As someone who was a coach in the
program the last time the Fort Wayne North Side Redskins won the
Summit Athletic Conference Holiday Tournament title, it is hard for
me to believe that it has been 7 full years since that last crown.
Luckily for Coach Shabaz Khaliq and the
Redskins, a chance to win that title tonight would make him just the
third North Side coach to do so behind legendary By Hey in 1986 (they
named the arena after him after all) and Mike Novell in 2006. And
seven years is a much better drought than 20.
North Side is in a unique company
tonight with the Snider Panthers as the last time either of them were
in the finals, they won the thing. While North did it in 2006 against
South Side, Snider did it in 2005 against the Redskins. North did
however beat the Panthers in the semi-finals of their 2006 title run.
So today as I look back in my own head,
I can't help but compare the two teams. How would this year's North
Side stack up against the 2006 team? Who would have the advantage
when broke down player versus player?
Point Guard
Justin Jordan (2006) vs. Tre'vion Crews
(2013)
Fun thing about writing: I came back
and wrote this match up last. Because, what do you really say? An
Indiana All-Star against a kid who I truly believe to be the best
player in the conference and in the area. But what I have to look at
is the body of work for the give seasons. The very clear reality here
is that the 2013 team would be lost without Tre Crews, while the 2006
team would hurt but get by without JJ. Justin was a cold blooded
assassin on the court and set the standard for score-first point
guards at modern day North Side. He was also a sophomore at this
point and lacking some of the maturity that he would gain and that
Crews has. I have told anyone that will listen that Crews could take
over any game he chooses to and he shows flashes of that every night
he is on the court. Better yet, he is the truest leader of either of
these teams, the one you know you can rely on physically and mentally
EVERY second of EVERY game. Comparing the two as seniors (Crews now
and JJ in 2008-2009) would be damn near impossible. But when looking
at these two seasons in question, to me it is clear.
ADVANTAGE: Tre'vion Crews (2013)
Shooting Guard
Eshaunte Jones ('06) vs. Jeremy Jones
('13)
The two Jones have some pretty key
things in common. Both are pretty silky smooth and have a nice stroke
from long range. Key three-pointers from Jeremy were crucial to stop
Bishop Dwenger runs in the semi-finals. But where there are
similarities, there is one key difference: Jeremy can make the big
shot, while 'Bear' was the big shot. Bear's ability AND especially
his desire to run the show are the reasons he was an Indiana All-Star
and probably the best scorer to ever put on a Redskin uniform and he
was at his best in the 2006-07 season as a season with just two games
with less than 20 points.
ADVANTAGE: Eshaunte Jones (2006)
Small Forward
John Hefty ('06) vs. Sean McGee ('13)
This is an interesting match up because
of the difference at the '3' spot for these two squads. For old
school North, they ran three forwards, while this year's squad runs
three guards. So the two aren't really comparable and these two guys
bring way different things to the table. McGee has proven already in
his three games back with the team that he's a formidable part of the
lineup. He is a clutch scorer and big game player who when
controlling his own mind, is such a danger to opponents. If North
Side was good without him, they will continue to be great with him.
Hefty on the other hand was capable on offense for sure, but what
Hefty did was so unique and rare. John Hefty was the intangible guy,
he did the things that nobody else did and that is something the
current team is missing. He got after the ball all of the time and on
any given day was capable of putting up double digits in any
statistical category. What often gets lost in the 2006-07 team is
that Hefty led the state of Indiana in steals per game, which is
impressive in itself, but more impressive as a 6-5 hulking forward.
ADVANTAGE: Push
Power Forward
Damarlo Belcher ('06) vs. Oosha
Mitchell ('13)
Pure power versus pure will. That is
what this should be called. Belcher was just a freak overall athlete
and that made him tough to battle against. Mitchell on the other
hand, while athletic, just wills himself to the basket, either to
score or to block a shot (he had 5 VERY impressive ones in the
semi-finals). Damarlo was often unstoppable with the ball in the low
post, and out jumped everyone when he wanted a rebound. Meanwhile
Oosha is one that you just can't leave alone or he will work hard
enough to hurt you either on a drive, put back or even on occasion
from downtown.
ADVANTAGE: Damarlo Belcher (2006)
Center
Dominic Moore ('06) vs. Mike Davis
('13)
If there is something you can't teach,
it is 6'9'' and because of that, Dominic Moore already had the
advantage on so many guys. He rebounded well, worked hard and created
a tough match up for most teams because of his height and his lean
frame that allowed him to weave into tight areas well. His problem is
Mike Davis' strength, which is that Moore at that time really didn't
know how to use his frame and Davis knows how to throw around his
weight. He proved the first time the 'Skins played Snider this season
that he is more than capable of being a thunderous and ferocious
rebounder. Better yet, Davis can be flashy. His dunks can be pretty
sick and he has the diversity (like Oosha) to step out and his the
deep shot.
