JTM's basketball blog

Here is the personnel coverage of the Virginia Tech/Richmond contest:
Virginia Tech vs. Richmond

Virginia Tech
Deron Washington- Washington is an NBA prospect who has the improved considerably over his extensive four year career. Washington’s free throw shooting has improved and he is now capable of making the transition to NBA small forward. He now takes his defender off the dribble. He is one of the top athletes in college basketball. Deron can handle the ball and possesses the hops to jump over smaller guards. He has added long range shooting to his extensive arsenal and now is capable of beating his defender off the dribble or pulling up and nailing the jumper. On the defensive end, Washington has quick hands and a motor to take the ball coast to coast off of steals. He possesses the long arms and athleticism to block virtually any shot; thereby, his help defense is excellent. Washington is one of the most complete forwards in the country who has a shot at the first round in this year’s NBA draft.

Jeff Allen- This freshman has tremendous potential inside. While he is a bit undersized, he has considerable bulk up front and utilizes this to power over his defender. Allen is able to run the floor despite his massive exterior. His ball handling is ability is surprising for a forward who predominantly resides inside. On the block, Allen possesses a vast array of post moves in which he utilizes all conceivable angles to get a shot off. Allen has quick hands and is able to steal the basketball. He defends far taller players on the block and is fairly successful. Jeff appears to be in somewhat of a Charles Barkley- mold. Allen was- far and away- the most impressive freshman on the court. He could make a transition to a forward spot because of his ball handling. As with most freshmen, his decision making is not on par with some of the more experienced players in this contest though.

Richmond
David Gonzalvez- He is Richmond’s best offensive weapon who is capable on both ends of the floor. David is an excellent three point shooter that thrives in the Princeton style offense. He understands his offensive system and utilizes screens and backdoor cuts to score close to the basket. Still, he can create his own offense through dribble penetration and is able to shoot the three. If he improved his slashing ability and worked on his consistency, Gonzalvez would be nationally recognized. David is a clutch shooter who can work inside and out. On the other end of the floor, David has good hands and is a heady defender. But, he displays no unique ability on this end of the floor. He may want to utilize his foot speed and become a lock down defender.

Kevin Smith- He has not put up productive numbers throughout the season, but he really came into his own in this contest. Smith is a high caliber wing athlete who works hard inside. He is a capable rebounder who boxes out and employs considerable fundamentals to get past his defender. While Smith is still a freshman, he demonstrated noticeable poise in this contest. Whether he ran past his defender for an alley oop or snatched a rebound on the other end of the floor from Deron Washington, Smith had an impressive showing. In order to truly excel, however, Smith will need to add a midrange jumper and possibly a more consistent three point shot to his arsenal. Smith hustles on the defensive end of the floor and is able to scrap for the basketball.