A pair of the top high school basketball players in the Class of 2016 gave verbal commitments last week.
Saint Louis University received a commitment from Riverview Gardens standout Zeke Moore, who was one of the top scorers in the St. Louis metro area last season. The 6’6″ Moore averaged 25.3 points a game and shot 52 percent from the field for the Rams. He chose the Billikens over Indiana State, Drake, Illinois State and others.
CBC’s Jordan Barnes gave a verbal commitment to Indiana State over the weekend. The 5’10” Barnes averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 44 percent from 3-point range. As a sophomore, Barnes averaged 13.7 points as he helped the Cadets to the Class 5 state championship. Barnes spent the summer playing for the St. Louis Eagles 17U team that advanced to the championship of the Nike Peach Jam in Augusta, Georgia. Barnes sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer in the semifinals at the buzzer to give the Eagles a dramatic 74-73 victory in a nationally-televised game.
Collier making wavesÂ
Former Incarnate Word Academy star Napheesa Collier is making waves as a member of USA Basketball at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Russia. USA is currently 2-0 in the tournament and Collier is averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds a game. She had 17 points and six rebounds in an 88-62 victory over China. In her first game, Collier had 13 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals in a 72-57 victory over Spain.
Two big tournamentsÂ
It has already been an exciting month of July for the Jets-Ramey United 15U boys basketball team. They have already won two big tournaments during the July evaluation period. Jets-Ramey United won the Adidas Invitational in Indianapolis two weeks ago, then followed up by winning the NY2LA Summer Jam in Milwaukee last weekend. They defeated Mac Irvin Fire (Chicago) 61-41 in the championship game.
Webster Groves standout Courtney Ramey scored a game-high 24 points while Vianney standout Carte’Are Gordon added 16 points. In the semifinals, Jets-Ramey United defeated Wisconsin United 62-41 as Gordon scored 24 points. They edged the Wisconsin Playground Warriors 52-50 in the quarterfinals. The Jets-Ramey United squad is coached by Troy Griffin and Terrell Ramey.
Hoops hubÂ
St. Louis was one of the hubs of grassroots basketball last weekend as the Adidas Three Stripes Alliance was held at the Center of St. Louis in Affton. St. Louis area teams won the championships in all three divisions. The St. Louis Eagles won the 17U division championship with a 72-53 victory over Indiana Elite. Jordan Goodwin (Althoff) and Xavier Sneed (Hazelwood Central) scored 19 points to lead the Eagles.
The Gateway Basketball Club won the 16U championship with a 63-57 victory over the St. Louis Eagles’ 15U team in a very spirited contest. In the 15U division, Gateway defeated Team Rose 45-42. College coaches from all over the country were on hand to check out the talent. It was definitely a good weekend for the basketball junkie.
McRoberts is All Ohio ValleyÂ
Former Soldan High football standout Paul McRoberts was selected to the All Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Team for the upcoming season. The 6’3″ 197-pound McRoberts has enjoyed a stellar career at Southeast Missouri State as a wide receiver. As a junior, McRoberts had 44 receptions for 711 yards and nine touchdowns. McRoberts has 20 touchdowns in his career at SEMO.
Easley commitsÂ
Senior Ivana Easley of Incarnate Word Academy has given a verbal commitment to play basketball at Columbia College (Mo). The 5’8″ Easley averaged five points a game as a starting guard for the Red Knights, who won the Class 4 state championship last season. Easley enjoyed her biggest moment in the state championship game when she scored 10 points and nailed three 3-pointers in the first half to spark IWA to a 60-27 victory over MICDS in the state finals.
