rbg
Postdoc
Posts: 3050
Reg: 10-20-14
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08-06-18 08:34 AM - Post#259959
In response to rbg
Colby Kyle is playing in the CrawsOver Pro-Am League in Seattle this summer with the help of former Tiger Mike Washington, Jr.
https://www.heraldnet.com/sports/monroes-kyle-p rov...
- Kyle got his first opportunity to show he can hang with best when he helped the Slam beat a team that featured Nowell, an All-Pac-12 Freshman Team selection this past season at the University of Washington, a performance that included drawing a foul and scoring over the Huskies’ star on a baseline drive.
“It was cool, but I’ve also always known that I’m capable of playing at that level,†said Kyle, who added that not having the Pac-12 label doesn’t mean he can’t go head-to-head with guys that do.
That can-do mentality and confidence is something Slam player-coach Tyler Amaya highlighted.
“I love his attitude,†Amaya said. “He comes ready to play, comes ready to compete, he doesn’t back down from anybody, he’s got a really nice shot and he’s shown the ability to get to the hoop and finish on some pretty bigger, athletic guys. -
Here's another Heraldnet article on Kyle from this past November:
https://www.heraldnet.com/sports/monroes-kyle-a -co...
- Kyle possesses rare athleticism and agility for his size, which he credits to his soccer background.
“I think it’s helped my footwork, being able to move quicker laterally and forward and backward,†he said. “And I think it’s mentally helped my vision — seeing the floor.â€
One of Kyle’s greatest strengths is shot-blocking, an area he’s excelled in ever since stepping onto the hardwood. The Monroe senior standout is a feared rim protector whose towering length and quickness often lead to multiple emphatic swats per game.
“Most players that block shots come over and rotate from help side — they’re not actually guarding the player that they block the shot of,†first-year Monroe coach Ben Williams said. “He’s so quick that he can block the shot of the guy he’s guarding. … He has long arms and his timing is just really good.â€
During the early portion of his basketball career, Kyle played primarily as a post on offense. But in recent years, he’s trained with former Mariner coach Dexter Griffen to develop a perimeter game that complements his interior prowess. Most notably, Kyle has extended his shooting range and improved his ability to attack off the dribble. -
- “Not only is he strong, but he has a very quick first step,†Grinaker said. “So I think the challenge is (that defenses) will put somebody with a little bit more size on him to try to stop him from backing down. And that’s when he faces up and is able to take advantage of his quickness.
“And when they try to put somebody (on him) that’s a little bit quicker, then he relies on his strength to kind of bully the defender a little bit. So I think he’s learned to size up his defender and figure out what he should go to in order to take advantage of the matchup.â€
Williams said Monroe plans to fully utilize Kyle’s versatility.
“He can jump-hook and drop-step and do all of the Kevin McHale moves down by the basket,†Williams said. “But he can put the ball on the floor from the perimeter, too. And he can attack from the high post and the short corner, and be the guy who’s initiating the plays (with) his passing.†-
Edited by rbg on 08-06-18 08:34 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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