Bass Pro TOC: Missouri Prospects Shine on Day 1
The Bass Pro Tournament of Champions kicked off from JQH Arena in Springfield Thursday night. The loaded field consists of national powerhouse programs from all over the country (Oak Hill, Christ the King, Paul VI, Booker T, Greensboro Day) as…
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Continue ReadingThe Bass Pro Tournament of Champions kicked off from JQH Arena in Springfield Thursday night. The loaded field consists of national powerhouse programs from all over the country (Oak Hill, Christ the King, Paul VI, Booker T, Greensboro Day) as well as some talented local squads such as Vashon, Kickapoo, and Greenwood.
The Missouri squads fared admirably on opening night. Vashon cruised to an impressive 69-33 victory over Christ the King to advance to the semifinals. Kickapoo went toe to toe with the #3 ranked program in the country, Oak HIll, and was within a possession in the fourth quarter before the Warriors pulled away late. Local, top ranked Class 2, Greenwood showed their chops against nationally ranked Paul VI. The Blue Jays opened eyes despite losing by a significant margin. Despite being significantly out-sized by a much larger team, Greenwood hung tough and kept the game within three possessions into the third quarter.
Several Show-Me-State prospects had stand-out performances on opening night, here’s a look at who impressed:
6’7 Sr Cam’Ron Fletcher | Vashon
Cam’Ron, a Kentucky signee and #2 ranked senior in Missouri by Prep Hoops, had a monster game in Vashon’s opening round victory over Christ the King. The uber-athletic wing had a 21 point, 13 rebound double-double and was an efficient 9-13 from the floor.
5’10 Sr Phillip Russell | Vashon
SEMO is getting a good one in Phillip Russell, who flanked Fletcher in the Vashon back-court with a big-time performance Thursday night. Russell is a highly skilled lead guard that gets it done on both ends of the floor. Against Christ the King, he drilled 6 three-pointers and finished with 20 points.
6’1 Jr Anton Brookshire | Kickapoo
People in Southwest Missouri are fully aware of how talented Anton Brookshire is, but after his performance Thursday night you can expect his name to become more prevalent nationally. Against a star-studded Oak Hill Academy, it was Brookshire who shined the brightest. He was sensational using his elite ball-handling ability to weave through traffic and buried 7 three-pointers with insane range in route to a monster 33 point game.
6’2 Jr Cameron Liggans | Kickapoo
Cam continues to improve for Kickapoo and has formed quite the dynamic duo with back-court mate Anton Brookshire. He is an excellent athlete with capable slashing ability that is becoming more and more efficient from beyond the arc. He came up big against Oak Hill with a 12 point, 6 rebound outing that included a pair of triples.
6’5 Jr Aminu Mohammed | Greenwood
Arguably one of the top prospects that plays on by far the smallest team in the field, Aminu continues to prove that his game translates regardless of the competition opposite him. Against the #13 ranked team in the entire country, Aminu was business as usual. For him, that means 31 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 assists. With Mohammed on top of his game, do not be surprised if Greenwood collects a victory this weekend.
6’1 So Tommy Pinegar | Greenwood
Pinegar is such a critical piece to this Greenwood team. He is fearless and confident, with a knack for making big plays. He was not intimidated in the slightest against Paul VI. Tommy pitched in a dozen points on four-three pointers, a couple of which from NBA range. He is a big time shooter.