Louis O’Neal Classic: Standout Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Louis O'Neal Classic returned the campus of Saginaw Valley St with an ambitious seven game slate. Following are five standout backcourt performances from the deep and talented field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2058636' first='Easton' last='Day'] 6-2 2025 Mt Pleasant </strong>Day kept his momentum from a strong grassroots season going into the early part of his junior campaign Saturday. The definition of “scorer” as he does not have one standout skill— just knows how to put the ball into the basket. Was in attack mode all day. Often serving as his own outlet pass after grabbing a rebound. Going coast-to-coast more than once. Despite the aggression did a nice job of not dribbling too deep. Is also a good kick out passer which keeps from getting into trouble. All around skills are reflected by the box score. Finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in the victory over Bay City John Glenn. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1437578' first='Armoni' last='Portis'] 6-2 2025 Warren De La Salle </strong>With [player_tooltip player_id='1437544' first='Phoenix' last='Glassnor'] sidelined by injury. Portis stepped up in a big way to help the Pilots defeat a good Flint Hamady (see below) squad in overtime. Portis balanced offense initiation with scoring responsibilities like a seasoned veteran. With Glassnor's absence and the margin of the game. It would have been easy to shift into “hero ball” mode. Capably got DLS into their myriad of offensive sets. While also contributing a handful of timely clutch buckets. Was good at going both directions on drives. Also showed the bouncy athleticism to make plays above the rim and on the glass. Finished with a team high 19 points in the nip and tuck victory where every point mattered. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1356985' first='Jakobie' last='Boose'] 6-2 2024 Flint Hamady </strong>Boose got off to a bit of a slow start. Once he got going however, almost led the Hawks to a victory against a state championship caliber De La Salle squad. The next level leaping ability was there as usual. It allows him to make plays that would get most players in trouble. Can get up in the air and hang waiting for a play to develop. Did this on an unusual runner that seemed get him going in the first half. Put it up with his right while moving hard to his left. Muscular frame allows him to easily finish through contact. As you would expect has one of the quicker second jumps you will see. Showed this by following his own shot more than once. Didn't shy away from the moment and wanted the ball late and in the extra frame. Finished with 20 points in the loss. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2058638' first='Javontae' last='Ross'] 5-11 2025 Flint Powers Catholic </strong>A fast rising point guard who is off to a quick start as a junior. While the scoring output was impressive. Really stood out on the defensive end. The box score might not show it, but made Schoolcraft star [player_tooltip player_id='1356947' first='Shane' last='Rykse'] work for every point he got. Did this with excellent lateral quickness and anticipation. The lateral quickness also was evident on the offensive end. Shook a defender on a nasty crossover and rose up suddenly for a mid range jumper. Showed deep range on the perimeter to keep defenders from sagging off him. Finished with 19 points to keep a retooled Powers squad undefeated early. Hopefully the De La Salle backcourt (see above) is fully healthy by Christmas. That could be an intriguing matchup as the parochial schools are slated to face off at the Motor City Roundball Classic. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1356947' first='Shane' last='Rykse'] 6-3 2024 Schoolcraft </strong>I don't want to sound trite or flippant about a young man working hard. However during Ryke's outing Saturday I began to worry about the sign of the apocalypse. I saw something I did not think was possible— an off shooting performance. However that simply allowed him to show off other parts of his game and how varied the offensive attack has become. With the development of junior [player_tooltip player_id='1616010' first='Tucker' last='Walther'] as a point guard. Rykse played almost exclusively off the ball. Attacked the basket aggressively off the dribble. Absorbed and finished through contact on a few of the drives. Kept coming after Powers built a big lead in the second half. Almost brought the Eagles back. On an off shooting night finished with ho-hum 27 points. That is the definition of what the kids call a “bucket”. The recent Spring Arbor commit is one of the top players statewide in Division III. The Cougars are getting a steal. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->