What a week it was for many talented athletes from the area, ranging from high school to college to the pros. Here we go as we move a little closer to spring.
Napheesa Collier is “Unrivaled”
St. Louisan Napheesa Collier emerged as the champion at the inaugural Unrivaled 1-on-1 Tournament. Collier defeated Aaliyah Edwards two games to one in the best of three championship match-up to claim the $200,000 first prize. It is the largest one-day prize in women’s basketball history.
Collier, the former Incarnate Word Academy All-American, was the No. 1 seed in the 30-player tournament while Edwards was the No. 8 seed.
“Unrivaled” is an eight-week three-on-three basketball league that is based in Miami, FL. The league features 30 of the top players in the WNBA.
Great week for Tatum Nation
It was a productive week for the Tatum family on the pro basketball front.
Former Chaminade College Prep star Jayson Tatum enjoyed another successful NBA All-Star Weekend. He scored a game-high 15 points to lead Team Shaq’s OGs to a 41-30 victory over Team Chuck’s International All-Stars in the championship game of the new four-team tournament format.
Tatum scored the game-clinching bucket on a slam dunk.
Meanwhile, Jayson’s father, Justin Tatum, was recently named the Coach of the Year in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia. Tatum guided the Illawarra Hawks to a 20-9 record, which was the best in the NBL. It was the first time the Hawks had the best regular season record since 1979.
Freshman girls of influence
The St. Louis metro area is full of talented freshman girls’ basketball players who have made a big impact this season at the varsity level for their respective teams. Here is a look at five of those talented impact freshmen.
Jordyn Haywood (MICDS): The nationally recognized 6’0” guard is currently averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds a game in leading a young Rams team to a 17-5 record.
Jamiah Herring-Green (Hazelwood West): A 5’10” shooting guard who can really put the ball in the basket. She is currently averaging 23.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 steals a game for a young Wildcats’ team that is 14-6.
Hailey Gray (Belleville East): A 5’4” point guard who is one of the top youngsters in the metro east area. She is averaging a team-high 14.2 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals in leading the Lancers to a 19-11 record.
Loganne Love (Principia): A 5’5” point guard who has stepped in and become the floor leader on one of the state’s top Class 3 teams. She is currently averaging 11.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.5 steals for the 19-5 Panthers.
Veronica Simmons (Francis Howell): A talented young point guard who has been instrumental in the Vikings’ 18-4 record this season. She is currently averaging a team-high 10 points a game while shooting 37 percent from 3-point range.
Prep game of the week
John Burroughs at Principia, Friday, 6 p.m. – The championship of the Metro League will be on the line on Friday night as John Burroughs pays a visit to Principia in this boys’ basketball showdown. Burroughs (17-5) is currently 6-0 in league play. Principia (22-1) is 5-1 in conference and can earn a share of the league title with a victory.
John Burroughs features its impressive pair of twin towers in 6’9” junior forward Tristan Reed and 6’11” junior forward Sheek Pearson. A talented Principia team is led by 6’3” junior guard Quentin Coleman.
Earl’s WorldCongratulations to St. Louisan Madison Farr, who was selected as one of the top young softball players in the country. A middle school student in Hazelwood, Farr was recognized in the “Hot 100” list of top players in the Class of 2030. She is listed among the top 15 players in the latest rankings. She plays for the St. Louis Chaos, which is one of the top girls softball grassroots teams in the country…Lindenwood’s Jadis Jones broke his career-high in scoring after dropping 27 points in the Lions’ 81-78 overtime victory over Southern Indiana on Feb. 15. Lindenwood moved to 13-13, recording its most wins since the 2018-19 season.