Will Kolker - Pope Basketball
Analysis

Hounds Holiday Hoop Classic notes

No. 9 Cherokee 52, No. 4 Mt. Pisgah 49

Cherokee vs. Mt. Pisgah

Class 7A No. 9 Cherokee (13-1) led Class A-Private No. 4 Mt. Pisgah (10-2) 38-29 at the end of three before the Patriots press began to rattle the Warriors.

Cherokee’s lack of guard play outside of 2021 6-5 G Taihland Owens is a glaring weakness. The Warriors are a three-man show offensively between Owens, 2021 6-7 F Elijah Tucker and 2020 6-5 F Zack Vickers.

In the two games I’ve seen this year, surprisingly enough it has been Vickers who has been the X-Factor and most consistent performer. Vickers finished with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Vickers is a tough glue guy that knows his role. He is an exceptional rebounder that high points caroms. His range extends out to the three-point line and he has strong footwork with his back to the basket.

The trio of Vickers, Owens (18 points, 5 rebounds) and Tucker (10 points, 6 rebounds) combined for 47 of their 52 points. If the Warriors had another offensive threat on the perimeter, they could be a dark horse to take a deep run at state. Too often, Tucker and Owens have both found themselves in foul trouble early in games which makes the offense stagnant when Vickers is the lone option. When Owens stepped back onto the floor for his final spurt in the fourth quarter after Mt. Pisgah cut the lead to 45-44, the Preseason All-State pick went on to score the final 7 points of the game to seal the win.

2021 6-2 G Bennett Ulm played well defensively for Coach Roger Kvam, posting 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block. He is a long guard that has active hands when defending on-ball. He gave Mt. Pisgah’s smaller guards fits early in the game.

For Mt. Pisgah, 2021 6-7 C Nate Gordon was an issue inside. The big man finished with 11 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks. He is still a little raw but he is a strong athlete that can play above the rim. His activity led to many second chance opportunities.

2020 6-0 SG Chandler Minton led the Patriots in scoring with 12 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. Minton hit two threes on the day and defensively, drew the assignment of guarding Elijah Tucker and did a great job doing so. 2021 6-4 CG JoJo Peterson had an off day, unable to find his shot, but he had a spurt in the fourth quarter which helped the Patriots nearly draw even. Peterson finished with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block. He is extremely fast with the ball in his hands, possessing a great burst especially in the open floor. He is getting close to putting all the pieces together on his way to becoming a big-time prospect. Elon offered back in September. Undersized guards 2021 5-10 Nick Speros and 2021 5-11 Chase Tucker combined to go 9-of-9 from the line. Speros was a sneaky offensive rebounder, finding his way to battle for possessions. Speros finished with 9 points and 4 rebounds while Tucker had 8 points and 3 rebounds.

No. 10 Pope 79, Forsyth Central 53

Pope vs. Forsyth Central

The host Greyhounds (10-2) dazzled in a demolition of an improved Forsyth Central (7-8). 2021 6-1 PG Will Kolker and 2020 6-6 F Ross Shepherd were as good as advertised and did whatever they wanted to. Coming off back-to-back losses in which three starters were out with the flu, Pope had something to prove. Kolker set the tone early on with his defense and then put on a passing clinic the rest of the day.

Kolker has hands down been the best passer I’ve witnessed so far this season.

The lefty finished with 21 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 steals. He has a smooth feel but some herky-jerkiness to his game when getting downhill.

He loves to whip in passes with his left hand, fitting bullets into tight spaces. He has some crafty finishes around the rim and an unorthodox jump shot which looks like a Shawn Marion flip, but it works for him as he hit two threes.

Shepherd, an elite academic prospect with a 4.5 GPA and 1440 SAT, is athletic and plays with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He is a fluid stretchy forward that has nice moves getting to the basket.

An alley-oop to end the first quarter from Kolker was his “wow” moment.

LaGrange offered on October 1, but I think that he could play at an even higher level and should be a popular name for D-II coaches to check out. He had 20 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block.  Pope’s third standout was 2022 6-4 F Cam Bleshoy.  Bleshoy at first glance doesn’t strike you as someone to game plan for, but he does his job exceptionally well. Gifted with a well-built frame, Bleshoy looks like a seasoned senior, not a sophomore. He uses his body well to seal deep inside and finishes well in traffic. He was the beneficiary of some wicked Kolker assists, but being able to catch laser beam passes is somewhat of a skill in itself.

Bleshoy had 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks. While he may not have the highlights that Kolker and Shepherd have, Bleshoy is going to be a pain to play against for the next three years. Experience in Coach Pat Abney’s system along with toughness will likely lead to a great high school career. He is a garbage man who will clean up whatever is left over from Kolker and Shepherd. Pope looks like a legitimate threat to challenge for the Region 7-AAAAAA title.

Little went right for Forsyth Central, but their guard play is apparent and its easy to see why Pope made it a point to fight over top of all screens. The Bulldogs live and die by the three, or at least did on Friday. They run great actions which lead to curls, flares and plenty of open looks at the three-point line. They hit 7 threes and continued to fight till the end. 2021 6-1 SG Jake Craft drilled 4 threes en route to 16 points and 4 rebounds. He and 2020 6-1 SG Brandon Sherer were shot-ready every time they came off a screen and worked hard without the ball to get open. Sherer didn’t hit a three, but had some tough hoops when attacking the mid-range and in to finish with 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. 2020 5-10 PG Anthony Roveto had a nice spark in the third quarter with all 6 of his points.

Defenses without discipline and who get tired of chasing around three-point shooters will really struggle with slowing down the Bulldog offense.