Cape Henry vs. Maury

Cape Henry vs. Maury

Okay, okay...you might say that I am wasting my time creating this page because Cape Henry and Maury will never play!!! It is just a fact...well, that does not mean that we can not have fun breaking down the game if they ever did play!!! Think about it; Cape Henry versus Maury on a neutral court. By my belief and by many others too, Maury and Cape Henry are the two best teams in the area. Out of ALL Public and Private schools, they have the best starting five HANDS DOWN!!! There is no arguement...do not EVEN start to say, "Well, Lake Taylor beat Maury..." That arguement is WEAK!...Maury and Lake Taylor had previously played 2 nights in a row...Maury had both previous games at 7:45 PM which makes their games the latest....Lake Taylor played well, I give them props for that, yet Maury played about as bad as they could...No passing, alot of STANDING THERE, too much one-on-one...etc, etc....You could say Lake Taylor forced that to happen, Well, THEY DIDN'T! I was there, I saw it. Lake Taylor is a very athletic team with many scorers and a point guard with the biggest heart in the area (Kevin Harvey), but Maury is better! And the arguement that Cape Henry has played a doodoo schedule is also weak...Cape Henry is apart of a semi-competitive conference called the TCIS (Tidewater Conference of Independant Schools)...and Cape Henry also cleaned the court in the Oscar Smith Holiday Classic with 6 other public schools, and one private school. They went 3-0 beating their opponents by an average of 17 points and after everything was said and done, they had a championship, MVP (Troy Nance) and 2 others on the All-Tournament Team (James Smith and Jermaine Coston). So that arguement is null and void. So I will do my best to match these teams, have a poll, and then give MY pick of the winner of this game.

The Starting Five

Maury Commodores

David Johnson 6-6 -- Sr.

Stacy Gregg 6-4 -- Sr.

L.T. Parker 6-2 -- Sr.

Roy Hayes 6-1 -- Jr.

Jeff Johnson 5-10 -- Soph.

Cape Henry Dolphins

James Smith 6-7 -- Soph.

Jermaine Coston 6-4 -- Sr.

Ricky Frantz 6-2 -- Sr.

Dante Horne 5-9 -- Jr.

Troy Nance 5-11 -- Jr.

Jeff Johnson vs. Troy Nance

They are both underclassmen who already have leadership ability and experience. They are both very quick dribblers with nice crossovers and ability to drive to the basket. Troy Nance has the edge when it comes to shooting over an opponent (jump shots particularly) yet Jeff Johnson has better floor presence and passing ability. Troy Nance is harder to guard because he can either shoot in your face or drive past you. Jeff Johnson can do the same thing, but Troy Nance's shot is better and harder to block and/or guard. Jeff Johnson is, hands down, the best dribbler in the area. It is amazing what he can do with the ball. I would go out on a limb and say his dribbles are better than Gary Payton's or Anfernee Hardaway's. He (Jeff) can not finish like Gary or Anfernee can, but his dribbling is unbelievable and show stopping. Both of them are great team leaders by handling the ball well and making sure it gets to where it needs to go. But after all that hype about his dribbling, I would have to give the edge to Troy Nance, because of his offensive ability and strength.

Roy Hayes vs. Dante Horne

Comparing these two players is hard, because they have very similiar roles on their respective teams. They both have the same skills and qualities. They both drive to the basket well, and either dish it or shoot. They both are not scared of shooting the rock under pressure or in big games. Roy Hayes is very emotional and vocal, while Dante Horne is a little more quiet and easy going. When it comes to basketball, it is important to be vocal and out going...Roy Hayes displays that with his heart and determination. I am not saying that Dante Horne does not have what Roy Hayes does, it is just that it is more apparent in Roy Hayes. Dante Horne is used more for slashing and dishing to Jermaine or Troy outside for a jump shot, or to James or Ricky for an inside bucket. Because they are so similiar in their roles, the advantage does not swing one way nor the other.

L.T. Parker vs. Ricky Frantz

This match-up is also very close. L.T. Parker and Ricky Frantz both do the 'dirty work' for their teams. They both also do not mind shooting the rock once they have the ball. Though L.T. Parker is more of a slasher and Ricky Frantz is more of a stand still jump shooter. They do not mind throwing their body in the pile or boxing out a guy bigger than them. They do whatever it takes to win. Ricky Frantz has a better jumper, but L.T. Parker can do a lot more off the dribble than can Ricky Frantz. L.T. Parker is a great spot up three point shooter also. In this match up, the advantage goes to L.T. Parker, because of his versatility on the defensive and offensive side of the court.

Stacy Gregg vs. Jermaine Coston

This is a great match-up, because these two players are in my Top 15 Players in the area. They have some similiarities, but they also have different styles. Stacy Gregg loves to catch and shoot from anywhere on the court...and the scary thing is, he hits a high percentage of those shots. Jermaine Coston, on the other hand, is more of a do-it-all guy. He has the perfect height for his position (along with Stacy) but uses it better. His all-around game is superb and it reminds me of my favorite player; Scottie Pippen. There is not a part of his game that is lacking. He has great defensive skills along with a deadly offensive arsenal. Stacy Gregg's body (like many say) needs some work....in that he is over weight. But my opinion is that he manages VERY well with his weight, and if he got '20 pounds lighter' then he would be the next Glen Rice. He already has great court presence, and his shoot is deadly. It is hard to pick the better player here, but I will pick Stacy Gregg, for the sole reason that anyday, anytime, he could get 30 points easy. With that offensive skill, you can not really top that. Though Jermaine Coston's defense is better and his athleticism is better, Stacy Gregg's offensive game is unbelievable. If he (Stacy) was at Norview (like Keith Willis) he would easily get 30 a game, but with great players surrounding him at Maury, it is hard to get a lot of looks.

David Johnson vs. James Smith

It humors me that these two players (who are in my Top 15 in the area) have the plainest names. The most common you can have....James, David as first names and Johnson and Smith as last names. Anyway, down to their skills. David Johnson has two years experience on James Smith, but James Smith is VERY vocal and upbeat. James Smith dances, laughs, talks and plays some hard-core basketball. What I mean is, he is talks the talk, but also walks the walk. David Johnson on the other hand is just awesome in general. He plays his game without the trash talking and dancing. He has a VERY underated jump shot, which I think he has one of the better ones in the area (out of the forwards/centers). Both of these players are defensive hawks. They salivate for a block, and once they block it, they are the first ones down court for a dunk or dunk. And sometimes they dunk it. David Johnson has a much better offensive arsenal, but like Stacy Gregg, is limited in his shooting. The edge goes to David Johnson because of his offense and experience. But I have to say, this would be an awesome match-up!!!

The Poll

Votes for the Victor

Maury	Cape Henry
9	0

Matt Barnhart's Pick

Considering both teams play there starting five the whole game with the exception of 1 or two players from Cape Henry getting in, or 2 or 3 players from Maury getting in...and from what the starting line-ups project... ---------------------------------- Maury 58 -- Cape Henry 54