The Prep Ball Report

​•​Height, Weight, and position?

6’5, 175, Guard

​•​High School, Summer team and Graduation Year?

Detroit Henry Ford High School, 1Nation, 2015

​•​Players you try to model your game after?

Kevin Durant

​•​Important Stats

Past season average stats: 17ppg, 4assist, 7rebs, 2stls, 3blks

​•​Most memorable game in your career so far?

Against ABT, had a career high 38 points with the win to send us to the state playoffs in a positive way.

•​How did this past high school season go for you and your team?

Started off strong and ended the season not as planned going into playoffs. Made it to the district championship and lost to country day. Had a decent season compared to last season, going to continue to build and get better going into next season.​

•​Colleges that you would like to attend?

I don’t have a specific college just want to attend a school that I feel comfortable, happy, and is going to prepare me to be successful in my career.

​•​Colleges that have shown interest in you so far?

Offers: Eastern Michigan, Rhode Island Interest: Detroit-Mercy, Michigan, Oakland, Akron, Bucknell, California-Davis, Harvard, Kent State, Northeastern, Stanford, Toledo, Wayne State (MI.), Buffalo

​•​What makes you unique from other players at your position?

My height, length, ability to shoot the ball, and most important my work ethic .

​•​Strengths and areas you are improving in?

Gaining some muscle, ability to create my shot off the dribble, and explosion.

​•​Goals for the upcoming AAU season?

Getting exposed to more colleges, getting better as a player and a leader, and also playing against and with the best,

​•​What role do you see your self having this year for your team?

Being a leader on and off the floor, helping my teammates get better as a player and helping them academicly. That is my main goal is to make sure my teammates graduate on time.

​•​What will a coach be getting out of you at the next level?

My hardwork and dedication, playing my role and doing whatever it takes to help the team to WIN.

​•​What will will go into your decision about choosing a college?

Location, academics, and relationship with the coach before attending.

​•​Most influential person in your life? Why?

My parents because they been behind me ever since I put a ball in my hand. They taught me how to become the person I am today. They pushed me in the classroom and the basketball court.

​•​Legacy you want to leave at your school?

I want people to know that no matter where you grew up or tough times that you went/going through everything is possible, don’t ever stop and don’t let anybody tell you you can’t do something. Use that as motivation to push yourself even harder.

​•​Where do you see yourself in 15 years?

I see myself in the NBA, happy, with no worries

​•​Highlight Tape

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GzkJtRdrU50

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RsegqO7ZOcs

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fxrGaRPJ4Do&feature=youtu.be&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DfxrGaRPJ4Do%26feature%3Dyoutu.be

​•​Fun/ interesting fact about you?

I’m funny and a great person to be around.

​•​Awards, Accomplishments, other comments?

Sophomore second team all state and honorable mentions

​•​Academic Information

3.8 academic gpa

​•​Contact Information

Twitter: @JMD3_

Joshuadavis111@gmail.com

How does it feel to commit to Wooster?

• Really good, I’m happy to be committed and I’m looking forward to the next four years.

What were some other schools recruiting you and what made you want to attend Wooster?

• I was recruited by Washington University (in St. Louis), Occidental College, Wittenberg University, Hope College, Albion College, and Catholic University. I chose Wooster because it was the best fit. They have a high reputation academically and are known for their stellar basketball program. They are the winningest basketball program out of D1, D2, and D3 since 2000. I really like that the town of Wooster supports the team with an average of 2500 fans a night. Their coaching staff has built a great program and they do things the right way. Plus their players have outstanding character and are close with one another.

What is your relationship with the coaches at Wooster and do you know any of the players already there?

• I have a good relationship with the Coach Moore and Coach Cline, and I did an overnight visit awhile back, so I know a couple of the guys, especially the underclassmen.

Did you visit the campus already? If so, what did you like about it?

• Wooster has a big campus for being a small school, and has a nice downtown next to it with a lot of places to eat. Plus they recently renovated a lot of their academic buildings, and their athletic facilities are on par with a lot of Division One schools.

