Game 37: Peoria Central vs. Champaign Central (Boy's Basketball)

Game 37
Peoria Central vs. Champaign Central (Boy's Basketball)
Athleticare/1450 Shootout (Springfield)
12/4/10

A milestone was on the line in this matchup, with Champaign Central Maroons coach Scott Davis was seeking his 300th career coaching win. Davis and the Maroons defeated Normal West on Friday night for his 299th career win. That milestone would have to wait, after the Peoria Central Lions would win, 61-50.



I don't have a problem memorizing names, and in fact, today was not as troublesome as I had thought. These shootout games can be extremely tough to memorize player names. In the fast-pace game of basketball, memorizing names has to be done by visual features, not numbers.

Many people ask me how I can memorize all the names, and how difficult it has to be. In reality, it's not that tough. Not in basketball anyway, because there are so many features on a player that can stick in your mind to remember. In some players, they may have a funny name, or a unique name that is memorable. When you see that player on the floor, you are quick to realize who he/she is. In some cases, the kid who shaves his head is easy to remember, or the player with dreadlocks. Some players may remind you of someone else, which strikes the memory. Some players may have bright shoes that stand out, or tattoos. There are so many ways to remember a player, and that's what I try to do.

Here are some examples from this game
Champaign Central
Jay Simpson: He was easy to remember, because he is 6'8", and has committed to Purdue. Obviously, he will be a player to watch.

Clark Browning: This is a case, where if somebody mentioned the name, Clark Browning, I would picture in my mind somebody that resembled this Clark Browning of the Maroons.

Alexander Roux: More of a tricky...ehh..trick. Roux (pronounced like oww..with an "r") had a tough name to say, with the spelling. In my mind, I made a mental note that #30 was the player with the hard to pronounce OW name.

Peoria Central
Marvin Nunn: Pretty simplistic here. I recalled the boxer, Michael Nunn, and just recalled that #15 was the boxer, Nunn.

Deontray Dorsey: Going with the hair on Dorsey. He had a small afro...a halfro? Easy to distinguish on the court.

Tylander Amos: A big post player, built like an offensive lineman, memorizing on body type.

Even trickier on the name game, is how to decipher a pair of Central's. It's easier to just use the actual name of the high school when describing the action, in this case, Central. But that is too confusing for the listener. For most of the game, I would use Champaign Central and Peoria Central, because the average listener might not know that Peoria Central are the Lions, or Champaign Central are the Maroons.

Now that you know the mascots, the Lions jumped out to a 12-10 first quarter lead, and held a 2-point lead at halftime (26-24). Peoria Central would cruise in the second half and claim the 11-point win (61-50). Darian White scored 14 points, Deontray Dorsey finished with 13 points, and Travis Kellum added 10 points. The Lions are a deep team, playing 12 guys throughout the game, with nine of those players getting quality minutes. The Maroons were led by Clayton Jones' 18 points, and Noah Lessarius added 12 points.

Jay Simpson, the Purdue recruit, scored a pair of early field goals in the first couple minutes, but also picked up two early fouls. He sat almost the entire first half, not even playing the second quarter. He finished with 8 points, and was a non-factor in the game.

Free Throw Woes: Champaign Central finished 10-20 from the free throw line. No woes at the charity stripe for Peoria Central (12-15).