It’s 2014, and looks like it will be the year of the 14 year old, Michael Porter. This 6’6″, incredibly athletic freshman is dropping 30 point games like Jaguar’s receivers drop passes, well lets just say, more often than not. Not only is he often the tallest player on the court when he suits out for the Father Tolton Basketball team, but he is also the best shooter, most athletic, and for Class 2 basketball, one of the two that can dunk (The other being his teammate Josh Boyer). His decision to come to Tolton to play his high school basketball deserved a Lebron James like press conference that would go a little something like this, “I’m taking my talents to Father Tolton, where I plan to posterize as many kids as possible, hit as many buzzer beating shots as I can, and bail my coach out of potential losses to less than average teams.” (We will get to that last part later) So lets get to it, breaking down the kid’s game and his potential moving forward. At 6’6″ and growing, Michael looks to fill the role of a 3 guard, or stretch 4 for the years coming up in his highly anticipated college career. To make a direct NBA comparison, watch side by side highlights of Porter and Texas year Kevin Durant. He has a long, lanky frame, slotted into that 3.5 position. He has a very smooth jump shot, with a perfectly timed release at the apex of his jump. This form allows him to do what KD does best, which is elevate over defenders and give him a clear shot at the basket almost every time. For a 14 year old, this kid can jump out of the gym, and he knows it. Just come to a game, and watch his eyes when a potential fast break opportunity comes around, it’s all gears ahead to the other basket where the crowd holds their breath in the anticipation of what rim breaking, SportsCenter Top 10 highlight we are about to witness. He has all the shots. He can hit deep contested threes, or work his man down in the paint with post moves, almost always ending in and one free throw chances. The most impressive thing about his game is the confidence. Obviously, with this stature, he’s been dominating kids his age on the basketball court for years now, but this is his first year of high school basketball, where every game counts, and his teammates count on him, but he never shies down from that spot light. When college coaches come and watch him, they will see a super athletic freshman, who is still growing, is going to put on weight and strength, is going to mature on all levels on the court, and who has the confidence to be a star for whatever team he ends up on. Just ask Frank Haith, Missouri’s basketball coach, what he thinks, or easier yet, just check his twitter. Looking through his accounts followed we see his players, Dick Vitale, Kim Kardashian, ESPN, and oh yea, the freshman, Michael Porter. He is on every college coach’s map, and if you are in the Columbia area, you need to take the chance to see this kid and his team play. With all players at any level though, their are flaws to their games and areas to improve on. Now there are many possible contributing factors, but the only apparent down side to Michael’s game is sometimes the lack of intensity on defense. Now he has been dominating kids his age for years now, so this could be the leading factor, but at this level, his team relies on him to not only lock down his man with the same intensity he displays on the offensive end, but also to give 100% when shifting on defense and closing down driving lanes. He can make a bigger impact on defense for his team than he does on offense, but sometimes the effort seems to be lacking (which could very well change with maturity). By his senior year, not just the people in Columbia and people reading this article will know his name. Now, on to the rest of the team and the Head Coach..Tolton has an INCREDIBLY talented squad, so talented that this year is State Championship or bust. The team stars the Freshman, and is accompanied with a very talented Center in Josh Boyer, solid knockdown shooters in Ryan Chappell and Brennan Church, a grinding hustler in Cameron Baggely, and off the bench presences in PG Isaiah Wilson, Jack Cooper, and the rising star in Cole Buchanan (STUD). Josh Boyer is a 6’5″ center who hustles on establishing position on the boards, has very solid post moves (including a deadly spin), and is a lockdown defender on any opponent. Wilson and Cooper are both guards off the bench that bring top-notch ball handling skills and intensity on the defensive end, accompanied with knockdown shooters and fresh legs, this team is destined to be great (Oh yeah, there are no seniors on the roster). So how does a team like this not blow out every opponent at their level that they face? Well I have been to four games this year to personally observe the show, and I have seen some minor flaws in the Head Coaching position. To all my readers, this is in no way a roast, this is just mere constructive