Of the St. Louis American
The River City Pro-Am Summer Basketball League (a.k.a. Anthony Bonner League) will conclude its regular season on Saturday and begin the playoffs on Sunday afternoon at Cardinal Ritter College Prep.
The final regular season weekend is highlighted by a showdown between the St. Louis Stars and the Outlaws. The Stars are the defending Bonner League champions while the Outlaws are a veteran crew looking to rule the league once again. Among the top players for the Stars are former Jennings High and Southern Illinois star Darren Brooks, current SIU standout Randal Falker, former Hazelwood Central star Demetrius Alexander, 7-footer Brian Cusworth, a senior at Harvard and many talented players. The Outlaws feature Bonner, a 15-year pro, seven-year NBA player Jahidi White, former Saint Louis U. star Erwin Claggett, former Mizzou standouts Julian Winfield and Corey Tate. To add a little spice to the game, Stars’ coach Rashad White has already guaranteed a repeat championship by the St. Louis Stars.
Sunday’s playoffs will feature four games, beginning at 1 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. With the playoffs rolling around, there’s no telling who may show up in a uniform.
Other top teams to watch include Derrty Ent., which features former Vashon High standouts Jimmy McKinney, Dwayne Polk, Nicholas Kern and Joel Shelton. The East St. Louis Ballers are led by current SLU standout Tommie Liddell while Carpet United is led by former UMSL standout Jonathan Griffin and former Valparaiso standout Dan Oppland.
*NBA Summer League Action – Former Cardinal Ritter and Duke University standout Chris Carrawell is playing with the Los Angeles Clippers entry in the NBA Summer League. Carrawell was the Most Valuable Player of the American Basketball Association in 2006 after leading the Rochester Razorsharks to the ABA title…Former Saint Louis University standout Marque Perry is playing for the Portland Trailblazers this summer. Perry spent the past season playing in Italy. Former Belleville East and Forest Park standout Jared Newson is playing for the Memphis Grizzlies in the Los Angeles Pro Summer League. Former University of Missouri standout Thomas Gardner is playing for the San Antonio Spurs summer entry.
*Jimmy Mac to Germany: Former Vashon High and Mizzou standout Jimmy McKinney has signed a contract to play professionally with the Deutsche Bank Skyliners of the German League. McKinney signed a two-year contract with the German club. McKinney finished his career as only one of four Mizzou players in history to have 1,100 points, 400 rebounds and 300 assists in his career.
*Camp Central: The St. Louis Games Foundation will put on its 5th Annual Basketball Camp for boys and girls (ages 7-14) at Forest Park Community College. The camp will run from July 31-August 4. Each day, the camp will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The cost of the camp is $60, which includes breakfast, lunch and a t-shirt. For more information or to reserve a spot, call (314) 335-7462.
The Darren Brooks Summer “Showtime” Basketball Camp will take place this week at the Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club. The camp (for kids in grades 4-8) began on Wednesday and will run until Friday from 8 a.m. to noon. For more information, call (314) 853-4418.