O’Fallon High basketball standout Roosevelt Jones has given a verbal commitment to NCAA Tournament runner-up Butler.
Jones, who was the St. Louis American Player of the Year, gave his commitment to the Bulldogs on his unofficial visit to the campus last week.
A powerful 6’3” swingman, Jones led O’Fallon to a 30-4 record and a third-place finish in the IHSA Class 4 state tournament. Jones averaged 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists to lead the Panthers in all of those categories. He was also O’Fallon’s top defensive player.
Butler coach Brad Stevens and his staff really turned up the recruiting heat on Jones after their run to the NCAA championship game. With his physical toughness and versatility, Jones’ playing style is similar to current Butler standouts Shelvin Mack and Willie Veasley, who are strong, athletic 6’3” guards who excel on at both ends of the court.
Jones is currently playing for the St. Louis Eagles Basketball Club.
AAU excellence
Some of the area’s local basketball clubs are already doing some nice things against some good national competition. The St. Louis Eagles Basketball Club won the championship at the Jayhawk Inviational in the 17U boys division. Chaminade College Prep All-American was the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament while Wellston’s Ben McLemore continues to build his national profile at this big-ticket tournaments. Beal and O’Fallon’s Roosevelt Jones were selected to the All-Tournament team.
The St. Louis Gameface is also enjoying an excellent spring season. Gameface won the local Adidas All-American Tournament in April, then advanced to the championship game of the Spiece Run-n-Slam in Indiana this past week. Gameface has been led by the dynamic duo of guard B.J. Young and power forward Dantiel Daniels. The 6’3” Young has been scoring up a storm at these tournaments. He scored 42 points in the semifinals against a loaded Seattle Rotary team. Young is now at McCluer North after spending his first three prep years at Hazelwood Central. Daniels continues to be a beast inside who plays bigger than his actual size.
The other boys team to perform well nationally is the Southwest Illinois Jets 15U team, which advanced to the championship game of the Nike Spring Showdown in Merrillville, Ill. The Jets are led by top freshman Malcolm Hill Jr. (Belleville East) and DeShawn Munson (East St. Louis).
On the girls side, Team St. Louis Adidas won the championship in the Platinum Division at last weekend’s Great Midwest Shootout Spring Fling at McCluer North. STL Adidas defeated the Mississippi Hoop Dreams in the championship game. They were led by Belleville West standout Erika McCaster in the title game.
Belts an Illini
Maplewood High football standout Calvin Belts Jr. has given a verbal commitment to play at Illinois State University. The 6’5” 210-pound defensive end was among the area’s leaders in quarterback sacks as a junior with 19. Belts has been a stalwart on the Blue Devils’ defensive unit since his freshman year.
Two tourneys
A pair of local basketball tournaments are on the horizon. The David Lee and Larry Hughes Basketball Slam Jam will be held from May 14-16 at various locations around the area. For more information, call the St. Louis Gateway Classic at (314) 621-1994. Athletelookup.com and the Elite Basketball Academy will present their Spring Shootout from May 21-23 at various locations in St. Charles County. Boys and girls teams from fourth to 12th grade will compete. For more information or to register, contact Big Marc at (314) 960-8153 or by email at elitebasketball2010@hotmail.com.
You can follow Earl Austin Jr. on his basketball website, www.earlaustinjr.com. You can also follow Earl on Facebook and at twitter.com/earlaustinjr.
