Memphis BB

[dmm88]

Outside the Memphis area: District 15-AA is gonna be a WAR. 4 teams (Covington, Fayette-Ware, Bolivar and Ripley) are all capable of winning it. 

[TonyG]

17 hours ago, kwc said:

From the article above and looking at the current schedules ... we are looking at Lausanne being the dominant D2 small and Briarcrest  being the dominant D2 large. Whitehaven and Houston loom like they will represent the AAA D1. Wooddale will rep the AA D1 and Mitchell the A D1. Who else in AA and A do we look at?

Will be many of no contests for Briarcrest and Lausanne in D2. Are Wooddale's two studs mature enough to get it done against the great coaching they will encounter at the state finals? Chandler and Alvin were great help last year. Mitchell is Mitchell and they always have a chance. And as far as Region 8 AAA goes, I could see Whitehaven's "dog" outdoing Houston's length and youth.

[kwc]

1 hour ago, TonyG said:

Will be many of no contests for Briarcrest and Lausanne in D2. Are Wooddale's two studs mature enough to get it done against the great coaching they will encounter at the state finals? Chandler and Alvin were great help last year. Mitchell is Mitchell and they always have a chance. And as far as Region 8 AAA goes, I could see Whitehaven's "dog" outdoing Houston's length and youth.

I have to admit ... I love who they got to be the HC over at The Haven. If anybody could come in and keep that intensity on defense going ... it's him. I thought he was retired. If he was, I'm glad he came back!

[dmm88]

Just my thoughts on Briarcrest, East, Wooddale, and Lausanne:

 

Briarcrest: I really like #1, he's probably end to end one of the best PG's I've seen in the last 4-5 years.  Really great vision and basketball IQ, I see why the blue bloods are in hot pursuit, NOW having said that, he must improve as a shooter, shot looks like it has a major hitch. That's the key if he wants to be a high school to NBA guy (if it passes before 2022)

#4 is a monster athlete, great motor, shot is solid, heard he was all-State in football, and I see why. When he dunked over the IMG kid I came from my seat. He should be all-conference in the OVC.

#13 is a BIG kid, but he moves like a wing. Soft touch around the rim, and actually surprised with his quickness defending outside the lane. Should have a chance to play pro football if he continues to work.

 

East:

#1 is gonna be a STEAL for a mid/low-level D1, very good run and jump athlete. Actually shot it better than I thought he would. Very good defender. I think he's a plug and play kid at the next level because he's sooooo athletic.

#23 is gonna be a very good player at a D2. Good-mid range game and gets to his spots at ease. Solid athlete as well. 

 

Wooddale:

#11 I honestly don't know, he's athletic and long-armed so there's that. He's a 4-star kid, but I don't know what he does well, not a good shooter or explosive athlete. He's gonna have to rev up his motor, get committed to grabbing rebounds and rim running. If his shot develops, he will be in a Power 5 rotation. Also, didn't like the fact he tried to go one on one with #1 from Monteverde. He's not that kind of player. 
 

#3 is a 2021 and he has a solid skill set. Scored from all 3 levels, needs to improve his decision making. Probably best for him to move to a prep school type setting to develop good habits for the next level.

Lausanne:

#23 was the BEST player I saw and it wasn't close. Shot blocker who pretty much forced Vashon (St.Louis) to take long 2's because he challenged everything at the rim. Used his long arms to grab every rebound in his area. Very intriguing offensive game too, handled it some and hit two threes. Top 5-10 player in his class and a good shot to go high school to the NBA.

#5 is gonna be a great player at Evansville. A guy that just does everything for a team. He can score, rebound, defend, and he's unselfish. 
 

#0 is a ATHLETE!!! Gets downhill with ease and puts so much pressure on your defense because he can finish at the rim so well. Really good vision and instincts, shoots it good. Gonna be a very good college player.

