1/20-10/25 Week Recap

With so many high quality games this week, I figured it would be better to tell you the standouts in a one whole week summary of the games.  Games were effected by school closings on Friday due to the bitter cold and snow.  Regardless, it was another high quality week of basketball in Michigan.

Consortium 79 Romulus 72

Everybody wants to talk about Consortium sophomore wing Josh Jackson, and rightfully so.  Jackson is who many believe to be the number one player in the state of Michigan, had another solid performance for the Cougars with 30 points and 14 rebounds.  However, it was not just Jackson who got Consortium this win.  Senior point guard Ronald Booth played clutch all game long, he had his mid-range off the bounce shooting going, that really kept Romulus off balance on defense.  Ronald also hit a few big free throws down the stretch to put the game on ice, and had 18 points in the win.  Aggressive scoring sophomore guard Luster Johnson, who is always looking for ways to drive to the basket, pitched in with 12 points for the Cougars as well.

Romulus was led by 6’1″ senior point guard Tyron Hamby with a game high 23 points.  The senior Hamby is undoubtedly one of the most underrated guards in the state.  Every time I watch Hamby, either during the summer league or AAU, it always looks like he adds something new to his game.  Hamby has become a dangerous mid-range jump shooter, he hit a few off-balanced shots fading away from the basket, a signature move of Kobe Bryant.  Tryon also is a reliable defender and a good athlete for the Eagles, with the ability to play off-the ball as well on offense.

6’5″ wing Kris Clyburn is another player for the Eagles that has made tremendous strides for the Eagles.  Clyburn has gone from being strictly a three point shooter, which he can still do effectively, that stood in the corner to a wing that can slash and get to the basket.  His ball-handling skills have improved greatly, he took one the length of the court for a layup for one example.  But he also looked to score in the half court set with some aggressive drives to the basket, and watch out for Kris’ athleticism, he has sneaky hops and can jump out of the gym if you forget about him.  Clyburn had 21 point, and three threes for Romulus.

University of Detroit Jesuit 75 Warren De La Salle 57

One of the best rivalries in the state over the past few years turned into a blowout as the Cubs took the inside lead for the CHSL Central Division title.  Last time I saw U of D play, 6’0″ sophomore guard Billy Thomas opened up the game with three three-pointers in a win over Loyola.  Against De La Salle, Thomas did the same thing, spotting up from his favorite position of the floor, the wing, and launching three vital shots that set the tempo for the Cubs early on in the game.  Thomas didn’t shoot as much in the second half, but still finished with a game high 22 to lead U of D.  Thomas passed the scoring torch over to fellow 2016 guard Cassius Winston in  the third quarter, who scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half.  As said in earlier reports, the game comes so easy to Winston.  He always seems to play one step ahead of every players on the court.  He can set up any teammate on the floor, get to the basket whenever he wants, and has improved his defense greatly compared to his freshman season.  To go along with his 16 points, he had 7 rebounds, and dished out 8 assists.

The x-factor for U of D tonight was the play of 6’3″ senior Nick Mutebi.  U of D tallest player is listed at 6’5″, which forces Nick with the height of a guard to play down low on the block.  Last year, Mutebi was brought in to the game to provide energy for U of D.  This year, Nick has developed into a quality starter that is never short of hustle and spark.  He always seems to be around the ball, and is a good around the basket type of player,  finishing with 12 points, 10 in the first half, and hauled down 4 rebounds, due to foul trouble.

Taylor Truman 67 Allen Park Inter-City Baptist 58

On a night where Truman forward and U of D Mercy commit Aaron Foster-Smith eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for his high school career, top ten in Class A Truman rallied from a halftime defect to defeat top 5 ranked in Class D Inter-City Baptist.  As star players are supposed to do,  Aaron took the game over in the fourth quarter when his team needed it.  His 5-0 run by himself put Truman up 57-54 with 3:08 to go in the final quarter for good.  Foster-Smith finished with a game high 26 points and seven rebounds.  While Aaron did the scoring load for Truman, the man who dished out the assists was athletic senior point guard Devain Newbill.  Newbill came out in the second half and got 5 of his game high 8 highly-creative assists when Truman need it most, to go along with pouring in 12 points.  Newbill also did as well as a job a player can do when defending Inter-City Baptist’s star Evan Kraatz, holding him to only 7 points on the night, with 0 coming in the second half.

To lead Inter-City Baptist, 6’4″ junior wing Luke barber chipped in with 17 points.  Barber hit 3 three pointers in the game, and did all he could to keep ICB in the game before Foster-Smith took the game in the fourth quarter.  Luke has a honey-sweet shooting form, and with his 6’4″ body, allows him to shoot over the top of taller defenders.  He’s not going to take opponents to the rim like wings of today would, but when he develops his entire offensive game, it will start to become pick your poison with Barber.