UT recruits Shakara Jones
Of the St. Louis American
The championship trophy for the Anthony Bonner River City Summer Basketball League is back in a familiar place.
The veteran-laden Outlaws won their ninth Bonner League title with an exciting 63-58 overtime victory over Noize City last Sunday at Cardinal Ritter.
Former Cardinal Ritter standout and seven-year NBA veteran Jahidi White led the Outlaws with 16 points and 10 rebounds. It was White’s inside dominance that enabled the Outlaws to hold off the upset-minded Noize City team with a half-court inside attack.
White has been a member of the Outlaws since his high school days at Cardinal Ritter when he was the rookie on a team full of veterans. Now, he is a veteran right along with teammates, Bonner, Julian Winfield, Corey Tate and Erwin Claggett.
“It still means a lot to win the Bonner League, especially with these guys,” White said. “These guys allowed me to play with their team when I was 16 and 17 years old, and that meant a lot to me. They really helped me develop and become an NBA player.”
Despite having the experience of several players who played at a high level, the Outlaws had to fight and scrap against a Noize City team that was looking to pull off its third consecutive huge upset to win the title.
Noize City defeated the defending champion St. Louis Stars in the first round last weekend. In the semifinals, they defeated a Home Grown team that featured Cleveland Cavaliers guard Larry Hughes. They were able to accomplish the task with three starters who will be college freshmen this fall.
Guards Gerald Fulton, Jr. and James Washington, who just graduated from Hazelwood East and Vashon, respectively, gave opposing teams problems with their scoring and quickness. The other freshman was Noize City’s secret weapon in 6’7” forward Mahmoud Diakate, a high-major talent, who will be a freshman at Western Illinois this fall with Washington. He scored 17 points in the semifinal victory over Home Grown.
Noize City trailed 51-45 with less than two minutes left in the finals, but they outscored the Outlaws 8-2 down the stretch for force overtime. Verlon Cleveland hit two free throws with 23 seconds left to tie the score 53-53 in regulation. Claggett had a chance to win the game in regulation, but his 3-pointer at the buzzer hit the back of the rim.
White started the overtime period with a dunk to give the Outlaws the lead to stay at 55-53. Former UMSL guard Lawndale Thomas added 12 points for the Outlaws. Mylan Peppers led Noize City with 14 points. Fulton scored 13 points while Diakate added 11.
UT recruits Shakara Jones
University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summit made a trip to St. Louis last weekend to see Francis Howell Central standout Shakara Jones, who was playing at the Gateway Hoops Shootout at Lafayette High. Also on hand to see the 6’2” Jones in action were Saint Louis U. head coach Shimmy Gray, Missouri coach Cindy Stein, Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly, Georgetown assistant coach Ty Evans and several other schools.
Team St. Louis wins nationals
Congraulations to Team St. Louis, a talented group of seventh-graders, on winning the USSSA National Championship in Fort Wayne, Ind. Team St. Louis finished 8-0 in the tournament, including a 81-67 victory over the Pittsburgh Elite in the championship game. Team St. Louis won the Nike Middle School Championship in Nashville earlier this summer. The team members are Alonzo Chappelle, Brad Beal, Dorian Hobbs, Alex Doss, Jordan Wilson, Jaylen Wilson, Shaquille Boga, Gerald Jones, Calvin Belts, Alexis Nunley and Jared Booker. The coaches are Rick Wilson and Troy Griffin.