MP Hoops Scouting & Analysis

Few were writing about Redford Thurston before the boys basketball season kicked off Monday night, but that will certainly change.

Redford Thurston pulled off a mild upset over Belleville with a 71-64 home victory. Both teams charged up and down the court, but Thurston made clutch shots down the stretch to win.

Although Thurston gave up a lot of height with senior Jeremiah Robinson (6-8) out of the lineup, its guards were physical and relentless in the paint.

Prospects who impressed:

Nathan Thompson, 5-10, Redford Thurston – Ran the show with poise and determination. Played with controlled pace and ran an offense that shot well from the floor. His muscular build gave Belleville fits, and his quickness allowed Thurston to get a lot of open 3-pointers.

Daniel Winston, 6-1, Redford Thurston – Winston hit some clutch 3-pointers, and they were deep. He wasn’t bashful about chucking them up, but displayed a beautiful shooting stroke and knocked them down with confidence. Belleville lost track of him at times, and Winston almost always made them pay.

Braylon Mannon, 6-8, Belleville – Used his tremendous height advantage to score in the paint with relative ease. Showed a soft touch around the rim and blocked some shots early in the game. He didn’t step out much in this game, and got into some trouble bringing the ball down (he will need to be more physical), but he definitely had the look of a college forward.

Brighton Birangui-Booto, 6-5, Belleville – Was pleasantly surprised with his offensive skills to go along with great rebounding and shot blocking. Ran into some foul trouble, which knocked him out of his early rhythm. He was always involved and showed some great upside.