Drammeh starting fast for Sweden this summer
Sheriff Drammeh may have to play an increased role for the University of Hawai’i basketball team next season, and he is getting a chance to showcase some of his skills this summer.
Drammeh, who will be a sophomore guard for the Warriors in 2016-17, has scored a total of 46 points in his first two games in the FIBA U20 European Championship at Helsinki, Finland. Drammeh is a starter for Sweden, which is 1-1 so far in the tournament.
He had 21 points, five assists and four rebounds in a victory over Belgium, and then recorded 25 points, six rebounds and one assist in a loss to Czech Republic.
Zigmars Raimo, an incoming freshman recruit for Hawai’i, is also participating in the U20 tournament, with Latvia. He is averaging 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game as a reserve forward for Latvia, which is 1-1.
The tournament will continue through July 24.
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SUMMER LEAGUE UPDATE
Here are the current records for the Hawaii College Basketball Summer League at Manoa Valley Recreation Gym.
Electricians Hawaii 7-1
Chosen few 6-2
Grantco Pacific 4-4
Wealth Strategy Partners 4-4
Clark Hatch Fitness 3-5
National Fire Protection Co. 0-8
Players from the current UH roster have not been participating in recent games, but there are still two more weeks remaining on the schedule, including the playoffs on July 25, 28 and 30 at Maryknoll School.
The leading scorers in the league so far this summer are (by average per game, minimum four games):
Lee Roberts (Chosen Few) 31.3
Geremy Robinson (Grantco Pacific) 27.5
Chance Kalaugher (National Fire) 23.1
Kona Makaula (Electricians Hawaii) 22.9
Oscar Pedroso (Electricians Hawaii) 22.1
Mark Veazey (Grantco Pacific) 20.1
James Lefebvre (National Fire) 20.0
Derrick Gordon (Wealth Strategy) 19.6
Nick Velasquez (National Fire) 19.0
Dyrbe Enos (Clark Hatch Fitness) 18.3
CLICK HERE for more information on the Summer League, including video highlights
Go Sheriff!
Sometimes WE Wonder Why…
But Sheriff is our Pre-Tween Princess’s (Beauty, Gymnast) Favorite UHMBB Player
I Like Sheriff’s Improvement, Size, Quickness & Potential
And U20 Performances…
Go Sweden
Go Latvia
GO STAFF
Go ‘Bows!
Sheriff is not only leading his team in scoring, after 2 games he is the third leading scorer in the entire 16 team tournament. In truth, his shooting has been erratic, and he has been downright terrible from 3 point land (12.5%) and the free throw line (42%). However, on the good side, after watching both of Sweden’s games, there is no doubt that Sheriff is not only the team’s lead guard, he is the heart and soul of the offense. Almost all half court offense starts with him, and quite often the offense ends with him, as he is practically the only player on the team who can create something off the dribble. Naturally this has led to Drammeh forcing some shots and taking a good number of shots that he would not ordinarily take playing for Hawaii. On the other hand, I think he has only 4 turnovers total in the two games, which is a darn good seeing as he has played almost 33 minutes per game and has been responsible for handling the ball a lot more than anyone else.
In any case, the experience of playing in this tournament is a really good one for him. Since Sheriff is a returnee who logged a decent number of minutes last year, I would say he is getting a lot more out of playing in the FIBA Under 20 European Championship Tournament (Division A, the top 16 teams) than he would being here for the summer.
I can’t say I feel the same way about Zigmars Raimo, who is not having much of a tournament experience with the Latvian team, and so far, has looked a little bit overwhelmed by some of the competition.
Sheriff looks comfortable and confident at the point, and his experience with the U-20 team will pay dividends in the fall. Don’t really care for the zone defenses; wonder if it’s a Euro thing. Nice find, Dayton.
oldtimefan: Good points. Are the games available online?
clyde, click on the video at the begining of this article, once it starts click the youtube icon. These are full games. Good find. Looking forward to seeing Sheriff next season ! Go Bows !
Thanks, akuhead2.
Sheriff had team-highs of 16 points (though not a good shooting day) and 6 assists (plus 5 rebounds) to help Sweden beat Italy today. Next up: Sweden vs. Latvia (Ziggy’s team; he had 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting in 15 minutes in loss to Ukraine today).
Thanks, Clyde
Maybe BOTH Growing Up Fast…
Good Stuff All Around….
I’d Like to Think The Quality of Recruits is On the Rise….
And Maybe MORE Along Skills and Metrics than just Numbers/Results….
Maybe A Longer-Term Look at Total Potential versus Recent Past Performance…
Sai Tummala might be an Example….two years without Results,
but all the skills and elements still there for almost immediate success @ UH –
– Here Comes The Doctor!
Sheriff might also be an example (although I didn’t like his shooting form last year in practice & warmups; but he had better shot selection in games –intelligence?); won’t be taking many bad shots on THIS Team….
Sheriff again had team-highs of 15 points and 7 rebounds in Sweden’s 66-53 loss to Latvia today. He shot 5 for 14 (5 of 6 FTs) and was 0-4 from 3. I’ve watched a couple of games and Sweden is a poor shooting team overall (18 for 60 today) so I’m not sure what to make of Sheriff’s offense.
He’s developed a nice pullup jumper in the key, but the other team often is playing a zone so that area is open once you beat your man. His ballhandling has improved, but it also appears he’s carrying the ball at times. It’s a great experience, though, and will help in his development.
Raimo went scoreless (0 for 3) in 20 minutes.