"National Title"
Why the quotation marks?
I like the HS tournament. It invites the best (and most talented) teams in the country and lets them settle it on the court.
Because it isn't actually a national title but I get why people say that.
Why isn’t it actually a national title?
it's an invite only tournament with a few teams out of thousands nationwide. It's 10 times the farce that the BCS was where only a couple teams get in based on the opinions of a few individuals
Ok but the consistent best 2 teams ended up in the championship lmfao. Its not like they invited a bunch of middle schoolers for Montverde to beat up on. No one wants a 200 team HS tournament and not sure what your brilliant idea to the contrary is.
I don't know why you're getting negbanged. I guess people think you're slighting Houstan in some way?
I'm happy for Houstan but honestly, to speak of a high school "national title" is pretty silly.
Still can’t believe it’s call Mont-verd and not Mont-ver-de.
-It's just that we've intercepted some signals that suggest some kind of action at a bridge near Clermont.
-Is that Clare-mant, Booker? Then why in the hell didn't you say so?
You meant it’s callvered...
They couldn't make up their minds to go full French or full Spanish, so they went halvsies. I would've called the school Monteverde and gone full Spanish but that's just me.
Yesterday, Houstan had the game-winning tip/putback in the semifinal and followed it up by playing respectable defense on Tyty Washington who missed a 3 at the end.
Today, Houstan led all scorers with 16 points. (He should've had a few more points. He missed 2 FTs at the end he shouldn't have.)
I think Houstan is more ready to contribute than Nik Stauskas was in 2013 or Isaiah Livers / Jordan Poole were in 2018.
Tangent: Moussa Diabate played well yesterday. If he makes a few quick fixes (like not bringing the ball down on an offensive rebound), he'll be a super productive menace from day 1. But most importantly, Diabate will make our defensive versatility awesome next season. Coach Howard might consider playing full court press for 20-40% of any game.
Missed free throws? Don't want.
I don't know Houstan's HS stats but I hope he's not one of those dudes that shoots 43% from 3 but 65% from FT.
As a coach, I find that inexplicable and mind-numbing.
/To be fair, Montverde was up double digits and had like a 99.99% win probability given the time remaining.
//But still...those are FREE easy points.
FT: 34/41 for .829 (improved from past seasons).
3pt: 44/114 for .386
13.6 ppg on a loaded team.
Thanks for the stats. I couldn't find them on-line, but I didn't look too hard. What impressed me is that at the end of the game, his teammates wanted the ball in his hands. They trust him to make those free throws. But he's not a guy who needs the ball in his hands a lot to score. He looks like he'll fit in just fine in Ann Arbor.
Yep.
Teeba, I think you hit the nail on the head.
In many ways, Caleb Houstan reminds me of a taller Klay Thompson. (And I remember Klay at Wazzu before he became a Splash Bros / future Hall of Famer with the Golden State Warriors.)
Like Klay Thompson, Caleb Houstan is a non-ball-dominant shooter with a gorgeous efficient shooting motion, adequate-to-respectable NBA caliber athleticism, good-to-great height plus length, and can excel defensively when locked in. I like him as a future stud 2-way player.
If we get 2 years out of Caleb, he will be an All-Big Ten player with a chance at All-American honors.
Houstan should benefit greatly from Dickinson double-teams and get many open looks from 3 next season
His 3 point shooting was a little bit off the last few games, probably because of playing games multiple days in a row, but even when his 3 point shot isn't as automatic as it usually is, he impacts the game in so many ways. His defense reminds me of a taller Eli Brooks where he's very fundamental and laterally quick. He moves off ball well. He hits the offensive glass. He can use the threat of his shooting then use 1 or 2 dribbles to get to the basket. His game is so mature and I can't wait to see how Camp Sanderson can help him physically.
Some other guys that really stood out to me the last few games for Montverde were obviously Jalen Duren, who I think Montverde misuses and doesn't get enough touches to, Justice Williams, who is a really crafty SG, and Malik Reneau, who I think is a recent addition to Montverde and has great hands, a nice post hook and can stretch the floor a bit
I don't want to over-hype him, but Houstan's maturity has stood out to me too. He's a fairly complete player already. I have been impressed while watching him. Like you, I'm excited to see what he can do after spending time with Michigan's S&C team.
Good summary.
We're one of the teams in pursuit of Justice Williams.
I'm hoping we'll get Duren to spend 1 year in college in a Michigan uniform and pair him with Justice Williams in Ann Arbor. That combination would be so damn good in Maize and Blue. There were teammates in Philly HS bball and on the AAU circuit. It would be great if that partnership continued in college.
His three point stroke seems incredibly smooth and effortless.
his shot was so smooth and effortless, exactly the same every time. So easy.
He was fun to watch. Jaden Aikens had a Rocket Watts-esque game, hope that doesn't carry over to MSU lol
I would hope Aikens does have a Watts-esque game at MSU.
I don't think he will though, I think he is going to be very good. UM-MSU should have some really competitive games over the next 3 years
I agree. Aikens has looked great this year. I see him being sparty's best player sooner than later