Area prep basketball fans were treated to an all-day basketball feast on Saturday as Rameybasketball.com presented the inaugural Midwest Basketball Shootout at UMSL. The event was sponsored by Richard Banks & Associates.
The St. Louis area was well-represented as local teams Normandy, McCluer South-Berkeley and Gateway Tech defeated teams from outside the area. Normandy defeated Memphis Melrose 62-54 behind 19 points from Anthony James and 14 points and nine assists from Maurice Wilson. Berkeley defeated Memphis Mitchell 69-63 as senior point guard Antonio “Chicken” Campbell scored 19 points. He was supported by Doug Wallace with 18 points and Reggie Spears with 14 points. Gateway Tech defeated Chicago Foreman 70-64 to give St. Louis three winners.
The most courageous performance came from the five St. Louis kids who played for Milestone Christian Academy from Kansas City. The majority of Milestone’s team from Kansas City did not show up for the game, leaving the five St. Louis players to play a loaded Nashville Christian team. The quintet of Richard Anderson, Justin “Flash” Keener, Nino Williams, Marcel Taylor-Smith and Kevin Davis put up a great battle for a half before running out of gas. They trailed 40-39 at halftime, but Nashville’s depth proved to be too much in a 92-61 victory. The “Milestone Five” was coached by former Vashon assistant Steve Hall, who got the call to coach the team earlier in the day.
Congratulations to Terrell Ramey and his staff on putting on a fine basketball event. The hospitality room eats were on the money as well.
First Teamsters
Congratulations to the St. Louis area who were selected to the First Team of the All-Gateway Football Conference Team recently. Herb Donaldson (CBC) of Western Illinois was a first-team selection at running back. Donaldson rushed for 1,491 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. Linebacker Brannon Carter (Francis Howell North) and defensive back Clifford Waters (Kirkwood) were first tam picks on defense for league champion Northern Iowa. Carter led the team in tackles and interceptions while Waters was third on the team in tackles. UNI teammate Darrell Lloyd (Fort Zumwalt North) was a second-team selection at defensive back. Lloyd had three interceptions for UNI, which spent much of the season ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division I-AA polls.
Several St. Louis area football players will get a chance to play on national television this weekend for Northwest Missouri State, which will play for the NCAA Division II national title on Saturday in Florence, Ala. NWMO will play Valdosta State, which will be shown on ESPN-2 at 11 a.m. Among the area players on the team are starting offensive tackle Kyle Dunn (Hazelwood East), starting defensive back Brandon Clayton (Hazelwood Central), and wide receiver Abe Qaoud (Hazelwood Central). There are 10 players from the St. Louis area on the roster.
DeDe from LU
As a graduate of Lindenwood University, it was cool to see LU alum DeDe Dorsey running up and down the field for the Cincinnati Bengals. Dorsey rushed for 81 yards in only four carries in the Bengals’ 19-10 victory over St. Louis last Sunday. Dorsey earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Indianapolis Colts last season. Now, he’s getting a chance to carry the ball a little bit this season. Go LU!
Hot freshmen
We have seen some impressive freshmen distinguish themselves during the early weeks of high school basketball. Point guard Shaquille Boga of McCluer has been excellent so far, averaging 15 points and nearly five assists a game. He is the younger brother of Comets’ standout Lonnie Boga. Chaminade is starting two freshman in 6’0” guard Bradley Beal and 6’3” forward Brandon Hannah. The smooth-shooting Beal is averaging 10 points a game while Hannah is averaging nine points and a team-high six rebounds a game. Guard Dorian Hobbs, Jr. of Parkway North is averaging seven points a game while 5’11” point guard Javier “Pak Man” Duren of Oakville has emerged as the Tigers’ floor leader and primary ball handler. On the Illinois side, East St. Louis has a fine freshman in 6’2” forward Keonte Minor, who is a standout of the future.
Free Basketball Previews
My 2008 preseason basketball tabloid is out of the streets. If you want to pick up a free copy, you can go to Johnny Mac’s Sporting Goods (Sunset Hills, Florissant, Ballwin, St. Charles and Swansea, Ill. locations), Sportsprint in Ferguson and AfroWorld (7276 Natural Bridge).
Cut Line: Senior Antonio “Chicken” Campbell (#00) scored a game-high 19 points to lead McCluer South-Berkeley past Memphis Mitchell 69-63 in the inaugural Rameybasketball.com Midwest Basketball Showdown at the Univesity of Missouri-St. Louis.
