When I look back at this Piketon team the past couple of years, I think many of their struggles have come in taking care of the basketball and in distributing the ball to the proper people. The sophomore and junior seasons for Smith and Brabson seemed almost uncomfortable for them. They were forced to play major roles in handling the ball against pressure and in creating offense for others.
This started to change towards last year’s tournament. The more Evan Legg started to grow as a floor general the more I started to see Piketon showing signs of becoming a great team. Even early this year, certain situations proved that Legg was the one player that Piketon could not afford to have off the floor.
Like any sophomore, Legg is still learning the game. He is a player that is so talented in terms of scoring himself that I feel he is still learning how to be a playmaker while creating his own offense. There are also times he will struggle with taking care of the ball; however, he shoulders so much of the ball handling responsibilities, it really does free up Smith and Brabson to be more efficient on the offensive end.
Another key Legg brings to this team is his ability to get to the middle. One of Piketon’s biggest allies has been the offensive rebound. Legg is so difficult to contain with just one on-ball defender, he is constantly forcing the opponents’ bigs to step up which gives teams no chance against the incredibly athletic Piketon frontline.
I admit that I am guilty of sometimes watching basketball with some point-guard biased eyes, but this kid is a special talent. He can go left and right, he can finish at the rim, he has a great midrange game, he is a solid free throw shooter, and he is an improved three-point shooter.
Even as a sophomore, Legg is not afraid of the big moment. Piketon has definitely been led to this week’s Final Four by one of the best scoring pairs in the history of the SVC; however, as we say goodbye to this dynamic duo, perhaps we are being introduced to an elite SVC floor general.
Defensive Player of the Year
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