criticism from a fan and basketball enthusiast, observing from the bleachers. I see three major flaws, that are easy fixes, in the operation of this powerhouse. One, there are never any screens set. I challenge you tonight to watch one-quarter of any NBA or high level NCAA basketball game, and count the number of on and off ball screens that each team sets. The significance of the screen on the offensive end is that it disturbs the defense, it creates open shots, creates driving lanes, and gives players the opportunity to roll to the basket and make the defense make split second decisions on how to switch and adjust to the sudden change in man positioning. The screen is very effective in man to man defense, but is essential when facing a zone. When no screens are set, it allows the defense to rotate freely and routinely, making the task of guarding the opponent easy. The rolling man on the setting end of the screen creates match up problems, and when facing a defense, you are looking to create holes and disturb their play, creating open shots in route for your team. While we are on the topic of a zone, lets address critique number two. It has been a reoccurring theme this year, of Tolton’s players getting into foul trouble, and has also been a reoccuring theme of playing man to man defense 100% of the game. Referring to the start of this article, the one negative with Porter was the intensity on the help defense side of things. So you look into the roster. Just for a second, close your eyes and imagine this beauty of a defense. Michael Porter, an ungodly athletic 6’6″ jumper in the middle of a 2-3 zone. A 6’5″ Center in Josh Boyer to his right, a hustler in Cameron Baggely to his left, with closeout speed on the shooter, and mix and match your four guards at the top two positions. In this formation, you eliminate a few key problems. You keep your team out of foul trouble, you leave Porter under the basket to purely defend, and he successfully will, any oncoming slashers and pass receiving players in the paint, and you create a very solid under the basket rebounding core, who can immediately beat the opposition with outlet passes to their speedy guards. The zone is a beautiful, and in this specific case, an underused gold mine. The last and final critique I have, which is very justifiable, is the relying on Porter to win games for you. This would be very easy to do, as you see a kid who will never face a defender that can successfully guard him at the Class 2 level, but at the end of the day, you have to be committed to the process of your true offense. Run plays and get the ball into Josh in the post, run the offense THROUGH Michael rather than TO Michael. If you make sure he gets his touches, but encourage quick passes, the defense will shift, leaving your shooters and cutters open. You have enough talent on this team to have 4 or 5 guys in double figures every night, but as a coach, you can’t get caught in the middle and the end of games just looking to get the ball to Porter and have him work your team to victory. If the load is taken off his shoulders, you will probably see a smoother offense, a more active defensive participator, and at the end of regulation, a scoreboard that reflects this. At this point in time, their is no reason to have lost to Sacred Heart and Palmyra, both inferior teams. The losses can be easily fixed by implementations of simple basketball fundamentals, and as a fan, I beg that they are. I don’t want to have to watch Michael hit a game tying 3 to send it into overtime against a HORRIBLE Eldon squad. I want to watch solid performances against solid teams, and blowouts against inferior teams. The coach has the talent on his team to hang multiple banners in that gym, but if the process is not respected, we might see a falter in the first season, causing an evaluation of what went wrong (Where everyone can refer back to this masterful analysis, and land me my first head coaching job). One last thing to add on Michael. I once heard a great quote/analysis that is very applicable to the freshman. It was that when looking at a superstar in Class 1 or 2 basketball, you can determine their ability to transition at the next level on whether they can carry their team to a title. This saying that if a kid who is dominating basketball at Class 1 or Class 2, has the skill set to make it at a high D1 level, he will carry and will his team to victory (See Sikeston’s Otto Porter and his career stats, very similar situation). There you have it, a full analysis on the Tolton basketball team to this point, and their Superstar in Michael Porter. I hope this critique be taken lighlty, but also eye-opening to some solutions that could lead to a dynasty, one that we can refer back to when we watch Michael guarding a Lebron at the next level, that is the skill we are dealing with. Until next time! #CruzSportsCorner
HIGHLIGHT VIDEOS OF PORTER
cruzsportscorner 