Class of 2010 Battle 4 the Rankings Recap

10/16/2009

Rameybasketball.com takes a detailed look at the 2009 Battle 4 the Rankings Basketball Showcase Class of 2010 participants. Click here for complete recap.

A very solid showing from the areas Class of 2010 as their was some standout performers and several surprises in this group.

•Terrence TJ Brown6’7Soldan (picture)

The athletic Brown repeated as event MVP in this event and did it with a great showing

of athleticism on both ends of the court. Brown out ran defenders for easy layups and

dunks and also scored well in the half court with a good touch around the rim. Not

blessed with a lot of strength Brown makes up for it with a great touch and an ability to

put the ball on the floor and out maneuver defenders. Brown had several eye popping

dunks throughout the event.

•Alphonos Battle6’2Jennings

Battle showed well at this event and showed his always deadly range on his jumper but surprised many with his ability to break defenders down off the dribble and finish at the rim. The long and lean Battle should have a breakout year for Jennings this upcoming year.

•Alex Mumphard5’5Althoff

The small lead guard with a lot of quickness scored the ball well at this event and has great range on his jump shot. Didn’t show a lot of playmaking skills but was looking and converting his offense at this event. Should be part of an outstanding Althoff backcourt this season.

•Alex Rudd6’6Whitfield

Rudd looks to be fully healthy from a torn ACL injury that costs him his entire junior season. Everyone knows Rudd is one of the premier shooters in the area but at this event Rudd looked to take defenders off the dribble and ran the floor well for layups in transition.

•Cortez Connors6’1Webster Groves (pictured)

This kid has game and doesn’t get his due as one of the top scorers in his class.

Connors easily won the 3pt Contest and showcased throughout the event an ability

to score of the dribble. Connors is an explosive scorer that loves to shoot the ball

and hits at a very high percentage.

•Brian Midden6’6Francis Howell Central

Midden is a finesse power player that rebounds well and shoots it well with range out to three. Midden also looks to take defenders off the dribble. Scored a lot of buckets in this event attacking off the dribble and shooting from the perimeter.

•Chevaughn Lawrence6’3O’Fallon

Lawrence showcased his great strength and explosiveness in this event. Lawrence has a big time high school body and uses it well to punish defenders at the rim. Lawrence is at his best in transition and handles it well and hit several jumpers throughout the event also.

•John “Billy” Bizzell5’11Normandy

Bizzell was one of the events top performers and had the crowd going with his no look passes and quick crossovers that left defenders standing still. Bizzell was on top of his game at this event and impressed several schools with his quickness, strength, passing ability, court vision, and the confidence he played with. Bizzell should have a breakout year for Normandy this year.

•Corey Allen6’0Ritenour

The athletic Allen showed good at this event although we have seen him do a lot more in other events. Allen attacked the rim and scored at will when driving and delivered one of the events top plays as he attempted to finish a nasty dunk on top of Brier West.

•Brier West6’1Soldan

West is a solid combo guard that showed off his improved jump shot in games we watched. West is still at best in transition and with the ball in his hand as he has a very good shooting touch at the rim.

•Ryan Pierson6’10CBC

Pierson is bigger and stronger than he was last year and is playing with a lot of confidence right now and that’s why he is the top recruit in the class. Pierson scored with his back to the basket and also hit the glass very well on both ends. Pierson uses a very strong jump hook over defenders with either hand. Pierson also hit several long jumpers.

•Leland Smith5’10Berkeley

Leland better known as Trey has established himself as one of the elite guards in a guard heavy class and at this event Smith was on top of his game. Smith showcased his great athletic ability and quickness as he was lethal in transition. Smith bread and butter is his shooting ability as he hit several long range jumpers with great constancy at this event. Expect a breakout year for Smith at Berkeley this year.

•Demarko Jones6’8 Vashon

The long Jones showed good upside at this event and played hard and did a lot of good things throughout the games we watched. Jones plays every play and goes hard on each one and is has a good touch around the rim and does a good job of keeping the ball up high. Jones is also a good rebounder on both ends of the court.

•Saladin “Bud” Smith6’2Vashon

Bud had a breakout performance at this event and hit several deep jumpers, took defenders off the dribble for strong drives, and also showed the ability to stop on the dime to hit strong mid range pull ups. Smith was one of the top performers in this class.

•Julian Johnson6’3Whitfield

Johnson is a strong peremetor player that showed good explosivness when he attacked the rim. Struggled handling the ball at this event but was affective in half court sets taking the ball strong to the hoop and finishing. Johnson is an elite player that knows how to score the ball.

•Eric Clark6’4Cardinal Ritter

Clark was on top of his game at this event as he looked dominant at times as he played hard and aggressive on each play. Clark hit several mid to long range jumpers with great consistency and delivered several big time dunks in transition.

•Wendell Crowder6’2Cardinal Ritter

Crowder looked awesome at this event as he scored from deep with great confidence and finished off the dribble at the rim at will. What impressed us the most about Crowders very strong performance was his ability to create for teammates off the dribble. Crowder delivered several dimes and nice dunks throughout the event and it was a treat to see the very talented Crowder playing with great confidence.

