PBL in review: Halifax vs. Vermont

In this contest, Halifax maintained a pretty comfortable lead throughout. While Vermont had several runs in this contest where Halifax struggled to defend the pick-and-roll, the Frost Heaves could not stop the hot shooting of Desmond Ferguson from the perimeter. Taliek Brown was also able to get into the paint and distribute the ball rather easily.

Vermont Frost Heaves

Mike Williams- Williams looked comfortable on offense in this contest. After having an injury plagued career at the collegiate level, it seems as though he is playing at close to full strength. Against Halifax, he was able to pick-and-pop regularly, and seemed to be very comfortable hitting the mid range jumper. Additionally, he was effective attacking the basket and using his body to finish in traffic. When Williams was not spotting up, he virtually lived at the line, where he connected on most of his attempts. On the defensive end, Williams functioned primarily as a position defender.


Halifax Rainmen

Desmond Ferguson- This PBL allstar was effective shooting the ball from everywhere on the floor. He was able to square his body and hit shots at an accurate rate. It is safe to say that Ferguson is one of the more unstoppable shooters in the league, especially when he gets in a shooting rhythm. Despite his fairly unorthodox handle, Ferguson was able to score some baskets in transition. However, he must improve on this area if he wants to play in the D League or in Europe. More pesky defenders at higher levels of basketball would almost certainly pry the ball away whenever Ferguson puts the ball on the floor. Defensively, Ferguson is fairly physical and exhibits a decent amount of effort, but is not laterally quick enough to stay in front of some of the top perimeter players in this league.

Tajuan Porter- While Porter certainly struggles at the professional level to get his shot off due to his diminutive size, he did bring a great deal of energy. Just when Vermont was able to make a run, Porter contorted his body to score on a driving lay in, and then stole the ball for an uncontested basket. Porter was also effective at picking his spots and not forcing the action- something he did regularly at Oregon. In this contest, Tajuan distributed the ball inside and set up his teammates for some open baskets. On the other end of the floor, however, Porter still has the same limitations due to his size. Players are always going to be able to shoot over him and out-muscle him to the basket.