Cardinal Ritter Classic: All-Classic Team

Prep Hoops was on hand for the Cardinal Ritter Classic Saturday.  The 10 team event featured a wide array of talented prospects that included both D-1 talent and small college gems.  Here is a look at our All-Classic Team from this exciting event that consists of the standout performers from the winning teams: <em><strong>6'0 Sr <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/glenn-valentine/">Glenn Valentine</a> | Cardinal Ritter (Most Valuable Player)</strong></em> Things were not looking good for Cardinal Ritter for over half of the game against McCluer.  They were down by a dozen early in the third quarter before going on an inspired run to eventually win in convincing fashion in the main event of the evening.  <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/glenn-valentine/">Glenn Valentine</a>, however, was a bright spot throughout the entire game.  He was red-hot from beyond the arc, knocking down three after three to keep Ritter within striking distance and eventually putting the game on ice.  He led the way scoring and was a huge factor in all aspect of the game where he played tremendous defensively and was all over the glass. <em><strong>6'5 Jr <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jalen-hampton/">Jalen Hampton</a> | University City</strong></em> The human highlight reel from U-City took flight a number of times, as per usual, in a win over Soldan.  His explosive athleticism never fails to impress.  He was dominant, finishing with a game high 23 points mostly off dunks, put-backs, and an efficient outing from the charity stripe.  He also notched a double-double by skying for ten rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end. <em><strong>5'9 Sr <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/devin-phillips/">Devin Phillips</a> | Confluence</strong></em> I generally don't like the term "slept on", but it absolutely applies to Devin who does not get the credit he deserves because of his small stature.  He plays MUCH bigger than he is.  Lethal first step and was able to blow by any defender in front of him to get into the lane where he has mastered the floater and can challenge the trees and finish at the cup.  He torched Granite City off the dribble and was a menace on the defensive end. <em><strong>6'3 Sr Tariq Miller | Jennings</strong></em> This was a very tough call between Tariq and his teammate Damarion Shanklin, who scored a game-high 24 points.  The deciding factor was Tariq's efficiency.  He was 10-11 inside the arc.  He creates offense at a high level off the dribble.  He knifed his way to the rim at will and has a tough pull-up jumper.  He finished with 21 points and 9 rebounds in the win over Lift for Life. <em><strong>6'0 Jr <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dejuan-fields/">Dejuan Fields</a> | Miller Career</strong></em> Dejuan had a team high 16 points in his team's victory over Ritenour.  He was 3-6 from beyond the arc and stuffed nearly every category on the stat sheet.  He was active on the glass with three offensive rebounds and five total.  He distributed well, pitching in three assists.  He also made an impact on the defensive end with three steals. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Honorable Mention</strong></span>: <ul> <li>Barcus Jackson - Lift for Life</li> <li>Marcus Pepper - Granite City</li> <li><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/devon-barshow/">Devon Barshow</a> - McCluer</li> <li>Damarion Shanklin - Jennings</li> <li><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/lyndell-hunt/">Lyndell Hunt</a> - Confluence</li> <li>Dakari Gray - Lift for Life</li> </ul>