I was able to catch Simeon Wilcher at Bergen Catholic. I grew up about 10 minutes from the school so I got to visit my Mom and catch a game. This was the weekend before last and apologies for the delay in posting my thoughts, this is a busy time of year for work.
His stat line was solid...13 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists (really should have had the triple double, counted 5 easy missed opportunities by his teammates), and a few steals/blocks. I have to say, I was not expecting him to play the way he did after seeing highlights from AAU. This is a real case of these picked AAU highlights not coming close to the story of the actual player.
Things I liked:
- His passing is elite. Like ELITE.
This is what I meant when I said you can't tell by AAU highlights. At least in this game - Wilcher was a pass first, very true PG in the mold of some of our PGs of years ago. His eyes were always up the court and he was a master at the 3 on 1 or 3 on 2 fast breaks. He's also big enough where he can see over the defense and made multiple second level passes (top of key to baseline or cross court) looks for easy baskets.
- His handle is also top level.
I think this will be a nice change from Caleb who gets a little loose and high with his handle. Wilcher again is more traditional with his handle...it's low and it's crisp as hell. He had BC's guards draped all over him all game but he cooly was able to dribble through or around them. He really takes care of the ball on the dribble.
- He plays fast but under control
Roselle was racing up and down the court all lead by Simeon. I don't remember him turning it over once in transition (or for the game really). He's always got his head up and always looking to push the tempo which really wrecked havoc on BC. He's absolutely the leader of this team and the guy who all of his other teammates look to for guidance.
- He's a good rebounder for a guard
He was involved in nearly every rebounding opportunity for Roselle. On the defensive end, he always sneaks down into the paint and caught a few rebounds that were being bounced around. On the offensive end, if he's on the wing he'll crash down (but maintained his position to get back when he was up top).
Things to improve:
- At least tonight, he didn't shoot it well (or a lot)
As I mentioned, he's definitely a pass first PG for Roselle. This is a really good team with a few D1 players around him so he was always looking to get other guys involved but I'd like to see him be more assertive for his own shot. He always made the right play so it's hard to bang on him for it but his shot didn't look elite, I counted him being just 0-1 from 3.
- Defense was so-so
His on the ball defense left a bit to be desired, but that's pretty common in the HS game these days. He wasn't a bad defender or unwilling, just sort of ran through the motions. He did have a great block which turned into a dunk on the other end but other than that, not much.
Overall, we got a really good one here. I'm telling you, I'm shocked at how good of a passer he is and just how much of a true PG that he is. That was my concern, especially after some seasons here where we haven't had that natural PG. I don't see how anyone can call him a combo, he's not. Also, I know some have speculated about the pro options, I would highly doubt his the kind of kid to do that. Not sure if this makes sense but his game is more of a college game right now. Now he's a junior and I kept having to remind myself of that but his game isn't really pro-ready.
I think he's going to be a very good college PG for us who will be ready to take the reins immediately if we need him to because his natural position is PG.
Excited for him to come on campus in a few years.
His stat line was solid...13 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists (really should have had the triple double, counted 5 easy missed opportunities by his teammates), and a few steals/blocks. I have to say, I was not expecting him to play the way he did after seeing highlights from AAU. This is a real case of these picked AAU highlights not coming close to the story of the actual player.
Things I liked:
- His passing is elite. Like ELITE.
This is what I meant when I said you can't tell by AAU highlights. At least in this game - Wilcher was a pass first, very true PG in the mold of some of our PGs of years ago. His eyes were always up the court and he was a master at the 3 on 1 or 3 on 2 fast breaks. He's also big enough where he can see over the defense and made multiple second level passes (top of key to baseline or cross court) looks for easy baskets.
- His handle is also top level.
I think this will be a nice change from Caleb who gets a little loose and high with his handle. Wilcher again is more traditional with his handle...it's low and it's crisp as hell. He had BC's guards draped all over him all game but he cooly was able to dribble through or around them. He really takes care of the ball on the dribble.
- He plays fast but under control
Roselle was racing up and down the court all lead by Simeon. I don't remember him turning it over once in transition (or for the game really). He's always got his head up and always looking to push the tempo which really wrecked havoc on BC. He's absolutely the leader of this team and the guy who all of his other teammates look to for guidance.
- He's a good rebounder for a guard
He was involved in nearly every rebounding opportunity for Roselle. On the defensive end, he always sneaks down into the paint and caught a few rebounds that were being bounced around. On the offensive end, if he's on the wing he'll crash down (but maintained his position to get back when he was up top).
Things to improve:
- At least tonight, he didn't shoot it well (or a lot)
As I mentioned, he's definitely a pass first PG for Roselle. This is a really good team with a few D1 players around him so he was always looking to get other guys involved but I'd like to see him be more assertive for his own shot. He always made the right play so it's hard to bang on him for it but his shot didn't look elite, I counted him being just 0-1 from 3.
- Defense was so-so
His on the ball defense left a bit to be desired, but that's pretty common in the HS game these days. He wasn't a bad defender or unwilling, just sort of ran through the motions. He did have a great block which turned into a dunk on the other end but other than that, not much.
Overall, we got a really good one here. I'm telling you, I'm shocked at how good of a passer he is and just how much of a true PG that he is. That was my concern, especially after some seasons here where we haven't had that natural PG. I don't see how anyone can call him a combo, he's not. Also, I know some have speculated about the pro options, I would highly doubt his the kind of kid to do that. Not sure if this makes sense but his game is more of a college game right now. Now he's a junior and I kept having to remind myself of that but his game isn't really pro-ready.
I think he's going to be a very good college PG for us who will be ready to take the reins immediately if we need him to because his natural position is PG.
Excited for him to come on campus in a few years.
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