A Glimpse At Young Dawgs in Summer League

Earlier this week, I had the chance to check out summer league basketball at North Seattle Community College.

I am a fan of summer basketball.  Its not limited to the NBA Summer League you can watch on NBA TV but also the Jamal Crawford Pro-Am League and even the And 1 genre when it was popular.

On Monday, I battled traffic to make it up to North Seattle Community College near Northgate.  For those interested in going but never made it there, games are every hour from 6 to 9pm.  Unfortunately due to time restrictions I could only catch the first two games.  Parking is free (or at least I did not get a ticket) and the games are held at the school’s Wellness Center.  All you need to do is walk in and a sign leads you up to the second floor where the gym is located.  Of course, if you are in need of a quick workout, I assume you could just go in and do some cardio in between games.

But the real reason for going is to see some of the incoming Huskies play.  The summer league at NSCC features local area players that now play either at a local community college or are from the area and are home this summer before heading back to school.  Throughout the summer you can see a variety of UW and Seattle U players brushing up on their games.

Summer league is a time to work on your game and/or just get some time in on the court.  Thus, not every player is as intense as if they were playing in a game.  Also, attendance is appreciated but certainly not mandatory.  And let’s be honest, it’s hard to come inside on sunny Seattle days.

Also, the players are relaxed as in the first game on Monday had a couple players playing in sweatpants.  One of these players was incoming UW guard David Crisp.  Despite wearing gray sweats, he was a standout during the time he played.  Crisp and fellow incoming Husky Noah Dickerson played on the same team along against a team which had several Seattle U players.

Although it’s early, and summer league, Crisp will evoke memories of Isiah Thomas.  I know, I should pump the brakes on the comparison but I’m trying to help put it in your mind.  Crisp is a left-handed, small (he’ll be billed as 5’11 but looks more 5’9), well-built guard.  He is not afraid to take the ball to the rim and has a nice jumper.  Thomas is better at getting to the rim off the dribble but I think that’s expected.  Crisp can work on this and he’d be a great asset for a team in much need of a playmaker.  He displayed good ball-handling ability and distributed the ball pretty well. 

Dickerson looks like he will be a solid contributor on the defensive end.  He mixed it up in the middle and grabbed rebounds whenever they were near him.  He is a definitive back to the basket post-player.  Based on his play Monday night his offensive inside game is still a work in progress but should be able to fill a void left by Shawn Kemp, Jr.

In the second game, Matisse Thybulle played on a team coached by Shawn Kemp.  Kemp’s son, Jamar, played on the same team.  Thybulle displayed his length early by intercepting a couple of passes.  He is spotty from three point range and if he can develop a consistent shot Thybulle can be a solid contributor as a wing player to complement the other incoming wings Dejounte Murray and Marquese Chriss.

Unfortunately, there were no other Huskies playing while I was there although I hope to get back before the end of the summer season.

I would recommend heading up to NSCC if you have time on Monday or Wednesday night through August 12^th.