There are times when it feels like observers of any summer hoops league offer a disclaimer before every statement they're about to make. "It's summer league, but...." is a common refrain, one we've used here fairly often. It's an acknowledgement that the following thoughts are meant to be taken with a grain of salt or two, largely because of the lack of structure in most summer leagues. There simply isn't a direct correlation.
But what you see in a summer league still tends to make you think. Tonight brought another occasion...
SOUTH HILLS AUDI 116, PGT 104
Thanks to a few extra 3-pointers and impressive ball-sharing, the South Hills group stayed undefeated. But they had to contend with another strong showing from Pitt's Josh Newkirk (28 points, 11 assists) as well as another huge scoring night from Lucky Jones. Jones had 35 points and 10 rebounds, with a 4-of-8 performance from 3-point range. What made tonight's performance especially interesting was that Jones largely went against Pitt's Sheldon Jeter. The Vanderbilt transfer is a legitimate 6-foot-7 wing, and he's very athletic (he also had 28 points).
The fact that Jones was able to go one-on-one with him surely is a positive sign for Robert Morris, even in the loose nature of the summer league. Jones knows a lot of the burden will fall on his shoulders, sometimes to carry the team and sometimes to get the rest of the team on the same page. Another good sign: Despite being on a team with a lot of other talent, he's getting plenty of looks and opportunities. His teammates know he can contribute.
GNC 85, BAKERY SQUARE 79
GNC probably wants Karvel Anderson to stick around as long as possible, because he's been a major contributor in every single game. Anderson was strong again Wednesday night, scoring 29 points a variety of ways. He also had six assists and two rebounds, numbers that seem a little low considering he had four assists on four straight possessions in the second half. He also had at least one block on a fast break.
Games like tonight showcase Anderson's overall athleticism despite his height. He out-rebounded 6-foot-9 Joe Uchebo a couple of times, finished strong at the rim with reverse lay-ups, and generally was all over the place. It's looking more and more like he'll be starting his career overseas, where he'll likely put up some impressive numbers.
Jafar Kinsey had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists, deferring largely to Anderson at the point. Kinsey, though, ended up guarding Bakery Square's top guards down the stretch and looked to do a pretty good job denying them drives into the lane. He considers himself a bit of a scoring point guard, but his athleticism and defense may be his ticket to playing time early on. We'll have a story on Kinsey up this weekend.
Lionel Gomis was a little late for the start and ended up scoreless on three shot attempts, but he had 10 rebounds. Odds are Andy Toole would take that trade most nights. Gomis is really active on the floor and appears very comfortable reading how plays develop.
CRONS 127, SHALE ATTORNEY 121
No Robert Morris players in this one on Wednesday, and CRONS had just five players. That meant a ton of points for a few individuals: Cameron Wright had 41 points to go with nine rebounds and eight assists. Duquesne's Derrick Colter had 34 points and 12 rebounds.
Duquesne's Rene Castro established a new league-high for the season with 42 points for Shale Attorney, while Pitt's Aron Nwanko had 22 rebounds.
We'll take this opportunity to note that West Virginia has pulled its players out of the league. The WVU players participated in the first week but were absent on Monday and Wednesday and will not be back this season. Apparently the travel was conflicting with other portions of their summer schedule. It's a shame, because it saps the depth of the league a little bit.
SYSTEM ONE 95, UPMC 90
System One might be Mike Young's team (he had another impressive game with 33 points and nine rebounds), but Marcquise Reed isn't shying away from being aggressive. Reed has bounced back and forth between really good offensive games and tougher shooting nights, but he hasn't lacked confidence. Wednesday night featured a low percentage night (5-of-21, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range), but he suffered from a few unfriendly rolls and bounces.
Reed's also contributing more than just shots. He had six rebounds and five assists to go with his 12 points. We'll have a story on him this weekend. Aaron Tate had his customary performance with eight points and five rebounds for System One. Andre Frederick had four points and three rebounds for UPMC. As a less aggressive big man, Frederick is getting overshadowed by some of his teammates (Jamel Artis, Chris Jones, Domo McKoy), which is limiting his touches.
