http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=4907628

http://rivals.yahoo.com/virginiapreps/basketball/recruiting/player-Kethan-Savage-105090

http://wiki.allmetsports.com/all-met/players/arlington/episcopal/boys-basketball/142446/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hye_YHVLXbo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMK7VQqCU-g

http://www.maxpreps.com/athletes/haMeTtc0mUmXwfrS9NvRsA/basketball-winter-10-11/profile-kethan-savage.htm

 Even though right now it means very little, I love going on to our "considering" for next years class and seeing 2 90+'s and the two 88's.

That's the type of talent we're hoping to be considering on a yearly basis.

Heard through the grapevile that Kethan Savage has been offered. I think he is deciding between Towson and GW.  His former Team Takeover coach is at Towson, so they may have the edge.   Duquesne has also recruited him heavily.  He is meeting with the GW coaches and staff next week, the deal may be sealed then.  If you follow local high school sports at all or have seen him play, he is AWESOME!  Can handle the ball, get to the rim and dunk on 7 footers at will.   Hopefully he may be the Tony Taylor of the future. 

ESPN has his list as GW, Delaware, Dayton, GMU & VCU as of August 11.

I saw him play last season.  That was a good team he was on.  They had a really good guard name Abubaker who was good enough to draaw interest from most of the Patriot League and had a footbal fram for a point guard - 6'1 about 195  (man he was powerful) and a player named Something  Something Moto who could jump so high he surprised himself a lot and did not know what to do with the ball up there at times - but he often had his head at rim level with no effort.  They really opened things up for Savage.  I am not sold that he can launch his sweet jumper in college because it has a long wind up and the speed and jumping at the next level could mean he is looking at a bunch of blocked shots or a quicker release that does not always translate.  He is at his best cutting through the lane and short pull ups he has a decent handle for his height and lanky frame.  The games I saw which included two games against Landon, one game against St. Stephens and two games at the St. Stephens Sleepy Thompson tournament were well atttended by observers from some nice schools.  He is not a sleeper, they have all seen him.  If this is his list of schools, then it's not because UVA, the Terps, UConn or some other ACC schol missed him.  It's just too hard to say where Savage can be at the next level because although he scored at will and hit some clutch shots he had a ton of help on his team that helped him play to his strengths.

 http://gwhoops.com/default.aspx?mid=20110827123040390100

Rivals note...

Kethan Savage, SG, Team Takeover- A strong 6-foot-2 off guard who is comfortable attacking the rim, Savage made a living by getting into the paint and drawing fouls. He did mix in a couple of jump shots, but the bulk of his 21 points came from the free-throw line where he was 13-13. For good measure he added seven rebounds and three assists.

D.C. area guard Kethan Savage can sure live up to his last name when he decides to attack the rim. A member of the loaded Team Takeover program, he made the most of his opportunity to stand out and made the top All-Star game and authored one of the more vicious dunks we've seen all travel season on a buzzer beating length of the court drive and throwdown.

 Sounds like early reports on Monroe (only taller). Monroe didn't develop an outside shot until late soph year.

He gets up higher than Chris did.  Maybe a cross between Monroe, Pinnock and unatainable expectations?

 to be clear, I have seen him play - he is no where near JR.  He's darn good and played with a very good team, with a very good pg who attracted attention and a forward named Moto who you have to respect in the lane which helped open seams for him to slash.  This is hard to translate because in the IAC where he played most teams only fielded 2.5 to 3 quality players.  Landon and Episcopal had 3.5-4.  Bullis, Prep, St. Sephens and St. Albans were 2.5-3.  He is not going to see that type of match-up deficits at GW.  Be patient is all I can say.  By his Junior year he may be very special.  I doubt he will be blazing out of the box like Monroe and some others during the Jarvis era.

Notta, what I read from your review and what I saw on DC Hoops is a guy who can definitely contribute in a year or two. I don't know many players who will, at 18 or 19 step right into the GW starting lineup. He seemed to have some jets and quick excelleration.

It is harder to see the defensive side being where it needs to be.

I saw this kid on espn3.com play against the Houston Defenders.  They had one of the Harrison twins (top 10 in the country) guarding him.  He blew by him with ease.  He was the best all around guard in that game.  He shot a three, beautiful step back jumper, finishing strong in transition, etc.  ESPN commentators called him "hard to guard" because he can score in variety of ways.  I did see him personally play in Hampton at the EYBL, and went down the lane and dunked on a 7 footer.  He can handle the ball and can guard 3 positions. 

Kethan Savage was the point guard for Episcopal that attracted attention, so I am not sure what games notta hater saw.    You can say you want about the IAC, but Episcopal ended the year ranked #3 in the entire DMV ahead of all the WCAC schools.   

If we can get Joe McDonald playing with Savage in the backcourt....watch out.  GW fans are in for a treat.  ESPN analyst said that "he is fun to watch" and that is very true.  

Get your 2012-13 season tickets early GW fans.  Northern Virginia is coming out to watch one of their Native Sons.

 Savage was far and away the best player on his team for the record. 

I watched several of the Team Takeover videos that are online and what impressed me the most was the way he constantly attacked the basket and his ability to get by his man and finish with both hands in a variety of ways, many times absorbing contact and drawing fouls as well.  Having players that can do this keeps the opposition's defenders off-balance as they have to be ready to leave their defensive assignment to help out against a guard driving the lane.  If Savage can hit open shots when his defender drops back to prevent a drive, then his game should be able to translate well to the college level.  With solid outside shooting from Mikic, a healthy Lasan, and an improved Bynes this year, there should be a lot of open lanes to the basket so hopefully we'll see a lot of this from Ware, Taylor & Smith. 

I watched several of the Team Takeover videos that are online and what impressed me the most was the way he constantly attacked the basket and his ability to get by his man and finish with both hands in a variety of ways, many times absorbing contact and drawing fouls as well.  Having players that can do this keeps the opposition's defenders off-balance as they have to be ready to leave their defensive assignment to help out against a guard driving the lane.  If Savage can hit open shots when his defender drops back to prevent a drive, then his game should be able to translate well to the college level.  With solid outside shooting from Mikic, a healthy Lasan, and an improved Bynes this year, there should be a lot of open lanes to the basket so hopefully we'll see a lot of this from Ware, Taylor & Smith. 

