'War on the Floor' - Battle of the Frosh - Marcus LoVett, Jr. vs. Aaron Holiday
Scouted for 11 years in the NBA and have seen a lot of great talent at all levels of basketball in my life. I'm the son of a legendary college coach who coached basketball for 47 years of his life. I was raised in and around gymnasiums. Great talent/players stand out like a sore thumb. Not hard for anybody to recognize a great talent. The challenge in evaluating great talent for the professional level is evaluating the psychological side of the individual and their ability to lead, grow and evolve as a person and a player.
Evaluating a 9th grader is fraught with it's own challenges and land mines. So much can happen in terms of physical, mental and psychological development between the 9th and 12th grades; and obviously, the same holds true in terms of the development of technical and tactical skills in the athlete.
PRELUDE
Marcus LoVett, Jr. is a 5'10" freshman guard at Providence High School in Burbank, CA. Currently averaging 31.6 points., 3.3 assists, & 4.3 rebounds. Shooting percentages indicate he's a special shooter: 51% FG, 39% 3-pt. & 85% FT. Schooled in the game primarily by his dad, Marcus LoVett, Sr., whom I saw play at Oklahoma City University in 1996. LoVett, Sr. was profiled in a 1997 Sports Illustrated article that mentioned the birth of Marcus, Jr.
Aaron Holiday is a 5'11" guard who followed his basketball playing brothers and sisters to Campbell Hall High School in North Hollywood. Older brother Justin played at the University of Washington and is currently playing professional basketball in Belgium. Middle brother, Jrue played one year at UCLA before declaring for the draft. He is the starting point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers. Aaron is currently averaging 25.1 points, 1.6 assists, & 5.9 rebounds. Shooting percentages are 42%FG, 30% 3pt. & 70%FT
Game between Marcus and Aaron on 1/21/12 at Taft High School in the "War on the Floor" was highly anticipated. The Los Angeles Times highlighted the match-up on its blog - "Boys' basketball: Marcus LoVett Jr. vs. Aaron Holiday on Saturday." With that type of headline, I thought I was getting ready to go to a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight.
On Martin Luther King, Jr's holiday, 1/16/12, I saw Providence High School play against Morningside High. Marcus scored 29 points against Morningside, but it was a bad 29. Morningside has a lot of athletes & they played a man-to-man defense and pressured the entire length of the floor. Game was played in a frenzy and Marcus was often out of control and reluctant to trust his teammates with the ball. Easily had double digit turnovers and consistently got himself into trouble trying to split traps of two to three opponents. Even with the negative moments, one could see his natural gifts, and that he had good instincts and a nice feel for the game. Made plays that made you realize you were watching a high level Division 1 player who has a chance to play professional ball at the highest level. After watching him play against Morningside I decided to take another look and brought my 11 year old son with me to the Campbell Hall game. A wise move.
The Game
| Campbell Hall played in a zone defense the entire game and led by 6 points going into the 4th quarter. Providence started out in a man-to-man defense, switched to a zone, and LoVett led them to victory in the 4th quarter. Scored 45 points for the game and had 21 in the 4th quarter. Unlike the Morningside game, LoVett's 45 points was a good 45, coming on a vast array of shots, moves, finishes and free throws. Aaron Holiday had 27 points, with the majority of his baskets coming off powerful drives to the baskets. Didn't make one jump shot the entire game. |
"Holiday, Campbell Hall can't stop LoVett"
"LoVett Leads Way Late"
"Fabulous Freshmen Take Center Stage"
"L.A. North: Providence 73, Campbell Hall 66"
THE ANALYSIS
MARCUS LOVETT
Marcus LoVett has been the best player and prospect on the floor in the two games that I've witnessed; and it's not even a close call. Great body for a 15 year old. Proportionate body dimensions. Not the physical specimen Aaron Holiday is, but his athletic ability is comparable to Aaron's. LoVett is strong and knows how to use his body to shield and protect the ball. Most impressive physical aspect of his game is his balance and ability to change pace and directions off the dribble. He already has a middle game & has the leg strength and body control to consistently make mid-range shots off the dribble.
Boys grow late, so it will be interesting to see if he can reach or surpass his dad's height, which is 6'2". The most impressive aspect of his game is his shooting ability. LoVett is a pure shooter and a shot maker. Can play with or without the ball and can make a variety of shots from deep, off the dribble, spotting up, coming off screens or stepping into shot off catch. Add the fact that he's an above average finisher at the rim, can shoot floaters, has a step-back jumper off the dribble, a devastating middle game; and you have a complete offensive player, who just happens to be a 9th grader. I know many guards at the pro level who don't have his arsenal. Kid is a special talent. Don't now if he has a low post game, which I think every player should possess; but I wouldn't doubt it, given his reported work ethic and his dad's involvement in his training.
