The Life of a Freelance Basketball Scout – Game 13
February 25 – Delaware State vs Coppin State
Once again I have been very busy. This was the first game I have had a chance to go to since February 6 at UMBC. In this time period I had several things go on. As is usual for me. Of course there’s Valentine’s Day, which is also my daughter Winter’s fifth birthday. So we did a family birthday, as well as celebrating Valentine’s Day as a family; and just chilled and watched some of the movie “The Indian in the Cupboard”. She also had a huge friends party at a trampoline place for kids. There was like over twenty kids, a bunch of pizza, a pretty sweet ninja turtle cake and a ton of gifts. Sounds like a decent amount of stuff right? Oh, yeah my wife’s birthday was yesterday also. We went to Cheesecake Factory and then went to see the new movie, “How to Train Your Dragon : The Hidden World”. February is always a little crazy for me and of course its during the middle of the conference schedule for college basketball. But, hey at least all of this isn’t in MARCH MADNESS. That would have been very bad timing for this guy!
After work I had to make the daunting task of going to Walmart before the game. I made it back unloaded everything, shaved, ate dinner and then left for the 7:30 tip at around 6:25. I have never been to a game at Coppin State before. It was pretty easy to get to. It’s a very nice facility that provides a very nice atmosphere. I got into the gym around 7:05. Little did I know what I would have to endure before the tip-off. There was the women’s game before the men’s. This is fine, no big deal. It seemed like the last quarter was an eternity though. The game finished around 7:25. That is a red flag that the men’s game is obviously going to be pushed back. Well it was also senior night. So all of the senior’s were honored and pictures were taken. There was five senior’s……. So the game didn’t start until like 8:05. Needless to say, I was probably going to leave early if I felt I did what I needed to do and the game was going a certain way. Spoiler alert. I indeed left with under two minutes left and Coppin trailing by 5. Delaware State went on to win 70-60.
Delaware State lacks a lot of size. They rely heavily on their guard play. Kevin Larkin, Saleik Edwards, Pinky Wiley and Jon Mitchell all stepped up to secure the win. Larkin, a 6’5 175 guard, is tough. He hit countless big shots in isolation situations. He seems to be trying to help resurrect the mid range jumper, which is very admirable of him. Despite his lack of girth he is also more than just a capable rebounder. He finished with 16 points and 18 rebounds. Mitchell, a 6’4 210 guard/forward, was solid throughout. He never forced the issue and played with a senior poise. He’s a solid athlete and plays on both ends of the floor. Mitchell is a threat when driving the lane. He uses his strength to get to the rim and can take the contact that he draws. Edwards provides spot up shooting from three and Pinky Wiley is a steady guard that can shoot or distribute the three.
For Coppin State they struggled to get anything going on offense. They lack a true lead guard and they committed 17 turnovers on the night. Juan Dixon will have his work cut out for him in the coming years. I think he will be able to right the ship though. Even though it was senior night Coppin’s seniors struggled to make an impact besides shooting guard Lamar Morgan (6’6 200). Morgan is a shooter. He can come off screens, pull up and shoot on the move a little bit. He loves shooting the three from the top of the key. Morgan has great size for a two guard and he can probably play some small forward as well. Morgan was not enough on senior night; the guard play of Delaware State was just too strong. Morgan finished with 26 points, 5 three-pointers and 7 rebounds.
I’ve got a busy ending to the season lining up for me. I will be trying to got to as many games as humanly possible for a Dad/husband of two humans (with another on the way), three dogs and wife that works a lot of nights. It’s time for a double header Saturday!
The first game was Morgan State vs Towson. Two pretty contrasting styles of play. Towson is very methodical and a bit clunky at times on offense. That seems to be there identity recently. They are a very physical team, but lack in playmaking ability for teammates. Morgan State is a smaller, yet feisty team. They play around 10-12 guys, with 8 of those getting pretty significant minutes. Coach Todd Bozeman will not hesitate to chew one of his guys out and yank him out of the game real quick. 
The Young Veteran 