Muskegon Basketball Showcase: Standouts From Games 1 and 3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Muskegon Basketball Showcase has long been one the premier events in the state of Michigan. In the past it was more of a Great Lakes regional event. With some of the best Chicago teams coming up I 94. I'll always remember <strong>Tyler</strong> <strong>Ulis</strong> (Kentucky) putting on a absolute show in 2014. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The main event this year was historical. As Big Red head coach Keith Guy notched his 400th career victory against Ferndale. The middle game between Kalamazoo Central and Detroit King was a instant classic that went down to the wire. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've already given that game it's own column. Following are the standouts from games one and three. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1076029' first='Antwon' last='Davis'] <strong>5</strong>-<strong>9</strong> <strong>2023 Detroit</strong> <strong>Henry</strong> <strong>Ford</strong> As you will see below. Ford was going up against an opponent in Lansing Waverly that featured a lot length within their zone. It gave the Trojans fits all night in a 73-59 defeat. One way to beat a zone is to just shoot over it and that's exactly what the diminutive guard did. On the back of eight— that's right eight three pointers Davis finished with an event high 35 points. I don't know what the actual percentage was. But he wasn't just gunning non stop. Shot a decent percentage. They were also very deep and came from all the court. It wasn't all threes. Math was never my thing but eight times three is only 24. Scored in a variety of ways. Drove the basket without fear and scored in transition. A scintillating performance to kick off the event. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1140329' first='Deunte' last='Phifer'] <strong>6</strong>-<strong>5</strong> <strong>2024</strong> <strong>Lansing</strong> <strong>Waverly</strong> As stated above the Warriors feature length and skill up and down the entire roster. Leading the bunch was Phifer. I enjoyed the fact that he did it mostly as a distributor. Worked well in pick and roll situations even though he is not point guard. Also was a good look ahead passer in transition. Showed balance and body control with a crafty tightrope drive down the baseline. Didn't get the finish with a dunk but easily makes plays well above the rim. Showed this with a nice dunk in transition late. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1352903' first='Darrius' last='Welch'] <strong>6</strong>-<strong>6</strong> <strong>2023</strong> <strong>Lansing</strong> <strong>Waverly</strong> While Waverly features a lot length on the perimeter. What they don't have is a lot of size in the post. Fortunately Welch is more than capable of holding it down himself. Got into a little bit of early foul trouble. Played through it well. Is a big time leaper who gets off the ground quickly. Had a highlight reel follow dunk. Shows a soft left handed touch around the basket. Leaping ability also allowed him to protect the rim with a couple of nice blocks. In constant motion off the ball. Which you don't often see from a big. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1212741' first='Christopher' last='Williams'] <strong>6</strong>-<strong>5</strong> <strong>2024</strong> <strong>Ferndale</strong> Speaking of bouncy active bigs who protect the rim. Enter this Detroit area four man. Williams lived at the rim on both ends of the court. In the past I have I have seen him struggle with foul trouble. In two viewings. The Motor City Roundball Classic against Orchard Lake St Mary's being other. He appears to have found the balance between aggression and staying away from the whistles. Had a nice dunk in traffic that had the gym buzzing. Also showed the ability and patience to make plays off the dribble. Another improvement from last years skill set. Led the Eagles with 18 points in the loss to Muskegon. If he can make similar jump in development going into his senior year. Could see his recruiting profile take off. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='987274' first='Jordan' last='Briggs'] <strong>6</strong>-<strong>0</strong> <strong>2023</strong> <strong>Muskegon</strong> <strong>(pictured) </strong>The Wayne St commitment has long been one of my favorite floor generals. Came out with intensity and purpose Saturday night. Scored in bunches at times. While also balancing getting teammates involved. Had a timely flurry at the of the end of the third quarter. Scored four in row including a bucket at the buzzer. Gave the the Big Reds a 37-34 lead going into the fourth. You don't want to give a winner like Briggs a lead going into the final stanza. He knows what to do with it. Finished with 24 points against a good Ferndale backcourt. The Warriors are getting a good one to come over to the east side of the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->