What makes you unique as a player? What will Wooster be getting out of a player like you?

• I’ll add my outside shooting ability, but I can also play defense and I’m a good passer/decision maker as well. Wooster will be getting a player that has the ability to spread a defense out because of my shooting ability, and I’ll be able to knock down a lot of shots for them.

Talk a little bit about your career at Country Day. What was it like winning a state title your junior season?

• My junior year was definitely a special year, winning a state championship and it was Coach Keener’s last year. I made a close bond with the team, especially the juniors and seniors. And playing on such a talented team made me a better player because I had to play against Edmond Sumner (Xavier) and Austin Price (Lehigh) every day in practice, so they’re a big reason for my growth as a player.

What will you look to add to the Wooster program?

• I’ll be coming in, ready to be a leader and to work hard right away to get ready to for the opportunity to contribute to an already amazing program.

Who would you like to thank the most for getting you to where you are today?

• I’d like to thank God for putting me in this situation and my parents for supporting me through the process and giving me the opportunity to attend Country Day. I’d also like to thank Coach Keener for mentoring me through high school and beyond, and thanks to Coach Bray for helping me grow my senior year as a leader and as a player. And thank you to the coaching staffs of both teams for developing my skills as a player. Finally, I’d like to thank Christien Wright (Amherst College) for being a great friend and helping me through the recruiting process.

Congratulations to the following schools on winning their respective state championships.

Class A: Muskegon 

Class B: Milan

Class C: Detroit Consortium

Class D: Southfield Christian

The last week of the high school basketball season is here.  And as much as that is a sad thing to say, there are plenty of intriguing matchups this week culminating with semi-final and final games for each class held at Michigan State’s Breslin Student event center.  Semi-finals for Class C and D are on Thursday, semi-finals for Class A and B on Friday, with all four championship games held on Saturday.

Class A

Davison High School

Mt. Pleasant vs. Howell @ 7:00

Lansing Eastern High School

Muskegon vs. Ann Arbor Skyline @ 7:00

University of Detroit Mercy

Warren Mott vs. Bloomfield Hills @ 5:00

Romulus vs. University of Detroit Jesuit @ 7:00

Class B

Middleville Thornapple Kellogg High School

Benton Harbor vs. Wyoming Godwin Heights @ 7:00

Ferris State University

Big Rapids vs. Cadillac @ 7:00

Marysville High School

Goodrich vs. Detroit Douglass @ 7:00

Chelsea High School

Milan vs. Wayland Union @ 7:00

Class C

Owosso High School

Flint Beecher vs. Pewamo-Westphalia @ 7:00

Vicksburg High School

Muskegon Heights vs. Hillsdale @ 7:00

West Bloomfield High School

Detroit Consortium vs. Mt. Clemens @ 7:00

Petoskey High School

East Jordan vs. Negaunee @ 7:00

Class D

Cadillac High School

Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart vs. Frankfort @ 7:00

Burton Bendle High School

Southfield Christian vs. Peck @ 7:00

Marquette High School

Cedarville vs. Powers North Central @ 7:00

Battle Creek Central

Adrian Lenawee Christian vs. Battle Creek St. Phillip @ 7:00

The last month of the regular season of high school basketball is upon us.  During this month, teams will attempt to gain momentum before the playoffs that start in roughly a month.  A truly competitive season will only be getting better as the season winds to a close.

