Tom Konchalski has been the editor and publisher of the highly respected High School Basketball Insider Report for more than thirty-five years. Currently, more than 225 colleges subscribe to his service. He is one of the select McDonald's All-American voters. After a weekend at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts, Mr. Konchalski sat down with Blue Devil Nation to talk about some Duke commitments and prospects.
Mason Plumlee
Mason Plumlee: First of all, he has surprising athleticism. He can really jump. The trouble is his body lacks flexibility. He's got to get pliable. I really think he needs a person to work with him on that. He plays too erect. He never really bends his knees. He tries to back people down. He's got the quickness. The main thing he lacks is flexibility. He's got the size. He's very coachable. [private] He'll be a four-year player there and I think he'll be a good player in time.
Ryan Kelly
Ryan Kelly: Ryan has so much more fluidity to his game right now. He really does so many things. He's got nearly a perfect skill set for a guy 6'9." He's not going to be a three. He's a step out four man, who has very good skills. Defensively, he'll be capable of defending the four, but he just needs to get stronger. Plumlee less so, but also most kids coming from high school need to get a lot stronger.
Andrer Dawkins
Andre Dawkins: He's a very good shooter... 6'4"...plays in a system. He's a guy that you don't need to get fifteen shots per game. He'll play within the system. He will knock down the three-pointer, but he's very patient. He doesn't really look to create his shot that much, but he'll take the shots that come to him. He'll be a very good system player. He's a big off guard that can shoot the ball. He's a good example of the saying "good shots make good shooters and bad shots make bad shooters."
Tyler Thornton
Tyler Thornton: He's a utility guard. I don't think he's a pure point guard. He's not a great outside shooter, but he has really active hands. I think he'll be a defensive catalyst. He'll be a utility guard...a little point guard...a little off guard. He's a program player. You might say that's a euphemism for a career backup, but he'll be a program player. He'll be part of a winning process. Listen I don't think they're going to beat North Carolina or win the ACC or a national title with Thornton starting for them, but I think he can help.
Joshn Hairston
Josh Hairston: Now, Josh Hairston's got a chance to be really good. He's 6'8," skilled, athletic with a good body, yet hasn't really hit the weights much yet. I think a big part of going after Tyler was that he was a D.C. teammate of his and continue to work D.C. Assault. Nolan was the first player to commit from the program and, if these two also have a good experience at Duke, they will be in good position to get future players as well.
John Wall
John Wall: He's Evil Knievel without the cycle. He's the most explosive athlete in the class. He's just in a different class. He's 6'3 ½." He tries to just run by people. He plays at one speed. He's got to...if hes going to play and be an elite point guard...learn to play at different speeds. He'll drive by you...dunk on you...throw alley oops, but he's got to learn to not always try to play at one hundred miles per hour. As a point guard right now, he'll get assists mainly because he'll get by people and create numerical disadvantage. Through that...he'll find people, but he's got to learn to play at different speeds. He's just explosive. He's got to shoot it better. He's got to get more selective with his shot and push the ball at different paces. Someone has got to work with him on that...but there is no one in this class at his level of athleticism.
Harrison Barnes: I've never had a chance to see him play yet, but he's supposed to be a terrific player. I was at Reebok, when he was at Nike.
Kyrie Irving: Very good player. His father is in the Hall of Fame at BU. He played at Adlai Stevenson in the Bronx. His name is pronounced "Dedrick," but it's spelled Drederick. He played mostly for Jarvis at BU. He was a very, very good player at BU. He was about 6'3." Kyrie is now 6'1." He transferred in from Montclair Kimberly Academy. He would be eligible today, but they don't play again until Thursday. Right now, he's sort of a combination guard...at least 6'1." I'll tell you what I thought he and Isaiah Epps (Pitt) were the best junior guards in Jersey, but now he may very well be the best. He can shoot the ball very well. He can handle it and he's younger physically. See, Isaiah Epps is going to have to go prep school next year. He's run out of eligibility. I think he's a combination guard, but because of his size...he's 6'1"...wherever he goes they'll probably try to make him into a point guard. He's a talented player. He could play at that level. Would he be an all-American at Duke? Probably not, but he could be very good for them.
