DPS Holiday Hoops Classic: Day 2 Top Performers (Part 2)
The days after Christmas are always filled with great holiday tournaments. The Holiday Hoops Classic presented by Detroit Public Schools is just one of numerous great events throughout the state. Games for day 2 of the action at Cass Tech featured: Wayne Memorial vs Detroit Northwestern, DEPSA vs King (girls), Henry Ford vs Hazel Park, East English vs Columbus Northland (Ohio), and Cass Tech vs Goodrich. Here are some of the top performers from the day:
Dave DeJulius (2018, East English)
The Michigan signee is capable of heating up and taking over a game at any given moment. In East English’s win over Columbus Northland, DeJulius went unconscious and just that. East English was down to start the game, with a deficit growing to a peak of double digits midway through the second quarter. This is when DeJulius simply took over, pouring in basket after basket for a total of 37 points. He was simply unstoppable. While this certainly stood out, DeJulius also got it done on the defensive end, matching up with Northland’s star and playing him tough.
Will Mfum (2019, Columbus Northland)
While Mfum’s performance was certainly overshadowed by DeJulius’ explosion, it shouldn’t be overlooked. He opened the game with back-to-back three pointers that set the tone for Northland to take the lead. Mfum is a high-level athlete and showed it with repeated finishes at the rim or trips to the free throw line. While Dejulius exploded in the second half and gave East English the lead heading into the 4th quarter, Mfum did everything he could to counter. There were several possessions where he went bucket-for-bucket with Dejulius. Despite the loss, Mfum played excellent and finished with a team-high 23 points.
Khari Adams (2018, Hazel Park)
Adams has arguably one of the biggest breakout performers of the season so far and continued that trend today. While he’s capable of making an impact in the scoring department, he can still have a huge impact on the game in other areas. In this game, he totaled 13 points while also making a big impact on defense and rebounding. Adams stepped up huge in the clutch with two big times dunks and a game saving/winning block in overtime. The 6’5″ forward has been huge for Hazel Park all season and today’s game was yet another big time performance.
Anthony Roberts (2018, Henry Ford)
Roberts is one of the smoothest and most consistent scorers in the state. The 6’4″ guard has the size, strength and skill to be a high level scorer even against the best competition. In their game against Hazel Park, he did what he does best, that being attack the basket and get to the free throw line. Also, he came up huge in the clutch in a game that went into overtime. With just seconds left, he drew a foul and hit two free throws to tie the game, then followed that with a game-saving block at the buzzer. He followed that by opening up overtime with a huge bucket to give Henry Ford the lead. While they would eventually fall short, Roberts did everything he could to help his team win.
DiShon Daniels (2018, Columbus Northland)
Similar to his teammate Mfum, Daniels is a high-level athlete and used it to his benefit in their game against East English. The 6’6″ forward was a monster in the paint, dominating in every fashion. He rebounded, blocked shots and finished at the rim all at high level. In this game, Daniels had to total at least 10+ rebounds to go with at least 5 blocks. While Northland ultimately fell short, the loss would’ve been much worse without Daniels solid performance.