Justin Blake

Memphis YOMCA and Tennessee Traveler's 15's make noise.

The conclusion of the Memorial Day festivities all around the South came to a rousing end on Monday with the finals of the Nike Memorial Day Classic.

Tennessee prepsters in all three age groups competed for the crown and faired quite well.

17 AND UNDER

The Memphis YOMCA finished the event in grand fashion. The Bluff City crew finished pool play at 2-1 and fell in a hard fought contest to Friends of Hoop in playoff action. Great weekend for Leslie McDonald (Briarcrest Christian), Johnnie Williams (Briarcrest Christian) and Farrahkon Hall (MUS). McDonald continues to prove his is a future pro with his ability to score from inside and out. Williams is making huge progress after sitting out most of the high school season and his best ball is still to come this summer. Hall is finally fully healthy and can concentrate on hoops, so watch out people. The player who garnered the most talk from my contacts was supershooter Justin Blake (Dyer County). Blake continues to show his deft lefty touch and has made believers out of coaches all over the Southeast. Also playing very well for the Y was Jason Jones (Ridgeway). The lanky wingman is finally getting his legs under him and is posied for a huge conclusion to his summer.

The Tennessee Travelers finished the Nike at 1-3. A virtual tie for second place in the pool , the Travs fell to third on point differential and played hard in their consolation game. Leading the way for the Travs were Kevin Giltner (Harpeth) and Quinche Dowdell (Oak Ridge).  Giltner was consistent from the perimeter and Dowdell showed he could score off the dribble a bit and made his moves to the bucket count.

16 AND UNDER

The Tennessee YOMCA Tigers continued their torrid summer finishing 2-2 at the MDC. The Tigers grabbed a 2-1 pool finish losing only to national champion BABC of Boston and destroying a very tough Howard Pulley squad. The Tigers moved to the playoff round where they slipped to the St. Louis Eagles after having beaten them twice this season. The wins put the Tigers over the 30 victory mark. Leading the way for the Tigers were Taverus Jefferson (Ensworth), John Jenkins (Station Camp), Hunter Miller (CPA) and Zaccheus Mason (CPA). Jefferson was a terror on both ends of the floor drawing the toughest defensive assignment and running the show as well. Miller was consistent scoring double digits in every contest. Jenkins continues to make huge progress after his injury. He has not lost the outside shot that make his game so effective and is getting his conditioning and quickness back to boot. Mason had an up and down event but showed his passion in the loss to BABC dominating their D1 commitments from start top finish.

The Travelers and Thunder had a tough weekend at the event. The Travelers played all their games hard and close but could'nt seem to get over the proverbial hump. Special mention was made of the sterling effort of James Gallman (Fulton) who had scoring games of 28 and 25 in the losses.

15 AND UNDER

The Tennessee Travelers made big noise in the 15 and under division sweeping pool play with a 3-0 record before falling in a close contest in playoff action. Those in attendance raved about the play of Emmanuel Andrews (Shelbyville) and Jalen Steele (Fulton). The dynamic duo provided the leadership and scoring for the tough pool play run. Also drawing rave reviews for their efforts were Brandon Herman (Grace Baptist) and Arthur McMillen (Hillsboro). Special mention for the toughness and shooting of Knoxville West guard Devin Jackson whose game grows along with his confidence at every event.

A tough run for the 15 and under state champs with the defection of some of their key players. The YOMCA managed to finish 1-2 in pool play but were clearly decimated by the loss of some key players.

Great weekend of action.