You might want to look-up Adala Moto from Episcopal and check where he has offers from before you say Savage was far and away the best player on that team.  Further, Savage was the 2, Abrubakar was the pg.  I have no idea where the pg ended-up but at mid-season he was getting looks from some nice schools in the Patriot League.

From the coaches' mouth regarding who the EHS PG was last year: 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/recruiting-insider/post/episcopal-g-kethan-savage-picks-gw/2011/08/27/gIQAMmgAjJ_blog.html

Notta Hater, are you sure that you were at the games last year? 

notta, you know nada.

last year - the last season he played - you know, the one that ended in March of 2011 I saw him play in person at least three games - Landon, SSSAx2 and parts of the first round of the SSSA Sleepy Thompson tournament.  This year which has not been played yet - he will play the pg. Yes.  The point gaurd was a then-senior name Abubaker.  I have no idea which school he decided to attend, but I knew the coaches and faculty bragged about his GPA and the type of schools that were chasing him.  The other stud was a guy named Moto who had wings for feet.  He could fly.  I saw him dunk a bunch of times when his man would slide over to block Abubaker or Savage in the lane and would get a dish or lob.  I saw him get benched for missing a windmill slam on a fast break.  He is the one who the 'scouts" were buzzing about, charting shots and taking notes.  I had heard one EHS person say to another that he was getting a lot of attention from UVA.  Don't get me wrong, I am not hating on Savage, I think he is a nice addition and in time with the right coaching and seasoning will be good.  He is no where near JR and his school's competition was not that stiff compared to some other recruits the staff is chasing.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Arnaud-Adala%20Moto-108662

http://www.testudotimes.com/2011/7/29/2302885/arnaud-adala-cuts-list-maryland-doesnt-make-it

a picture of Moto

picture of the point gaurd I saw playing for EHS

http://www.episcopalhighschool.org/news/detail.aspx?linkid=2578&moduleid=89

Who is better Moto, JR or Savage is all subjective.   I am not making a case either way.   Neither Moto or JR will be coming to G Dub, so I could care less.

Savage is a combo guard, but he played PG for EHS Are you saying the EHS coach is not telling the truth, why would he lie to the Washington Post??  It really doesn't matter, but I KNOW I am right.    I'm done.

Most people consider Moto the best prospect on Episcopal, he was a 1st Team All-Met last year and is being recruited by ACC/Big East type schools. Either way, Episcopal will be one of the top teams in the area next year(there is a slight chance they could start out the season ranked #1 ahead of Dematha and Montrose) and GW fans should be happy that one of the best players from an elite local team has committed this early. Also, a number of GW fans in the area will be able to see K.Savage in person and not just read about or watch his highlights.

Townie,

JR was drafted by the Lakers - safe to say he's probably better at this point.

Moto is th 75th best player in the class of 2012 according to ESPN with offers from:

School	Interest	Offer	Visit	Recruiter
UCLA	Medium
Florida	Medium
Maryland	Medium
Wake Forest	Medium
Vanderbilt	Medium
Virginia Tech	Medium
Miami (FL)	Medium

That makes Notta's read probably pretty reasonable.  Excited to get Savage but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Thinker,

I am NOT the one who said that Savage was the best player on the EHS team, that was another poster.  Moto and Savage play 2 entirely different positions.  Why are we comparing apples to oranges?  If you guys think JR is better than Savage, that's great.  It is so irrelevant.  Savage is a nice pick up and only time will tell what impacts he makes (if any), first, second, third years, etc. 

GW seems to be getting on the right path, so let's just roll with it.

Check out this article that was posted by i95ballerz.com after EHS played SSAA:

http://www.i95ballerz.com/story%20-%20episcopal%20defeats%20sssa%2011.html. 

We got a guard that can handle the ball and score.  It does say that Savage was the PG for EHS.  I think he is going to give us so much flexibility.  That's ok notta, my eyes play tricks on me too.

I'm cool with that - Townie.  I'm excited to see him play next year.  Maybe even a road trip to see him play this HS year too.

Nice find 07.  Here's one more from Ron Bailey...

Savage was scintillating vs. Russians

Nice Hatchet Piece on Savage

Sounds like an enthusiastic, hard-working kid.  Apparently was first recruited to GW by Hobbs.

ESPN still grooving on Moto:

Moto's motivation

The good news is that Moto is a great player according to ESPN.  The bad news is that GW is not even on his radar, so who really cares??

Hey Thinker, UNLESS you think that you can persuade Moto to consider GW??  send that info to schools that he is really considering.  It does not add any value on gwhoops.com.  Let's discuss players we can get not those that out of reach!!!! 

Givemeabreak,

I posted the ESPN piece on Moto because of the discussion earlier in the thread about who was a better player - JR, Savage, or Moto.  We talk about a lot of players on this board that aren't recruited by and/or don't come to GW.

Better at what???  Define Better?  All I know is that Episcopal could not have won the IAC or be ranked #3 in the Wash Post if it was not a team effort.  Episcopal could not have won it without Savage, and Episcopal could not have won it without Moto.  So, as far as value to the team, I would call that a tie.  

As a poster stated earlier, they don't play the same position.  Why are you still trying to prove a point??? Just because someone put the link of the GW Hatchet Savage article you felt that you needed to one up them.  OK if it makes you feel better, ESPN says that Moto is a great player recruited by high majors, not lowly mid-majors like GW so he obviously is a superior player.   

You guys make me laugh. 

Sorry the previous post was by "givemeabreak" not the "thinker.

Moto joins Cavanaugh at Wake Forrest.

http://blogs.gwhatchet.com/courtside/2011/11/09/savage-signs-national-letter-of-intent/

 Why do they keep saying he's a 5 star football prospect/ I'm not even sure he plays football. 

If he is indeed a five-star football prospect, maybe he was lured by our undefeated record.

I just saw their football team play against St. Stephens St. Agnes and Bullis.  He does not play football for EHS.  That's not to say he could not and still be a star.

I think at one point he appeared in the ESPN football recruit database by mistake and The Hatchet ran with it without checking.

Who cares if he can play football.  I just like that he says he hates to lose and is willing to play defense and rebound if that's what the team needs. 

who cares if he can play football?

elliott played football.  and kopriva was his hs quarterback.  i was kind of hoping we'd assemble a team for the gridiron and maybe bring back the two sport lettermen. 

 Need to sign Joe McDonald at WR!

