Freedom vs New London Takeaways

It is week two of the high school basketball season and hundreds of games took place last night. This matchup between the Irish and the Bulldogs featured two premier frontcourt players in not only the Fox Valley, but in the state of Wisconsin. I have two personal connections to the teams being a former assistant coach and living in New London, and knowing Coach Andrew Gibbons from my time as a teacher and coach in Beaver Dam. Here are some key takeaways from Tuesday night’s contest in Freedom.

Donovan Davis is the real deal. 

Davis (6-7 Jr.) is a versatile and explosive wing player that will absolutely make an impact at the Power Five level in a few years. Throughout the night, Davis was able to control segments of the game through his aggressive anticipation on the defensive end and his relentless motor attacking the basket. In the first half, Davis looked to get his teammates involved through facilitation and kickouts on drives. After the halftime break, Donovan used his size and athleticism to impede his will attacking the basket. He finished with 23 points in the second half and led all scorers in this contest with 33 points. Davis has garnered the interest of Wisconsin, Marquette, Syracuse, Nebraska, Kentucky, Iowa, Iowa State, California, Colorado State and many others. If you can get in the gym to watch Donovan play in high school, it is worth the price of admission. 

Joseph Daly is going to be a steal for a college basketball program. 

Joseph Daly (6-7 Sr.) came into this year already eclipsing the 1000 point mark and shared player of the year honors in the Bay Conference last season. The 6-7 senior has added strength to his frame and has grown a bit since his junior basketball season. Daly is extremely crafty and skilled near and far away from the basket. Donovan Davis guarded him the entirety of the night, yet Daly finished with an impressive 27 points and 16 rebounds scoring from deep behind the three point line and with a plethora of post moves near the bucket. Daly does a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs through facilitation, defensively, and through his scoring. Carroll, St. Norbert, UW Stevens Point, Edgewood, Hamline, MSOE are all schools currently showing interest in Daly as nears graduation. He will be a very productive college player and a collegiate program will be very fortunate to land his commitment. 

Rising Underclassmen

There were other players that stood out from tonight’s game. One player that has really made strides and is rising in his production was 5-10 Junior Cal Calhoon. Calhoon is a great athlete for his size and was very difficult to slow down when he attacked the basket off the bounce. He finished with 16 points and 6 assists to pair with Donovan Davis’ performance for the Irish. I was also impressed with Rylan Jochimsen (6-2 So.) who played with a lot of confidence as a young player newer to varsity basketball. He finished with 11 points and will look to play an important role for head coach Andrew Gibbons this season. For the Bulldogs, I was impressed with the size and versatility of 6-4 Junior Ryan Dalhoe. Dalhoe was in foul trouble this game, but was able to use his length and advanced skillset to finish the night with 9 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Dalhoe will play an important role for New London as Daly will see tons of doubling and faceguarding throughout this season. 

Freedom’s Defensive Pressure enough to start the year 2-0

The Irish have a few different pressure packages they like to employ in their defensive system. A big reason for their success last season was due to their ability to heat teams up in the full court and half court. Last night was no different. The Irish used a mix of 1-2-2 three quarter court trapping and run and jump to force 21 turnovers. Freedom is able to get quick buckets out of these pressure schemes and get in transition. Without a doubt, Freedom will look to continue to lean on their half court pressure and full court pressure as they continue to determine how to replace the scoring of last year’s senior class and establish new roles for their new and returning varsity players. 

As always, thanks for reading.

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