Phoenix hoopster ready for next step
Sam Braithwaite is ready to take the next step as a basketball player.
“I want to get bigger and stronger and drive more,” he said Thursday, after scoring 24 points to lead the visiting St. Francis Phoenix to an 84-58 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. “I think I have my shooting down, but I need to get more of an inside game.”
The 6-foot-4 guard plans to develop that inside game in games and at practice.
“I have to work on my ballhandling and strength,” the 17-year-old said.
The Grade 12 took his game to another level this summer playing with the Niagara Tigers AAU program in high-calibre tournaments in the States.
“It was very important,” he said. “We saw some very good teams and it was cool playing with some of the best players my age. I get to see them now on other high school teams and I get to play against them.”
The biggest boost provided by summer ball was the ability to play at warp speed.
“When it comes to AAU, it is very fast paced, especially when you go down to the States,” Braithwaite said. “I feel that is really going to help out.”
St. Francis head coach Jon Marcheterre has already seen Braithwaite make plenty of progress in his high school career.
“As the season went on last year, he started to recognize that he could impose himself on the game and his opponents,” he said.
Marcheterre has noticed an improvement in Braithwaite after his summer of AAU ball.
“He was able to grow into himself and become more of an imposing player,” he said. “For the high school season, it’s translating that into more success and becoming more of a vocal leader.”
Braithwaite has always been a great shooter, but Marcheterre feels he has to take the ball to the net more often to become a well-rounded player.
“When we saw him at his best last year at OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations AA championships), it was because he was going to the rim first and opening the floor up for himself.”
In Thursday’s game, the Irish trailed 38-22 at the half before cutting the lead to 53-46 heading into the final eight minutes. That was at close as Notre Dame would get.
“We were happy with the effort,” Irish head coach Mark Gallagher said. “We were down big at the half and we concentrated on working hard, having good possessions and getting stops.
“We did that in the third quarter and the first half of the fourth and then we ran out of gas.”
Marcheterre wasn’t surprised that the Irish played his team tough.
“They’re a good team, they’re well-coached and they have some talented players,” he said. “We can’t take anyone lightly or for granted and we have to work hard.
“We have to focus on things, especially defensively, that we need to do get better and advance as far as we want to.”
Marcheterre feels his team didn’t quite have that focus Thursday.
“Today was a bit of a learning experience.”
What helps St. Francis overcomes deficiencies on any particular day is its quick strike offence.
“We have a few guys who can shoot the ball well and we can score in bunches when we need to,” Marcheterre said.
The Phoenix improved to 2-0 in Niagara Catholic Athletic Association league play with the win while Notre Dame dropped to 1-1.
The game was the Phoenix’s last league game heading into next week’s Standard tournament.
“It’s very important,” Braithwaite said of the tournament. “We see it every year as our tournament to win and being the No. 1 seed, we see every team gunning for us.
“It gives us more motivation to win.”
He feels the school’s dominance at the tournament provides good pressure for this year’s squad.
STATS PACK
Phoenix 84 Fighting Irish 58
Mick and Angelo’s/Johnny Rocco’s Player of the Game: St. Francis’ Sam Braithwaite with 24 points.
For the St. Francis Phoenix: Braithwaite 24; Igor M’Baya 23; Sacade Kasamba 11; Quinton Duemo and Nick Hoggan 6; Connor Landell and Andres Pelaez 4; Cam Van Hezewyk and Enrico Rescigno 3,
For the Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Shammar Campbell 18; David Jones 10; Jesse Raso and Anthony Cimono 9; Andrew Zezela 8; Brandon Markowski 4.