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That's it from Wednesday. The league is off on Monday, so the next round of games will be Wednesday, July 9.
But what you see in a summer league still tends to make you think. Tonight brought another occasion...
SOUTH HILLS AUDI 116, PGT 104
Thanks to a few extra 3-pointers and impressive ball-sharing, the South Hills group stayed undefeated. But they had to contend with another strong showing from Pitt's Josh Newkirk (28 points, 11 assists) as well as another huge scoring night from Lucky Jones. Jones had 35 points and 10 rebounds, with a 4-of-8 performance from 3-point range. What made tonight's performance especially interesting was that Jones largely went against Pitt's Sheldon Jeter. The Vanderbilt transfer is a legitimate 6-foot-7 wing, and he's very athletic (he also had 28 points).
The fact that Jones was able to go one-on-one with him surely is a positive sign for Robert Morris, even in the loose nature of the summer league. Jones knows a lot of the burden will fall on his shoulders, sometimes to carry the team and sometimes to get the rest of the team on the same page. Another good sign: Despite being on a team with a lot of other talent, he's getting plenty of looks and opportunities. His teammates know he can contribute.
GNC 85, BAKERY SQUARE 79
GNC probably wants Karvel Anderson to stick around as long as possible, because he's been a major contributor in every single game. Anderson was strong again Wednesday night, scoring 29 points a variety of ways. He also had six assists and two rebounds, numbers that seem a little low considering he had four assists on four straight possessions in the second half. He also had at least one block on a fast break.
Games like tonight showcase Anderson's overall athleticism despite his height. He out-rebounded 6-foot-9 Joe Uchebo a couple of times, finished strong at the rim with reverse lay-ups, and generally was all over the place. It's looking more and more like he'll be starting his career overseas, where he'll likely put up some impressive numbers.
Jafar Kinsey had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists, deferring largely to Anderson at the point. Kinsey, though, ended up guarding Bakery Square's top guards down the stretch and looked to do a pretty good job denying them drives into the lane. He considers himself a bit of a scoring point guard, but his athleticism and defense may be his ticket to playing time early on. We'll have a story on Kinsey up this weekend.
Lionel Gomis was a little late for the start and ended up scoreless on three shot attempts, but he had 10 rebounds. Odds are Andy Toole would take that trade most nights. Gomis is really active on the floor and appears very comfortable reading how plays develop.
CRONS 127, SHALE ATTORNEY 121
No Robert Morris players in this one on Wednesday, and CRONS had just five players. That meant a ton of points for a few individuals: Cameron Wright had 41 points to go with nine rebounds and eight assists. Duquesne's Derrick Colter had 34 points and 12 rebounds.
Duquesne's Rene Castro established a new league-high for the season with 42 points for Shale Attorney, while Pitt's Aron Nwanko had 22 rebounds.
We'll take this opportunity to note that West Virginia has pulled its players out of the league. The WVU players participated in the first week but were absent on Monday and Wednesday and will not be back this season. Apparently the travel was conflicting with other portions of their summer schedule. It's a shame, because it saps the depth of the league a little bit.
SYSTEM ONE 95, UPMC 90
System One might be Mike Young's team (he had another impressive game with 33 points and nine rebounds), but Marcquise Reed isn't shying away from being aggressive. Reed has bounced back and forth between really good offensive games and tougher shooting nights, but he hasn't lacked confidence. Wednesday night featured a low percentage night (5-of-21, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range), but he suffered from a few unfriendly rolls and bounces.
Reed's also contributing more than just shots. He had six rebounds and five assists to go with his 12 points. We'll have a story on him this weekend. Aaron Tate had his customary performance with eight points and five rebounds for System One. Andre Frederick had four points and three rebounds for UPMC. As a less aggressive big man, Frederick is getting overshadowed by some of his teammates (Jamel Artis, Chris Jones, Domo McKoy), which is limiting his touches.
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That's it from Wednesday. The league is off on Monday, so the next round of games will be Wednesday, July 9.
