Watching the Future? Michael Gilchrist Ballin'

So I will admit to a little something on the blog here. I snuck out of work a little early today. Part of it was due to an aching back, but part of it was to head home and watch Michael Gilchrist play. Today his St Patrick team took on Findlay Prep in a battle of the #1 and #3 ranked teams in America. Findlay Prep has six or seven guys who will play Division I basketball and St Patrick has two that are among the best players in America, Gilchrist and Kyrie Irving, who is headed to Duke. The game came down to the buzzer and Irving had a chance to send it to Overtime with a free throw. He missed, Gilchrist got the rebound and as time expired, he was fouled on a putback attempt. No call was made however and Findlay won.

That is all well and good, but most people just want to know, how good is Gilchrist? Well the answer is, very good, although today wasnt the best representation. Gilchrist had 11 of his team’s first 24 points, and then landed awkwardly on another player’s foot. He suffered a pretty severe sprained ankle, and limped around for the rest of the game, refusing to sit out. He finished with 19, but was visibly hobbled during the entire proceedings. One thing that was clear, is that he has a great ability to finish around the rim, although his best attribute (his explosive ability to get to the basket) was taken away by his injury.

Kyrie Irving finished with 30 points, and although he missed the last free throw, he is going to be a star for his (likely one) year at Duke. In a completely different game, Calipari saw Brandon Knight in Dayton and Knight had quite a game in front of the Coach. He finished with 39 points and 10 rebounds and showcased moves that had to have Calipari and Assistant Coach Orlando Antigua salivating. If the Cats get him and CJ Leslie, the train will keep right on rolling next season.