Classen SAS vs. Bixby Scrimmage: Classen SAS Team Report

In our second look at the scrimmage between two of the best teams in Oklahoma, we’ll look at the team who many thought would easily walk away with the 4A championship last season. Alas, a tremendous defensive effort by eventual silver ball winner Fort Gibson sent No. 1-ranked Classen SAS home far earlier than anyone expected. A juggernaut during the season, the Comets crushed everyone on the way to the playoffs and that could very well be the case again this season. It remains to be seen what happens there. I know that the Comets and head coach James Perinovic are eager to get back to the playoffs and redeem themselves. Classen SAS <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/DSC_0127-scaled-crop-2144x1408-1637800806.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-356237 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/DSC_0127-scaled-crop-2144x1408-1637800806-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="150924" first="Darianna" last="Littlepage-Buggs"] | 6-2 SF | 2022 | <a href="https://x.com/DariannaBuggs22">@DariannaBuggs22</a> Darianna is one of the best players in the country and that hasn’t changed since last season’s disappointing playoff game. She actually looks slightly improved - if that’s possible - for a player who already was able to do absolutely everything at a very high level. She was working on a fadeaway and her jumper from long range was not only impossible to block, but was very fluid and smooth - especially for a player her size. As always with Littlepage-Buggs, her defense is her calling card. She swatted an almost innumerable amount of shots on Monday. DLP knows how good she is and that isn’t a bad thing at all. She knows that the focus is on her from the opponent’s defense and has learned to really involve her teammates in a way that is definitely going to benefit the Comets this season. Darianna has recently visited Texas A&M, Florida, Alabama and Baylor, though she has not committed just yet. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/DSC_0077-scaled-crop-2304x1513-1637800893.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-356239 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/DSC_0077-scaled-crop-2304x1513-1637800893-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="160454" first="Jordan" last="Harrison"] | 5-5 PG | 2022 | <a href="https://x.com/J_Harrison2022">@J_Harrison2022</a> The chance to see Jordan go up against [player_tooltip player_id="197956" first="Gentry" last="Baldwin"] for the majority of the game was well worth the price of admission - if this hadn’t been a free scrimmage. Harrison is an SFA commit and watching her run the point for Classen SAS it is easy to see her slotting into Mark Kellogg’s offense in Nacogdoches where the Ladyjacks have become a team who loses about as much as Classen SAS does - that is to say, not too often. Harrison is great at the dribble drive and finishing at the rim and her ability to blow by her defender creates a lot of space for her to hit big-time three-pointers, also. She is the coach on the floor and runs the offense to precision. She defends at a very high level and really is just an incredibly well-rounded player. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/DSC_0028-scaled-crop-2304x1513-1637801011.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-356241 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/DSC_0028-scaled-crop-2304x1513-1637801011-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="197953" first="Jaida" last="O’Conner"] | 6-1 G/F | 2023 | <a href="https://x.com/jaidaoconner22">@jaidaoconner22</a> Need more proof that Classen SAS is absolutely loaded? O’Conner is the No. 4-ranked player in the class of 2023 and has offers from OU, Texas A&M, Eastern Michigan and SMU. Obviously, she has great size for a guard, but her length is tremendous - that is to say, she isn’t just a tall player with little arms or something like that. She also uses her size well to play inside, as needed. She can rebound and defends well against other tall players. Basically, she can play positions one through five on either end of the court. Someone with her skill set and size is basically invaluable. She can also fill it up from long range. She has plenty of big-time offers already, but when the two aforementioned players have moved on from Classen SAS, Jaida will come into her own even more and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see even more offers come rolling in. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/DSC_0011-scaled-crop-2304x1513-1637801093.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-356243 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/DSC_0011-scaled-crop-2304x1513-1637801093-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>Jasmine McCloud | 5-8 CG | 2022 To be entirely honest, I hope that the No. 11 I was watching play at the scrimmage on Monday was Jasmine McCloud. I am going off an old Classen SAS roster and I could be completely wrong, but whoever it was that was wearing No. 11 for the Comets on Monday deserves to be written about. She was playing some outstanding defense in the Classen zone and full-court pressure and you could tell that she was probably an older player and an incredibly intelligent player. With the ball in her hands, she consistently made the right play for her team and showed off a plethora of basketball skills. She had a nice mid-range jumper and some very, very good handles. She was a very good all-around player and as I said in my notes - this kid would be an absolute star on any other team. On Classen SAS, she is a facilitator who makes things run smoothly and could be the catalyst to taking that next step in the playoffs. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/DSC_0092-1-scaled-crop-2048x1345-1637801193.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-356245 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/DSC_0092-1-scaled-crop-2048x1345-1637801193-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="160444" first="Micah" last="Gray"] | 5-8 CG | 2022 | <a href="https://x.com/MicahGray2022">@MicahGray2022</a> I’ve gotta say, it is incredibly unfair to have [player_tooltip player_id="160454" first="Jordan" last="Harrison"] and [player_tooltip player_id="160444" first="Micah" last="Gray"] in the backcourt together. Gray is a D-I point guard and she can definitely play the two as needed. Micah is strong and tough and goes hard all game long. Incredibly fun to watch, she can absolutely fill it up from all three levels. She is built to handle the beating of Division-I basketball and schools like Tulsa, Eastern Michigan, and James Madison have already noticed. Gray has the handles, defensive tenacity, and scoring ability of an absolute star. Just like the aforementioned McCloud, Gray would be a superstar on any other team and the focal point of what every opponent tries to do defensively. That is how loaded the Comets are. Every position has a legit three-level scorer and it is almost unfair if they are able to get everything clicking at once - and during the playoffs.