Jason Morris: Well, he didn't shoot well today again. His father, Phil, played in NY too. He lives with his mother down in Augusta, but the father played in New York and first talked about him when he was in the sixth grade...but everybody thinks their kid is great in the sixth grade. He goes to a very good school. He's going to play with the Gauchos, but he's played with other organizations in the past. Jason Morris has great explosion with the ball. He really elevates. He's got Otis-like elevation with the ball. He can stop on a dime and explode with his jump shot. I think he'll be very good and he's mature for his age. [/private]
Brandon Knight scored 17 points, on Thursday, as Pine Crest dominated Chaminade-Madonna 68-32. On Tuesday, Knight made six three pointers and exploded for 37 points in a 79-48 victory over Coral Springs Charter. Knight will be facing off against Kenny Boynton for the second time this season on January 31st. The Sun-Sentinel has a game preview posted. Knight scored 35 points as Pine Crest defeated American Heritage earlier this season.
Atlantic Shores defeated StoneBridge 78-43 on Saturday night with Andre Dawkins' 24 points leading the way. Dawkins scored 21 points on Thursday in a 68-52 win over Benedictine, and 16 points in a 73-36 defeat of Williamsburg Christ on Tuesday evening.
The Washington Post has an article posted on the Gonzaga - DeMatha game. Tyler Thornton scored 14 points as Gonzaga won 86-76. Of note, Gonzaga was 21/21 from the free throw line with Thornton going 4/4. Thornton scored 18 points and was 9/10 from the free throw line, on Friday night, as Gonzaga defeated Good Counsel 73-56.
Josh Smith scored 29 points on 14-of-19 shooting but #2 Kentwood fell to Kentridge 67-58. The game is the second story in this Seattle Times article. The lead story is about #1 Garfield losing to Foss. Garfield features Tony Wroten Jr. who did not play due to a sprained ankle. Earlier in the week, Smith scored 15 points and 39 points in two Kentwood victories. Smith is averaging 25.5 points per game.
Ryan Kelly followed up his career high 47 point performance by leading Ravenscroft to two victories on Thursday and Friday. Kelly scored 20 points and secured eight rebounds in the first victory, while scoring 21 points with eight rebounds in the second game.
Christ School dropped their second game of the season with a 64-60 loss to Princeton High School of Cincinnati on Saturday. Mason Plumlee scored 12 points. Plumlee scored 20 points and Tony Kimbro added 13 in a 68-66 win over New American of New York on Friday night. Both games were part of the Laurel County Hoop Fest in Kentucky.
Harrison Barnes scored 19 points as Ames defeated Mason City 86-63 on Saturday night. The game was tight early with Mason City having a five point lead in the second quarter before Ames pulled ahead to lead 44-41 at the half. The Ames Tribune has a game recap posted.
In early September, junior guard Tyler Thornton verbally committed to Duke University along with his AAU teammate, Josh Hairston. This past weekend the Gonzaga playmaker headed to the birthplace of basketball, Springfield, Massachusetts, where he led his team to a victory over repeat
Tyler Thornton (front) and future Duke teammate (Josh Hairston)
New England Prep School champions, St. Mark's, which features a pair of elite level big men in 6'10" Erik Murphy (Florida) and 6'8" Nate Lubick (Georgetown). After the hard-fought victory, Tyler spoke with Blue Devil Nation about topics ranging from what the Duke coaches have asked him to work on and a scouting report on Josh Hairston to Kendall Marshall and his mother, the future loudest Cameron Crazy. Enjoy the interview -
Blue Devil Nation: One of the things that your coach Steve Turner has talked about is your leadership. He's mentioned since you walked through the door as a freshman, you've been Gonzaga's leader. Was that a conscious effort on your part to establish that early on or more of a natural aspect of your personality?
