Kenner League Weekend 5 Observations
A high school recruit stole the show, but several Hoyas still stood out on Sunday afternoon.
Sunday afternoon at Kenner League was one of the more underrated days at Kenner this summer.
It started off with an electric overtime game in Game One, where Quashie Family Dental, the darling team of the summer, survived an upset bid thanks to an incredible off-balance three-pointer by AJ Swinton to send the game to overtime.
https://twitter.com/HilltopHoops_/status/1685733778503749633?s=20
Next up, this Substack writer got to see new Hoya Supreme Cook for the first time in Kenner League, and Cook did not disappoint.
Finally, in the third game of the day, Drew McKenna played, and was joined on the floor by Sidwell Friends point guard Acaden Lewis (2025), who was running in the backcourt for the opposing team.
Next week is the last week of Kenner. Here’s what I saw in the penultimate weekend slate of games.
Supreme Cook
10 points (2-5 FG, 6-9 FT), 8 rebounds, 3 blocks
Cook, the Fairfield transfer center, has been eluding me at Kenner all summer long, until Sunday.
Kenner League is known for high-octane offense and highlight reel plays, and less so for its structured on-court schemes or having a lot of high-effort players. After all, it’s summer league.
But Supreme Cook did not get that memo.
The first thing that stood out about Cook was his bounce. And not just how high he can get up, but also his second-bounce ability.
While he looks to be on the shorter side for a center— calling him 6-foot-9 seems to be pushing it— he makes up for it with his bounce and athleticism, as well as a solid wingspan.
Defensively, Cook should provide a high-level of shot-blocking and rebounding. With his effort alone, he should be good for at least 5-6 rebounds a game.
Offensively, Cook was more limited. He only had a few post-ups (Kenner is not a very good environment for low-post players to show off their game), and each post-up only consisted of him backing his man down and going over his left shoulder.
At Fairfield, Cook showed a more capable post game, so I’m willing to bet there is a little more offensive potential there with Cook once the games count.
His offensive rebounding was very impressive. Out of his eight total rebounds, six of them were offensive rebounds. He is relentless in crashing the boards, and his second bounce enables him to keep getting up and fighting for the ball when it’s up in the air.
Defensively, aside from his shot-blocking potential, I was extremely impressed with Cook’s ability to switch out onto the perimeter. He was guarding GW forward Darren Buchanan, who is an athletic, powerful player who is more perimeter-oriented. Cook locked Buchanan up multiple times, and was able to move his feet and stay with Buchanan with relative ease.
That kind of defensive versatility from a center is something Georgetown fans have not seen in many years. I have some concerns about the smaller Cook’s ability to guard bigger centers in the Big East like a Donovan Clingan or Joel Soriano, but that’s a problem for another day.
Dontrez Styles
15 points (4-11 FG, 0-2 3FG, 7-9 FT), 11 rebounds
With Wayne Bristol out on Sunday (not injury-related), Styles had another opportunity to be the go-to scorer for his Quashie Family Dental team, but instead it was high school senior AJ Swinton who was the best player on his team and willed QFD to an impressive overtime victory.
15 points and 11 rebounds is nothing to scoff at, although stats in Kenner are always a bit inflated. That Styles cared enough to fight for 11 rebounds in a summer league game is a credit to him.
Still, I find myself wishing I had seen a little more aggressiveness from him in Kenner League this summer. Physically, he has the strength to push defenders around when he has the ball. He can get to his spots when he wants to.
The shot worries me a bit. When it’s falling, Styles looks like he can be a scorer for his team. But in the games I saw, the shot was coming and going. Hopefully when the regular season rolls around, Styles is able to knock down perimeter shots with more regularity.
He is clearly a strong rebounder and a capable defender too. But I’m personally unclear on what his ceiling is this year as a Hoya.
Can he be a primary scoring option? Can he be a 3-and-D player? Can he be a lockdown wing defender?
I think he has the athleticism and natural ability to fit any of those roles that I listed above. But what I saw in Kenner this summer leaves me feeling uncertain about what exactly he will be for this team this year. Hopefully, with more structure in games that actually count and a defined role (and likely one that involves a lot of minutes), Styles will flourish.
There’s also the fact that he was dealing with a minor foot ailment earlier this summer. Perhaps that has lingered and he wants to take it easy during Kenner. Certainly possible.
Ultimately, I’ll chalk up this summer to a little summer league sleepiness from Styles. I do think there is a good player in there, and one that can be a key contributor to Georgetown this season.
Jay Heath
16 points (6-14 FG, 0-5 3FG, 4-7 FT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Heath continues to fall under the radar this summer, it seems, through no fault of his own. His game suits Kenner League really well, and he has a smoothness to his game that makes him look like a 10-year professional basketball player rather than a player entering his fifth year as a college player.
He’s been so steady and effective, there’s not much to analyze with him that Hoya fans haven’t already seen before. What you see is what you get: a versatile guard who can attack off the dribble and spot-up from three, and someone who can operate on-ball or off-ball.
The three-point shot wasn’t falling on Sunday, but I’m not going to worry as much about him having a cold shooting day after shooting 38% from three last season, and being a career 38% three-point shooter.
Feels to me like Heath is poised for a big year in his second go-round with the Hoyas.
Drew McKenna
18 points (7-14 FG, 3-6 3FG, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds, 2 assists
McKenna continues to excite with his performances in Kenner. He had a quiet first half on Sunday, but with a tight game in the late stages of the second half, McKenna took over for his team and was everywhere, impacting the game on both offense and defense.
It’s Kenner, but McKenna’s ability to bring the ball up the floor and be a go-to scorer for his team already bodes well for his future in college. His shot-making ability is advanced, his handle has surprised me with how smooth it is for a 6-foot-7 wing, and his defensive versatility is promising.
Rowan Brumbaugh has probably been the most impressive Hoya in Kenner, but McKenna is not far behind. Let’s hope he gets his eligibility worked out and is able to join the team soon, as opposed to in January 2024.
AJ Swinton & Acaden Lewis
Can’t tell the story of Kenner League on July 30th without mentioning AJ Swinton. He was the star of the show in the first game, and was hitting shots from all over the floor.
From conversations with people around Swinton, the appeal of staying home and playing for Georgetown is something that is very attractive to the Bishop O’Connell wing. But with the addition of Caleb Williams in 2024, Swinton’s focus is primarily on a couple of other schools at the moment, with West Virginia being one of them.
Georgetown could always get back into things, but it would have to work to show Swinton that there is a role to be had in the program for the future, even with Williams (and McKenna) set to be on the team at his position. Right now, that math feels tough.
Acaden Lewis, who is friends with Drew McKenna and Caleb Williams, suited up in Kenner on Sunday. Lewis is set to take an official visit to Georgetown in the next couple months, and looked comfortable playing in the cozy confines of McDonough Arena. While he has some weight to add to his frame still, Lewis’ court vision and passing were evident to those who were watching on Sunday.
The Sidwell Friends and Team Durant product will be one to watch during the high school season this year for Hoya fans.