Surprise, surprise: the Dorman Cavaliers are going to be really good at basketball again this season. The second-ranked Cavaliers defeated Rock Hill in their season opener, 84-49. Let’s dive into my four points from Dorman’s dominant victory toopen up the 2024-25 campaign.
FOUR POINTS:
1. Keenan Arcega-Whiteside – Anyone that follows high school basketball in South Carolina knows this name and how great of an athlete he is. The 6’6” Rice Owl Football commit scored 21 points and crashed the glass well on both ends. The thing that impressed me the most from Arcega-Whiteside was his ability to distribute the ball from the post. He and junior forward Will Bush ran a great two-man game down low. The Dorman frontcourt had the size advantage all night and helped control the game from inside the painted area. This frontcourt helped control the game from the opening tip and will be a problem for a lot of their opponents this season.
2. Unselfish Guard Play – This was very refreshing to watch. Not to be the “get off my lawn” guy, but in the modern day of basketball, there is a lot of selfish guard play. Dorman did not have that on opening night. Sophomore guard and Southside transfer Jaden Johnson played spectacular. He had 17 points but was able to open up the offense with his distribution skills. I was blown away by his willingness to pass up a good look for a great look and his natural feel for the game. I have not watched too many 10th graders with his skillset. Junior point guard Peden Breazeale also helped anchor the backcourt, while playing displaying some impressive on-ball defense. Off the bench, sophomore Aaden Bruton-Smith scored in double figures with a lot of difficult buckets that he made look routine. All of the Dorman guards are bucket getters, but also can create elite ball movement for a full 32 minutes.
3. Diverse Defense – This might be my favorite thing from tonight. Dorman ran 3-2 & 2-3 zone, a 2-1-2 extended, and man to man defenses. Coach Thomas Ryan, one of the coaching legends in our state, kept showing different looks on the defensive all first half. This was so refreshing to see. I loved Dorman’s ability to switch almost seamlessly into a different look almost every possession. I can talk about how well Dorman played offensively all day, but the pressure and diversity shown on the defensive end to begin the year is something this team can lean on all season.
4. Playing Together – Obviously on opening night, the cohesiveness of a team will not be what it is in February. With guys coming from football and others who have played basketball all summer, the team chemistry usually is not at 100% in the first few weeks of the season. However, Dorman played together the entire game. They ran half-court sets for much of first half and scored 48 points in the first 16 minutes doing so. There were not a lot of openinggame mistakes either. The Cavaliers settled into their half-court sets, but also were ready to get out and run when the opportunity presented itself. To see a team function this well on opening night shows how well coached and how disciplined Dorman is.