Tyler Thornton: It was more of a natural thing. Coming in, before high school, I was always the biggest guy and most likely the best player on my team.
BDN: Setting the tone early?
TT: Yeah, and then after a while, they just understand that's how you play. When I came here my freshman year, it was a natural thing. I would say my first couple of games I was just nervous, but then the guys, you know, the guys they was just picking me up.
BDN: People like Max Kenyii?
TT: Yeah, Max Kenyii who's going to Harvard. They were looking for me to be the vocal leader on the team and run the team. The biggest thing that they trusted me.
BDN: Did you start as a freshman at point guard or off guard?
TT: Freshman year, I started midway through the season as the point guard.
BDN: Do you consider yourself to be a vocal leader, one who leads through actions, or both?
TT: More of a vocal leader You know I always talk on offense and defense making sure everybody's where they're supposed to be at. You know that just makes it a lot easier for us as a team and for the coaches on the sidelines so that they don't have to yell every single thing from the sidelines.
BDN: One of the other attributes that comes up a lot with you is winner. The Assault team won seven large tournaments in a row until Akron then you won the Bob Gibbons, and then you ultimately won the MVP at the big tournament in Vegas at the end of the summer. Gonzaga has been now 49-3 over the past two years with you running the show in the WCAC, arguably one of the toughest conferences in the nation. What do you attribute that to?
TT: You know that's something I can't do on my own. You've got to trust your teammates and they trust you. Guys are building chemistry and you're just loving playing with each other.
BDN: Both teams.
TT: Yeah, that's for both teams. We enjoy playing with each other. You know everybody loves to win so, you know, they're gonna sacrifice and that's what its all about.
BDN: There's nothing more important. At the end of the day, these guys (St. Marks) are walking past us with their heads down.
TT: Exactly, exactly
BDN: What do you consider to be your greatest strength right now?
Tyler Thornton: Right now, defensively, Id like to get in my mans face.
BDN: You're very intense defensively.
TT: Yeah, and I like to play help side defense too. On this team, they look to me for offense, but, as you can see, other guys step up and, if they're on fire, I'm gonna definitely get them the ball. You know, I can score on offense, but, if someone else is on fire, I'm gonna get it to them.
BDN: What would you like to work on before you arrive at Duke?
TT: You know especially now, when I'm working towards college, its my three point shot. That's what Coach K told me he'd like me to be able to knock them down.
BDN: I didn't think I saw you shoot one today.
TT: I didn't.
BDN: But you're working on it.
TT: Yes, yes.
BDN: What, if anything else, has the Duke coaching staff asked you to work on? Either in terms of on the court or with your body.
TT: Besides the three point shot, you know, Coach Collins was telling me you know how there were those lanky guys that were real big and I couldn't really finish around them
BDN: (laughs) I saw you covering (Erik) Murphy on that one possession.
TT:(laughs) Yeah, yeah. You saw around the basket how I tried to use my floater. I didn't hit today, but that was one thing he told me to work on, especially in college cause everyone's big and everybody's getting on the glass so, you know, work on the floater.
BDN: Whats your favorite move right now?
TT: Move? As in offense, I cant tell you. (laughs)
BDN: Alright, alright. Thats' fair. What players do you try to emulate your game after?
TT: You know I just try to take a little bit from everybody. Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, Nolan Smith. I play a similar position as Now.
BDN: You're both D.C. Assault guys.
TT: (laughs) Yeah, Yeah. Just take a little bit from everybody because, you know, everybody has good attributes.
BDN: In the past, you weren't asked to score as much as this year. How did you feel about the added responsibility?
TT: It's not really added, you know, because it was already part of my game. Its just the teams we had before at Gonzaga I wasn't expected to score or I didn't have to. Its different with D.C. Assault, you know, when Coach tells me to score, I score. The offense that were in here we swing the ball around, you know, kick it out. If somebody has an open shot, they're gonna take it, you know, they're not going to swing it.