Statewide Rankings

1. Muskegon

2. Mt. Clemens

3. University of Detroit Jesuit

4. Detroit Consortium

5. Saginaw Arthur Hill

6. Jackson Lumen Christi

7. Pershing

8. Taylor Truman

9. Holt

10. Bloomfield Hills

11. Holland

12. Wyoming Godwin Heights

13. Jenison

14. Grand Rapids South Christian

15. Clarkston

16. Battle Creek Central

17. Flint Carman Ainsworth

18. Detroit Renaissance

19. Southfield Christian

20. Grand Blanc

21. Canton

22. Detroit Allen Academy

23. Detroit Southeastern

24. Millington

25. Ypsilanti Lincoln

26. Kalamazoo Central

27. Ypsilanti

28. Utica Eisenhower

29. Walled Lake Central

30. Powers North Central

Class A

1. Muskegon

2. University of Detroit Jesuit

3. Saginaw Arthur Hill

4. Pershing

5. Taylor Truman

6. Holt

7. Bloomfield Hills

8. Holland

9. Jenison

10. Clarkston

11. Battle Creek Central

12. Flint Carman Ainsworth

13. Detroit Renaissance

14. Grand Blanc

15. Canton

16. Detroit Southeastern

17. Ypsilanti Lincoln

18. Kalamazoo Central

19. Ypsilanti

20. Utica Eisenhower

21. Walled Lake Central

22. Ann Arbor Huron

23. Romulus

24. Romeo

25. Cass Tech

Class B

1. Jackson Lumen Christi

2. Wyoming Godwin Heights

3. Grand Rapids South Christian

4. Millington

5. Milan

6. Comstock Park

7. Yale

8. Goodrich

9. Imlay City

10. University (Ferndale)

11. Paw Paw

12. Otsego

13. Warren Fitzgerald

14. Reed City

15. Dundee

16. Freemont

17. Escanaba

18. Detroit Country Day

19. Clintondale

20. Wayland

Class C

1. Mt. Clemens

2. Detroit Consortium

3. Detroit Allen Academy

4. Shelby

5. Negaunee

6. Boyne City

7. Detroit Loyola

8. Southfield Bradford

9. Boyne City

10. Pine River Area

11. Pewamo-Westphalia

12. Hillsdale

13. Homer

14. Marlette

15. Muskegon Heights

Class D

1. Southfield Christian

2. Powers North Central

3. Bellaire

4. Battle Creek St. Phillip

5. Adrian Lenawee Christian

6. DuBois Prep

7. Cedarville

8. Allen Park Inter-City Baptist

9. Munising

10. Our Lady of the Lakes (Waterford)

The Horatio Williams Foundation’s 4th annual Freedom Classic Games was dominated once again by the Detroit Public Schools League, going 5-1 in games on the day.  The day featured a game being decided on a buzzer beater, one with the outcome decided with 2 seconds to play, and a 40 point performance by a Mr. Basketball candidate.  Overall, it was another successful showcase that featured some the best talent Michigan has to offer.

Scores:

Detroit Renaissance 44 Warren Fitzgerald 28

Detroit Southeastern 54 Southfield 51

Detroit Western 66 Detroit Country Day 64

Detroit Cass Tech 75 Flint Beecher 47

Warren De La Salle 49 Detroit Frederick Douglass 44

Detroit Pershing 84 Ann Arbor Huron 75

Notes

Detroit Southeastern’s Ean Blackwell is starting to become a solid point guard for the Jungaleers.  Only a sophomore and standing at 5’9″, Blackwell played clutch all game long for SE, contributing 14 points in the winning effort, including 4 three pointers.  Ean hit the game winner as time expired to give Southeastern its third win in the week.  Compared to other games this year in the past, Ean did a fantastic job of playing within himself managing the offense.  He doesn’t have to be a playmaker all the time with seniors Leonard Harper-Baker and Darryl Bingham in the front court, but if he continues to improve up to February, the Jungaleers could make a long run for a city or state title.

Southfield was led junior guard  Howard McInnis with a game high 26 points.  The third time for me seeing the Blue Jays play brought another solid performance from McInnis.  The one thing McInnis knows how to do on the basketball court is score the ball.  Whether it be hitting six three pointers, or scoring in the lane with a few floaters, McInnis provided instant offense and single handedly kept Southfield in the game.

Detroit Western has a gem in 5’8″ sophomore point guard Brailen Neely.  Neely can pass the ball as well as anyone in Michigan’s 2016 class, but today, he showed the ability to put the team on his back and be the scorer.  He had a game high 27 points, including the game winning 8-foot floater with two seconds left to give Western (1-7) the upset win over defending Class B champion Country Day.  Brailen has always been a solid three point shooter, having three in the game, but what was impressive is that he found other ways to score the ball, such as getting into the lane and eventually the foul line.  The Cowboys will rely heavily on Neely if they wish to salvage their season and become the contenders many though they would be in the PSL’s division one.

