The month of July is annually one of most important during the summer grassroots basketball season, as college coaches from around the country can be out and evaluating prospective players for their respective programs.
There will be two such grassroots events taking place in the St. Louis area, which will bring several college recruiters to town. The Adidas Three Stripes Tournament will be held from July 18-22 at Lindenwood University in St. Charles. The tournament is being put on by Premier Sports and the Gateway Basketball Club.
Grassroots programs from Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Tennessee, Colorado and others are expected to be in attendance, including local programs Brad Beal Elite and Gateway.
The second big local tournament is the Battle for the Arch Tournament, which will be held from July 20-22 at Whitfield School. The event is presented by Big Marc Sports as part of the Reebok Tournament Series.
Watching these local tournaments gives fans an opportunity to get their summer basketball fix while watching top local players compete against some of the top players from around the region.
Local standouts compete in NBA Summer League
A pair of former local standouts are currently getting some run in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Former CBC and University of Missouri standout Jordan Barnett is playing with the Milwaukee Bucks while former Belleville East and University of Illinois player Malcolm Hill Jr. is playing with the Utah Jazz.
The 6’8” Barnett has done a solid job in the Bucks’ first three games, averaging 6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists while averaging 20 minutes a game. He had a high of 13 points in the Bucks’ second game against the Dallas Mavericks. In his first game, Barnett had a team-high four assists in a victory over the Detroit Pistons.
The 6’6” Hill is playing with the Jazz this summer after spending his first year after college playing overseas. He started his career with a brief stint with the Magnolia Hotshots in the Philippines, where he averaged 26 points in seven games. From there, he went to play for the Telekom Baskets Bonn in the Basketball Bundesliga League, which is the top league in Germany. Hill averaged nearly nine points and three rebounds for Telekom.
Justin Robinson of the World List
Young track and field phenom Justin Robinson of Hazelwood West has run himself on to the world list in his favorite event, the 400-meter dash. The junior to-be sprinter is currently ranked No. 4 in the world in the 400 in his age group. He turned in a time of 46.2 seconds at the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships in Bloomington, Indiana last month to put himself on the list of top performers.
Robinson is currently in Tampere, Finland as a member of Team USA for the IAAF World U20 Championships, which will take place from July 10-15. His fourth-place finish at the Junior Outdoors earned him a spot on the USA team with a chance to compete in the 4×400-meter relay.
Good luck to Justin Robinson as he takes on the best in the world.
Patrick McCaw Pro-Am League
Former CBC standout and current Golden State Warriors player Patrick McCaw is hosting a summer Pro-Am Basketball League, which is taking place this month at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy (4588 Parkview Place). The Pro-Am League features top collegiate and former collegiate players from the area, including several players from Saint Louis University. There are two more sessions for the league, which are July 21-22 and July 28-29.
Monsanto YMCA to host college basketball luncheon
The Monsanto Family YMCA will be hosting the inaugural Coaches Luncheon, which will be held on Monday, August 27 at the O’Fallon Park Rec Complex YMCA (4343 West Florissant, Ave.).
The event will bring together all five head coaches from the Division I programs in the state of Missouri, including Cuonzo Martin of Missouri, Travis Ford of Saint Louis University, Dana Ford of Missouri State, Rick Ray of Southeast Missouri State and Kareem Richardson of UMKC.
Tickets are available for the luncheon for $45 each or $400 for a table of 10. You can register on line at gwrymca.org/coachesluncheon through August 22. For more information, contact Marcus Wilson at (314) 36-4646.
