Basketball: Random thoughts from the 5A boys tourney
To be perfectly honest, I scoffed a bit last fall when I heard that the University of Utah was interested in Lone Peak senior Josh Sharp, a 6-foot-7 forward who is as skinny as BYU star Lee Cummard.
I think I even wrote something about the Utes wanting Sharp for one reason: so they would have a better chance at landing Lone Peak junior Tyler Haws the following year.
Well, I've changed my mind.
Sharp is good, folks.
He's athletic, he runs well and tonight against West Jordan in the 5A quarterfinals, he was 8-for-9 from the field and led Lone Peak with 18 points. He's a Division I player, I have come to believe.
Haws, meanwhile, struggled in the game. He was just 2-for-9 from the field for five points, but did have six rebounds and five assists. Remarkably for a high schooler, he didn't force anything when he realized it wasn't going to be his night, and he passed up many an open shot late in the game to set up a teammate for a better one.
Monday, I mentioned how Utah coach Jim Boylen changed his team's practice time so he could attend LP's first-round game and watch Sharp and Haws.
Tonight, with the Utes playing at TCU, Boylen obviously wasn't around.
BYU assistant coach John Wardenburg was there, though, and chatted with Lone Peak's coaching staff after the game. Anyone who thinks BYU doesn't want Haws as badly as Utah does is flat-out mistaken.
Neither Haws, nor Sharp, nor Fresno State-bound forward Bracken Funk (15 points, 10 rebounds) were made available to the media after the game, a rule Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis put in the night the Knights beat Brighton at Brighton.
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West Jordan also had a Division I-caliber player on the floor tonight, but fans probably didn't realize it because 6-2 junior guard Reyes Gallegos didn't score and went 0-for-7 from the field.
It was the first time I had seen Gallegos play, so I went away a little disappointed. Still, he showed some excellent hops several times in collecting five rebounds. It will be his team next year as scoring leader Tanner Connors graduates, and Gallegos will have plenty of opportunities to show what he can do then.
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If you live along the Wasatch Front and can cut out of work a little early on Friday, you should make your way to Ogden for the 2:30 p.m. 5A semifinal between Lone Peak and Davis at Weber State. It should be a barnburner, and the atmosphere should be electric because Davis is undefeated and will bring a huge, huge crowd.
Lone Peak is more talented on paper, and bigger. But Davis has excellent guards and standout shooters who might be able to negate Lone Peak's height advantage. Should be a dandy.
I think I even wrote something about the Utes wanting Sharp for one reason: so they would have a better chance at landing Lone Peak junior Tyler Haws the following year.
Well, I've changed my mind.
Sharp is good, folks.
He's athletic, he runs well and tonight against West Jordan in the 5A quarterfinals, he was 8-for-9 from the field and led Lone Peak with 18 points. He's a Division I player, I have come to believe.
Haws, meanwhile, struggled in the game. He was just 2-for-9 from the field for five points, but did have six rebounds and five assists. Remarkably for a high schooler, he didn't force anything when he realized it wasn't going to be his night, and he passed up many an open shot late in the game to set up a teammate for a better one.
Monday, I mentioned how Utah coach Jim Boylen changed his team's practice time so he could attend LP's first-round game and watch Sharp and Haws.
Tonight, with the Utes playing at TCU, Boylen obviously wasn't around.
BYU assistant coach John Wardenburg was there, though, and chatted with Lone Peak's coaching staff after the game. Anyone who thinks BYU doesn't want Haws as badly as Utah does is flat-out mistaken.
Neither Haws, nor Sharp, nor Fresno State-bound forward Bracken Funk (15 points, 10 rebounds) were made available to the media after the game, a rule Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis put in the night the Knights beat Brighton at Brighton.
-------------------------------------
West Jordan also had a Division I-caliber player on the floor tonight, but fans probably didn't realize it because 6-2 junior guard Reyes Gallegos didn't score and went 0-for-7 from the field.
It was the first time I had seen Gallegos play, so I went away a little disappointed. Still, he showed some excellent hops several times in collecting five rebounds. It will be his team next year as scoring leader Tanner Connors graduates, and Gallegos will have plenty of opportunities to show what he can do then.
-------------------------------------
If you live along the Wasatch Front and can cut out of work a little early on Friday, you should make your way to Ogden for the 2:30 p.m. 5A semifinal between Lone Peak and Davis at Weber State. It should be a barnburner, and the atmosphere should be electric because Davis is undefeated and will bring a huge, huge crowd.
Lone Peak is more talented on paper, and bigger. But Davis has excellent guards and standout shooters who might be able to negate Lone Peak's height advantage. Should be a dandy.
1 Comments:
Careful Jay, vanLoser might figure out that you're really not a Ute homer. Then what would he have to whine about?
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