•Mylinh Jordan6’0Cardinal Ritter

Jordan may have been the most explosive scorer in this class at this event as he attacked the rim and defenders all day long. Jordan is a capable scorer that loves to break people down with his strong handle and use his explosiveness to score at the rim. Jordan scores in bunches and very quick.

•Gerald Jones6’0Berkeley

Jones is a very physically gifted point guard that loves to push the ball and attack the rim with very strong drives. Jones also showed a much improved jump shot at this event and also made several nice plays for teammates. Jones competes at a very high level.

•Brian Walker5’6Hazelwood Central

One of the smartest point guards in his areas class, Walker did not disappoint as he set up teammate after teammate and just made the right plays it seemed all the time. Walker also hit several open jumpers.

•Devin Griffen5’11Althoff

Griffen is a slick passer that delivered dimes all day long throughout the event. Griffen is a pass first guard that handles the ball well and easily beats pressure to set up teammates. Griffen has good form on his jumper and hit a couple that he took in this event.

•Duke Ezeami6’7Holt

Ezeami is a big and strong post player that got great position on both ends of the court and scored very well on several offensive put backs. Ezeami has good passing ability and showed a decent shooting touch.

•Dwan Davis6’3Metro

Davis is a strong and long armed perimeter player that scored off the dribble well at this event and also hit several long range jumpers. We didn’t see a great deal of athleticism from Davis and at times he seemed passive but he is very strong and scores well.

•Jake Ashlock6’7Oakville

Ashlock is the pro type pick and pop post player as he has a very good shooting touch to go along with his big strong body. Ashlock also has very soft hands that allows him to score around the rim with ease.

•Garrett Reeg6’6Oakville

Reeg is one of the areas top post players and has tremendous footwork and touch around around the rim. Reeg plays very hard and to us is a no brainer D2 player that could maybe help many low major D1 programs. Reeg was one of the top performers in this class at this event.

•Maurice Burns6’3Whitfield

Burns is a very strong lead guard that has incredible court vision and passing ability. Burns is also much more athletic than we realized and is also very physical for a lead guard that allowed him to take contact and still make plays. We here think many are sleeping on Burns as he has a lot of basketball savvy on the court.

•Tim Cooney6’3SLUH

One of the areas top perimeter players for the class of 2010 didn’t disappoint as he was spraying long range jumpers at will and taking any and all defenders off the dribble all throughout the event. Cooney is a player that should bet getting higher looks than he is at the current moment as he is not just a great basketball player but a great student that scored a 32 on his ACT.

•Kenny Hunt6’0Normandy

Hunt is a good shooter that looks for his jumper with great movement without the ball. Hunt also uses a good head fake to create space to get jumper off.

•Kuna Lahai-Pumagoi6’0Edwardsville

A physical specimen Kuna is at best when getting to the rim. He did surprise us when he threw down a very strong dunk in traffic. Pumagoi is also a very good defender that uses his strength to disrupt opponents.

•Kevin King5’9Central VPA

King is a quick lead guard that looks to score and looked strong getting to the basket to create shots for himself. King is a very confident player that showed very good ball handling skills.

•Chauncee Hollingsworth5’6Soldan

Chauncee is a jet quick guard that loves to push the ball and has elevated his jumper to great constancy. Chauncee got after it on the defensive end in this event and we was very impressive with the leadership that he showed while directing his teammates.

•Quenton Townsend6’3Normandy

Townsend is a very smart and crafty wing player that shows very good athletic ability. Townsend was at his best at attacking the rim and finished well. Townsend handled the ball very well also.

•Robbie St. John5’10Desmet

Robbie is a tough guard that hit several long range jumpers at this event. We was most impressed with the toughness that St. John played with at this event as he does a lot of the intangibles that would lead a team to the winners circle.

•Ryun Davis6’4McCluer North

The big body Davis is a warrior on the block and has great footwork and touch around the rim. What Davis lacks in athletic ability he makes up with strength and craftyness. Davis showed the ability to put the ball on the floor at this event and the ability to hit jumpers with range out to three. This kid is a player and puts up numbers every time he hits the floor and a college needs to give this kid a chance.

•Scott Pohle6’4Parkway South

Pohle is a very strong wing that is not just one of the areas top shooters but has developed into a complete wing that puts the ball on the floor and gets to the rim. Pohle takes contact well and rebounds very well from his position.

•Darryne Anderson6’0Hazelwood Central

Anderson is a very athletic player that made several plays via hustle. Anderson loves to drive to the hole and showed constancy at finishing at the rim. Didn’t shoot a lot of jumpers at this event.

Class of 2010 Ttop performers

6'7 TJ Brown Soldan MVP

6'6 Garrett Reeg Oakville

6'4 Eric Clark Ritter

6'2 Wendell Crowder Ritter

5'11 Billy Bizzell Normandy