BDN: You guys have a lot of players with good court vision, even the big guys. Talk about the competition you face in the WCAC, arguably one of the top 5 leagues in the country
TT: I think its number one.
BDN: And how that might prepare you for the ACC better than the average public school kid in America.
TT: Exactly, you know, that's why everybody in our area just wants to play in schools in WCAC because they know that its going to prepare them for the next level, you know, the coaches the players everybody you know, so I'd say its like a mini-ACC. Everybodys trying to win and everybody can knock everybody out.
BDN: Especially in your class There's one match up of yours that Duke fans will be looking to for the next few years. You and Kendall Marshall. Lets talk about it.
TT: Kendall. That's like my best friend . We went to middle school together and played on the same team.
BDN: He's with Boo Williams.
TT: Yeah, I'm D.C. Assault
BDN: You beat him three out of four times last year and outscored him 25-17 in front of Coach K in December.
TT: Yeah, but they won that night.
BDN: Alright, well, I didn't want to bring that up. (laughs)
TT: That's okay.(laughs). Its alright. He's my man. I'm looking forward to playing against him for the next, what, six years.
BDN: Maybe beyond
TT: (laughs) Yeah, hopefully
Blue Devil Nation: How do you match up against him? What do you better and what does he do better at this point?
Tyler Thornton: Kendall, you know, he's a great point guard with great court vision and a nice touch. Hes got an all-around game. Kendall's a great player.
BDN: Talk about the differences in what you're asked to do at Gonzaga as compared to D.C. Assault.
TT: In AAU, there are teams that are stacked and teams that are not as good. In high school, we have more of a set type offense. We run like a Princeton style offense and in AAU we just, like, run and gun.
BDN: You, Eric Atkins, Hairston
TT: Yeah, you know, maybe, a secondary break-drive it to the middle, kick it out, pick-and-roll. Its a different style of offense, but the intensity is still there. Were still trying to win.
BDN: Could you give a scouting report on Josh Hairston and tell the audience about him as a person?
TT: I'd say basically a mix between KG and Tim Duncan.
BDN: Wow, that's something to look forward to for the fans.
TT: (laughs) Of course, you know, he finishes great around the basket.
BDN: He's developing a nice little hook.
TT: Yeah, he can step out, face up, take his man off of the dribble or shoot the jumper. Hes great on defense, you know, blocking shots -- rebounding. He's got an all around game.
BDN :He talked about what a major step up his game took when he joined the Assault. He felt it really helped his game a lot.
TT: Yeah, you know, when he came, I think he was a little nervous at first, but he seen that we trusted him. The first time he came he really wasn't looking to score or doing what we know he could do.
BDN: He was just trying to fit in.
TT: Yeah, so we was like, man, just play. You're gonna miss shots, but everybody here gonna misses shots. So if you shoot the ball, that's better for us, its a better chance for us to get buckets.
BDN: Sure, you're simply closer.
TT: Yeah, so me and Eric the other guards we don't have problems with keep dumping it down. It helps everything out for us because we keep scoring.
Blue Devil Nation: What kind of advantage do you think you'll have by knowing where he likes the ball and his tendencies by the time you arrive at Duke?
Tyler Thornton: I think it'll tremendously help our chemistry on the court if we end up being on the court at the same time or even in practice going against the older guys. I think it'll help us a lot. I know where he likes the ball and know where he likes to put the ball. Its always good to have somebody that you know that you enjoy playing with going through the system with you together.
BDN: Have you visited the Hall of Fame yet on this trip? Is this your first trip? If so, what were your impressions?
TT: Yeah, we went yesterday. It was my first time going. There was a lot of good stuff in there. Last night there was a dunk contest, two ball, three point shooting
BDN: Was everybody there?
TT: Yeah, all the teams.
BDN: Whats your current height and weight?
TT: I'd say 6-1 and three quarters and ...
BDN: (laughs) Alright, alright ...
TT: (laughs) and maybe 185...190
Blue Devil Nation: Okay, what would you like to be by the time you get to Duke?
