‘Jacks testing themselves early, often
WYE MILLS – Allen Mitchell hopes tough, early season tests will prepare his Skipjacks for postseason challenges.
"Our first five games are against top teams," said Mitchell, whose Chesapeake College men's basketball team dropped a 123-85 decision Friday night to a Harcum College squad that received votes in the NJCAA Division I preseason poll. "After Harcum, we have Northern Virginia, which is ranked 19th in Division II. Nassau is sixth in Division III. Then we have Catonsville and Baltimore City, which was the preseason pick to win the conference."
There is no one back from last year's 7-17 campaign, with a trio of sophomore transfers and eight freshmen making up this year's squad. Four freshmen shined in the loss to Harcum, led by 6-foot-4 power forward Renard Lane's 24 points and 15 rebounds.
"The sky's the limit for Renard," said Mitchell, noting Lane (Surrattsville High/Clinton) averaged 15 points and 15 rebounds during four preseason scrimmages. "He's a very good defender, and very active on the court."
Freshman point guard Raymond Williams (St. Charles High/Waldorf) had 15 points and freshman forward Trevon Thompson (Silver Creek High/NY) added 14 against Harcum. Mitchell called Williams "an energy guy off the bench" and termed Thompson "a bona fide scorer" after he averaged 20 points per preseason scrimmage.
Sadiki Issac, a 6-6 center from Piper High in Miami, added nine points and 13 rebounds against Harcum in his first official collegiate game and should be a presence inside.
The three sophomore transfers – shooting guard Teivon Johnson (Forestville High/Capitol Heights), point guard Shawndre Shaw (Old Mill High/Severn), and power forward Chukwuma Isebor (Cesar Chavez High/Washington, D.C.) – totaled only 11 points against Harcum despite the fact that Johnson and Shaw started. Still, Mitchell expects a lot from them as the season progresses.
"Teivon's going to have a heck of a season," predicted Mitchell after Johnson finished with seven points against Harcum. "I think he was pressing a little bit. He's going to be a key for us when he settles down. He was third in the league in scoring at Montgomery College two years ago."
Shaw, an Allegany College of Maryland transfer, should do much better than his three turnovers and one assist against Harcum, while Isebor (four points and two rebounds in five minutes) is continuing to improve after a preseason illness.
"The more reps he gets, the better he'll get," said Mitchell of Isebor.
Mitchell characterized freshman shooting guard Theo Howard (Wake Forest High/Wake Forest) as "our best defender" after Howard started against Harcum and drew four charges. Alize Rouse, a 6-7 freshman center from First Colonial High in Virginia Beach, got in foul trouble against Harcum, but "he's going to be huge for us," said Mitchell.
Point guard Dominic Ouzts (Friendly High/Fort Washington) is "still learning" and has to become more consistent, according to Mitchell. Freshman guard/forward Jeffrey Espinal (Plantation High/Sunrise, FL) is also battling inconsistency, but showed his potential with a 19-point preseason outburst against Capital Christian.
Mitchell said his team is unselfish offensively but needs to do a better job on defense and on the boards.
"We do make the extra pass," Mitchell said. "Defensively we have to make sure we have each other's back and we have to work on our rebounding."
The Skipjacks host Northern Virginia Community College Tuesday at 7 p.m.