Kpriva was elliott's HS quarterback?  He's not really that old--is he?

BM,

I think that ML would rather have Kevin Larsen than Joe McDonald as the 4th scholarship.  I think that he believes that we could do ok with Bynes, Savage, Lasan, Guest for a year if he gets a big man.  Then he can go all in for a top PG in 2013.

 I'd buy that. Especially after the assist stats from Vermont forwards we discussed earlier. 

 Hmmm...

georgewashington.scout.com/a.z

. . . and he's another Team Takeover kid.  So I would imagine that this is a very good guess.

. . . and he's another Team Takeover kid.  So I would imagine that this is a very good guess.

Such an insightful point that I had to make it twice.

This ESPN writeup says he's a DC Assault kid:

ferguson works for me as well.  bynes will be the man at the point next year anyway, so no problem waiting a year.

I know I'm adding more fuel to the fire with the "I like/don't like this kid because a certain school is interested", but Xavier offered him in our backyard.  If Xavier is in the hunt for him and made him an offer, he's got to be high on our list.

Hopefully, Savage was doing homework on Sunday night and nowhere near a TV.

hopefully he was stretching and doing some ball drills.  The fall off after TT was huge

Hey if Savage is reading these posts.  Work hard on your game.  You are at Episcopal with unlimited access to a gym, so you have to be a gym rat and get better.  IF you did see that game, don't be discouraged, use it as an incentive.  I have heard from numerous reports that you are an impact player that can help the team next year.   I see you more as a scoring point guard, so keep putting those shots up.

Lets face it, if he saw the game or final score, he has got to be thinking "I can get soe playing time with this team" 

Lets hope he is gonna Salvage us to the Big Dance next years. Go Kethan!

You can see Kathan at this tournament held in Dematha in a couple of weeks.  You can also lament over the Cavanaugh kid we missed on.

 Laminate a winning attitude.  Hopefully with spiral binding too! :)

here's the schedule.  If you live near Germantown, PA., he will be there on Saturday. 

http://www.episcopalhighschool.org/athletics/teampage-new.aspx?TeamID=270

Result

Do any of our Philadelphia posters know how good Germantown is?  That's a decent amount of points for a contested HS game.

I know they have a decent program, but I can't find anything about them this year.  They lost in the first round of the playoffs last year, but made the final the prior two.

Savage (and McDonald) mention

Germantown is not considered a good team in philadelphia. not in anyone's top 30 team list 

 OH Germantown Academy. Yeah they're a decent team that plays in a league that occasionally has D1 talent, but right now is pretty dry.

Thanks Phillyhoops.

 PhillyHoops - Agreed that Inter-Ac League is a little dry right now and over the past 2-3 years, but to say the league only "occasionally has D1 talent" is not giving the league it's fair shake. A quick rundown off of the top of my head: 

Matt Walsh '01 Germantown Acad (Florida '06 and many thought would be a 2nd round draft pick)

Lee Melchio '02 Germantown Acad (Duke '06; HS All-American Hon. Mention)

Wayne Ellington '04 Episcopal Acad (UNC; plays for T-Wolves)

Gerald Henderson '04 Episcopal Acad (Duke; plays for Bobcats)

Sean SIngletary '04 Penn Charter (UVA; played a year or 2 w/ Bobcats and now in Europe)

Rob Kurz '04 Penn Charter (Notre Dame; little time with Golden State and now in Europe)

Again, not to nitpick, but there is some serious talent that has recently come out of the Inter-Ac, and in my opinion, from a hoops perspective, is superior to the IAC. Obviously, Landon recently and G'town Prep traditionally have some good talent but it's not in the same class as the Inter-Ac. Hibbert? Darion Adkins? Christian Webster? Hopefully we can add Kethan to that list, too!

yeah... Since Ellington and Henderson, the talent level has gone down. They still produce good basketball teams (Malvern Prep last year) but it is not a good league for bball right now.

yeah... Since Ellington and Henderson, the talent level has gone down. They still produce good basketball teams (Malvern Prep last year) but it is not a good league for bball right now.

Good thing he was busy last night and couldn't attend the game.  DCSportsfan "Baller of the Night"

Highlights & praise (#11, watch for 3:00)

Guess I went to the wrong game last night. 

Co-workers son that plays for Woodson last night said that Savage was spectacular.  No one on Woodson's team could guard the kid and they put 4 or 5 different kids on him.  He came down the lane and posterized a Woodson defender.  His handle was tight and as the PG maybe had 1 turnover at most.    At EHS he is forced to be a scoring point guard because they only have 3 players on the team that has basketball as their #1 sport. 

They play in the Nike Invitational this weekend, it will be interesting who Benedictine and PVI puts on him.  Don't know about Benedictine, but don't think PVI has anyone  that can shut him down (my guess it will be Stan Robinson that may cause Savage problems).  It will be very hard game for EHS.  You have 4 D1 players plus 3 players with D1 offers versus a team that has only 2 D1 players.  Plus a team that works out together year round versus a team that started practicing mid November. Ouch!

Telep is the #1 HS basketball scout in the country - does the ESPN ratings:

Here's a link to the dunk:

http://courtcred.com/content/entry/kethan_savage_makes_defender_touch_earth_then_dunks_it/

a few Twitter posts have him scoring 22 points in a 44-38 win for Episcopal over Benedictine today.

More highlights.  Episcopal game starts around 3 minute mark and his dunk (different angle) is at 4:00.

The last GW recruit with this many Telep Tweets was Copes.

DaveTelep: Kethan Savage appears to have a knack for this. Day 2 of him making big plays when needed. (about 1 hour ago from web)

Yet another angle of yesterday's dunk, which IMO, isn't as nice as the one against Woodson.

He apparently played very well against Paul VI's Patrick Holloway (GMU commit & one of the best scorers in the area) in a loss judging from these tweets.

Look at 1:23:00 for Kethan's third highlight reel dunk in as many games, this time over All-Met Patrick Holloway (GMU).