LoVett is a pure one (New Age) who can run a team. Both a scorer and a shooter, which is unique at any level. Scores big at this level because it's required of him, but would love to see him play with comparable talent to see how he plays with better players. Left-handed,which is usually an advantage in a right-handed world. Handles equally well with both hands and is an excellent dribbler and ball handler. Can handle pressure, initiate an offense and create for others and self. Rebounds well from guard spot on defensive end. Not much he can't do on the basketball court.
Marcus' level of skill and court savvy is way beyond his years. His high school coach, Ernest Baskerville says it best:
"Marcus is an old soul, he plays hard, a blue collar player, comes to work and to practice every day, works hard, first one to practice, last one to leave, takes extra jump shots, works out every day with his dad. Young age wise, but his basketball IQ is like Larry Brown, a 70 year old man. Knows the game, When to take over and what to do. Coach on the court for us; When is the last time you've seen a freshman with that much savvy and poise."
Earlier, I mentioned the Morningside game, where Marcus had a sub-par game and double digit turnovers. On that day he didn't play with poise; got caught up in the emotion of the game and made many poor decisions. Forced the action too much and got himself in trouble trying to split the traps. Even with all the negatives I saw against Morningside, it did not deter me from recognizing his unique talents. There was one full court foray, where I said to Marcus' Uncle that any Division one coach who just witnessed that play can stop writing notes about his game and start plotting how they can get him to come to their University. There's not a University in America who shouldn't try to recruit Marcus; that's how good he is.
From a scouting perspective it was good to see him in two different types of games. Against Campbell Hall's zone he had a totally different personality than he showed against Morningside. Playing under control, not forcing the action, getting teammates involved, making the simple play. Both games he took over in crunch time and took big shots. In the Morningside game his coach called an ill-advised timeout (trust him next time Coach to be your Coach on the floor) in the waning seconds of the game just as Marcus was splitting a trap and breaking free in the open court. Coach setup a play from the sideline, Marcus took the shot, but it didn't go down. He doesn't fear failure, as was evidenced in the Campbell Hall game when he took over down the stretch. Kid is a money player who will be at his best when his best is needed.
Defensively, he's fine. Was matched up against Holiday early (before going to zone) and held his own in half court sets; but got lost in transition, which is Holiday's strength. Has the defensive tools, mindset and toughness to be a very good defender. Would like to see him pick up his intensity and be more of a pest defensively; but that can come in time.
Marcus is dealing with some interesting team dynamics and handling them with aplomb. This is Marcus' and the Coach's first year at Providence. Coincidence? The star player from last year's team, Patrick Gonzalez, is now a senior and averaged 37.8 points per game as a junior. I sense from watching Gonzalez play that he has trouble accepting a freshman being the leader of the team. I'm being kind in saying that they're not always on the same page. Hopefully, egos can be checked at the door and they can truly come together as they enter the final stages of the season.
Found this quote from LoVett and think it speaks volumes about why his game is so advanced:
“The reason why my name is starting to get out there is because of the work I’m putting in at the gym.” “These late nights I’m working hard on my game when everyone else is out having a good time while I’m sweating hard in the gym.”
AARON HOLIDAY
First time I see a player I look at their body and physical tools. Aaron Holiday is at the high end of the scale in that department. Got to be one of the best 9th grade athletes in the country. Body was built for basketball. Great proportions. Big Frame. Broad shoulders. Big Hands. Very Long Arms - Wing Span & Vertical Extension. Slightly bow-legged. Got that explosive and reactive strength that I like to see in an athlete and is also structurally strong. Kid's a stud and his physical tools jump out at you, speed, quickness, functional strength, explosiveness. Got the goods.
His game hasn't yet caught up to his physical gifts, which is to be expected for a 9th grader. He's still a dominant talent as a 9th grader in high school circles, but his game doesn't yet translate as well as LoVett's in playing against older players (college age players - convinced LoVett can hold his own NOW vs. college players) because he hasn't developed the finesse, savvy and shooting ability that LoVett currently possesses. He's like a bull in a china closet. Coast to coast foray's to get easy buckets in transition. Strong drives in half court sets. Good first step quickness and the ability to get to the rim for easy buckets and free throw opportunities. Not always in control and has difficulty executing a pullup jumper because he's not in balance. Shooting ability leaves a lot to be desired. Not a confident jump shooter. Didn't make a jumper the entire game (I could be wrong, wasn't charting; but I doubt it). Free throw release is fine.
Good passer and think he will grow and develop into an imposing point guard. Nice handle, draws and dishes. Understands strength of his teammates and gets the ball to players who can do something with the ball. Maintained vision of the floor and had a nice floor game. Above average rebounder on both ends of the floor. If he wasn't on the court with LoVett, I would be raving about him; but playing against LoVett showed him where he needs to get to and exposed the flaws in his game. Suspect that he hasn't developed a more complete offensive game because he's always been the physically dominant player wherever he's played. In the open court, he can get to the rim at will. Great for his stats, but not the best for his development.
