South Bay Lakers Preseason: Thomas Bryant and Franklin Session impress
In a preseason game, the South Bay Lakers played the Northern Arizona Suns in a fun high-scoring match. Two Lakers made a big impression.
The South Bay Lakers have a new look, and a refreshed roster with a few notable returners in last years MVP Vander Blue, Travis Wear, and Andre Ingram. Scott Machado and Frank Session were some fresh new faces, and the Lakers Thomas Bryant got some great minutes.
You wouldn’t think this was a preseason game, the way the players were playing, but that’s because they were playing for their careers. Well, most of them, Bryant was playing to get some game time in, and boy did he.
The South Bay Lakers were in front most if not all of the game, winning it 120-116 over the Northern Arizona Suns.
Bryant, in the first half, played 12:09 minutes and made five of six shots including hitting both of his three-pointers. He also grabbed seven rebounds and scored fourteen points.
It was Bryant’s dunk that got fans out of their seats, and it was entertaining to watch. The dude was everywhere on the court. Standing 6-feet-10 and 241-pounds, the 20-year old showed his dominance among G-league players and hopefuls.
The second half of the game was all Franklin Session.
What brought the house down in the game was when Session (or Nitty, his nickname) the MVP of this summer’s Drew League, drove the basket for a sweet one-handed slam after a crossover parting the sea of defenders.
Session drew back-to-back offensive fouls, one looked painful getting an elbow to the chest, but he bounced back up and took one for the team. He rose to the occasion in his first ever G-League game. He already has a ton of fans in South Central, but now his teammates have joined in the fun showing their delight each time Nitty made an exciting play.
Session scored 17 points in 18:27 minutes, and although he was making 46% of his shots, he put up 13 of them. What was impressive was his style of play including taking charges and making four out of five free throws (80%). Add to that three rebounds, two steals, and one assist.
I spoke to the South Bay Lakers head coach Coby Karl to get his thoughts. I also spoke to Bryant and Sessions after the game. You think Bryant is a Five-Guys or In-and-Out fan? What’s the difference between the Drew League and the G-League?
Next: Almost a whole new roster for the South Bay Lakers
This upcoming season is going to be fun! Head Coach Coby Karl has put together an exciting roster which includes Vegas NBA Summer League sensation Alex Caruso and seven-foot Steven Zimmerman. Vander Blue is a player you don’t want to miss, so come down to El Segundo, check out the new UCLA Training Facility and have yourself a great time!