Tyler Thornton: You know Coach. Coach K has told me that my body weight is fine. He actually wants me to lose a couple pounds so that, you know, Id still be strong, but Id be even a little quicker.
BDN: Do you have a weight room at school?
TT: Yes, and actually our trainer was here today. He works us out in the off seasons. He comes in and tells us what to do during the season too.
Blue Devil Nation: Have you had a chance to watch Duke much this year on TV? What is your take on this years team?
Tyler Thornton: Yeah, after practice, I try to catch all their games.
BDN: So you caught the Georgetown game?
TT: Yeah, that was a big game for me.
BDN: (laughs) I know it was a big game for you. I wasn't sure about bringing it up, but.. (Georgetown recruited Tyler)
TT: (laughs) Yeah, definitely, definitely. Yeah, but hopefully I get a chance to go down there and watch them play.
Blue Devil Nation: What would you like fans to know about Tyler Thornton, both as a person and as a player?
Tyler Thornton: You know I don't consider myself to be a big star or nothing so
BDN: Oh, come on! You're the reason I'm here at this thing (laughs)
TT:(laughs) I'm just a laid back kid. I like to have fun and just chill. I just like to laugh and have fun, you know, so.
BDN: What about on the court? What do you want people to remember you as?
TT: Someone who played hard and left it all out on the court. He fought until the last minute.
BDN: A winner too.
TT: Yeah, you know I just hate to lose. If were down five with five seconds left, Im still thinking in my mind that were gonna win this game.
Blue Devil Nation: You won the title last year and now your team has a couple of early losses to O'Connell and that team in Ohio, but you seem to be hitting your stride now.
Tyler Thornton: This year everybody around our area sees all of the players that we sent to college last year and they think the new guys won't fill the void for them. But it's not about those guys trying to do what they did. It's about guys playing a role and, if they play their roles right, we can win. You see today the height advantage they had was tremendous.
BDN: Yeah, I know, I thought My God, this is the one game I'm gonna have to interview you after.
TT:( laughs) Yeah, the height advantage was a tremendous difference, but our coach told us to box out. He told the guards we have to rebound and get out and run the floor.
BDN: Yeah, you pushed it, spread the floor, and wound up getting their guys in foul trouble.
TT: Exactly, exactly
Blue Devil Nation: Are you going to the inauguration?
Tyler Thornton: Unfortunately not, we've got practice. We've got school the next day. I'll go to practice, stay off of my feet a little bit, and just watch it on TV.
BDN: Who's the toughest guard you ever faced?
TT: Oh, about two years ago we faced Joe Jackson down at Bob Gibbons. He just killed us (laughs) He gave us about thirty. You know Kendall and Josh Selby and Markel. They're always great competitors.
BDN: Well, I mean it's help you to face them each once or twice a season ...
TT: Yeah, it helps everybody on my team, not just me. It helps everyone in our area. Our area is so great. The competition is so hard.
Blue Devil Nation: Lastly, your mother! I know that's gotta be your mother.
Tyler Thornton: (laughs) Yeah, yeah, yeah.
BDN: I said that has got to be your mother. I've seen her at the D.C. Assault games with the other mothers, but they're much louder there. They've got the cheers and everything. I never mention mothers, but they're so impressively loud and into the games. Shes got to be coming down to Duke when you start up. (laughs)
TT: (Laughs) Oh, of course. She's gonna be one of the Cameron Crazies.
Blue Devil Nation: Oh, when you and Josh signed, I thought to myself, I hope that woman is one of your mothers cause she is the one woman who is louder than the Cameron Crazies.
Tyler Thornton:(laughs) I know. I know. With the D.C. Assault, that's a great boost to have.
BDN: It is. It definitely is.
TT: Not only my mother, but everybody elses mother too.
