I watched Noel's game yesterday and have a more mixed reaction.  Defensively, he moved well and I had him down for four blocks.  Keep in mind that two of these were on what I'd call "Kenner play" blocks, where an out of control ball carrier is moving full speed and is destined to take a wild shot, the kind of play you'd rarely see attempted in an NCAA game.  Nevertheless, Noel should not be discredited for this.

Noel was the biggest guy on the floor and frankly, should have been more assertive in the low post.  His team went to him there on two possessions early and each time, Noel more or less pushed his shot toward the basket (neither went in) .  It was frustrating to watch.  Noel did a great job establishing his position in the post and handling the entry pass.  But from 5 feet away being guarded by a smaller defender, his shots never had a chance to go in.  Later in the first half, Noel executed a pick and roll to perfection, only he shot the ball way too hard and missed the shot.  In the second half, he drove from the foul line extended into a wall of two defenders.  Knowing he could not take the shot with his right hand without getting it blocked, Noel transferred the ball from his right hand to his left while driving, a very difficult move.  The ball semi-circled around the rim before falling out but on this play, it would have been an incredible made basket.

Noel made himself useful by setting high picks for his teammates (particularly for an incoming Gtown freshman named Denver Anglin who can really shoot and was undoubtedly the player of this game).  He did have a few buckets finishing a fast break and I believe putting offensive rebounds back in.  For Noel to play a meaningful role beyond being a pick setter and 6-10 minute per game replacement, he is going to have to be able to reliably finish in the paint.  It's one thing going up against guys your size or larger, but when you are the one with the height advantage, and can get the ball where you want it, and be able to make the move you want to make, you simply have to be able to consistently score from 3-5 feet away from the basket.  Noel very much looks like he fits the part.  He just has to get over this important hurdle.

The Kenner League had some unusual scheduling this week as there were no games on Friday or Saturday and today's 4 game slate will start at 5:15, the final game will start at 9, Higher Level(Noel Brown's team) will play in that final game. 

https://medium.com/@kennerleague/7-10-kenner-league-preview-649b6e13d98f   

Does GW Rising or anyone else have any insight about why the sparce participation in the Kenner League by the Colonials (yeah, they will always be the Colonials as far as I am concerned).   In the past, GW has been heavily represented in the Kenner, which was always a good opportunity for us to get our first look at our new players (frosh and transfers) as well as to see if anyone from the previous year's team may have picked it up a notch.   I remember seeing Jordan Roland (now of the Rostock Seawolves in Germany) the summer before his sophomore year and being extremely impressed with his off season development.   I would love to go to the games but I don't want to make a trip if the only 2 players from GW (Brown and Lindo) are players I have now seen for 2 years.

@kennerleague

Look for Higher Level's improved Noel Brown (@GW_MBB) to be a big contributor for @coach_c_caputo in his first season in Foggy Bottom. #KennerLeague

The kind of news we love to get from the Kenner League, but need to take with a grain or two of salt.

   That's a really interesting point--and I think someone (Pinnock?) was said to have stated on TV 
that GW players in the last year or two handled the ball like they would never get it back.
   Retaining Ricky, who was said to be leaving all year, was a great keep for CC.

I just saw on the Kenner League's twitter account that Maximus Edwards is now playing for Higer Level, along with Noel Brown, and both of them have played well in the early going of that game. 

https://twitter.com/KennerLeague/status/1550951236223901696   

Last edited by Thomas (7/23/2022 4:18 pm)

Block or Charge wrote:

Here's a recap of the Higher Level -A.Washington Associates game from Focus TV with some love for Noel, who they had as player of the game.
https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1ZkJzbjDLaXJv?t=Cvnf-n4SB8K4KHfLW7paEA&s=09

 
Thanks for that!  More comfort that we’ll have depth in the front court this season.

Long Suffering Fan wrote:

I am going today (Sunday).  If anyone was present on Saturday, what is Maximus' number?

Based on this Instagram video it looks like #10

https://instagram.com/stories/kennerleague/2888975372664208376?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Noel Brown(and possibly Maximus Edwards) will face Clyde's today, Clyde's features Qudus Wahab, he was teammates with N.Brown at Georgetown Prep. I'm sure both are looking forward to battling against each today. That should be a good test for N.Brown as Q.Wahab was highly rated coming out of Georgetown Prep and was a very good player at Georgetown until transferring to Maryland last season, he has now transferred back to Georgetown. I understand that it's just Kenner, but it's good that a developing player like N.Brown gets the opportunity to go up against a strong low post player like Wahab. That matchup is something to watch closely for those of you going today.