The members of the 2021 St. Louis American “Fab Five” Boys All-Star Basketball Team represent an abundance of size, talent and versatility. The shortest member of the team is 6’3” Mario Fleming of Cardinal Ritter, but he plays much bigger than his actual size. The biggest member of the group is 6’10” Tarris Reed Jr of Chaminade, who is a dominant force in the low post. The trio of Nick Kern of Vashon, K.J. Lee of Fort Zumwalt North and Kellen Thames of Pattonville are big wing players who excel anywhere on the court.
Here are capsules of the members of the 2021 St. Louis American “Fab Five” First Team All-Stars:
Mario Fleming (Cardinal Ritter): The 6’3” senior guard led the Lions to back-to-back state championships. After winning the Class 3 state title last season, Fleming paced Ritter to the Class 5 state title this season. He is a physical guard who excels in the post, but can also handle the ball and shoot the 3-pointer. As a senior, he averaged 19.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and two steals a game. He was a four-year starter for the Lions.
Nick Kern (Vashon): A 6’6” senior guard who was instrumental in leading the Wolverines to the Class 4 state championship. He is a talented all-around performer who delivered many entertaining rim-rattling dunks this season. As a senior, he averaged 18 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and nearly two blocks a game. He will be playing collegiate basketball at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Atlantic 10 Conference next season.
K.J. Lee (Fort Zumwalt North): The 6’7” senior guard led the Panthers to a historic season in 2021. He paced Zumwalt North to a Final Four berth in the Class 6 state tournament, the first in the school’s history. Lee averaged 19.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He recently gave a commitment to Western Illinois University.
Tarris Reed Jr. (Chaminade): A 6’10” junior power forward, he is The St. Louis American Player of the Year in 2021. He was a dominant force in the low post as a scorer, rebounder and shot blocker. He averaged 21.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in leading the Red Devils to a third-place finish in the Class 6 state tournament.
Kellen Thames (Pattonville): The 6’5” junior point guard led the Pirates to a memorable 22-2 season, which included a conference title and a district championship. He was a true stat-sheet stuffer as he averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.6 steals a game while playing for his father, Kelly Thames, a former local basketball star and now the head coach at Pattonville.
First Team
Mario Fleming 6’3” Cardinal Ritter (Sr.)
Nick Kern 6’6” Vashon (Sr.)
K.J. Lee 6’7” Fort Zumwalt North (Sr.)
Tarris Reed Jr. 6’10” Chaminade (Jr.)
Kellen Thames 6’5” Pattonville (Jr.)
Second Team
Keshon Gilbert 6’4” Vashon (Sr.)
Jalen Hampton 6’7” University City (Sr.)
Rob Martin 5’9” CBC (Jr.)
Damien Mayo 6’3’ Chaminade (Jr)
DeMarion Shanklin 6’2” Jennings (Sr.)
*Local NBA Watch
Former Chaminade College Prep All-American Jayson Tatum scored his way into the Boston Celtics history books over the weekend. Tatum scored a career-high 53 points to rally the Celtics past the Minnesota Timberwolves 143-136 in overtime last Saturday. At 23, Tatum became the youngest Celtic player ever to score more than 50 points in a game, surpassing Larry Bird, who was 26 when he scored 50 points.
On the same night as Tatum’s historic performance, fellow Chaminade All-American Bradley Beal had his own dramatic moment. Beal scored on a four-point play in the closing seconds to give the Washington Wizards a 110-107 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Former Wellston High standout Ben McLemore has been picked up by the Los Angeles Lakers after spending the past two seasons with the Houston Rockets. In his second game, McLemore scored 17 points and made five 3-pointers in the Lakers’ victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night.
