Quinnipiac 90, Manhattan 86 (OT)
January 26, 2014 | 2 p.m. EST | Draddy Gymnasium (Bronx, NY)
Quinnipiac 12-7, Manhattan 14-5
Recap: Three Quinnipiac players scored at least 20 points to help the Bobcats earn a 90-86 overtime victory. Guard Umar Shannon made two free throws in the final seconds of regulation to tie the game at 77-all and force overtime. The Bobcats never looked back, going on an 11-3 run to open the extra session. Behind Ike Azotam’s 21 points & 13 rebounds, and Zaid Hearst’s 25 points & 10 rebounds, the Bobcats out-rebounded Manhattan 51 to 38. Forward Rhamel Brown led Manhattan with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 5 blocks, but it was to no avail.
NBA Prospects
1. George Beamon (SR, Manhattan): SG, 6-4, 175
Others
2. Rhamel Brown (SR, Manhattan): F/C, 6-7, 240
3. Shane Richards (SO, Manhattan): SG, 6-5, 180
4. Ike Azotam: (SR, Quinnipiac): PF, 6-7, 240
5. Ashton Pankey (SO, Manhattan): F/C, 6-10, 225
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1. George Beamon — SG, 6-4, 175
Senior, 23 years old
Season (31 mpg): 19.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 0.6 APG
4-14 FG
Game: 12 points, 12 rebounds, 0 assists
Cell: 516-417-4246
Outlook: The more I watch Beamon, the more he appears one-dimensional (a scorer). Scoring-wise, he can do it all — pull-up from anywhere, and aggressively drive to finish at the basket. Beamon ranks third in scoring and fifth in rebounding in the MAAC, along with a 23.4 Player Efficiency Rating.
That being said, it seems like Beamon always peaks in the first half. When defenders make adjustments at halftime, Beamon begins to defer, or simply struggles to get his shot off. This was evident vs. Quinnipiac, as well as George Washington earlier in the season.
Beamon’s natural scoring gifts—he can take any MAAC defender off the dribble, with ease—are evident. He dips his shoulders through the lane, and angles his body to draw contact at the basket. But he’s only 6-4, and lacks explosiveness, evidenced both by in-person observation and his “average” 1.04 points per around the basket attempt. Futhermore, Beamon doesn’t facilitate or create offense for others; he has virtually no feel for getting his teammates involved.
Overall, I think Beamon will have a successful professional career somewhere, but not in the NBA. At 6-4 and only 175 pounds, I don’t see the NBA in his future. If he was a better facilitator, I’d vouch for him as a potential point guard prospect. But he hasn’t played PG once this season.
Scoring (recent)
Offensive Rebounds (put-backs)
Finishing Struggles
Other Players
2. Rhamel Brown — F/C, 6-7, 240
Senior, 21 years old
Season (23.4 mpg): 9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.7 BPG
16% block percentage (2nd nationally); 65% free-throw
Game: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 5 blocks
Outlook: The two-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, Brown is a physical competitor who plays bigger than his 6-7 body. Good defensive technique in the paint—maintains his position and stays upright, moves well laterally, and exceptional timing/anticipation to block shots. He gets off the ground quickly to contest shots at the rim. That said, he’s undersized, and although he has good timing on blocks, Brown fell victim to several ball fakes vs. Quinnipiac. He has defensive ability, but that ability has a ceiling.
Brown has made strides as a perimeter defender this season, but he lacks the foot speed to contain perimeter penetration, as quicker players can blow by him. Thus, his range is limited defensively.
His offensive skills are limited as well. Brown is active and athletic to finish put-backs and catch lobs. He can finish with either hand at the basket, usually the beneficiary of an assist. But he struggles to create in the low post, and he doesn’t have much range outside 10-feet. In fact, 95% of his attempts are in the paint.
Overall, Brown is a tenacious competitor who can block shots and finish at the rim. But at only 6-7, his range is limited on both sides of the ball.
Athletic/Inside Scoring
Limited Range
Defending
3. Shane Richards — SG, 6-5, 180
Sophomore, 20 years old
Season (23 mpg): 8.5 PPG, 1.4 RPG
6.1 3PA; 39%
Game: 12 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists
Outlook: Richards is a 6-5 guard who’s best—and right now, only—skill is shooting. 125 of 140 field goal attempts have been 3-pointers.
His shooting form is near perfect and a joy to observe. He’s excelled in this role, as Manhattan’s sparkplug off the bench.
However, two red flags: 1) While 97% of his shot attempts have been jumpers, 91% of those attempts have come with his feet set (catch and shoot), and 2) Besides shooting, Richards doesn’t do much—er, anything—else.
Only a sophomore, Richards has the time to improve. But if he wants to become an upper-tier player in the MAAC, he’ll need to expand his offensive arsenal beyond just a shooting specialist. If he does, I could see Richards averaging 15-20 points next season. Not an NBA prospect, but still a good player.
3-Point Shooting
4. Ike Azotam — PF, 6-7, 240
Senior, 23 years old
Season (35 mpg): 16.6 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.2 BPG
Game: 21 points, 13 rebounds
Outlook: Azotam is an undersized power forward. He would ideally be playing SF, but instead his strength is scoring in the post. Yes, he can play power forward in the MAAC, but his size would not suffice at the next level.
Decently skilled, but undersized and un-athletic.
85% of Azotam’s attempts come in the paint, while only 8% are jump shots. And although 85% of his attempts are in the paint, Azotam is posting .94 points per “around the basket” attempt, and .74 points per “post up” attempt — both of which rank in the bottom 75th percentile nationally.
Even with his impressive per-game averages, Azotam is out of position and frankly not NBA material.
Finishing Struggles
Missed Jump Shots (only 8% of attempts)
5. Ashton Pankey — F/C, 6-10, 225
Sophomore, 22 years old
Season (17 mpg): 7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1 BPG
Game: 4 points, 2 rebounds
*Transferred from Maryland after two seasons.
Outlook: Pankey has intriguing size at 6-10, but he is a very raw prospect at this stage of his career. He is literally devoid of any offensive skills, but he has the framework (athleticism and size) to utilize skills should they ever develop.
Right now, he’s more of a tall person than an actual basketball player. Pankey attempts only 4 field goals per game, shoots 54% from the free-throw line, and is unable to create offense for himself. With a player of his size and experience (averaged 20 minutes per game at Maryland), you’d expect him to have some semblance of an offensive game—nope. He can finish dunks and tip-ins, but not much else.
Video: Close Range
Misses
*Ages calculated at time of 2014 NBA Draft