Romulus Day One Notes

Romulus High School held their 10th annual Christmas Showcase this previous friday.  Everything is new at Romulus this year, new coach, new players, and a new gym floor.  But one thing hasn’t changed.  It’s a commitment to basketball excellence, and it was on display with the teams they invited to participate in their showcase.

Henry Ford 64 Ann Arbor Huron 60

The Trojans did not make it easy on themselves, leading by double digits throughout most of the game, but played just well enough to cruise by and get the win.

King 56 University Prep 35

The Crusaders used a big third quarter to extend their lead and get the victory.  It was a team effort by King that got them the victory.  Junior wing Armani Lee came out in the second half after struggling through most of the first and set the tone with 10 early points.  He let the game come to him, hitting three pointers and mid-range jump shots off penetration from his fellow guards.  Senior football star Dayvon Austin showed that he can play a little basketball as well.  He had one-handed dunk that brought the whole gym to their feet, to go along with rebounding, and scoring down low on put backs.  Dayvon will give the Crusaders the ability to stretch the floor, because he is also a pretty good three-point shooter standing at 6’3″ with a muscular build.  Another player that played well was 5’7″ 2015 point guard Brandon Jones, although his contributions don’t usually show up in the stat sheet, Jones played great defense, and ran the offense with minimal errors.  He is the type of player that a coach would love to have because he is always going to put in the extra hustle on those crucial 50-50 plays.  Austin led the Crusaders with 19, Lee finished up with 15, and senior point guard LeShawn Ellington led University Prep with 15.

Romulus 50 Detroit Southeastern 44

Some teams like to run a four guard lineup, but for Romulus, the Eagles have to do it because junior 6’8″ transfer Rio Washington will have to sit out until the middle of January.  Regardless, Romulus still used the same formula coach Nate Oats had to win game, outplay the opposing teams guards.  Senior Kris Clyburn was the man for the Eagles all night long.  The long and lanky lefty wingman Clyburn loves to shoot three pointers, which he did, but also slashed to the basket off the bounce to score the ball, a clear improvement from a year ago.  Clyburn can also jump out the gym on the fast-break if needed, he finished up with 22 on the night.  2014 Deonte Bell is another Eagle that is sure to gather attention this year.  Playing behind Missouri bound Wes Clark last season, Deonte learned one thing that he used all night to make an impact, defense.  Deonte did a fantastic job guarding the opposing team point guard all night long.  Whether it was him picking him up in the full-court and getting steals, or keeping the Jungaleers guard from getting into the lane, Bell limited Southeastern’s ability to get the ball into the hands of star forward Darryl Bingham.

For Southeastern, senior wing Leonard Harper-Baker is another unknown prospect that is still offerless.  But the way he played against Romulus proved otherwise.  Harper-Baker, at 6’4″, is an improved mid-range jump shooter that single handedly kept Southeastern in the game with a 20 point contribution.  He made plays all night long for S.E, with improved ball handling from a a year ago, he got to the lane, and then eventually the free-throw line, and also rebounded well on both sides of the floor.  Harper-Baker will be key for the Jungaleers heading into PSL play.