BDN: Yeah, I love it when she goes (imitating Tyler Thornton's mother) Deeeefense, boyyyyyys, defense( laughs)
TT: (laughs, clapping his hands together ) Yeah, that's it! Yeah. Especially, if we're down, they start and it up and it gives us a boost. Its great to have a mother that's into the game like that.
BDN: Sure, absolutely. I also noticed that shes got the same look around the eyes too.
TT: Yeah, yeah, that's my mother.
BDN: Well, Tyler, it was very nice to meet you.
TT: It was a pleasure to meet you too.
The Blue Devil Nation welcomes aboard, Andrew Slater. Andrew is one of the more knowledgeble folks I know when it comes to AAU ball, prospects and recruiting. He brings with him a uniques and detailed style which is sure to please our members.
The Blue Devil Nation was on hand for the 7th Annual Martin Luther King Scholastic invitational in Greensboro and we bring our members this synopsis of the happenings. We'll have Q & A's with the shakers coming as well. From Deuce Bello to Mason Plumlee, we bring you the latest -
(Blue Devil Nation Premium is a subscription service)
Why did Oak Hill win so easily? -Guard play, namely Mo-Mo Jones who drove it right down the throat of the Greenies defense at will. Oklahoma bound Tiny Gallon made some timely blocks and held down the middle. Daron Lamb ran as a front court player in what was basically a three guard
Mo-Mo Jones faces down Tony Kimbrough
offense. Oak Hill scored a ton of points where the Greenies didn't [private] get back on defense. Then there was a lack of patience when the game was close for Christ School, that allowed spurts that ultimately became too much to come back from. Greenies lack of a special point guard ws exposed and their guards neutralized.
More Keith "Tiny" Gallon- While he wasn't that effective on the offensive end, his play was vital. He turned to the Oklahoma assistant and nodded with a smile after taking the ball in for a dunk over two players. Later in the game he said "I'll bet yalls money was on them," to the TV crew from Western North Carolina which was covering the game. He did so laughing. Too much moxy for Oak Hill.
Playing with a chip on their shoulder- Coming into the game, most thought Christ School was the team with a chip on their shoulder having lost a heart breaker last season against the same team. But Oak Hill players cited several newspaper quotes which riled them up. Mo-Mo pointed to a comment, "Brandon Jennings is gone," taking it as if that meant he'd be handled with ease. We will provide quotes from many of the players in a game article that is in the works.
Short turnaround - Christ School is in High Point for a game today.
Greenie support - Christ School support was impressive and at times funny as their student body sat directly behind the Oak Hill bench.
Mason Plumlee- Plumlee had 24 points but struggled from the three point stripe. The lack of three point shooters helped doom Christ School in their comeback effort and Mason was trying to put his team on his back. This caused him to force a few shots and late in the game the calls were not going his way. It was not one of Plumlees better games despite his MVP for his team, but he was by far one of the only players on a talented team to show up. He was helped by Lucas Troutman, a junior who had a nice game around the boards. His brother, Marshall played sparingly.
Coaches there - Nate James of Duke, Oklahoma, Murry State, UNC Greensboro, Harvard, South Carolina, Dino Gaudio and assistants from Wake Forest
Overheard - Assistant from Wake telling a players Father, you know I cannot speak to him talking of an Oak Hill player.
Most watched prospect- Deuce Bello, a sophomore from Westchester Country Day. You'll be hearing a lot more about this prospect. It may be worth noting that Nate James stayed for his entire game in the nightcap.
More on Deuce- He stands 6-3 and has blazing speed in making his moves like slashing through the lane. He is a quick leaper and a showboat dunker. He is very fast with the ball off the dribble and
Deuce Bello throws one of many dunks down
has a solid handle. His defense needs work as does his outside shot. He looks like a top ten player in the class of 2011. He handled PG for his team, but will fit more as a wing guard in college. I was able to watch a DVD of another game he wasx in and will break him down shortly. I look forward to seeing him again. [/private]
Ryan Kelly did everything he could to put his Ravenscroft team on his back and will them to victory, but the Ravens came up short falling to Northern Guilford 82-73.