DMVElite

Kethan Savage 6'2 2013 G Episcopal (Committed to George Washington)- Kethan is a high-major combo guard with toughness and aggressiveness.  He is a stopper defensively and his athleticism makes him dangerous on the help side for steals, blocks or taking charges.  He shoots with efficiency and can create his own shot with crossovers and hesitation moves.  He has range beyond the 3 point line, but also distributes the ball very well.  At times he tries to take on too much responsibility on the court and must trust his team when he is pressured.  George Washington truly has a steal in this explosive player.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/savage-takes-over-to-lead-no-9-episcopal-past-good-counsel-84-72/2011/12/16/gIQAlfXSzO_story.html

“I’m realizing, watching college basketball and going to games, how much more physical and intense it is at the next level,” Savage added. “I could get away at the high school level with not getting in the weight room, but I want to take the next step so that when I go to college, I’ll be ready.”

http://hoyatalk2.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=recruit&action=display&thread=25068

 Per his coach...“I want him to be able to at least compete for the point guard position next year. "  Against who, Bynes and Guest?  

Love this thread -- and the one on the Georgetown board!   Every public comment that Savage has made makes him sound like winner.  Excited to see him in the buff and blue next year.

The unnamed poster above wrote: "Per his coach...“I want him to be able to at least compete for the point guard position next year. "  Against who, Bynes and Guest?"

I say "THE JOB IS HIS, DONE DEAL"

from hoyatalk... " OK, I know this thread probably doesn't even really belong here, given that Savage is committed to GW, but just have to report that Kethan had another phenomenal game tonight -- leading Episcopal to an 84-72 win over a very solid WCAC Good Counsel team with 32 points (most points by an EHS player in at least 3 years). With All-Met/Team Takeover running mate Adala-Moto in foul trouble the whole game (fouling out with about 5 mins left and only 6 points scored), Savage was immense -- keyed a huge run late in third quarter with Arnaud and the other big man on the bench that turned a squeaker into about a 15 point lead in blink of an eye with steals/rebounds/threes and twisting lay-ups. This kid has really taken his game to another level from last year -- GW has an outright steal coming its way next Fall . . ."

Just to dampen down the hype a bit, if you watch the whole game vs Paul VI, he's almost as likely to airball a 3 as he is to make it.  He still has work to do.

I want to be maximum excited about Savage.  What I've learned doing just a little HS scouting is that it's extremely hard to project HS players and how they'll measure up against bigtime college players.  When I first saw the Savage dunk, it was very impressive.  But I imagine that Bynes looked exactly the same in HS - very dominant against HS players.  Bynes is extremely athletic, can play good defense, huge leaper.  But he doesn't have a reliable jump shot that would allow him to have much of an impact in college.  Shooting skills translate to the next level more than any other skill because it is least dependent on who the opposition is.  Getting a shot off is dependent, but shooting itself isn't.  So I'm excited about Savage but we'll have to see before annointing him as the next coming.

Saw the game, that kid was like of 2 of 3 from the 3pt line.  Had nice pull up jumper, basically did it all. I think he was at least 70% from the field and it was not all dunks and lay-ups.   Of course, if he continues to work hard as he said in the Post, he is going to be really good.  I am sooooo glad he signed, because I know some big time programs, are saying WHAT???????Seen alot of scouts write that GW has gotten a STEAL.  I saw online the game against Houston Defenders, with the infamous Harrison twins.  Savage was blowing by them with ease, and showed his versality as a scorer of mulitple ways.  He is definitely hard to guard. 

Lonnergan is a theif!!!  Good for him...and G' Dub!!  Maybe he has the eye for talent that the "BIGs" could not see. 

Thinker, how does the HS competition compare between Bynes and Savage?  Savage seems to be excelling against pretty decent talent.

Here's what ESPN said about Bynes before he signed:

December, 2008: Bynes can provide highlights in transition. He sprints the wing and will finish over defenders as he attacks the rim with great speed and explosiveness. Bynes is very thin and will need to add strength but is stronger than he looks. He is wiry and has the ability drive and slash both ways to the rim although he seems to like to go left. Bynes has a nice mid range pull up jumper. He has great elevation and smooth release. From behind the arc Bynes can knock down the open three when he has his feet set but is still considered streaky. He is a good ball handler and decent passer. He can beat he man with a quick first step and can find the open man when he draws a crowd in the lane. The offensive glass is another area that Bynes scores a bucket or two. His long arms and athletic ability help him keep the ball alive and get it back on the rim. Defensively he has excellent foot speed when defending the ball and quick hands to keep the ball handler at bay. Bynes plays with urgency and can make winning plays late in the game.

June, 2008: Bryan is a very good catch and shoot player who is virtually automatic when left open behind the three-point line. In addition to having near perfect mechanics, he also has deep range on his jumper when catching the ball in rhythm. Bryan is capable of playing either guard position as he has a good handle, passes the ball well, and is rarely rattled by pressure. However, he doesn't often create his own shot and is consequently someone who needs to be surrounded by other good players in order to be effective. Physically, he has a good body with long arms and a cut upper body that should be able to support plenty more muscle mass down the road.

So Bynes was highly regarded.

HIs HS was Boyd Anderson HS in Ft. Lauderdale.  His school has a bunch of athlete alumni includeing former NBA player Mitch Richmond and at least 8 NFL players including Asante Samuel of the Eagles. I don't know exactly how competetive his local league was.

 Near Perfect Mechanics?!?!

 I repeat.  Near Perfect Mechanics?!

 What the heck happened?  Perhaps the problem is in his head rather than his mechanics.  

That's my point - it's VERY hard to project HS kids and how they'll play in college.

Agreed, Thinker.  That's why I like that comment from Savage about not being able to get away in college with what he did in HS.  He at least sounds like a kid that will be able to adjust, even if he's not an impact player from day 1 (though I'm hopeful he will be).

I hope so, FQ.

Again though, the projections of Savage are pretty similar to Bynes.  Each very athletic, great quality kids, very competetive and both lacking a consistent jump shot. Some kids can develop a better shooting stroke - Most can't, won't or don't. 

ESPN scouting report aside, there are a couple of difference.  One, if I remember right, Bynes was a late signee.  I'm not sure he had a lot of offers from solid programs. Two, the book on Savage is that he likes physical contact.  And just phyiscally he's bigger than Bynes, who is very skinny and decidedly unphysical on the court. Maybe that translates into more success for Savage. Besides that let's just hope that ML is a better talent evaluator than KH provefd to be later in his career here.

All that said, I've learned enough not to get too excited about recruits because for ever Carl Elliot I've been incredibly excited about who has delivered, there's been a Ricky Lucas.  Heck, just look at Copes' shaky defense and raw offense to see that no matter how hyped, there is no guarantee a freshman can come in and be a game-changer.