Continuing with the theme of sophomore point guards, Warren De La Salle’s Chris Rollins isn’t as known as other top guards in his class, but if he continues the play he has had to start the season, Rollins will no doubt pick up recruiting attention heading into the AAU season.  Rollins is not going to impress you with one-on-one individual skills in the half-court set, but he’s a fundamentally sound high IQ lead guard that knows how to play the game right.  He pushed the ball on the break throughout the night, did as well as a job anybody can do with guarding Dayton commit Darrell Davis holding him to 14 points, and hit crucial free-throws for De La Salle in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Keith Appling was the last Pershing Doughboy to win Michigan’s Mr. Basketball award during the 2009-2010 season, and 6’7″ forward VCU commit Justin Tillman made a step in the right direction becoming the state’s lead front-runner to win the award this season.  Tillman recorded a triple double, scoring almost half of his teams 84 points with 40 of his own, hauling down 18 rebounds, and swatting ten shots.  Justin was too long and athletic all night long for Huron’s front court players, and with his high motor and never giving up on any play mentality, the River Rats probably would’ve needed 6 players on the court to stop Tillman.  At this point, it will only be icing on the cake for Tillman’s Mr. Basketball possibilities if the Doughboys win both the city and state titles.

The fifth annual Detroit Public Schools League Holiday Hoops Classic was held at Detroit Cass Tech.  The two event features some of the top Public School League teams, including some of the top suburban teams as well.  Day one had several lopsided affairs, however, plenty of talent was on display for entertainment.

Detroit Douglass 68 Harper Woods 39

Another day another dollar for Douglass’ senior Daavi Bradley, expect it’s not a dollar, instead it’s another high quality performance for the 6’5″ wing forced to play center for the Hurricanes.  Bradley was a force all game long, rebounding, playing defense down low in the paint, and catching a few alley hoops from fellow senior Darrell Davis.  So far, Bradley has received interest mostly from D2 schools.

King 72 Ferndale 42

The more I see King senior Tyrone Acuff, the more he makes a case for deserving a division 2 offer at the least.  The 6’6″ Acuff does it all for the Crusaders.  He is big enough to play down low and rebound, but uniquely skilled to handle to ball and get to the basket against smaller defenders.  He contributed 23 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks in the win.  His fellow bash brother in crime was senior football star Dayvon Austin.  Although he has said that he will play football at the next level, Austin is simply a bully for opponents.  He brings linebacker toughness to the hardwood, can score inside and outside, plays fearless, rebounds, and can stretch the floor to the three point line.

Clarkston 47 Detroit Western 33

What Clarkston doesn’t have in terms of a central superstar, they make up for with hard, old-school team play.  One thing you know your going to see when you watch Coach Fife’s Wolves are solid fundamental players.  Senior shooting Nick Owens is the prime example of that.  He isn’t the most athletic, or skilled ball handling on the floor, but he can flat out shoot.  Owens’ jump shot wasn’t consistent throughout the game, but stepped up his performance in the second half when it mattered most and scored 20 points in the winning effort.  He was able to connect on both corner and wing threes off the pass that allowed Clarkston to score just enough to beat the Cowboys.

Detroit Pershing 55 Southfield 42

Southfield made three pointers from the perimeter throughout most of the game, but that was only available because it is hard to drive the lane and get to the basket against Pershing 6’7″ and VCU commit Justin Tillman.  If there is anyone that plays harder than Justin Tillman on both ends of the floor please let me know.  Justin has been nothing short of spectacular the first few weeks into the season.  He is showing why he is the state’s top shot blocker and rebounder.  Tillman is so athletic to go along with his long arms that he even blocked shots were he seemed to be out of the play and come out of no where to pin the ball on the glass.  He gave Southfield 20 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 blocks.