to be aggressive on the glass…pays off big time on the offensive end…sometimes it means we are out of position on the defensive end…it’s a double edged sword…but the main problem is we haven’t had good rebounders…
I have a feeling
That Jordan Williams and Padgett are going to be good rebounders, which that alone should help us tremendously. If they can give us an inside presence as well then look out. Hopefully we can see what GW can do with a complete team. He was out coaching those suckas with a severly undermanned team this past year, I’m stoked to see what he can do with a complete squad.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.