And, I never heard the term "high major" associated with Bynes.

The translation to college success is going to hinge on the following (in no particular order):  1) Developing a college body  2) Work Ethic - how many hours in the gym he puts in working on individual skills  3) Motivation - hates to lose with a passion  4) Desire to get to the next level 5) Coachable 6) Keeps his focus on books and ball

Let's hope that ALL of the recruits have ALL five.

'07,

Willingness to be coached and work hard are great things.  But by the time they get to college, most kids are the shooters they'll be.  Throughout basketball, very few players significantly improve their free throw percentage or overall shooting percentage after HS. It seems like this shouldn't be the case, but it is.  Very few players learn to be dramatically better shooters.  You can teach a guy to make nuanced changes in technique, you can teach better discipline in taking better shots but these kinds of things can only improve your shooting percentage incrementally.  This is the case even with the greatest athletes in the NBA, with guys that work INCREDIBLY hard.  Poor or average shooters almost NEVER become good shooters.

All the reports on Savage are that he is a phenomenol player EXCEPT he's not a very good shooter.  I don't know anything about Savage except what I read. But if he isn't a good shooter, then I don't think it's very likely that the coaches can change that once he gets to GW.  Regardless of how good of an attitude he has.

If you are going to play the point, you do not have to be a great shooter.  Rather, you have to be good enough to have the defense at least respect (meaning guard) you beyond the 3 point line, as well as make your free throws, since you are going to have the ball most often down the stretch. Problem with the team this year is our shooting guards can't shoot...or at least they havent been able to do so  yet.

Probably agree more than disagree with you thinker on your point.  Having said that, JR came in without an outside shot, left without one and was a star for us for three years. 

 Again, he's not a PG.

LSF,

A) You want all your guards to be good shooters; PG's who aren't good shooters will have defenders lay off them a bit which can really limit their effectiveness.  Bynes would be far more effective as a backup PG now if he could shoot.. Defenders back off him at times reducing his ability to drive and then watch him miss his shot.

B) By all accounts, GW is still recruiting one or more PG's. That should tell us that they aren't necessarily sold on Savage as the primary PG.  If they were convinced, I don't think they'd be going after a guy like McDonald who is an obvious PG as opposed to Savage who is seen as a combo guard. Obviously a team needs multiple good ball handlers, but a team needs multiple good shooters, too.

C) To your point - We are a poor shooting team this year and we were bad last year too.  The best shooter on the team this year - TT is graduating.  Limited reports say that Paris is a very good shooter and that Garino is more of a scorer/playmaker than a pure shooter. Let's say we sign McDonald who is reported to be a pass first guard and no one else transfers out.  Then this is our team

Seniors: Pellom, Bynes, Dwayne

Juniors: Mikic, Guest, Lasan (redshirt) Armwood (redshirt)

Sophmores: Kopriva, Davis

Freshmen: Paris, Garino, Savage, McDonald

Where are you going to get your shooting from on that roster?

BM,

I totally agree on JR. He was also a lot taller bigger and stronger than Savage projects right now. He also played on a team that was predicated on forcing tons of turnovers and scoring a BIG percentage of its points running and in transition - which it seems is not ML's preferred style.  I don't think JR would be nearly as good in the flex as he was in Hobbs' system.  The flex REALLY puts a premium on shooting because all of the motion and screens is designed to create open looks and cuts down on the number of opportunities to drive to the basket.

Thinker I wouldnt be worried about shooting on that roster, Mikic and Kromah are capable shooters and I expect at the very least Paris and possibly Garino as well to be good shooters. I'd be more worried about lack of size with no players on that team over 6'9. That's why I think somebody goes and Larsen comes before McDonald. 

I'm not saying that Savage isn't a winner or a scorer.  He seems from the limited things I've read to be a true quality kid and a great pick up for GW.  I recall that TT was a huge scorer his senior year in HS as well.  Lasan is also a great scorer.  Scoring isn't the same as shooting though

DEA,

Absolutely GW needs Larsen (or another talented big man) badly.  GW needs a good PG too.  And given the look of things I don't imagine that it would be too tough for ML to find a scholarship for both Larsen and McDonald.    Again - in the flex the amazing athletic skills of scorers are minimized compared to other offensive systems.  To be effective in the flex you have to have a number of good shooters. More than scorers this team is in bad need of more shooters.  And I don't think that Mikic, Lasan, and Paris gives up enough shooters.  Obviously what kind of shooter Garino will be is to be seen - but early writeups of him don't talk of his great shooting touch.

Thinker, I thought most of the write-ups of Garino talk about him raining in treys?  (I believe he hit 5 in the upset of Croatia or Serbia, forget which, in the world championships).

The two big factors that I think people are forgetting in terms of how guards translate are ball handling skills and ability to absorb physical play.  To me, what kills Bynes is his lack of ball handling.  He can't get into the lane to use his speed and leaping and he can't overcome his shooting woes (to just play point), because he can't handle the ball.  Remember last year when he had consecutive games dribbling out the half only to turn it over for layups the other way?   I suspect Savage's handle will go a long way to deterining whether he can make an instant impact.

The second factor is ability to handle physical play. We've had guards with great size like Chris Monroe and Vaughn Jones who couldn't shoot much, but their combination of ball handling and ability to play physical allowed them to succeed (in Monroe's case before his outside shot became reliable, in Vaughn's case, he always had that runner but never an outside shot).    Savage isn't as big as those guys, but if he really is a Dirkk Surles-type than he should be able to handle physical guards.

Think you never really know until the ball is rolled out in college practice and then there can be big surprises, negative and positive.

But at least Kethan seems to know what he needs to do, hopefully is hitting the weight room now and working out outside shooting. Don't know what contact he is permitted with us, or if he has played informally with team members before the season, if that is even allowed on a pick-up basis.

You never know, but seems like a sharp kid and a winner and currently,  and an excellent catch.

The kid scored 35 pts last night.  Made 2 three pointers.  13 pts were from the free throw line.  Was the rest of his 16 points dunks and lay-ups??  If you think ML should have gone after a 3 point sharp shooter than I get that.  In that case, he should have went after Patrick Holloway.  Savage obviously is a kid that likes to play above the rim.  It is hard as a guard to average 22 pts a game on layups and dunks.  The PVI game may have been an off night.  The game I saw him play online and the Good Counsel game, the guy can SHOOT the ball.   

