Trey Blue: Player Journal 7

Trey Blue: Player Journal 7
March 28, 2005

For the 5th installment of the journal, Trey went head-to-head with us to answer some questions. Let's see if he was able to handle the MidState Heat!

FULL COURT PRESS:

MidStateHoops.com: Did you observe the state tournaments?

Trey Blue: Yes, both state tournaments were very interesting.

MidStateHoops.com: What teams and players caught your eye?

Trey Blue: In the Class A State Tournament, of course, the whole Hales Franciscan team stood out. Winnebago and Devan Bawinkel caught my attention and I would have liked to see Nashville play someone else other than Hales in the first round. In the Class AA State Tournament Glenbrook North and Jon Scheyer played solid ball for three straight games and it got them the State Championship. Sean Wallis contributed big in Glenbrook's run. Carbondale's Manual Cass and Ray Nelson caught my eye with their play. Also, Bryan Mullins showed even though he wasn't as quick, he displayed solid fundamentals to score and got big assists during their games. Eliot Engelmann also grabbed my attention, starting off with his headband routine and then I noticed his game as well. Sherron Collins displayed a great amount of heart and skill. In my opinion, his performance was one of the best. Even though his tournament only lasted one game, he showed that he could get to the basket at any time he pleased. He kept his team in the game and I would have loved to see Tyrone Kent play in that game.

MidStateHoops.com: In your opinion, who is the Player of the Year, why?

Trey Blue: Yes, Scheyer does have all the credentials for player of the year. He won state, averaged 20 plus, and scored over 30 or 40 a lot of times. But in my personal opinion, I would give the Player of the Year Award to a senior. DeAndre Thomas has been consistent all season. People had doubts about him in the past years. He's gotten into shape, he passed the ACT, and carried his team to a great record, and another city championship. He has developed into a great player and he didn't just wake up and become slimmer, become smarter, and become a better player. I don't know him personally, but I know he worked hard and studied to get where he is. So he is my Player of the Year.

MidStateHoops.com: How did Julian change after Nayal Koshwal was dismissed from the team?

Trey Blue: When Mac was ruled ineligible, it didn't effected the teams physical game, it effected us mentally. We were already in to the city play-offs and since he already played in one city play-off game, they would have taken away our trophy, even if we would have won. We didn't understand why they waited until play-off time to hit us with that. They could have investigated all season and we would have been accustomed to playing without him. We got some help from our other big men, Desmond Hendrix, Maurice Jackson, and Louis Muhammad, but we knew that we would have to rely on our guard depth if we wanted to win it all. We played pretty well without Mac, but we came up four points short of the United Center Super-Sectional.

MidStateHoops.com: Do you feel the season was a success for Julian, why or why not?

Trey Blue: This season helped our team a lot with life situations. Through ups and downs, we knew what we were capable of. And trust me, everyone else knew too. Because if they didn't, they would have switched our seeding in the state tournament. We made great progress, but we just couldn't get over the hump in the big game. This season was somewhat successful, but also somewhat disappointing with all the distractions throughout the season.

MidStateHoops.com: How has your game progressed as an individual over the past season?

Trey Blue My individual game has progressed greatly over this season. I've gained weight and muscle from hitting the weights extremely hard. My defense and quickness have improved immensely. Wearing a size 13 shoe, I'm still as quick as most little guards. I've also been able to guard some great players on the ball. My instincts in the passing lanes have increased as well. I've improved my breakdown dribble and ability to get to the basket more as well. I could always dribble, but now I know how to use it to my advantage. I can get to the bucket and score, or get assists in the paint against older, stronger guys. I've gotten accustomed to playing the point, and making smart decisions to help and run my team. Since I can rebound well for a guard, I've also learned to get the rebound myself and push it up the floor hard and make plays. I've improved my jump shooting even more and I've developed a mid-range jump shot, and a pull up off the glass. I've grown to be an all-around player and I've learned how to run a team. Most importantly, I've learned to have to dig down and work for what you want.

MidStateHoops.com: What is one memory that sticks out in your mind from the past season? Either something that happened against you or something a player on your team did.

Trey Blue: I got the opportunity to guard and play head-to-head with Duke's Sean Dockery on Christmas Eve.

MidStateHoops.com: Talk about the change to your new team, MeanStreets.

