Blackwell offers Keystone State running back
South Carolina’s new running backs coach, Marquel Blackwell, just became the latest coach to issue an offer to Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s Prep School running back Isaiah West, joining North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan State, Penn State, and other programs in doing so. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder is delighted to have the Gamecocks to consider.
“I’m glad I was able to produce enough this year to be afforded the opportunity,” West said in a statement.”I was very happy.”
Inside Carolina’s Tommy Ashley discussed North Carolina’s 75-68 victory over Florida State on The Postgame. Here are his five main takeaways from the Tar Heels’ 10th consecutive win and 9-0 start in ACC play.
“I’m Harrison Ingram. He collected 17 rebounds against the Florida State team. The only other Tar Heel with more than five was Cormac Ryan. That young man put out an outstanding effort. He does everything for this North Carolina team, and he does not need to be the center of attention. I’ve seen the Florida State team up close. You cannot underestimate these guys’ length. But Ingram uses his body, the old-school manner, to get in there and rebound. If I had one minor quibble, there were a few moments when he and Armando Bacot competed for the same rebound. “They simply need to talk.”
“Elliot Cadeau’s ability to enter the lane and finish is amazing. He goes straight for the boys. There is none of this dipsy-do crap that lands you on your back with no foul play. He runs directly into the defense. It was painful to watch him get into the lane against players nearly a foot taller than him and convert. RJ does it as well, although Cadeau is a freshman. He is finding his path. He claimed he needed to work on his shot. But, yeah, I genuinely believe that was something that Leonard Hamilton and the Florida State team were unprepared for.”
“The only issue I have with Armando in this game is that he let the loose ball bounce in front of him late and didn’t go retrieve it. That tells me several things. Something is wrong for him not to receive that. He has not had good games versus Florida State. Their males are long. However, his defense has been really essential. And not getting caught up in the chirping with De’Ante Green was extremely important for this team. If you get caught up in that, this game might quickly spiral out of control.”
“The unc North Carolina team has chemistry. They enjoy playing for each other. That is the difference here. When it comes to recent North Carolina teams, there is no ‘I’ in team, and this team exemplifies that. That’s how you go to Florida State, get beaten statistically, turn it over 17 times, and still win. They let them get started and chat, yet they still found a way to win.
“We’ve reached a point where RJ will go for 20-24 points, and we’ll say, ‘Yeah, but let’s talk about all these other guys.'” It’s not just about scoring. When he was in high school, we knew he could score. It is his skill to manage the game and determine when to shoot and when not to shoot. He goes 100 mph all the time, but he’s tough. He’ll get in there and rebound. He will do whatever is required to keep this team going. Find him near the end of the game, and he’ll hit free throws, bringing the game to a finish. Despite all the hoopla about everyone else, it is RJ’s squad.”