I heard that Savage wreaked Havoc on the Bullis guards last night, which helped them come back from being down.  Wait a minute "wreak Havoc" is a VCU trademark defensive term.  I am glad he did not commit to Shaka.  We are going to wreak some havoc of our own next year when we play VCU. 

Between a point guard and a big man, what we need more can be traced to what your hopes are.  If your immediate goal is to improve to the point where we don't lose home games to Loyola or Bradley, and we become a 4th-6th place type team in the A10 and perhaps an NIT team, then go get the point guard.  If your goal is to show up at a Kansas State and be competitive for 40 minutes, be a perennial top 3 A10 team and a consistent NCAA contending team, then go get the big man. 

Without a pure point guard, we will still have enough ball handlers on the team to effectively run this offense.  We'll likely still have some difficulties with pressure defense but that's a small price to pay in comparison to the alternative.  The alternative is to be "picked on" down low and not be able to do very much about it.  Or, to allow penetrators to drive the lane which is exactly how Bradley beat us (Lemon, Jr. throughout the game, Brown throughout the second half).  We are presently one of the softest defensive teams in the paint right now and this trend will continue until we address this need.  Armwood may take on Jabari's defensive role but still isn't the big body that we need.  I don't get the sense that Paris is the defensive enforcer type.   Larsen could be this guy.

But as Thinker alludes to, it would only take one transfer to have room for both a point guard and a big man.

I am not disagreeing.  Savage is not a pure point guard.  What I am questioning is the kid's ability to improve his shot.  I have not researched his previous stats but his point production contradicts his ability to shoot the ball.  If Savage has the choice between taking a three pointer shot or drive to the lane, dunk on a big and draw the foul.."the old fashioned three", he is going with the latter.  He obviously can take the contact.  I prefer that three pointer because you are helping to put their bigs on the bench. 

I think Joe McDonald can shoot the ball also.  He is averaging over 20 points a game too, not just.on layups  Joe could be considered a combo guard  because he obviously has to put the team on his back to keep his team in the game.  Who can he "pass first" to?  Landon and Episcopal are not basketball powerhouses, their point guards are expected to do everything...score, rebound, etc.  So I would disagree with anyone that says Joe McDonald can not shoot the ball.

Point guards like James Robinson do not have to put up big numbers to win and can be "a pass first" because he is surrounded by loads of high D1 talent.   If he was at EHS or Landon, he could and would need to put those numbers up too, if needed. 

I am still waiting for an apology from a poster named "townie."  Earlier this summer, I pointed out  that in the games I had seen Savage, he played the 2 guard.  Townie suggested in a post that I had fabricated the fact that I had seen him play.  Further,  newtman without the benefit of reflection took townie's side and added that I know "nada" further suggesting that I had not seen Savage play - something like I am not sure which game you were at and "are you saying the coach is not telling the truth, why would he lie to the Post" when I pointed out he was not playing PG at EHS but the 2. 

Now, I read in Herve's link to the Post from the head coach of EHS:  “I put a lot on him,” Episcopal Coach Jimmy Fitzpatrick said, noting that Savage is working to make himself into a point guard instead of a shooting guard, the position he had played throughout high school. I stand by my original observation.  When I saw Savage play the last two seasons at EHS (usually against St. Stephens or in the Sleepy Thompson tournament - without giving up my identity, take a guess why I might actually be at those particular games), I saw Savage playing the 2.  I am not saying he cannot make the transition, but he has not played the PG in any games I have seen.  To tell the truth, I wish we did have a pure pg (pass first) already and keep him at the 2.  He has a spectacular game at the 2 and is truly a plug n play freshman at that position.

I have followed Savage's career for a while.  At Chantilly, midway through the season, Jim Smith moved him to the 1 position and put Devin Ballam in the 2 spot.  Jim put the ball in his hands to make plays, which he did.  He was also better at getting the ball in to Manning. 

LAST year, Kethan played the 1 position.    Sadiq did not!  Can I get some back-up???????

Townie/others,

I don't think anyone is saying Savage hasn't been playing the point at EHS, rather we are concerned if he can deal with the position at the college level.  Specifically, we are (or rather, I am) concerned about our ability to handle the ball with Bynes and two freshmen against Division one pressing defenses and if he can run the ML offense with confidence against a solid defending team or he looks more like Guest/Bynes with all the effort expended on taking care of the ball. 

I am, on the other hand, convinced that he can attack the basket at any level.  As of now, I think of him as a stronger Tony Taylor (freshman Tony), which is not a bad thing at all.

I am NOT saying that GW should play him at point.  I am just challenging Notta Hater's comment about he did not play point guard last year.

Capitolhoops.com must have had a typo.  Check out the opening of the  video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hye_YHVLXbo

The Life and Breath Tournament directors must have just guessed at his position and did not get the information directly from the school.

http://www.lifeandbreath.org/tipoff_press_release.aspx

Fitz is trying to improve his point guard skills by taking more leadership responsibility. 

I'd also add the following....he just scored a combined 69 points in 2 of his last 3 games (something like this if not exactly 69), he's hit multiple 3 point shots in many games this season, he's smart enough to recognize that what he's able to do in high school will not translate precisely to the college game, he's hitting the weight room now, and he's learning how to play the point.  From a GW recruiting perspective, on a scale of 1-10, this guy's grading an 11 right about now.  Why not just relax and enjoy his press clippings without worrying about whether he will be able to come in and fill immediate needs (which by and large, none of us is truly in a position to judge anyway).

Townie, in the POST the EHS coach said:  “I put a lot on him,” Episcopal Coach Jimmy Fitzpatrick said, noting that Savage is working to make himself into a point guard instead of a shooting guard, the position he had played throughout high school."  To quote you:  "Why would the coach make that up?"

Kethan is considered a combo guard.  He is trying to make him more of a point guard than shooting guard by becoming more of a leader on the floor.  He did play shooting guard until the second half of the Chantilly season.  Continue to think whatever............He played point last year.  I'm done. 

WaPo first team All-Met for the week after his 32/35 point outburst (duh).

Nick Griffin, Joe McDonald and BeeJay Anya made second team.

Another piece on Kethan on the Josh Barr video bit.  Video of him dunking over GMU's Patrick Holloway at 1:35.