Kelly put on quite a show in route to a career high 47 points which was by far the
Kelly scores two of his career high 47 points
best individual performance of the day in the 7th Annual Martin Luther King Classic in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The future Blue Devil became his schools all time leading scorer as well. Kelly now has 1763 points for his career eclipsing Corin Davis 1750 by 13. He tied the school single game scoring record.
Kelly’s 47 points, 30 of which came in the second half, tied the school record originally set by Lou Pucillo versus Laurinburg during the 1983-84 season.
BDN asked Kelly what his thoughts were after scoring a career high. He responded, "You know my teammates fed me the ball well. It's worthless if you can't get a win. It was a tough one."
Ravenscroft fell behind early in the first half, but a Kelly alley-oop dunk gave his
Team MVP - all photos copyright BDNP
team a 24-23 lead. Kelly followed that with another dunk and a drive to the lane for two, stretching the lead to 28-23, scoring six straight points.
Northern Guilford gathered themselves and took a 34-31 lead into the half, mainly due to the play of Jacob Lawson, Johnathan Frye and Michael Neal.
A 7-0 run put the game away for Northern Guilford, but Kelly kept the game close and led a comeback with 30 second half points.
Ravenscroft Coach Kevin Billerman was hit with a technical for questioning why a call was made late in the game and the same ref hit him again about 50 seconds later which automatically boots him from the game. A seething but not animated Billerman then walked the court glaring at the ref.
"We didn't compete very well early. It was probably our worst defensive effort of the year. Offensively we did too much standing," said Billerman.
When asked of the ref calling two technicals, Billerman stated, "I don't know what the technicals were for. I did not say a word to the official. The first one our guy ran in the lane and it was like bowling pins falling - I waved my arms at it and ten seconds later he called a technical from the other end of the court. I asked one of the other officials, what was the technical, would you please find out. He said you need to sit down and before I could the fat guy came up and called another one.
Kelly was named his teams most valuable player after the game.
Ravenscroft (17-5) goes on to play at Wake Christian on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
"That would have one to win in front of so many people. but we get back into the conference and sweep through that and get into the state tournament, because for us the loss didn't hurt with the state tournament. We have to put it behind us," said a disappointed Kelly after the loss.
Kelly’s final stat line was 47 points, six rebounds, five blocks, two assists, and two steals. He was 16-of-25 from the field, including 3-of-3 on three-pointers. He also shot 12-of-14 from the free throw line.
The only other Ravenscroft player in double figures in scoring was junior Mike Ehilegbu with 10 points. .
BDN Premium subscribers have access to the entire interview with Ryan Kelly as well as Mason Plumlee. It's a great time to join for there is much more to come for members. We will be breaking down the teams recruitng strategy and will tell you about some exciting prospects. Our yearly subscription breaks down to 27 cents a day or 1.89 a week. You'll find much better information than the newspapers offer and will have access to our members only message board to discuss the latest happenings. So, why not join today!
Josh Smith had a big week on the hardwood out West as he led Kentwood to three victories scoring 19, 33, and 25 points in the games. Smith continues to be the leading scorer in the South Puget Sound League 4A Conference at 24.9 points-per-game.
On Saturday evening, Smith scored 25 points as Kentwood defeated Federal Way 52 - 50. On Thursday, Smith scored 33 points as Kentwood defeated Kent Meridian 57 - 53, and on Tuesday, Smith scored 19 points in a 60 - 29 blowout of Tahoma. Kentwood opened the game with an 18 - 0 run and never looked back.
Moving to the Midwest, Harrison Barnes scored 13 and 26 points in two Ames victories. Barnes' 13 points came in a 70 - 35 rout, while his 26 points came in a 22 point 81 - 59 victory on Friday night. Ames is now 10 - 0 on the season.
Andre Dawkins scored 26 points with 15 coming in the second quater as Atlantic Shores defeated Norfolk Collegiate 71 - 55. Dawkins made four three pointers in the contest.
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