Feb08
TROY BEATS CLARKSTON 79-74, FIFE SEES YOUNG SHINE
MSU RECRUIT PLAYING LIGHTS OUT
In one of the most entertaining HS games I've ever seen, Troy beat Clarkston 79-74. Troy led much of the way, though Clarkston was able to tie it up on multiple occasions in the second half...but those would usually be met by a Troy run of 5 or 6 points to push the lead back out. Yet, every time Troy would threaten to make it a double digit game, Nick Tatu would hit a 3 (or a 3 and a foul, as was the case twice in the 4th quarter) and get Clarkston right back in it. Just an unbelievable performance both ways.
Clarkston's no joke. Steve Bell had them at #5 in Class A coming into this game and I'd buy that. Not a huge team nor one with any particularly gifted athletes (as in obvious D1 type athletes), but they all run well, they have decent size across the board (everybody except for Tatu in the playing group went 6'2" - 6'4") and they play hard and smart. Typical Clarkston team, IOW. For Troy to win this one...it might sound crazy given their start, but I have to think they're as good a sleeper pick to win Class A as anybody. They lost the second and third best players on their team when Baston Jr. and Mahone quit a week or two back, but I think they might be a better team now. Anyway...James Young is what everyone wants to hear about. MSU assistant Dane Fife was in the house to catch his alma mater and the talented wing from Troy. Here are the numbers I had for Young:
49 points on 17-29 from the floor, 3-6 from three,and 12-16 at the line. 20 rebounds with about half of them coming on the offensive end. This is a legit number...I'm not padding the way most HS stat guys seem to.
Didn't keep track of the blocks and steals, but he had several of each. Also racked up several assists, with some great outlet passing and some nice drive and kick stuff in the second half.
In the first half, Troy used him mostly in the post, so much of his damage was done around the rim. He was strong. Clarkston isn't huge by any means, but they're tough and physical and he had to go through a lot of contact to get things done and he did just that. Very impressive to see that toughness from him. In the second half, Troy still occasionally flashed him into the post but they mostly alternated between running him off baseline screens and getting him the ball out top to operate with that crossover he has. He had 16 in the first half but 33 in the second, so you can guess which method was more effective. I also had him at 9-11 from the stripe in the 4th quarter and all of those free throws mattered in a tight game.
He has such a quick release...REALLY, really reminds me of Morris Peterson's jumper, and not just because he's a lefty. Tonight, he did a nice job finding some midrange shots at times as well...it wasn't all layups, dunks and threes. He had a crossover move late in the game that didn't end up going for a bucket, but it was one of the most wicked things you'll see from a high school kid...the poor Clarkston defender collapsed trying to stay with him, and those kids can pretty much uniformly check. As it was, Young managed to foul out the kid who was primarily guarding him in the second half...just couldn't stay with him well enough in the end.
I've seen enough. Against arguably the two best teams they've faced this season, Young hasn't been just good, he's been lights out great. All the usual Izzo knows best defaults apply, but if it were me, he'd have a commitable offer now. You just don't see people do this to Clarkston, but he did.
Comments (1)
Where's Tatu going?