UMSL Shootout: Team Recaps
The University of Missouri-St. Louis Shootout featured many top teams from the St. Louis area. That also made for many competitive games throughout the day. Here is a look at some of the top teams at UMSL on Friday.
CBC: The Cadets were missing top player Kale Catchings and young 6’11” prospect Davion Bradford on Friday. The Cadets still looked pretty strong with what they had on Friday. They got excellent play up front from 6’6″ 2019 Josh Wallace and 6’4″ 2019 Will Shumpert. Both are athletic and very active around the basket. 2020 guard Caleb Love is a talented young player who can handle the ball and get buckets going to the basket. 2018 guard Davis Aufdembrink can really shoot it from downtown while 2019 forward Ari Jackson is a very solid and skilled performer.
Webster Groves: The Statesmen were missing both of their big dogs in Courtney Ramey and Carte’are Gordon, but they competed hard as usual as they defeated CBC and lost to St. Mary’s by only one point. Webster got excellent play on the perimeter from 2018 guard R.J. Wright, 2019 guard Ray Adams and 2019 guard Amorey Womack, a transfer from Maplewood. Wright and Adams can really shoot it while Womack is a bucket-getter.
St. Mary’s: The Dragons were missing their starting backcourt of Yuri Collins and Antonio Burks during the day. 6’6″ 2018 forward Yahuza Rasas was tough around the basket while 6’3″ 2018 Dominic Mitchell and 6’4″ 2018 Miles Jones are versatile wing players who can make plays.
Cardinal Ritter: The Lions are small, yet are quick and very aggressive. Their backcourt of 2018 Jared Phillips and 2019 Malek Davis can stir things up on both ends of the court. Phillips is a defensive force while Davis can get buckets with his old-school game. 6’5″ 2018 forward Bre’on Mosby showed some improved moves in the low post as he scored with both hands. 2019 guard Ryan Torrey is small, but he can really shoot the basketball.
Trinity: The Titans unleashed a bevy of talented young players who saw a ton a varsity minutes as freshmen and sophomores a year ago. Stout 2020 point guard Rashad McDaniels displayed playmaking and scoring ability while fellow 2020 guard Terrell Rush displayed some good bucket getting. 6’8″ 2020 forward Ryan Kalkbrenner was good fundamentally as he kept the ball high and displayed a good touch around the basket. A newcomer on the scene is 6’4″ 2019 guard Jaron Thames, a transfer from Atlanta, who has a smooth offensive game and a high basketball IQ.
Lutheran North: Another young team with a nice crew of talented underclassmen’ 6’5″ 2020 Jordan Nesbit is a big combo guard who was a problem all day with his versatile skill set. 6’2″ 2019 guard Jalen White could get to the basket as he scored several tough buckets in traffic. 6’5″ 290-pound 2019 forward Jack Buford is a football prospect with a good skill set on the basketball court. The Crusaders have a chance to be a factor for quite awhile.
Chaminade: The Red Devils were without several key players as Jericole Hellems, Karrington Davis, Jadis White, Luke Kasubke and Henry Gladson did not play. It gave several young people a chance to play a lot and show what they can do. 2019s Dylan Branson and Harrison Vickers did just that on Friday. Branson is a strong 6’3″ guard who shot the ball well, but also dished out several nice dimes. The 6’3″ Vickers is a slim forward who operated around the basket and displayed a nice turnaround jumper.
Kirkwood: The Pioneers young backcourt of 2019 point guard Damien Loyd and 2020 combo guard Jairus Maclin was very impressive. Loyd was quick and could knock down perimeter shots, but he did an excellent job of finding teammates for easy buckets throughout the day. Loyd also made a runner at the buzzer in a two-point victory over Parkway South. Maclin was a disruptive force on the defensive end with his ball pressure and ability to sniff out errant passes. He had close to 10 steals against Parkway South. 2018 Travis Lien and 3019 Jonah McDowell are a pair of long, lefties who can knock down 3-pointers.
Parkway South: The Patriots were missing solid 6’6″ 2018 forward Jack Mullen. They did get good play from veteran 6’5″ 2018 forward A.J. Sommer, who wore many hats on the day. In addition to his scoring and rebounding, Sommer handled the ball and was also a facilitator from the high post while also guarding several positions. His younger brother, 6’3″ 2019 Adam Sommer, is a good offensive player who can shoot and drive. 2018 guard Jordan Doyle is also a solid veteran who handled the ball well and made 3-pointers.