ADVANTAGE: Mike Davis (2013)
6th Man
Grayson Wambach ('06) vs. Terrell Crews
('13)
This is a tough match up because I
believe Crews to be the better player, but when comparing these teams
at these points, Wambach was so clutch and sealed the SAC Tournament
title. Grayson was a pure shooter, the best true shooting guard and
when he was hot, he was hot. In 2006-2007, he was the only Redskin
not named Eshaunte Jones to lead the team in scoring with 26 against
Homestead. Crews on the other hand is a tenacious defender and uses
that as his hallmark as he continues to learn the speed of the
varsity level. Despite being listed here, he has been a starter but I
expect McGee to take that spot back sooner than later. Crews isn't
fully ready to be the guy yet, but he had the capability to do so in
the future.
ADVANTAGE: Terrell Crews (2013)
7th Man
Tyshawn Mauldin ('06) vs. Myluv Sutton
('13)
Another meeting not really by position
on the floor as much as position on the team. Mauldin was super small
(5'6'' at best), but was quick and mighty. His out of nowhere block
of Concordia's 6'8'' Brandon Knox in January of 2007 leads me to
believe that he would (proverbially) take Myluv's cookies – if
given the chance. But Myluv could have something if he puts all of
the pieces together that he is capable of. He showed in the
semi-finals that he can be huge off the bench when Mike or Oosha are
in foul trouble or not putting numbers up. Myluv, like this year's
team's other bigs, can also step out and hit jump shots well. He is
sneaky and often forgotten, which is excellent for him to put back
offensive rebounds.
ADVANTAGE: Myluv Sutton (2013)
8th Man
Robert Williams ('06) vs. Marco Lee
('13)
This is a match up that we will call
notable because neither one of these kids had/has played much at SAC
Tournament time. Williams had his break out game against Elmhurst in
January after the tournament and worked his way into the starting
lineup at times as a sophomore. Before that, he was a guy to give the
top three guards a breather and was a there to be a shooter. Lee has
also not played much, but is a slick guard with a good shot.
ADVANTAGE: Push
Style
2006 vs. 2013
What makes a style? Accomplishment of
the task at hand. Both of these teams are very, very good at putting
their game plan and style to work. The difference as I see it is that
the 2006 team did almost all of the time. Their season ended
prematurely in Huntington during Sectionals and yes, they lost some
games along the way (something the 2013 team has yet to do) but their
transition game was smooth and their 1-2-2 full court zone press did
what it needed with Bear (and later Williams) at the top moving the
ball handler from side to side to get a turnover. This year's squad
needs more consistency to avoid letting teams make runs like Bishop
Dwenger did in the semi-finals. But their quickness is an asset and
one they use well by getting in passing legs and fast breaking with
numbers to hurt their opponents. I think both teams thrive in each
other's own styles, but who worked their own the best?
ADVANTAGE: 2006
Coaching
Mike Novell ('06) vs. Shabaz Khaliq
('13)
Novell has the strength to drill in his
philosophy. And while he had other successes and semi-successes, his
drilling in of run, run and run some more worked well with this
squad. Get up and down the floor, score in 8 seconds or left. It was
simple and how he ran his practices to make it perfect. Khaliq on the
other hand, is a great in-game coach (not to say that he isn't in
practice). Shabaz does, what I've always thought to be the most
important thing as a coach: he relates to his players. He can talk
them down, he can build them up, fire them up and maneuver them as
needed to get the most out of them. Their styles, and I am assuming,
their philosophies are very different. When Novell was at North,
Khaliq was the coach at Elmhurst. And what I am trying to keep in
mind also when comparing the two is that Shabaz always seemed to have
Mike's number one way or the other.
ADVANTAGE: Shabaz Khaliq (2013)
Overall
This would be such a fun game to watch.
So we are all winners, right? Don't worry though, no cop out there. I
coached at North Side in 2006 and I have coached a handful of games
with Tre Crews, McGee and Sutton from the current team, but I know
things to be true and I can be honest about these things now that I
have thought deeply about it. Many parts of the 2006 team would be a
nightmare match up wise for 2013. The biggest part of that is the
three forward versus three guard issue. Who would change their
approach to try and even things up with the other? But here is the
difference to me: neither would. In 2006, replacing Hefty in the
lineup for a big game or a title game would significantly weaken the
team. And for the 2013 team, first glimmer of thought would say add
Sutton to the lineup. But, not is Sutton soft, but is he hard enough
to really battle with Hefty on the level Hefty would push things to?
So leave McGee in, he'll beat and bang with anyone of any size. And I
feel that wisdom would prevail for Khaliq too. So what wins? Big and
bold or smaller and quicker? I said before that either team would
work the others style with style and strength. And I think this game
would go the pace of the 2006 team, which would be a mistake against
the speed and enthusiasm of a Crews/Jones/McGee/Sutton/Davis lineup.
I think the North Side Redskins become the 2013 SAC Holiday
Tournament Champions tonight. And I think they will be the best
Redskin team to ever boast such.
ADVANTAGE: 2013
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