Webster Groves basketball standout Courtney Ramey has given a verbal commitment to the University of Louisville.
A five-star recruit, the 6’3” junior point guard chose Louisville over Florida, Creighton and Kansas State. Ramey had received scholarship offers from more than two dozen top Division I schools around the country.
One of the main factors in Ramey’s decision was his relationship with Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino of Louisville. Pitino made several trips to St. Louis to see Ramey in action, including two weeks ago when he brought his entire staff to Webster Groves’ victory at SLUH.
“I really like Coach Pitino and I feel he had the best relationship with me,” Ramey said. “I love how he develops his players. He trusts his players and makes them better. He gives his guards a lot of freedom.”
Ramey is currently averaging more than 20 points and eight rebounds and six assists in leading the Statesmen to a 15-2 record. The first day after he made his announcement, Ramey scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Statesmen to a 75-67 victory over Illinois powerhouse Chicago Morgan Park in the featured game of the Bank of O’Fallon Shootout.
Girls’ showdown on tap
Two of the top high school girls’ programs in the state will square off on Friday night when Kirkwood pays a visit to Parkway North. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. Both teams are state-championship contenders in their respective classes with Kirkwood in Class 5 and Parkway North in Class 4.
Kirkwood is currently 17-2 and coming off the championship of the Webster Winter Classic. The Pioneers are led by 6’2” senior UCLA recruit Lauryn Miller, who is averaging 18.4 points and 9.4 rebounds a game. Talented junior guard Jayla Everett is averaging 16.5 points while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. Point guard Makayla Wallace is averaging 11.4 points a game while guard Lola Bracy averages 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds a game.
Parkway North is currently 15-4 with one of those losses coming to Kirkwood in the semifinals of the Visitation Christmas Tournament in late December. The Vikings are led by 5’3” senior guard Jaydn Pimentel, who averages 13.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, four assists and four steals a game. Pimentel has signed with Lamar. Junior guard Amaya Stovall is averaging 12.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Up front, the Vikings feature 6’0” senior Aliyah Belcher and 6’1” senior Jordan May. Belcher averages 12.7 points while May averages 10.1 points.
Celebrating the past
There were a couple of special ceremonies last Friday night to celebrate past high school basketball glory. CBC High celebrated the 20-year anniversary of its 1997 team that won the Class 4A state championship. That Cadets team was led by All-American Larry Hughes and current CBC coach Justin Tatum. To add to the celebration, the host Cadets upset top-ranked Chaminade 83-75 to hand the Red Devils their first loss in Metro Catholic Conference play in four years.
Cardinal Ritter College Prep celebrated the career of former star Chris Carrawell by retiring his number before the Lions’ game against Kennedy. Carrawell was a Parade All-American at Ritter who went on to be a four-year starter at Duke. He was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2000. Carrawell is now as assistant coach at Marquette University.
Gateway High will be celebrating the 20-year anniversary of its state-championship girls’ basketball team on Friday, Feb. 16 at the Jaguars’ last home game. Gateway Tech won the Class 4A state championship in 1997 and finished with a 28-0 record. Coach Sherman Curtis’ squad featured players such as Christian Shelton, Tara “Peaches” Harris, Brandie Archibald, Latosha Thompson, Tiana Ford and Diana Hill, who all went on to sign with Division I schools.
