Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Ocean View Basketball Season Outlook - It’s almost here!

Well it’s that time again, Ocean View Basketball is right around the corner! Can the Seahawks put together another championship run? I’ll discuss prospects, development, and the chances at a State Title.


Jeremy Myers for ESPN.com
Will Johnson and the rest of the Seniors crash the dance again?


Everything... and more... after the jump



Well last year is in the past, and OV is ready to have another go at a standout basketball season. (Before you read too much, I use acronyms a lot, just stay with me)


Starters:
Disclaimer: Since the “preseason” games haven’t even started yet, all of these lineups are mere predictions, and I have no idea what is going on in CJH’s (Coach Jim Harris) head.


Guards
(1): Well the door is left wide open here, BK (Billy Keller, Jr.) has run the 1 spot since he was a Freshman, but the departure of Mason Jones called for additional size at the other guard spot. I think SY (Steven Yoon, Sr.) and BK will get their ample time at rotation at the 1 spot. BK offers the size and drive, but SY has the experience and quickness. This “1-2” Combo should be a great weapon for the Hawks.


(2): As the team continues to get deeper with each position, the 2 spot is going to be easy to shuffle and predict this year. With BK, SY, AD (Aaron Delgado, Sr.), CR (Christian Rivera, So.), AJ (Avery Johnson, Sr.), and AB (Anthony Brown, Sr.)


Billy Keller: BK was a solid piece of the puzzle last year. His reliable 8.5 PPG won a few close games in tournaments (both post and pre-season) and was a decisive part of the defense last year. Expect a breakout year as teams focus on other parts of the team, leaving him 1 on 1 often, and he’ll step up to the challenge.


Forwards:
(3): Here comes the fun; two upper-echelon D-1 Talent guys can fill this spot, with ease and effectiveness. CJH could be looking to put AB in this spot considering his future, but will use AJ in this spot for the well-being of his team. As shown in the past, the 3 spot has been a vital part of OV’s success, and I am not worried at all about the depth or differences in this particular area.


Avery Johnson:
I’ll use my article from BN here:



Avery's passion and presence on the court is again, undeniable. He can play any of the spots on the court because of his ridiculous vertical and ball control.
Avery averaged 11.9 points, shooting 44% from the field, 1.3 Blocks, with 44 on the season. He also averaged 6.8 rebounds per game, and 2.6 steals per game 
Avery is Blue-collar, quick, and defensively inclined. He is quick enough to handle guards, and has enough athleticism to contest bigger guys. In basketball terms, Avery can lead the fast break and dish off an assist, or slam hit home by jumping over the rim and through the net. It seems as if he can jump all the way through it when you are watching him.
Avery has been hurt by a 88 overall rating from ESPN, although it should be much higher because of how much upside he has. The only flaw that he has was his traditionally low-arc jump shot, but you can't ask everyone to be like AJ Abrams right? As for the rest of his shooting, Avery has a terrific plant-and-shoot fadeaway shot that is just smooth as silk. It got him plenty of points in the post season as defenses started climbing in caliber. This summer, Avery has been more of a power player, he has gone to the dunk much more often as opposed to the layup that he has used in the past. High percentage shots are a great way to put a dent on the scoreboard when you can jump over people.
Shooting is only part of his offensive repertoire. Much like Jrue Holiday, Avery has a knack for passing the rock. No-look passing and high-tempo "no-dribble" fast break routines are his strong points, and his game-breaking ability is very evident when he has a smaller defender on him.
On defense, the stats project his ability. He is just a terror in the paint, but he's still a guard. That vertical leap is so insane, you'll just have to see it for yourself. Dominating blocks are still his favorite, but he can easily steal the ball as well. Rebounding is another thing that Avery leans on. That vertical leap, again, helps him snatch balls... off the board. That's just how high he gets.

 Anthony Brown:
Again, from my article here;



Anthony Brown (Committed to Stanford) Considered UCLA, Cal.
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Anthony Brown (on the right), a 6'6" Sr. (Class of 2010) wing has announced his verbal commitment to Stanford yesterday (10/7/09), he had UCLA and Cal in his sights as well. Some people might say, "Who's this guy?". Anthony Brown has flown under the radar for most of his career until he went to several different tournaments in Las Vegas. One had an ESPN scout in attendance. That scout proceeded to rate Anthony (on a 100 point scale, 1 being the worst, 100 being the best) a 97, comparing him to Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks.
Anthony, as you can see, is an extremely athletic guy. His physical strengths make coaches drool of course height, and length are two, but an unquestionable basketball IQ and great decisions are two other intangibles that make him more of a prospect. Not only is he athletic, but he has his mind in the right place, making Academics the final decision as to where he went to school.
Now on to the basketball.
Last year, Anthony] averaged 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last year for Ocean View... He had 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Seahawks' rout of Inglewood in the Division IV-AA championship, helping Ocean View win its first CIF title since 1998
-Matt Szabo, Huntington Beach Independent (Emphasis added)
Anthony is an all around great player, he can play the 2, 3, or 4 spot with ease, and can switch between all 3 without a hitch.

The Bigs:
(4): A heavy dose of the “killer” rotation of AJ, AB, mixed with some CM (Chris Martinez, Sr.), and Shig (Andrew Shigemasa, Sr.) who can all play both the 3 and 4 spots, should make the offensive and defensive boundaries basically unstoppable. I don’t see a situation where talent or ability could be the problem.

(5): Well, this is the most interesting unit IMO (In my opinion), because we don’t know who we could see. There’s AB, and AJ, also CM, but you could stick to tradition with Okey (Ryan Okwudibonye, Sr.), and mix in returner TG (Trey Gourdine, Jr.) and legacy that is CC (Connor Clifford, So.). The depth is undeniable, but everyone knows; a big guy is necessary to make it deep into the playoffs (see State Championship last year). So with Okey being the guy, he’ll need to step up, make some plays, and continue to dominate on the boards. The prospect of CC to back him up is a very bright one, as I think he could have a very big impact on this team in crunch time, especially if he can get some points off of fouls or the fear factor (He’s 6’9” right?). The post is a must this year.

Josh’s Lineups;


Traditional

  1. BK
  2. AD
  3. AJ
  4. AB
  5. RO
Slashers

  1. SY
  2. BK
  3. AD
  4. AB
  5. AJ
Bigs

  1. BK
  2. AJ
  3. AB
  4. CM
  5. RO


Fearless Predictions:
With the TOC as a primer, the talent of the roster should be put up in prime fashion in their own backyard. I can honestly say that a good prediction could be a top-4 finish, if not the championship. The UCLA fan in me says to let them iron out the kinks, but the numbers say that OV is looking at a possible pre-season boost.

The AZ Tournament is very intriguing to look at in terms of national ranking, but should be a good experience none the less.

Conference play should be relatively easy; especially with the amount of talent this year.

The HB Shootout should be fun as the Hawks could get the Oilers again, qualifying their bragging rights for yet another year.

The Extravaganza is always fun at Mater Dei’s insane gym; I’ll wait till later to get a better analysis of Orange Lutheran.

In the post season, I think the ability of the rotation and depth to back up the amount of talent and experience should give the Hawks a considerable edge over the rest of the field. If the Hawks can get through the CIF tournament without any form of doubt, I can see them really marching deep into state tournament, all the way to the championship. Of course, that’s a long time from now.

Go Hawks:

13-9