Cleveland Rhodes vs. Collinwood

Cleveland Rhodes vs. Cleveand Collinwood Report

By Rodger Bohn, special to IPS

As one can imagine, the matchup of Rhodes and Collinwood had all of the makings of your typical Cleveland Senate League game. Frenetic up and down play, with plenty of offensive rebounds, little fundamental defense, and very little in terms of actual sets being ran. However, as usual, it also offered a few long athletes who had the potential to be nice college players down the road with proper development. Surprisingly, Collinwood upset the talented Rhodes squad, winding up with a 64-54 victory.

Here is a look at the top three players the game offered:

David Jackson, 6’5, PF, Cleveland Rhodes, 2010- Jackson was an absolute monster inside on the glass, finishing with a 21 point, 24 rebound performance. This kid has a motor that is absolutely non-stop and is a downright freak athlete, however he is severely lacking in the skills department. While Jackson did a great job of establishing position on the blocks, he lacks any moves at this point, usually reverting to a drop step towards his left shoulder EVERY time he got the ball. The majority of his scoring damage came off of drop-offs, where he exhibited great hands and finished well at the bucket. Defensively, he played incredibly hard and rotating well, evidenced by the 4 charges he drew. There is a considerable amount of upside here in Jackson, and he is a player who could earn a low division one scholarship if he develops some scoring moves on the blocks.

Geovante Rose, 6’5, SF/PF, Cleveland Rhodes, 2010- Rose is another player who fits the “long and athletic” description (although not as athletic as Jackson). He showed off a decent jumpshot (nailed numerous mid-range jumpers and one 3 pointer) and was incredibly active around the basket via his quick leaping ability en route to 17 points. The junior is definitely stuck in between positions right now due to the fact that he can’t handle well enough to be a full time wing, yet he also doesn’t really have any post moves on the block. There is certainly some potential here though, and he is a player that division two schools should pay close attention to.

Juan Stewart, 6’2, SG, Collinwood, 2009- Stewart showed a basketball IQ incredibly uncommon for most Senate players in that he actually had a solid understanding of “HOW” to play the game. He didn’t blow you away in any particular area of the game, but was incredibly solid all-around. Stewart showed off great court vision, good shot selection, and had a court savvy unlike most city kids. Finishing with 13 points, he knocked down a pair of threes and also had 7 assists. What was most impressive was the performance that he had on the defensive end, where he used his long arms to put a ton of pressure on the ball while also rotating to draw charges. Stewart is a sure-fire division three player, and could very well be a nice system player at the right division two program because of his ability to defend.