Kelly Thames was one of the St. Louis area’s top basketball players during his stellar career at Jennings in the early 1990’s.
Thames went on to have a standout collegiate career at the University of Missouri, where his name is still present among the career leaders in several categories.
These days, you can find Thames patrolling the sidelines as the head coach at Pattonville High. He led the Pirates to a Class 5 district championship in 2017. Thames has another talented crew at Pattonville this year that is currently 6-0 heading into this week’s Washington Tournament, where the Pirates have the No. 1 seed.
The top player and leader of the Pirates this year is 6’5” junior guard Kellen Thames, the son of the head coach, who is following in his father’s footsteps as one of the top players in the St. Louis area. Thames has already received a scholarship offer from Georgetown University and he has received recruiting interest from several other Division I schools. An excellent all-around player, Kellen Thames is averaging 18.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and two steals a game.
What makes the Pirates such an excellent team is their overall experience and team balance. They start five seniors and four of them have scoring averages in double figures. Senior Alijah Carter is an explosive 6’2” guard who is averaging 15.2 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. He is a high-energy player who can excite everyone with his dunking ability.
Senior guard Levi Banks is a shifty 5’11” southpaw who is averaging 12.8 points while shooting 41 percent from 3-point range. Senior Neno Lee is a 5’9” point guard who averages 12.7 points while providing consistent perimeter shooting from 3-point range. Providing the size up front is 6’7’ senior Jonathan Crosby, who is averaging nearly seven rebounds a game.
*Soulard Showcase is set for this weekend
The Fifth Annual Soulard Showcase will be held on Saturday at Lift for Life Academy. The event will feature two boys games and two girls games. Each athlete will received two tickets for family or friends to attend. The games will also stream live on Lift for Life’s YouTube channel, Hawk Media.
Here is the schedule for Saturday:
Orchard Farm vs. Lutheran North (Boys), 1 p.m. – Lutheran North is led by junior guard David Moore and senior forward Cleveland Washington. Orchard Farm is paced by 5’10” senior guard Brady Wolf.
Cardinal Ritter vs. Westminster Christian (Girls), 3 p.m. – A great matchup between two of the top girls teams in the St. Louis area. Cardinal Ritter is loaded with young talent while Westminster is led by 5’8” junior guard Brooke Highmark, who has already committed to Belmont.
Lift for Life vs. Gateway Legacy (Girls), 5 p.m. – The host Hawks have a talented team led by senior Na’Teonia Russell and juniors Taylor Brown and Mackenzie Wilson. Gateway Legacy is led by 5’5” junior Carolina Rojas and 5’7” junior Ariana Williams.
University City vs. Lift for Life (Boys), 7 p.m. – The University City Lions have a talented team, led by 6’7” senior forward Jalen Hampton and 6’5” forward Brandon Ming. Host Lift for Life is led by 6’0” senior guard Rico Singleton, who is averaging 15 points a game.
*IWA remains undefeated
Nationally ranked Incarnate Word Academy remained undefeated at 10-0 with a championship of the Visitation Christmas Tournament and victories over Marquette and Borgia last week. The Red Knights are led by 6’2” sophomore Natalie Potts, who averages 22 points a game, and the dynamic junior duo of point guard Saniah Tyler and forward Jaiden Bryant. Both Division I prospects average 10 points a game.
*Ronnie Perkins declares for NFL
Former Lutheran North High football standout Ronnie Perkins announced that he was making himself available for the National Football League Draft after a very successful career at Oklahoma University. Perkins made his announcement on his Twitter account last weekend.
The 6’3” 247-pound Perkins was a standout defensive end for the Sooners and one of the top pass rushers in the Big XII Conference. In six games this season, Perkins recorded 10.5 tackles for losses as well as 5.5 quarterback sacks. He finished his career at Oklahoma with 16.5 sacks. Perkins was the St. Louis American Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at Lutheran North in 2017.