Trey Blue: MeanStreets will give me an opportunity to display my skills, while competing as well. I'm not the only new face to the program but it should be a good situation for me. We have lots of quality players and we will be attending tournaments in Houston, New Orleans, North Carolina, Ft. Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana this summer. We have a structured program and we learn things in practice, we don't just play. I'm looking forward to the summer, we will see how things go.

MidStateHoops.com: What are you hopes and expectations for MeanStreets as a team this season?

Trey Blue: We have a nice team and I expect us to compete on a national level. We should go deep in a lot of tournaments, if not winning the championship in them. Most importantly, I hope most of us get some great college looks this summer.

MidStateHoops.com: Have the coaches talked to you about possibly playing on the 17U level this season?

Trey Blue: Yes, I will be playing in some 17U tournaments as well. Our 17U team hosts Joevan Catron of Thornton, Patrick Beverly of Marshall, and Kijuane Leach of Phillips, just to name a few.

MidStateHoops.com: What are the differences to you between AAU and High School ball?

Trey Blue: AAU basketball is fun. You get to go all over the country and see great players, and play against some great teams. You get to show what you can do on a national level. High School ball is exciting as well. With your friends and family attending the games and the high school rivalry games, high school is one of a kind and every kid should be able to play in a High School game, and compete for a State Title.

MidStateHoops.com: Explain what AAU and High School ball each brings to a player's game that the other one might not always provide.

Trey Blue: AAU brings the flash and the one on one game. It provides the spectators from all over the nation. The behind the back passes that your coach would snatch you out for in a high school game. The fun and laughter after blowing a team out. AAU shows how much skill a player really has and what he can do in the open court. High School brings the defensive stance your coach yells about and the intensity of each minute and quarter. It provides you preparation for the next level. High School ball brings seriousness and diving on the floor for loose balls. High School provides the showing of your fundamentals, and how you play in tough game situations.

Trey Blue: AAU gives me an opportunity to play around the nation and forms a group of guys from different schools. High School gets me prepared to play in college and to protect your school's bragging rights. Both are fun and both are basketball. Basketball is what I love so I can't pick one that I prefer.


THE BEST IN ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL RECRUITING!

