Due to prior commitments early this afternoon, your correspondent only caught the last two games of today’s Kenner League action. Still, we definitely got our money’s worth (Get it? Kenner League is free!) — Hoya alum and current Detroit Pistons star Greg Monroe made a surprise appearance in the nightcap for Team Takeover.
The Good: Big Man U is alive and kicking
I didn’t catch the Clyde’s and Tombs games today, but reports from Casual Hoya and Hoya Hoop Club indicate that probable starting forwards Otto Porter (26 points, 17 boards) and Nate Lubick (18, 11) played very well. G’town great Patrick Ewing reportedly made an appearance in the stands for the early games. And Greg Monroe and Mikael Hopkins did whatever they wanted in the low post against Beyond Belief, which was thoroughly entertaining. All in all, today served as an excellent reminder that the tradition of dominant big men on the Hilltop is still very much thriving.
The Bad: My fries were lukewarm
Other than that, it was a pretty fun day at Kenner — I just wish I had been able to attend the earlier games, too. Also, it’s sunny and beautiful in D.C. without being unbearably hot.
The Ugly: Team Takeover vs. Beyond Belief
Yes, it was fun watching one of the NBA’s best young centers in action. Yes, it’s always nice to see that the Hoyas’ prospective starting center in 2012-13 has developed a solid post game. But good God, was this one ugly.
Beyond Belief was missing star guard Isaiah Swann, who had been essentially the only reason to watch the team before. The tallest player on Beyond Belief was maybe 6-foot-7, so Hopkins and Monroe took turns dominating inside, as I mentioned before. Basically, Beyond Belief never stood a chance. The final margin was only 16 points, but it was never really that close.