MLK Basketball Showcase Recap: Part 1 (Video)

The 2nd annual MLK Basketball Showcase presented by InspireNOLA Schools tipped off last week (Jan. 21) at Xavier University’s Convocation Center. This year’s slate pitted top teams from New Orleans and Baton Rouge against one another with matchups including Karr vs. Scotlandville, Landry-Walker vs. Madison Prep, Sophie B. Wright vs. Walker and Bonnabel vs. Lafayette Christian. Warren Easton also started the day slipping past McKinley, 35-32 and McMain ended the night with a 66-65 win over McDonogh 35. We’ll focus on the first two games mentioned in this article. Sophie B. Wright 79, Walker 65 Sophie B. Wright continues to make a compelling case for best team in the state after a dominant performance against Walker. The score was a bit misleading as the Wildcats put up some points late but Wright was in complete control from the end of the second quarter through the end of the game. Rhode Island signee Gregory Hammond and Southern-Baton Rouge signee D.J. Burns both put up 21 points to lead the way. Hammond showed off his exceptional skill and athletic ability with four 3-pointers, a couple of drives to the rim and a huge two-handed dunk off a baseline drive. As always, Burns’ effort and intensity was top-notch as he also grabbed 11 boards with his 21 points. 2019 6-foot-7 wing Charlie Russell had a relatively quiet game with 13 points but had several eye-opening plays including a coast-to-coast drive for a big left-handed dunk. He’s the best unsigned senior available in the metro area and was receiving interest from multiple Division I school before an injury over the summer slowed him down a bit. Point guards 2019 Dandrick Green and 2020 Scorey Holmes are also key pieces for the Warriors and 2019 F Rashaun Vance is getting healthy at just the right time to give SBW even more depth. Walker is mostly a two-man show led by 2020 PG Jalen Cook and 2021 G Brian Thomas. Cook is the best player in the state regardless of class for my money, and he’s an explosive scorer who put up 29 against SBW and 41 this week in a win over Scotlandville. He’s an elite ball handler, passer and shooter and there’s not much anyone can do when he makes up his mind to get a bucket. Thomas is an incredible athlete who also has a plethora of offers in football, as does Cook, but it seems he’s still figuring out what he does best on the basketball court. His points are primarily a product of his rare athletic ability as defenders have difficulty staying in front of him and he’s also a willing passer that finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks against SBW. [embed]https://youtu.be/4CmxHpwRjjU[/embed] Scotlandville 93, Karr 48 As the score indicates, this one was all Scotlandville from the tip. The Hornets drained at least their first four 3-point attempts and the three-headed monster of 2020 guards Reece Beekman, Tai’Reon Joseph and Carvell Teasett all played at a high level. Beekman, arguably one of the state’s top two players regardless of class, posted a triple-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists while also coming up with four steals and three blocks. Beekman is the floor general for the Hornets who heavily rely on the production of himself, Joseph and Teasett. He consistently does a little bit of everything for Scotlandville, and it’s easy to see why his offer sheet includes teams such as LSU, Florida, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Virginia and Iowa State among others. Joseph’s game has improved maybe more than any other player in the state. He got a fair amount of playing time last season as a sophomore but has been incredibly efficient as a high volume scorer for Scotlandville this season. The 6-foot-3 lefty is a knockdown shooter from deep and has sneaky athleticism that allows him to play above the rim as well. He finished with 29 including five 3-pointers and four steals against Karr, and holds offers from Southern-Baton Rouge and LSU-Alexandria. Teasett (6-foot-1)is the newcomer for Scotlandville after not having played much as a sophomore. He gives the Hornets another sharpshooter from deep and is also comfortable shooting from midrange putting up 17 with five assists in the MLK Showcase. 2020 F Jonathan Horton (6-foot-5) also had an impressive showing against Karr with 10 points, five blocks and four steals. He finished a nice alley-oop from Beekman early in the game and made a handful of effort plays adding some hustle to the Hornets’ lineup.