The second annual Owens Community College Jamboree is one of the premier exposure opportunities in the midwest for JUCO talent. Teams from Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Pennsylvania were all in attendance, and made for a great day of college hoops.
Tre’Vion Crews 6’1″ Point Guard Jackson College
Crews set the tempo all day long for Jackson. He is a unique combination of size, speed, and athleticism at the guard position. Crews can run the show when needed, with a strong handle, court vision, passing ability and quickness to attack the lane and find teammates. However, he can score as well, finishing around the basket, and hit a few mid-range and three pointers on the day. Tre’Vion was also very active on the defensive end, he anticipated passes well leading to easy scoring opportunities for Jackson on the break, and also applied good on-ball pressure on opponents.
Schoolcraft Loaded With Talent
It was a tough day for Schoolcraft, going 1-2 on the day, which is expected of a team only being together for roughly a few months. However, the Ocelots showed flashes at times of a promising future. The man who caught the attention of all the collegiate coaches in attendance was Oak Park 2014 graduate Ja’Christian Biles. At 6’1″ Biles is an electric above the rim finisher who brought down several high-flying dunks on the day. A high-volume perimeter scorer, Biles will pair nicely with 6’2″ sophomore guard Lorenzo Collier, Collier hit a few threes on the day, and should develop into a solid scorer as the season progresses.
Up front for Schoolcraft, 6’8″ forward Anthony Wartley-Fritz was a pleasant surprise. Big Wart looked more comfortable and in control with his back to the basket on the low block, with improved footwork for the 2014 Taylor Truman Cougar. He’s isn’t going to jump out of the gym, but the athleticism of the team up front will be left up to 6’8″ +s Kaion Seales and James Pruitt, the three are still building rebounding and defensively chemistry, but will be tough to handle the day they figure it out.
Owens Express Talented Again
The host school did not disappoint with three solid performances on the day. At times, Owens looked like they could challenge a quality D2 program at the very least. 5’7″ sophomore point guard Shaakir Lindsay is hard to find on the court, he’s a pass first point guard combined with a speedy handle that can spot teammates in drive and dish situations. 6’4″ wing guard John Murray complements Lindsay as a reliable go to scorer with playmaking ability on the perimeter. His length, and size make Murray a potentially promising 1-on-1 defender.
Down low for Owens, the Express have 6’7″ forward Kenny Jones. Jones is stuck in the proverbial “tweener” category. Regardless, few at the Jamboree produced better than Jones in the paint. Kenny was able to rebound against taller and stronger opponents, challenge shots, run the floor and push the ball up the court like the guard, and throw down some wicked dunks. Jones was tracked by a multitude of coaches on the day’s action.
Delta College a Sleeper in Michigan
First year head coach Kyle Blackbourn has made upgrades to the Pioneers program. Delta played with a chip on their shoulder the whole day, playing stifling defense, getting on the floor for balls, and feeding off of each teammate’s individual performances leading to a 3-0 performance at the Jamboree. Delta is solid all around the court. 6’1″ freshman Markel Bradshaw comes from a winning high school program in Saginaw High, so it’s almost a given Bradshaw is going to play with passion and confidence any time he’s running point guard for Delta. 6’2″ off-guard Julian Henderson gives Delta a perimeter scorer with slashing potential, Justin Person can handle the ball a bit, but hit some threes off the bounce on the day. 6’7″ sophomore Chris Chrzan gives the Pioneers a stretch-four potential, 6’5″ Travon Cotton brings toughness as an undersized power forward, and 6’1″ Davian Phillips and 6’5″ Gabe Blalock gave Delta quality minutes off the bench. If Delta continues to improve in the pre-season, the Pioneers are interesting contenders in the MCCAA conference this season.
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