Found this on a scouting blog:

"While Arnaud Adala-Moto garnered most of the attention last year, Kethan Savage has become an elite player as well, and nobody’s number 2.  George Washington got an early commitment from Savage and they are lucky to have it.  Some big name schools will be wishing they saw Savage’s potential earlier on."

One of he keys to mid-major success is to snatch up kids that the big boys overlook. I want GW to become the next Xavier. 

townie, I am just using your own words - you cannot run from your own words, sir.  "Why would the coach of EHS lie to the Post?"  He said Savage had played shooting guard "throughout" high school.

Hey!  I have an idea!  Why don't we bring up the pissing match every time someone posts a relevant article about Kethan!!  It'll be fun!!

 I read your post BM as saying either: Tony Taylor sucks or Hobbs would have this year's team at 20-0 already. I hate you either way. Discuss.

herve's reading comprehension sucks.  BM was simply saying that Matt Albritton was probably going to average fewer than 27ppg his senior year.

No, Doug, all herve was getting at was that the best way to grill nice thick steak is with a brush of drawn butter; Kosher salt, ground pepper and a bit of Paprika... a hot grill off the flame. Doug I don't see anywhere that herve had an issue with the size of her breasts.

I'd buy the butter (I use olive oil myself) kosher salt and ground pepper, but you're insluting humanity with the paprika.  You obviously know nothing about basketball and are the worst GW fan ever.

And your mother smells of Tuna.

Tuna?  is this a backhanded insult or compliment of DM?

Mike K, BM knows what I think of him. AND, I know where he sits. .... Thanks to the tuna, he knows where I sit.

... .... ...  um... .... you sit on the can?

Heavy slate of games for EHS in the next couple of weeks.  I'm planning to visit at least one of the home games sporting some GW gear.  The home game vs Landon (Joe McDonald) and the game at Bullis should be good.

Maybe, I agree with you.

First team all-met for another week.

Yessir!!

"Guard Kethan Savage is beginning to look like the area's best overall player"

28 points, 9 boards and four steals in win at Potomac School despite GW-like FT shooting.

Like many recruits, and hopefully those (Larsen, McD) we are still looking at, they are saying "Next year I can get a lot of playing time on that GW team!"

Although Kethan is not officially an ESPN "Top 100", he is playing like he is.  Recently spoke to someone who knows Kethan well and they asked him since his stock has risen based on what type of season he is having so far, did he regret his decision to sign with GW.  According to my source, Savage said absolutely not.  He thinks that his playing well is attributed to the fact that he has signed and a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulder plus his additional gym time.  Also said that he was grateful that ML believed in him when the bigs did not, and can't wait for GW to beat those bigs in the NCAA tournament that passed on him.

Yep! That's the attitude we need in our recruits.  My advice to ML is to encourge Kethan to get out on the recruiting trail, starting with JoeMac.  That Landon/EHS game is going to be fun to watch.  I plan to be there.

I think I am in love.

Looks good sporting Buff & Blue!

saw him last night at EHS v. SS-SAS.  Awful game to judge anybody.  The ref took it over and called a bunch of fouls that sent another EHS player to the line for 15 FT's - thus it was hard to see anybody in a flow.   

 It looks like he has some aches and pains after that game

»

 

true_savage11 kethan savage 

 

Damn that joint hurt! But we good throw some ice on it it and go even harder tomorrow.

14 hours ago

 is he hurt or something?  WaPo print edition gave him credit for rebounds and assists but no points in a game versus their rival WF

Savage got hurt Friday night and had to play Sat. night if EHS was going to win.  It is unfortunate that EHS has such a short bench, because according to his tweets he was going to try to play through the pain.  Luckily for EHS, Chapelle was hot and did not need Savage to score.  WF was pressing EHS and Kethan is by far their best ball handler.  I saw him go out of the game to ice, thinking he was done for the night, next thing you know WF starts a run off of EHS turnovers and the coach had to put him right back in.  I think if I was the coach I would had rested Savage against WF and took the potential lost.  They are really going to need him against Landon.  If he is not 100%, I am going to put my money on Landon.  This sucks, I wanted to see Savage and McDonald go at it.   I have to go to my sources to see how Savage is doing, I might just stay home and watch Law and Order.

WaPo link on the injury 

to be young again. A sore back after a fall would be a six year healing process for me 

Nice win.  Second one at Bullis, who was supposed to be Episcopal's main competition at the top of the IAC this year.

Scores 19 in a comeback win over Flint Hill.

Notta - LOL!  I can't stop laughing because unfortunately it's so true for me as well.

Broken record... Week 6 All-Met, along with future backcourt-mate Joe McDonald.  I'll be anoyed if they give the year-end All-Met honors to the BCS recruits.

The all met list is in real time.  It looks far more like a marketing ploy or gimmick by the Post to get some clicks from the high schoolers than a legitimate "if the season ended today, here is our all met team."  I suspect it will look different.  9 of the 10 players on the list are private schoolers (further, the number 2 junior pg in the country, Nate Britt is not even on the "bubble").   My hunch is that BCS or not, some public school folks will be put on the list.  Savage's team continues to win and be ranked - he is a no brainer.  I am not sure if the other guys on the list will be on the list as their teams near .500 winning percentage.  Just a hunch, however.

I realize Justin Anderson's team is more stacked with talent, but it doesn't seem like there is anyone is the DC Metro area having a better season than either Savage or McDonald (Savage's injury aside).  

Can I add to the hype by asking if anyone remembers an A-10 commit blowing up like this since Delonte West committed to St. Joe's, then broke out and became, I think, All-Met player of the year his senior season? (I think he was, though could be wrong, I think Eddie Basden was in that class too and may have beaten him out).

West was all-met in DC and went to St Joe's.  That same season Tamal was all-City in Philly and came to GW.  We obviously got the short end of that deal.

Notta - I forgot to respond to you.  Britt is out with an injury, which is why he is not on the weekly honor roll.

FQ, I read he has a bruised calf.  If he comes back soon and performs at his best in that league, no way he is not at least 2nd team.

Agreed. But I think this weekly thing is based on that week, not an "if the season ended today" report.

BM -- St. Joe's was a recipient of the best assist of Ron Rolleson's career on that one. By the seeing some of the names on that link (Lamar Butler from GMU, etc.) who went on to do nothing overly noteworthy in college is a good reminder to temper expectations.