Campbell Hall stayed in a zone the entire game, but I saw enough to conclude that Holiday has the physical tools and strength to be an outstanding defender. I'm not a fan of zone defenses from a developmental standpoint, but I understand why coaches play them; just wish more coaches at the high school level would play man so their kids could develop defensively. Brian McCormick, a coaching friend, disagrees with me on this point and has written several articles on "The Zone Defense Myth." But Brian also makes the distinction between a well-taught defense. "The issue in terms of teaching defensive fundamentals is not man-defense vs. zone-defense. The issue is good defense vs. bad defense or well-taught defense vs. poorly-taught defense." To back up McCormick's point of view, I never had any problems evaluating the defensive potential of John Chaney's players at Temple; can't say the same about Jim Boeheim's players at Syracuse.
One piece of advice I would give to Holiday and it's something the LoVett camp already does. Spend more time with your basketball brothers working on skill development, instead of running around the country playing AAU ball this summer. Wrote the following in my review of "Play Their Hearts Out:"
Hopefully, readers will understand the folly that is grassroots
basketball and how it's not necessary in the middle or early high
school years to expose your child to the endless stream of games that
are a part of travel team basketball. Sonny Vaccaro's advice to Roberto Nelson's dad about being selective about the
camps/tournaments a child attends and making certain that young players
are mentally and psychologically ready to handle the stress of these
events sounds the strongest chord with me. I also appreciate the
comments of Ryan Smith, Demetrius Walker's High School coach in his
sophomore year at Fontana High: "Going to tournaments all over the
country isn't going to help you. What you need is to spend every hour
in the gym, working on individual skills. I don't think you should play
grassroots basketball at all."
There's no substitute for skill development in basketball. You can play all of the basketball you want, but if you don't master the fundamentals of the game, your game will be exposed at higher levels of competition. Best to strike a balance between skill development and playing the game. Don't rush the process parents! Find a trustworthy coach who knows the game of basketball. Watch various practices before committing your child to a program. If you watch a variety of practices conducted by different coaches,you'll eventually be able to tell if a coach is organized and has a sound philosophy and teaching style.
There's no substitute for skill development in basketball. You can play all of the basketball you want, but if you don't master the fundamentals of the game, your game will be exposed at higher levels of competition. Best to strike a balance between skill development and playing the game. Don't rush the process parents! Find a trustworthy coach who knows the game of basketball. Watch various practices before committing your child to a program. If you watch a variety of practices conducted by different coaches,you'll eventually be able to tell if a coach is organized and has a sound philosophy and teaching style.
Another coaching friend, Ed Bird Song, is not as certain as I am in LoVett being the superior player over the course of their playing careers. Ed mentioned to me before the matchup that he wouldn't be surprised if Holiday eventually turns out to be the superior prospect. He could be right; as I expressed in "A Saturday Night (12/30/95) in San Jose - Steve Nash vs. Stephon Marbury," "you never know." If he expands his range/game and develops his jumper, look out. Time will tell and as I like to say to most things that are future oriented, "We'll See!"
"Best to strike a balance between skill development and playing the game. Don't rush the process parents!"
ReplyDeleteClarence, it's nice to see that someone who has been around the game as long as you have advocates for this kind of balanced approach.
I shake my head when I hear a parent talking about their child playing on a middle school basketball team that plays 5o or more games in a season. I've always thought that the best approach is to find a balance between pickup games, skill development instruction (clincs, one-on-one), individual practice time, AND organized sports leagues (games/practices). As you mention, parents should search for coaches who are good teachers and able to recognize each child's best possible path to success (something that's not always obvious in the early stages).
Balance. The great players will naturally emerge, other dedicated players will become the best they can be, and the rest will have fun and maybe play the sport well into their adult life.
Great writeup -- hopefully I'll get the chance to watch these kids play live!
ReplyDeleteBased on watching these clips, the pace that LoVett plays with is truly remarkable for a player so young. He's very patient and under control, and uses his explosiveness selectively. Maybe it's the left-handedness, but his game reminds me a little of Kenny Anderson. As you say, it will be interesting to see how he develops physically. If he grows to be 6-3 or 6-4, look out! (That said, he's clearly still a high-level player even if he tops out at 5-11.)
I love your description of Holiday as a bull in a china shop. Given who his brothers are, I'm a bit surprised his skill level isn't more advanced (not to say it's not high, of course -- just that his body/athleticism is still his calling card). Jrue has a great feel for the game, so it's not hard to imagine Aaron developing into a far more polished player in the coming years.
Love the blog.