	Trey Blue: Player Journal 7 March 28, 2005 For the 5th installment of the journal, Trey went head-to-head with us to answer some questions. Let's see if he was able to handle the MidState Heat! FULL COURT PRESS: MidStateHoops.com: Did you observe the state tournaments? Trey Blue: Yes, both state tournaments were very interesting. MidStateHoops.com: What teams and players caught your eye? Trey Blue: In the Class A State Tournament, of course, the whole Hales Franciscan team stood out. Winnebago and Devan Bawinkel caught my attention and I would have liked to see Nashville play someone else other than Hales in the first round. In the Class AA State Tournament Glenbrook North and Jon Scheyer played solid ball for three straight games and it got them the State Championship. Sean Wallis contributed big in Glenbrook's run. Carbondale's Manual Cass and Ray Nelson caught my eye with their play. Also, Bryan Mullins showed even though he wasn't as quick, he displayed solid fundamentals to score and got big assists during their games. Eliot Engelmann also grabbed my attention, starting off with his headband routine and then I noticed his game as well. Sherron Collins displayed a great amount of heart and skill. In my opinion, his performance was one of the best. Even though his tournament only lasted one game, he showed that he could get to the basket at any time he pleased. He kept his team in the game and I would have loved to see Tyrone Kent play in that game. MidStateHoops.com: In your opinion, who is the Player of the Year, why? Trey Blue: Yes, Scheyer does have all the credentials for player of the year. He won state, averaged 20 plus, and scored over 30 or 40 a lot of times. But in my personal opinion, I would give the Player of the Year Award to a senior. DeAndre Thomas has been consistent all season. People had doubts about him in the past years. He's gotten into shape, he passed the ACT, and carried his team to a great record, and another city championship. He has developed into a great player and he didn't just wake up and become slimmer, become smarter, and become a better player. I don't know him personally, but I know he worked hard and studied to get where he is. So he is my Player of the Year. MidStateHoops.com: How did Julian change after Nayal Koshwal was dismissed from the team? Trey Blue: When Mac was ruled ineligible, it didn't effected the teams physical game, it effected us mentally. We were already in to the city play-offs and since he already played in one city play-off game, they would have taken away our trophy, even if we would have won. We didn't understand why they waited until play-off time to hit us with that. They could have investigated all season and we would have been accustomed to playing without him. We got some help from our other big men, Desmond Hendrix, Maurice Jackson, and Louis Muhammad, but we knew that we would have to rely on our guard depth if we wanted to win it all. We played pretty well without Mac, but we came up four points short of the United Center Super-Sectional. MidStateHoops.com: Do you feel the season was a success for Julian, why or why not? Trey Blue: This season helped our team a lot with life situations. Through ups and downs, we knew what we were capable of. And trust me, everyone else knew too. Because if they didn't, they would have switched our seeding in the state tournament. We made great progress, but we just couldn't get over the hump in the big game. This season was somewhat successful, but also somewhat disappointing with all the distractions throughout the season. MidStateHoops.com: How has your game progressed as an individual over the past season? Trey Blue My individual game has progressed greatly over this season. I've gained weight and muscle from hitting the weights extremely hard. My defense and quickness have improved immensely. Wearing a size 13 shoe, I'm still as quick as most little guards. I've also been able to guard some great players on the ball. My instincts in the passing lanes have increased as well. I've improved my breakdown dribble and ability to get to the basket more as well. I could always dribble, but now I know how to use it to my advantage. I can get to the bucket and score, or get assists in the paint against older, stronger guys. I've gotten accustomed to playing the point, and making smart decisions to help and run my team. Since I can rebound well for a guard, I've also learned to get the rebound myself and push it up the floor hard and make plays. I've improved my jump shooting even more and I've developed a mid-range jump shot, and a pull up off the glass. I've grown to be an all-around player and I've learned how to run a team. Most importantly, I've learned to have to dig down and work for what you want. MidStateHoops.com: What is one memory that sticks out in your mind from the past season? Either something that happened against you or something a player on your team did. Trey Blue: I got the opportunity to guard and play head-to-head with Duke's Sean Dockery on Christmas Eve. MidStateHoops.com: Talk about the change to your new team, MeanStreets. Trey Blue: MeanStreets will give me an opportunity to display my skills, while competing as well. I'm not the only new face to the program but it should be a good situation for me. We have lots of quality players and we will be attending tournaments in Houston, New Orleans, North Carolina, Ft. Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana this summer. We have a structured program and we learn things in practice, we don't just play. I'm looking forward to the summer, we will see how things go. MidStateHoops.com: What are you hopes and expectations for MeanStreets as a team this season? Trey Blue: We have a nice team and I expect us to compete on a national level. We should go deep in a lot of tournaments, if not winning the championship in them. Most importantly, I hope most of us get some great college looks this summer. MidStateHoops.com: Have the coaches talked to you about possibly playing on the 17U level this season? Trey Blue: Yes, I will be playing in some 17U tournaments as well. Our 17U team hosts Joevan Catron of Thornton, Patrick Beverly of Marshall, and Kijuane Leach of Phillips, just to name a few. MidStateHoops.com: What are the differences to you between AAU and High School ball? Trey Blue: AAU basketball is fun. You get to go all over the country and see great players, and play against some great teams. You get to show what you can do on a national level. High School ball is exciting as well. With your friends and family attending the games and the high school rivalry games, high school is one of a kind and every kid should be able to play in a High School game, and compete for a State Title. MidStateHoops.com: Explain what AAU and High School ball each brings to a player's game that the other one might not always provide. Trey Blue: AAU brings the flash and the one on one game. It provides the spectators from all over the nation. The behind the back passes that your coach would snatch you out for in a high school game. The fun and laughter after blowing a team out. AAU shows how much skill a player really has and what he can do in the open court. High School brings the defensive stance your coach yells about and the intensity of each minute and quarter. It provides you preparation for the next level. High School ball brings seriousness and diving on the floor for loose balls. High School provides the showing of your fundamentals, and how you play in tough game situations. Trey Blue: AAU gives me an opportunity to play around the nation and forms a group of guys from different schools. High School gets me prepared to play in college and to protect your school's bragging rights. Both are fun and both are basketball. Basketball is what I love so I can't pick one that I prefer.
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