ESPN updated their recruiting pages for all the teams, updating position rankings if they qualify.

Interestingly enough, they haven't put McDonald down as a recruit yet.  More interestingly, Savage has dropped yet again. Although I take every espn ranking with a grain of salt (because they base almost everything on AAU), he has dropped to a '2-star' ranking of 88.

With everything he's doing on the court, playing so superbly, it's hard for me to imagine how he could possibly drop in rankings.

 What makes it even more suprising is all the positive press I've see about him. I'm pretty sure some of that press has come from Dave Telep the ESPN recruiting guru. Bottom line is it doesnt matter. 

 Here are some examples

Someone who has a twitter account should ask him why.

If he had gone to a Big East school they would have made him a 4 star like his teamate Moto. Thats ok we'll take him and his 2 stars ..

That's ok because McDonald had his ESPN rating increased from an 84 to an 87 so our blended average went from 86.5 to 87.5.  HAH!

 Were a solid B+. My parents would be proud

Another ho hum 27 points.

Bullis apparently doubled Kethan, but with Adala Moto back, EHS won the game anyway (Video, interview, pix).

needing to double a guy in HS is a darn good sign of his abilities.

 In response to the guy saying Kethan didn't play point last year, that's not true. I can comment on the fact that Abubakar actually played 3 last year, not point guard. Savage was running the point all last year, with Deriggs at 2, and Abubakar at 3. Went to every game I could, saw them play countless times. Savage has always been the point guard for Episcopal. He played the 2 guard spot at Chantilly, but never at EHS. Just saying

 In response to the guy saying Kethan didn't play point last year, that's not true. I can comment on the fact that Abubakar actually played 3 last year, not point guard. Savage was running the point all last year, with Deriggs at 2, and Abubakar at 3. Went to every game I could, saw them play countless times. Savage has always been the point guard for Episcopal. He played the 2 guard spot at Chantilly, but never at EHS. Just saying

Fantastic!!!!!

Notta, were you at the SSSA game?  Is it true that Savage wanted to go to SSSA but McLinton turned him down?  If so, he should be FIRED!!!!!!AND while I am on the subject, why did Doug Chappelle leave??? Based on the box score he scorched his old teammates.  If McLinton had those two kids (Chapelle and Savage) he would not be 0 - ??? in the IAC.  It must have been politics.  Whose parents did he (McLinton) not want to tick off?

Gee Whiz, yes I was at a portion of the SSSAS v. EHS game. I have no idea what you mean about "turned down" Savage or any other player.  I doubt that McLinton "turned down" a player because he has neither the power nor the authority to "admit" a student - that's done by the admissions committee that looks at a ton of factors.  No IAC school has the luxury of "turning down" a student solely because of his or her athletic skills.  They are admitted first, then they go out for the team.  A coach may make a strong pitch for the person and help with the admissions process, but the coach is neither the first nor the final word on admissions.  As to Doug Chapelle, it is likely that Chapelle's family did what was best for him under the particular circumstances, it was a good move for him and his family I suspect.  As a DC private school graduate, I can state there is nothing unusual about transfers among the private schools for very small or large reasons (music, art, transportation, stronger academic particular departments, field house for track runners, inside access to to particular colleges they want to send their children to etc.).  Even though he has not won a game this year, McLinton's team has two seniors who have signed with USNA and Lehigh.  I do not know if that cuts for him or against him (i.e. how do you have two NCAA players on your high school team and not win). 

Good answer.  Maybe you are right, that the admissions process at SSSA is more stringent than at EHS....but highly unlikely.   God works in very, very mysterious ways.  Although Savage was I am sure disappointed when that door closed at SSSA but wow did God open up a HUGE door at EHS.   Coach Fitzpatrick must be living right.  How do you get a kid that good to land in your lap? 

Thanks for posting the Sleepy Thompson schedule.  I hear it's a good tournament, plan to make some of Savage's games.

Gee Whiz, re-read my post.  McLinton likely would not have been in a position to make an admission determination for Savage.  If he had applied, the decision would have been made by the admission committee.  Note the word "if."  Unless you know for sure that Savage applied and got rejected at SSAS then how do you jump all the way to comparing EHS and SSSAS' admission standards? 

Last Washington Post Weekly All-Met list until the final team is announced on April 8.  Kethan, Joe and Jenkins on first team, Carrera and Griffin on second team.

Upset by Georgetown Prep in the semifinal.  Apparently they could still get a share of the championship according to the IAC point system.

EHS: The High School @EpiscopalHS

Kethan Savage '12, a 2 year starter on the var. boys' bball team, named Alexandria Sportsman's Club Athlete of the Month for Feb.! 

Episcopal beats Middleburg and St Albans to win the Sleepy Thompson tournament.

I guess they won three games in that tourney.

 Beat Benedictine 51-48 in the first round of the state playoffs.

 Actually that must have been the semi finals. They play Paul VI in the state tital game

Game summary

22 points in Championship Game loss....2 late steals and lay ups made it close.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/paul-vi-tops-episcopal-to-win-virginia-independent-schools-athletic-association-division-1-championship/2012/03/03/gIQAjNodpR_story.html

Playing at the ESBC all-star game at 4pm on Saturday at Trinity U.

Livestream now.

VIS Division I first team

ESBC Recap/video

Getting a Chris Monroe body can never be wrong in Foggy Bottom.

[Hype Warning]  Pinnock with an outside shot!

I am putting my money on Savage to win the GW Dunk Contest.  That kid has mad hoops.  From the look of his arms, he is definitely in the weight room. I can already see him dunking on the BIGS.  GW fans are in for a treat next year.  

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.393740837323777.95978.114582101906320&type=1&l=0659a8530c#!/photo.php?fbid=394107837287077&set=a.393740837323777.95978.114582101906320&type=3&l=0659a8530c&theater

Dropping dimes already
kethan savage ‏ @kethansavage

@patitogarino yo, if you call this number they'll give you your room id number. 202 994 2552

Congrats to Kethan for being the Alexandria Sportsman Club Athlete of the Year for basketball.  Scroll down to the middle of page.

http://www.episcopalhighschool.org/alumni/alumni_newsletter_detail.aspx?pageaction=ViewSinglePublic&LinkID=3738&ModuleID=206&StartDate=5/21/2012