 

 

 

[kwc]

Commercial Appeal boys basketball weekly power rankings

 

Khari Thompson, Memphis Commercial AppealPublished 1:09 p.m. CT Jan. 13, 2020 | Updated 1:11 p.m. CT Jan. 13, 2020

 

Here's The Commercial Appeal's weekly boys basketball power rankings. 

1. East (12-3): The Mustangs, who picked up wins over White Station and Central last week, have yet to lose to an in-state opponent. Last week: No. 4

2. Houston (14-3): The Mustangs picked up double-digit wins over Arlington and Germantown. Last week: No. 3

3. Briarcrest (13-5): The Saints fell to Hall (Little Rock, Arkansas) and Olive Branch. Last week: No. 1

4. Whitehaven (12-1): The Tigers beat Christian Brothers by two but fell to B.T. Washington by double digits. Last week: No. 2

5. Lausanne (12-4): The Lynx beat Holly Springs (Mississippi) and Lake Cormorant. Last week: No. 5

6. Olive Branch (12-4): The Conquistadors earned wins over Tupelo and Briarcrest. Last week: Unranked. 

7. Wooddale (12-6): The Cardinals got a pair of district victories over Mitchell and Raleigh-Egypt. Last week: No. 6

8. White Station (12-4): The Spartans beat Harding Academy by 10 but fell to East by 11. Last week: No. 7

9. Center Hill (14-6): The Mustangs won their past two games against Lake Cormorant and Lafayette by 34 and 47, respectively. Last week: Unranked

10. Christian Brothers (13-6): The Purple Wave bounced back from a close loss to Whitehaven with a 14-point win over Southaven. Last week: No. 9. 

[kwc]

Elite Eight: Whitehaven's Jesse Payne went from 'real life chunky' to starting point guard

 

Khari Thompson, Memphis Commercial AppealPublished 9:48 p.m. CT Jan. 12, 2020

With its tallest starter standing at 6-foot-5, Whitehaven's basketball team relies on strong guard play and a pressing defense. The Tigers create much of their offense by creating turnovers and beating teams down the floor in transition.

"We press from the beginning to the end of the game. First quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter. We are in tip-top shape. That’s one of our strengths," coach Fred Horton said. 

That makes it all the more interesting that the team's leader, point guard Jesse Payne, was once a 5-foot-5, 200-pound sixth-grader who struggled to keep up with the pace of the game.

"I was real life chunky. I’m dead serious. You know that’s pretty big for a sixth-grader. I’m like 175-180 now," Payne said. 

Payne is No. 7 on The Commercial Appeal's inaugural Elite Eight, a collection of the area's top senior basketball prospects.

He said he used to be the last one off the bench and that it all began to change when he met former Whitehaven coach Faragi Phillips in the seventh grade while playing AAU basketball.

"The only thing I could do was that I could shoot. But when I met Coach Phillips, there was this one practice where we just ran that whole practice," Payne said. "I never ran like that; every time I had played we mostly ran drills. But with him we ran the whole practice and the next day I said, ‘Mama, I’m not going to practice.' I tried to make it sound like I was sick. Coach Phillips called my mama and said, ‘Where’s my fat boy at?' He's the first coach that ever made me earn minutes."

Payne said his eating habits stayed the same and that some of the weight came off naturally when he hit his growth spurt around ninth grade.

"That's when the weight started coming off. I thought it was just baby fat because I still eat the same way and everything," Payne said.

But he also said the way Phillips pushed him in practice helped him develop into the athlete he is today. 

 

Senior Jesse Payne, 17, on Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, at Whitehaven High School in Memphis. (Photo: Max Gersh / The Commercial Appeal)

"He would put me with the fastest people. He’d put me with (Whitehaven's) Kavion (McClain) and (Wooddale's) Alvin (Miles)," Payne said. "We’d run 10-second down and backs. They used to finish at like 7. I was at like 11 or 12. So trying to catch up with them every day made me faster."

Payne, who is now 6-foot and 180 pounds, helped the Tigers reach the Class AAA semifinals last year. Although Phillips left to join Jerry Stackhouse's staff at Vanderbilt and four-star Ole Miss signee Matthew Murrell transferred to IMG Academy in Florida, Whitehaven is 12-1 with wins over Arlington, Cordova, Tipton-Rosemark and Christian Brothers.

Payne has offers from Christian Brothers University and several junior colleges. 

"He’s able to score when he’s got good shots. He’s able to deliver the ball to the open guy. He’s an excellent ball handler," Horton said. "He can get to the basket and he's smart. What I’m trying to do is get Jesse to shoot more because he can shoot. I’m trying to bring that all together."

Horton said that he values Payne's leadership, smarts and versatility. He said that Payne knows how to control the game and keep his teammates organized.

"Jesse knows everything. His role is sort of like a handyman. He’s there all over the court," Horton said. "Once he does his job he can make sure everybody else is doing their job, and once we get everybody on the same page it makes it easier for everybody." 

Edited January 14, 2020 by kwc

[SayWhat]

On 1/5/2020 at 2:25 PM, dmm88 said:

Just my thoughts on Briarcrest, East, Wooddale, and Lausanne:

 

Briarcrest: I really like #1, he's probably end to end one of the best PG's I've seen in the last 4-5 years.  Really great vision and basketball IQ, I see why the blue bloods are in hot pursuit, NOW having said that, he must improve as a shooter, shot looks like it has a major hitch. That's the key if he wants to be a high school to NBA guy (if it passes before 2022)

#4 is a monster athlete, great motor, shot is solid, heard he was all-State in football, and I see why. When he dunked over the IMG kid I came from my seat. He should be all-conference in the OVC.

#13 is a BIG kid, but he moves like a wing. Soft touch around the rim, and actually surprised with his quickness defending outside the lane. Should have a chance to play pro football if he continues to work.

 

East:

#1 is gonna be a STEAL for a mid/low-level D1, very good run and jump athlete. Actually shot it better than I thought he would. Very good defender. I think he's a plug and play kid at the next level because he's sooooo athletic.

#23 is gonna be a very good player at a D2. Good-mid range game and gets to his spots at ease. Solid athlete as well. 

 

Wooddale:

#11 I honestly don't know, he's athletic and long-armed so there's that. He's a 4-star kid, but I don't know what he does well, not a good shooter or explosive athlete. He's gonna have to rev up his motor, get committed to grabbing rebounds and rim running. If his shot develops, he will be in a Power 5 rotation. Also, didn't like the fact he tried to go one on one with #1 from Monteverde. He's not that kind of player. 
 

#3 is a 2021 and he has a solid skill set. Scored from all 3 levels, needs to improve his decision making. Probably best for him to move to a prep school type setting to develop good habits for the next level.

Lausanne:

#23 was the BEST player I saw and it wasn't close. Shot blocker who pretty much forced Vashon (St.Louis) to take long 2's because he challenged everything at the rim. Used his long arms to grab every rebound in his area. Very intriguing offensive game too, handled it some and hit two threes. Top 5-10 player in his class and a good shot to go high school to the NBA.

#5 is gonna be a great player at Evansville. A guy that just does everything for a team. He can score, rebound, defend, and he's unselfish. 
 

#0 is a ATHLETE!!! Gets downhill with ease and puts so much pressure on your defense because he can finish at the rim so well. Really good vision and instincts, shoots it good. Gonna be a very good college player.

 

 

 

#11 from Wooddale is Lawson I believe, he played extremely well  considering they played maybe the best put together team I've seen in High School in 10 years in Montverde. They beat OB by 40 the night before and they were missing their second best player in Scottie Barnes who I think is going to Florida State University. He wasn't scared, that's what I like about that kid.  The number one player in the country in 2021, Kuminga scored just 14 against Montverde and lost by 47, that kid scored 23 against them. I watched him against Lausanne the night before and he had 36, he can go! Cisse a monster too!! No doubt about it. Jalen Brown had 4 points in the game against Lausanne, he had a bad bad game. Friday night. You gotta show up in games like that if you top 60 supposedly in the country but again, he he a kid, so no biggie, it happens.  Kid from East I think you talking about Posey, he can go too!! Just undersized 4, not a high level guy but maybe a HBCU or someone will give him a call. If he was 6'8, it would be different for him for sure. Other big next to Cisse is really raw, he not a guy you  can throw it to and say go get me a bucket underneath, he a guy who play hard and will get better as he gets older in college.Solid 4 year player, will play a lot his second year if Mccarty is still at Evansville with his issues he has going on.

[SayWhat]

Chandler is good for Briarcrest but he not Duke good. I watched him struggle against Little Rock Hall Friday night and play okay against Olive Branch, another game they lost. He a good pg, great vision, smart, crafty ball handler. I've watched him grow over the years, I can definitely tell he on diff level now but so can he. He carries himself like a 5 star but you gotta play like it too at all times. He needs to be in the right system to be effective. Doesn't shoot it that great either but you the instruments he has and you can see why folks think he like that. 

[kwc]

 

Elite Eight: What makes Rodney Mason II the Batman of Bartlett basketball

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KHARI THOMPSON   | Memphis Commercial Appeal

If you glance at Rodney Mason II's left leg, you'll find a series of building-themed tattoos. He has the Pyramid on the inside of his leg to represent Memphis. He has the Seattle Space Needle on his calf because he thinks it looks cool. 

He went with the building theme because he's 6-foot-5 and has long legs. Plus, he wanted something different. Not many high school seniors are constructing cities of ink on their bodies. 

"Everybody gets the same stuff like a clock or some roses, prayer hands or a lion. I wanted to be different," said Mason, who is No. 6 on The Commercial Appeal Elite Eight, a collection of the area's top senior high school basketball prospects.

Then, on his shin, there's a tattoo of the Sears Tower, where the movie "The Dark Knight" was filmed. To Mason it represents Batman, the superhero with many gadgets but no defined superpower.

"Everybody has all those superpowers, but if you take it to the streets you don’t want no smoke with Batman," Mason said. "Batman is going to hit you with something. You don’t know what it's going to be, but he has a lot of stuff in his bag. That’s how I am. You could go with that. Rodney Mason, the Batman." 

Mason is a forward who can guard all five positions at the high school level, but he doesn't quite have a defined position at the college level. 

"Size-wise he’s a tweener, and someone that’s recruiting him is going to look and say, ‘What is he going to play for us? Is he a two, three, a four?'" Bartlett assistant Tim Allen said. "The really good coaches don’t care; they take the best players. But some coaches get players to fit their system. The thing that may hold him back is ‘what is he?’ I don't know what he is at this point. I think he’s probably a three or a four." 

Mason has an offer from UT Martin. He is averaging 12.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.7 steals. 

"Rodney is very driven. Rodney is a great teammate and leader. He works harder than anyone we have," Allen said. "He’s not the most gifted or the most talented, but he’s our toughest kid. He’s always concerned about rebounding, assists and steals way before points. He puts the team above himself."

Mason helped Bartlett reach the sectionals last year. This year, Bartlett is off to a 10-5 start with wins over Houston, White Station and Ridgeway. 

"He does the little things like setting screens, boxing out and talking on defense. Rodney is our best talker because he’s always talking on the defensive end," Allen said. "He’s always got his teammates' back. He understands all five positions on the floor, and he can guard all five positions. Offensively he can play all five. He’s very versatile." 

   

Edited January 14, 2020 by kwc

[kwc]

Elite Eight: Bo Montgomery's jump shot is the key to his recruitment

KHARI THOMPSON   | Memphis Commercial Appeal

At 6-foot-5, Jalen "Bo" Montgomery is a tall combo guard who recently passed 1,000 career points. He primarily plays point guard at Lausanne, but coach Marvis Davis said that Montgomery's size, athleticism and slashing ability make him a natural fit at shooting guard in college. 

"Pound for pound, he’s the most explosive player in the city of Memphis. He will dunk on you, and he’s fast, he’s fit, he’s strong," Davis said. "He’s 6-foot-5 and can play the point guard spot. He plays the 1-3 but really in high school he could play the 4 or 5 if we needed him to, but we’re just fortunate that we don't." 

Montgomery is No. 5 on The Commercial Appeal's inaugural Elite Eight, a collection of the area's top senior high school basketball prospects. He's averaging 16 points 7 rebounds and 4 assists

Davis said that there was a sequence against Memphis Catholic last year that sums up the kind of explosiveness that Montgomery has. 

"There were just four plays in a row where he took over the game," Davis said. "He got a steal, went up and 360 dunked. Then he came back down and ripped baseline and dunked on a kid, and then he came down and leaned over. It was just four back-to-back plays that you would see in Division I college or the NBA. That’s how explosive this kid is."

Montgomery has offers from Holy Cross, Southern Illinois, Dartmouth, Columbia and Howard, among others. 

"A lot of people don’t know how smart he is and how big education is for him," Davis said. "He’s definitely entertaining the Ivy League schools." 

Montgomery said that he's looking for a school where his game will fit and where he can get a strong education in an environment he feels comfortable with. 

"I want to be a basketball player. I want to keep playing basketball as long as I can. I just love the sport," Montgomery said. "It doesn’t really matter, NBA, overseas, as long as I keep playing basketball. But if that doesn’t work out I’m going to try to be a dentist in college and study orthodontics."

Montgomery said he spent this summer taking between 700 and 800 jump shots a day because shooting is the biggest thing college coaches want him to improve on. 

"I knew that’s what I needed. A lot of high-major coaches said I was a good player, but I couldn’t shoot as well as they wanted," Montgomery said. "So I took that to heart and just kept on working and working so I could show them that I could shoot." 

Davis said that Montgomery's jump shot has gotten better and that he's showing that he can knock down 3's this season. He said that Vanderbilt has come to see Montgomery play and that Ole Miss and Tulane have expressed interest. Davis said continued improvement on Montgomery's jump shot will be crucial for picking up higher level offers. 

"A comparison would be like a Matthew Murrell-type athleticism, and that’s no exaggeration," Davis said, referring to the Ole Miss signee who played at Whitehaven and is now at IMG Academy in Florida. "He definitely has that type of athleticism, but a lot of colleges wanted to see if he can shoot. That’s the difference between him going high major and mid-major."

   

Edited January 21, 2020 by kwc

[kwc]

Elite Eight: How one breakout summer made Lausanne's Johnathan DeJurnett a Division I prospect

KHARI THOMPSON   | Memphis Commercial Appeal

Johnathan DeJurnett is a 6-foot-8 forward who has signed with Evansville, which upset Kentucky earlier this season. He's an athletic wing who Lausanne coach Marvis Davis said the Evansville coaching staff sees as a potential stretch-four at the next level.

"Right now with us having the big fella (five-star center Moussa Cisse) he's been playing more of the three and four," Davis said. "Evansville wants him to be able to be a stretch four and be able to run. On that level in their conference I think he'll be fine being a three or a four." 

DeJurnett, who is averaging 14.8 points and nine rebounds, is No. 4 on The Commercial Appeal Elite Eight, a collection of the area's top high school senior basketball prospects. 

DeJurnett signed with Evansville on Dec. 2, and the university announced Dec. 27 that coach Walter McCarty was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into alleged violations of the school's Title IX policy. 

"I've already talked to (assistant) Coach Logan (Baumann) about it," DeJurnett said. "I haven't talked to Coach McCarty about it. He told me that everything is fine and that I still have my scholarship and everything. I'm still committed at this point right now, but my options are always open."

He's a three-year starter at Lausanne who has scored over 1,000 points and was on the Lynx's 2017 DII-A state title team.

Davis said that most of the attention from college coaches came this summer.

"He made the biggest jump this summer of a kid that I've ever seen," Davis said. "He was playing on the national level guarding some of the best kids in the country and making some terrific plays and he started getting some DI attention. It was a whirlwind after that. We looked up and said 'wow' all of a sudden he has 8-10 offers." 

DeJurnett said he'd shoot around 500 jump shots in his backyard in the morning before hitting the gym to work on ball-handling and conditioning. 

"At first I really didn't like it a lot, but I knew I had to do it to get where I wanted to go. I kept doing it and it paid off," DeJurnett said. "It really surprised me how I was playing. It kind of shocked me also. I didn't think I would be able to do some of the things that I'm able to do, but it all came together." 

DeJurnett said that Davis, who also is his uncle, helped craft his workout plans with an emphasis on attacking the rim.

"He put a big emphasis on my game to make sure I dunk everything, so that when I get to the next level it's second nature," DeJurnett said. "It really shows now where when I go to the basket I'm looking to dunk every time. That sets me apart because people aren't expecting that." 

Davis said that he wants DeJurnett to continue to add strength and refine his jump shot. 

"I want him to get a little stronger. He's fine for us in the high school level, but to compete in the college level he has to get a little bit stronger," Davis said. "Obviously his shooting needs to be a little bit more consistent because he won't be able to run and dunk on everybody in college. Just keep improving, keep improving every day." 

   

Edited January 21, 2020 by kwc

[kwc]

Elite Eight: How Duane Posey went from breaking skateboards to crashing the boards in basketball

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KHARI THOMPSON   | Memphis Commercial Appeal

Before he grew to be a 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward and the only boys basketball player in the city of Memphis ranked by 247Sports for the Class of 2020, Duane Posey was an avid skater. 

"I used to go with my godbrothers to the Cordova skating rink and skate a lot on the weekends," Posey said. "It really was a leg exercise, but I wasn’t really thinking of it like that. We used to race. We were real competitive and I loved being up there with them."

The East standout is No. 3 on The Commercial Appeal Elite Eight, a collection of the area's top high school senior basketball prospects. 

He says can skate backwards, cross his skates, spin and skate on one leg. He can skateboard, too. He estimates that he's owned 17 and has gone through as many as four in a year.

"Every Christmas I wanted a skateboard because I used to break my other skateboards in half trying to do tricks," Posey said. "I started off with the Walmart skateboards at first, but I ended up going to the Zumiez and stuff and the good skateboards, and I started doing really good. I started putting my friends on skateboarding."

One of the harder tricks Posey learned is the dolphin flip, a combination of a kickflip and a 360. He says he still skates when he gets a chance but has less time because he's focused on basketball. 

He started playing competitive basketball in the ninth grade when he got to East. He said he grew three inches that summer and it brought him extra attention. 

"I picked up basketball because I really started hitting my growth spurt and people kept telling me to play, but I really wasn’t interested in it until I finally got my first dunk," Posey said. "It was in the ninth grade before I transferred (to Melrose). I was in a community center in Raleigh and I got my first dunk. I just started hooping after that, and then it became fun to me."

He transferred to Melrose after playing JV for East during his freshman year. East went 33-3 that year and won the second of three consecutive state titles. Posey returned to East for his senior season after moving back into East's zone, coach Jevonte Holmes said. 

"This is where I started. When I played my ninth grade year, I played JV," Posey said. "I wasn’t really that good, but I felt like I could come back and have a good chance of playing for East my 12th-grade year and I got way better so I just wanted to come back."

Posey, who is No. 6 in the state in the 247Sports rankings, has led East to a 12-3 record with wins over Wooddale, White Station, Bartlett, and Center Hill. 

"He can jump off of either foot," Holmes said. "He’s just so good laterally. He can get up and down the floor." 

"I mess with him all the time that when he gets done with basketball he could go play football and be Megatron. He’s just that physically gifted with his size, leaping ability, the way he runs and great hands."

Posey said he has an offer from Georgia Southern, but that he is trying to raise his ACT score so he can be eligible.

Holmes said the plan is for Posey to attend junior college if he doesn't raise his score. 

   

Edited January 21, 2020 by kwc