Drawing From Experience Young Stanners Pass First Test

Archbishop Molloy 63 Boys & Girls 57: The day's opening tilt at  Baruch featured two of New York's all time traditional powers. With that in mind it's perhaps  ironic that much of the buzz surrounding the game centered on two young players just starting their varsity careers for the Stanners; 6'11" sophomore center Moses Brown and 6' freshman point guard  Cole Anthony.

              The Stanners started slowly thanks to some early hot shooting by Boys & Girls. Early three's by senior guard Gianni Ford and a nice drive by fellow senior Nehemiah Boone gave them a quick early advantage, and while  many were present to see the Stanners' young players it was their upperclassman who helped them gain needed traction early in the ballgame.

              Senior forward Isaac Grant  scored inside to get Molloy started on his way to a game high 22 points while junior forward John Herring provided an early scoring threat from outside. Those two combined with steady play from seniors Justin Cole and Dom Pirolo to keep the Stanners within two points after the first quarter. Once those guys helped their team stay close the two youngsters had a chance to shine and did just that.

              Brown's first contribution came on offense when he converted a layup at the end of Molloy's press offense. But his biggest contribution came on the defensive end. Statistically that meant 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Visually it meant an infinite number of altered shots and an ability to get to rebounds out of his area. Like any player who grows early as he has  he'll need to get stronger to secure more of those rebounds but the nose for the ball is definitely there. And oh by the way his 14 points included a nice turnaround jumper and a pair of free throws.

              Cole Anthony may have had a more difficult challenge than Brown in this game because he and his teammates faced a group of perimeter players from Boys & Girls that was typically tough and physical. While the early good work from his teammates helped settle him down he demonstrated an unusual ability to get to wherever he wanted to go with the ball. And while some in the audience were critical when he kept getting back to his right hand to finish plays, the skill of making the move and getting the shot one wants is a skill that typically takes a player longer to master. And twice he used that skill, once on a pull up jumper and once on a triple to help hold off rallies by the Kangaroos. He not only finished with 14 points and 5 assists but helped Molloy cool off Ford and Boone. They finished with 21 and 12 points respectively for Boys & Girls.