Roundball Classic: Saturday Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In its 29th year the Motor City Roundball Classic remains the premier Christmas basketball event in the great state of Michigan. Saturday action produced ambitious seven game slate. I was able to catch five games. Following are a six pack of standouts from Saturday's action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1437536' first='Trey' last='McKenney'] 6-4 2025 Orchard Lake St Mary's </strong>What can say about a player when you have simply run out of superlatives? How about these from the thesaurus— professional and workmanlike. While those aren't the flashiest terms, McKenney had a job to do Saturday and he did it. Needed to just barely get into double figures to become the all time leading scorer at St Mary's. He did it efficiently and quickly with some of the smoothest work in the mid range you will see. Got to his spots with purposeful and fundamentally sound off ball movement. When Toledo Whitmer tried to disrupt this with heavy man pressure. Simply shifted to the point guard spot and showed his improving ball handling skillset. I don't mean this as demerit at all— this player is a fierce competitor. However after he broke the record, seemed to shift into team improvement mode. Wasn't taking his opponent or the game lightly. Just seemed to focus on getting others involved and initiating offense. Finished with 19 points and another record to fit on his ever increasing mantle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1440211' first='David' last='Williams'] 6-0 2025 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (pictured) </strong>What is one way to put yourself in the conversation with some of the top point guards in the state? How about being the best player in game loaded with college recruits? That is exactly what Williams did Saturday night against Warren Lincoln. While he put up more than respectable statistics. It was the things that don't show up in a scorebook that stood out. Applied heavy and constant on ball defense. Consistently pushed the pace and got the Warriors out in transition. If the break wasn't there, got them into their sets and initiated offense efficiently. Isn't a small guard by any means. Built like a tank and probably stands just north of six feet. Finished with 17 points in the statement win for Brother Rice.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1437985' first='Geon' last='Hutchins'] 6-4 2025 Warren Lincoln </strong>Hutchins got off to a slow start offensively in the headlining contest Saturday night. Understandable as he is in a new system after transferring from Oak Park. His Saturday challenge was complicated further by the injury absence of [player_tooltip player_id='1437547' first='Moses' last='Blackwell'] The Northern Iowa commit showed more penetration and ball handling than I had witnessed in prior settings. Got to his spots easily and showed secondary moves after his first option was cut off. The skeleton key will always be his length and ability to rise over most defenders. That was there Saturday night. However also showed more strength at the rim and the ability to finish through contact. Finished with 16 points in the loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1588179' first='Jackson' last='Bowden'] 6-4 2026 Detroit Catholic Central </strong>The Shamrocks employed a young, talented, a very deep rotation on Saturday. Frankly it was difficult to keep up with the cadre of options. One player who clearly stood out was the Davison transfer. Stuffed the stat sheet and was seemingly everywhere in the victory over Grand Rapids Christian. The lefty scored in a variety of ways and just seemed to have a nose for the basket. Is a good athlete with bounce that allows to him to play easily above the rim. This also make him a factor on the glass as a 6-4 guard. Accordingly nearly finished with a double double. When you couple the athleticism with his length, he is also quite a factor on the defensive end. Accumulated three steals with his anticipation and ability to get into passing lanes quickly. Impressive all around outing for a prospect that is only starting to scratch the surface of his potential (the only junior on this list) </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1292036' first='Stevie' last='Elam'] 6-3 2025 Adrian </strong>Not the vintage 40 point outing that Elam has been known for in past showcases. However played a solid all around game and was as impressive as usual. Sometimes a player's ceiling is more apparent when the shots simply aren't falling. That was the case with Elam. Didn't force things with bad shots or needless turnovers. Waited for offense to come to him and picked his spots. This wasn't as easy as it sounds as Detroit University Prep featured a four pack of long wing defenders they could throw at him (see below) When a driving lane opened he exploited it with a burst that is just special. Can play above the rim despite his stocky build. Showed it with a one handed tip dunk in transition during a critical portion of the game. Despite his outside shot abandoning him at times. Still finished with a game high 24 points. Milwaukee is getting a major steal with this prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1444801' first='Ryan' last='Neal'] 6-3 2025 Detroit University Prep </strong>A group of long Panthers did enough to slow down [player_tooltip player_id='1292036' first='Stevie' last='Elam'] for most of the game. To my eye, Neal probably drew this assignment the most. Used his length and lateral quickness to bother the Adrian scoring threat. Competed hard and got right into his chest without fouling. If I just covered the defensive contributions this would be a pretty impressive report. Neal also had an outstanding shooting day. He was hot early and kept coming all game. Showed a smooth fluid release from beyond the arc. Shot it with confidence and without hesitation. When the defense began to run him off the line, attacked the basket with aggression. Has slender frame but did not appear to mind contact. Finished with 20 points in a statement victory for UPrep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->