Carroll and Lyons continue to excel in Portsmouth
Posted by lukethompson on April 11, 2009
DeMarre and Leo’s may have both lost on Friday, but unlike during the season, the team’s result didn’t matter as much as their individual performances. Lyons scored 16 points on five of 11 shooting in his team’s loss. But as he did several times during the season for the Tigers, he disappeared on the glass, grabbing only 2 rebounds in 31 minutes. Apparently the confident forward is trying to show off his three-point shot to the scouts, but he failed to impress Friday afternoon, missing all three attempts. Carroll’s shooting percentage was down as he made just five of 12 shots, but he still managed 11 points and fell just one rebound short of a double-double. Perhaps more impressively, Carroll’s stat sheet shows the unselfishness that made him far and away Missouri’s most valuable player this season. Carroll finished with five assists, although he also committed three turnovers.
It’s important to note that although the Portsmouth tournament features some 64 quality seniors, the most talented players didn’t make the trip to Virginia. The 15 seniors projected to be drafted in the top 42 by nbadraft.net are all preparing elsewhere. However, that site and I don’t necessarily agree. The latest mock draft actually has Lyons as the 13th selection in the second round, meaning they must be seeing something that I’m not. Lyons needs some serious work on his consistency and his physicality in the paint if he’s going to survive at the next level, but maybe this year’s draft class really is that weak. Incidentally, Lyons is slated one spot ahead of Kansas’ Sherron Collins (I think he’ll return to Lawrence) and six spots ahead of Memphis’ Robert Dozier, who outplayed Lyons in his team’s loss to Missouri (19 points, 16 rebounds = end of discussion). Also, in what must be a mistake, Micah Downs, the former Kansas reject who was a senior at Gonzaga, is slated to get drafted 55th. My sympathies to any team who actually spends a draft pick on the 6-7 forward who wouldn’t be good for much outside of an occasional three-pointer.
Carroll and Lyons both play their last game in Portsmouth tomorrow.
