Scouting videos: Junior post players Sarah Strong vs. Blanca Thomas
CONCORD — It isn't very often that two top 10 players from the state of North Carolina get the chance to battle it out.
That occurred Sunday at the LBI Carolina Live event in Concord, N.C., where junior post player Sarah Strong and Lady Strong 2024 squared off against junior center Blanca Thomas and CP3 Flames 17s. Both players have been offered by NC State.
ESPN's HoopGurlz has Strong, who attends Sanford (N.C.) Grace Christian, at No. 5 overall nationally in the class of 2024. HoopGurlz has Thomas, who plays for Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic, at No. 10 in the country.
The big matchup drew NC State assistant coach Ashley Williams, Louisville coach Jeff Walz and an assistant coach, Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks, and assistant coaches from Connecticut, Alabama, USC, Wake Forest and Georgia among others.
The CP3 Flames won 49-41 in a spirited game. The two squads concluded their travel season Monday.
Statistics
Strong went 4 of 18 from the field, 1 of 5 on three-pointers and 9 of 10 at the free-throw line en route to 18 points. She had 17 rebounds, five assists, eight steals and four turnovers in the loss.
Thomas finished with nine points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two turnovers in the win. She went 3 of 12 from the floor, 0 of 3 on three-pointers and she made 3 of 4 at the free-throw line.
Videos
Six Observations
1. Strong has a burning competitive and her team needed her to carry them against an older, more experienced CP3 Flames 17s squad. That desire led to taking 18 shot attempts and getting to the free-throw line 10 times. She wasn’t making her three-point shot with regularity, but the five attempts she took were in the flow of the offense.
Her five assists led to 12 points scored — two three-pointers made, two mid-range jumpers and an outlet pass for a layup. If you add her 18 points scored, plus 12 points off assists, she accounted for 30 of the 41 points scored for Lady Strong 2024. That puts things in perspective.
2. Strong doesn’t always play against someone the size of Thomas, but she made some good adjustments. She faced the basket more and tried to avoid getting swallowed up inside, which did happen a few times. She shows good quickness in getting her shot off in the lane against taller foes.
When she’s matched up against girls of equal height or smaller, it’s almost unfair. The key is to find a slower rhythm and not rush up shots against more aggressive defenses. That would improve the 4 of 18 from the field.
3. Strong isn’t going to block shots at the rate of Thomas, but eight steals was eye-opening. Part of that is quick hands combined good hoops IQ in jumping an entry pass. That bodes well for her defensive future.
Strong also never left the court and seemed as fresh at the end of the game as she was at the beginning. That is also a really good sign. She left it all out on the court in a big matchup and the endless amount of games played the last few months didn’t overwhelm her.
4. Thomas knows her strengths and plays to them. She battled in the paint for rebounds, blocked shots and gets her layup attempts. She has more help around her with Raleigh Millbrook senior small forward Reychel Douglas, who is ranked No. 52 by ESPN’s HoopGurlz, and senior small forward Madisyn Jordan of Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek. That means she doesn’t have to get 20 points or so in her role.
Thomas is at her best offensively when she is rolling toward the rim and gets some momentum for the layup. She also has a half-hook on a post-up that has a chance to be a weapon in college.
5. Thomas missed three three-pointers and a long two-pointer that she made with her foot on the line. The fact that she is willing to try to shoot four deep jumpers is a good sign. She has two years to expand that shooting range and her form looks good and she makes her free throws.
Thomas doesn’t have the off the dribble game from outside that Strong has, and that is where they are simply different at this stage. Getting more comfortable on the offensive end and getting the ball in her sweet spots will only accelerate her offensive progress.
6. Thomas is slender yet sturdy enough to hold her own in the paint. That is why she’ll be a great shot-blocker in college. She can simply engulf players that are shorter than her. She didn’t get into foul trouble and probably only needed a few minutes of rest.
The defense combined with being a solid rebounder and her rim-running abilities on offense, are what makes her such a promising prospect. The key during the prep season with Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic is crush players, who simply aren’t Division I talents.
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