Game Film: 2010 Providence Jamfest Semi-final: CBC vs. Expressions

Before I started this site one of the features I thought would really benefit any college basketball website would be game film of recruits. Highlight reels give you a feel of a player’s strengths, but often times fans that don’t live close enough to recruits to see them for themselves have to rely on written reports or highlight videos to make a judgment on a school’s target. Highlight reels don’t include bad passes, forced jumpers, missed free throws, slow defensive rotations, or sloppy ball handling. I love highlight reels personally (especially those done by Crusader22 and at Brewster Academy), but a game film provides a different perspective for fans and that’s what I’m looking to do here.

Throughout the prep season I didn’t tape any of the action because I really wanted to focus on the games themselves. I wanted to see a kid like Naadir Tharpe interacting with high profile teammates, Gerard Coleman’s demeanor in the huddle, and how Khem Birch handled playing for a tough coach in Mike Byrnes. I’m always looking for an angle when covering these games and when watching through a video camera it becomes easier to miss the little things.

AAU events have a different feel. Rosters change by the game and at last weekend’s Jamfest, a game was delayed for half an hour due to lack of players and then they played the opening five minutes with four kids on one team. And the short-handed squad won. These games provide a sense of how a kid plays but don’t provide quite the insight of a prep or high school game. It is a perfect opportunity to tape a game.

This is the first of a new installment to the site "Game Film."


CBC vs. Expressions: Providence Jamfest Semi-finals
This was my first shot at taping a game and it was a learning experience. Only coaches and players were allowed on ground level, so I watched the game from a perch high above the court which affected my angle.

I’ll zoom in a lot more and get closer to the court in the future, but my thought is that for true recruiting junkies this will give you a look at Andre Drummond, Khem Birch, Ricky Ledo, Vince Van Nes, and Mike Carter-Williams, and not just at their best. Any flaws or mistakes are there for anyone to see, as are the great plays.

For the record, Birch and Carter-Williams did not play up to their potential in this one, while Ledo and Drummond excelled. Click here for my recap of the weekend.

A few things to keep in mind while you watch these videos:

• I suggest watching the videos in full screen. Due to my camera position it can be tough to make out numbers watching it in the smaller YouTube screen. The quality drops off in the wide screen, but it makes for a better overall viewing experience. By far.
• Drummond is #3 in blue with the white elbow band. Ledo is #32 with the black undershirt, Birch #22, Carter-Williams #24, and Van Nes makes a cameo #15. Jules Tavares (Wareham, MA) is #23 on Expressions and had a solid game.
• Games took around an hour (16 minute halves, 5 minute halftime), but the video is far shorter. I only taped when Providence targets were on the court, and after time outs or during times when I had to step away I might have been late rejoining the action (two Ledo 3s and a great block by Drummond were the highlights I kicked myself for missing).
• I cut out the final minute as it turned into a foul fest.
• For PC fans with six months to wait until the season starts, my first attempt should serve as a bit of a fix for the true junkies out there.
• Turning the volume off or listening with music is suggested, unless you prefer hearing the lady yelling "dee-feense" for 80% of the game.

Part I:



Part II:



Part III:



Part IV:



Part V: