We are now in February, which means we are in the home stretch of another exciting season. As I like to do at this time of the year in this notebook, it’s time to look at some of the top freshmen in the St. Louis metro area. There are several youngsters who are making an impact in their first year of high school competition. Here are some of them. You can see my complete list of Freshmen of Influence on my basketball website, www.earlaustinjr.com.
Carte’Are Gordon (Vianney): The 6’7” 250-pound Gordon has been a force for the Golden Grifins, averaging 13.6 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting 63 percent from the field. He has enjoyed some of his most productive games against top teams such as Chaminade, Hazelwood Central and Father Tolton in Columbia, Mo.
Torrence Watson (Whitfield): The smooth 6’4” wing guard has emerged as a dominant scorer for the Warriors this season. Watson is currently averaging 17.7 points a game while shooting 55 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range.
Courtney Ramey (Webster Groves): The talented 6’1” guard doesn’t have big numbers because he is on a deep and talented Webster Groves team, but he has made a big impact, averaging seven points and three rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field.
Tony Burkes and Yahuza Rasas (St. Mary’s): First-year coach Kelvin Lee is building his program around these two very capable rookies. The 6’2” Burkes is averaging 11.6 points and 4.1 rebounds while the 6’5” Rasas is averaging 9.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks for the 11-8 Dragons.
Cameron Van Leer (Pacific): The younger brother of Pacific standout Cullen Van Leer, young Cam is averaging 9.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists a game for a Class 4 contender.
Gavin Pinkley (Hillsboro): The 6’6” forward is averaging 13.2 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range.
Dominic Mitchell (MICDS): The versatile 6’2” Mitchell has been a bright spot in a rebuilding year for the Rams, averaging 9.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and two assists a game.
Kale Catchings (CBC): The 6’5” forward has moved into a starting role for the Cadets and is averaging 5.6 points and 4.2 rebounds a game.
Jericole Hellems (Chaminade): The 6’6” forward has become a solid player off the bench for a loaded Red Devils team, averaging 4.5 points and 2.2 rebounds.
Coby Klaus (Grandview): The brother of former DeSoto standouts Brandon and Brian Klaus, young Coby is averaging nearly 20 points a game to lead all area freshmen in scoring.
Some of the top freshmen girls include: Rachel Pranger (Edwardsville), Amaya Stovall (Parkway North), Jaida Stewart (Webster Groves), Mallory Meeks and Kelsie Williams (Hazelwood Central), K.K. Rodriguez (MICDS), Allison Gill (John Burroughs), Brooke Flowers (Metro), Kalifa Muhammad (Ladue), Makayla Wallace and Jayla Everett (Kirkwood).
Bank of O’Fallon Shootout a success
The inaugural Bank of O’Fallon Shootout was a smashing success. An overflow crowd of more than 3,000 were in attendance for the six-game showcase, which did not disappoint.
In the finale, Chaminade defeated East St. Louis 80-66 in a game what was competitive up until the final four minutes when the Red Devils pulled away. All-American Jayson Tatum lived up to his billing as the nation’s No. 1 junior as he scored a game-high 42 points. The Flyers managed to stay with Chaminade with its speed and athleticism and the play of 6’11” sophomore Jeremiah Tillmon, who scored 13 points.
The most exciting game of the event came in Game 4 when Westchester St. Joseph’s defeated Belleville Althoff 97-95 in a double-overtime game thriller. St. Joseph’s trailed by 12 points in the fourth quarter, but battled back to force overtime. Forward Joffery Brown scored a jumper in the lane at the buzzer for the game-winner. Nebraska recruit Glynn Watson scored a game-high 38 points to lead St. Joseph’s. Althoff was led by its big three of Jordan Goodwin (33 points), Tarkus Ferguson (25 points) and Brendan Gooch (24 points).
