Weekend Grassroots Recap
*St. Louis Eagles Showcase: After traveling around the country for weeks, the Eagles made their only appearance in St. Louis over the weekend. The 17U EYBL team played in a showcase game against the SW Illinois Titans on Saturday, winning…
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Continue Reading*St. Louis Eagles Showcase: After traveling around the country for weeks, the Eagles made their only appearance in St. Louis over the weekend. The 17U EYBL team played in a showcase game against the SW Illinois Titans on Saturday, winning 77-60. 2017 Guard Reginald Crawford (Chaminade) has been shooting the ball well throughout EYBL play and he continued that excellent shooting over the weekend. He is a dual-sport standout who has Division I offers in football. The Eagles are led by 6’4″ 2017 forward Jordan Goodwin, who has blown up as a national recruit with his stellar play in the EYBL.
The 16U team played two showcase games in the 17U division, winning both easily. The 16U team is loaded with size, depth and athleticism. One impressive player over the weekend was 6’5″ 2018 wing Karrington Davis (Chaminade) who displayed a smooth shooting stroke from the mid-range and from beyond the 3-point line. 6’3″ 2018 wing Fred Thatch, Jr. (Sikeston) showed explosiveness around the basket and in the open court. 6’5″ 2018 power forward Jamarr Williams (Northwest) was an offensive rebounding machine.
In the 16U championship game, the Eagles 15U team defeated the St. Louis Prospects 41-40 in an exciting final. The Eagles scored on a last-second layup by 6’6 2019 forward E.J.Liddell. The Prospects have a couple of nice 2018 players in the 6’2″ guard Tony Burkes (St. Mary’s) and 6’3″ guard Dominic Mitchell (MICDS).
The 15U Championship game was taken by the 14U Eagles (White) team that was playing up a division. The Eagles have a young man to watch in the future in 6’9″ 245-pound eighth-grader Davion Bradford. He’s still just a pup right now, but he has the size and potential to be a force down the road. 6’1″ 2020 guard Dylan Branson is a nifty combo guard who can really pass the basketball. Great court vision.
Other players of note at the Eagles Showcase include: Brent Smith 6’7″ St. Louis Warriors 2017; Tate Hotz 6’2″ St. Louis Warriors (2017), Brandon McKissic 6’2″ St. Louis Eagles (2017), Kale Catchings 6’5″ St. Louis Eagles (2018), Tyler Dancy 6’7″ SW ILL Titans (2017), Marvin Bateman 6’5″ SW ILL Titans (2017)
*Howard Pulley Invitational
KC Run GMC 15U won the championship of the Howard Pulley while playing up in the 16U Division. Run GMC’s 15U team has enjoyed an impressive run in the Under Armour Association. They have one of the top 2019 guards in Missouri in 5’9″ Lamel Robinson of Park Hill South. Robinson is a talented point guard with a multitude of ways to score. KC Run GMC’s 16U team played up in the 17U Division and advanced to the championship game, finishing as runners-up.
*Kings of the Court
The MoKan Select 17U team ventured to Iowa and won the championship of the Kings of the Court Tournament. MoKan Select is led by 6’6″ 2017 forward Esyan Wiley, who averaged a double-double in leading his team to the tournament championship. It was MoKan Select’s third tournament win of the spring.
The KC Pacers 16U played up at the 17U level and finished 3-1 to advance to the Final Four.
*Adidas May Classic
The Gateway 16U finished 5-1 and advanced to the Gold Division championship game of the Adidas May Classic in Indianapolis, finishing in second place. 2017 forward Clay Gayman has been a force for Gateway with some big scoring games. The 6’5″ forward had 31 points and 20 rebounds in a quarterfinals victory over Pocket City (IN).
The Gateway 17U team won the championship in the Silver Division, finishing 5-1 for the tournament. 2017 forward Wyatt Yess picked up an offer from Yale. 6’9″ 2017 Momandou Diarra also picked up an offer from Long Beach State.
*Ozark Regional AAU
The St. Louis Storm won the 17U championship with a 57-34 victory over Missouri Impact. The Missouri Combat defeated the St. Louis Stars in overtime to win the 16U championship. Missouri Combat rallied from a 15 point deficit to take the championship. The Missouri Combat features one of the best 2018 shooters in 6’1″ guard Davis Aufdenbrink, who had seven 3-pointers in one half during the tournament.