On Point snags Pro City Kenner chip
August 10, 2016 - Rolling into the Nike DC Pro City Kenner League playoffs, On Point was slotted third. The team, coached by Barry Aberdeen, On Point was in a good place, but not the ‘easiest' to win.
Aberdeen and guys just put their heads down and powered to the championship, besting previously undefeated Tombs 118-111. It wasn’t easy.
Tombs managed a seven point, halftime advantage, primarily due to the presence of a former Hoya and National Basketball Association standout, Jerome Williams (six points); having retired from the NBA in 2005, Williams is far from his playing day, nevertheless illustrated his knowledge and understanding of the game. Basically he quarterbacked the squad in half court sets, directing players in terms of positioning, spacing and execution. Under his direction, Tombs couldn’t be stopped.
“He ran things from the top of the key” said Tombs teammate Jonathan McNair (four points) of Williams’ impact. “He made us play the right way”. Additionally, McNair applauded Williams’ defensive work, given the former pro “was a presence in the middle”, thereby standing as an impediment to drives.
The problem for Tombs was Williams had to depart at halftime. Enter Tre Kelley, who immediately attacked the rim, where he either scored or found teammates. Kelley finished with 26 points.
On Point’s entire offensive ethos changed during the last 22 minutes – instead of the game slowing down with Williams setting the pace, action got more up and down (first half saw 93 total points scored, while 136 were logged in the second). The victors also started to share the ball – again triggered by Kelley; guys like Kent Auslander hit three long balls, the last giving his team its second half lead at 71-70. They would not trail again.
The winners were paced in scoring by Tyler Cavanaugh’s 28 points, which were scored in the paint and from outside, including beyond the arc. He was a factor throughout.
Raymar Watson, On Point’s emotional leader, finished with 10 points, supplying an activity level plus aggression off the bounce in part made up for his team playing without two key players in Josh Hart and Marcus Ginyard. Add Lasan Kromah’s 10 points to the mix, as he scored when the team needed buckets, like his and one fast break layup with 3:22 remaining, giving On Point an insurmountable 105-96 lead.
Tombs' Rodney Pryor led all scorers with 38 points, while fellow G’Town student-athlete Jagan Mosely logged 25 himself. Tyler Hubbard’s 19 points were a shot in the arm for Tombs.
Aberdeen was itching to get his win, as in 2015 he left the Pro City Kenner League championship heartbroken.
“Last year losing left a bad taste in our mouths” he shared afterward. “I felt if all our players came back we would have a good chance of winning the championship”.
The coach/general manager went to work last summer.
“Adding a good big man like Tyler Cavanaugh changed our team completely and made us hard to stop”. Holdover Kelley was of course a key cog, and the combination of both “opened up everything else for all the other players and made it very easy for them to contribute”.
All hail the champs!