Roundball Classic: Session 2 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After not being held in 2020. Then following a somewhat modified schedule due to the “omicron” variant. The storied Motor City Roundball Classic returned in full force for it's 27th iteration. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was refreshing to hear event organizer TJ Kelley implore spectators to find a seat as it was a standing room only crowd at Ferndale High School. I attended six of the seven scheduled games. For the purposes of brevity I'll break up the schedule into two sessions. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following are standouts from games 5-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='985661' first='Curtis' last='Williams'] <strong>6-6 2023 Birmingham Brother Rice </strong>I should premise what I'm going to say with this statement. I have always enjoyed Williams' game and have never really seem him perform poorly. That being said last nights performance was far away the best I have seen him play. With a palpable buzz in the gym for the big time matchup with Grand Blanc. The Louisville commit seized control early and never let up. Showed a complete scoring skill set. Had it working in all three facets. Started early with a few corner threes. Moved into the mid range in the second half. They finished it by scoring at the rim. Beyond the scoring. Was engaged defensively all night and got teammates involved. A truly complete performance. As evidenced by a stat line of 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Perhaps the loudest and earliest case for Mr. Basketball was made by Williams last night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1437536' first='Trey' last='McKenney'] <strong>6-5 2025 Orchard Lake St Mary's (pictured) </strong>McKenney didn't have his best outing Tuesday. However that also shows special of prospect he is. Even if he doesn't have it all working. Still has enough to lead St Mary's to a decisive win over a good Ferndale team on their home court. Is able to score the ball so many different ways. It's hard for him to have a truly off night. Is a true maestro in the mid range. That was the sweet spot against a smaller Eagles squad. Has a deep reserve of spin moves, drop steps, and pivots that are uncommon in such a young player. Finished with 18 points. A top 20 recruit nationally in the class of 2025. Did nothing dissuade from that on Tuesday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1111918' first='Daniel' last='Smythe'] <strong>6-3 2024 Orchard Lake St Mary's </strong>Playing in a backcourt with penetrators like McKenney and [player_tooltip player_id='1437540' first='Sharod' last='Barnes'] is going to attract a lot of gravity. That leads to a lot of open looks. Fortunately St Mary's has this sniper. Next up in the family of “shooting Smythe's”. Older brother was an excellent shooter now playing at Loyola (IL). “Bugsy” is a smaller version but just as accurate. However it should be noted that he has gotten markedly bigger in the past year. Looking every bit of his listed height. Not just a shooter. Competes hard defensively and makes good decisions with the basketball. In addition has trigger quick but yet smooth release. Doesn't need much space to get it off. Grassroots circuit was truncated a bit by injury. Now fully healthy. Should really start to make a name for himself on recruiting boards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1112304' first='Karter' last='Richards'] <strong>6-2 2024 Grosse Pointe South </strong>Not the most lauded member of his own backcourt (see below) But made a strong statement against a good West Bloomfield backcourt. Started the game hot and didn't let up. Looked taller and stronger than when I last saw him in the summer with DTO Elite. Has a textbook jumper with a high release point. With the presence of Benard plays primarily off the ball right now. Should have no problem moving to the point next year. Is an excellent ball handler who plays with his head up. Intelligent player who easily found seems as West Bloomfield applied a press in the second half. Beyond just this performance. Junior campaign has gotten off to fast start. Scored 27 in a victory against cross town rival Grosse Pointe North. Earned MVP honors on Tuesday and could be in for a big 2023. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='985664' first='Anthony' last='Benard'] <strong>6-1 2023 Grosse Pointe South </strong>While Richards took home game MVP honors. The Mercer commit delivered a solid all around performance. Also had some eye opening highlights that had the gym buzzing at times. My personal favorite was three-quarter court one handed pass bounce to hit a teammate in stride. Is a big time scorer. But was clearly in distribution mode on Tuesday. Played well in pick and roll situations and was patient in letting these plays develop. Also showed quick hands and defensive instincts with five steals. Honestly it felt like more in person. Nearly notched a double double with 11 points seven assists. However statistics only tell part of the story. Really controlled the tenor and tempo of the game from the jump. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->