Standouts: City of Palms Classic (Day 1)
Day 1 of the City of Palms Classic is in the books.
Four games were played including three in the traditional bracket.
Here are my 10 standouts from the opening night.
Louis King (New Jersey Hudson Catholic)
The senior Oregon commit went off in the 84-52 victory over Webster Groves with 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting. King is lengthy at 6’8″, loves to shoot from outside and attack when he needs to. This kid is a high-energy player who loves talking trash. His game translates to Division I well.
Jahvon Quinerly (New Jersey Hudson Catholic)
Another player from Hudson Catholic that impressed throughout was Javon Quinerly. He is one gifted ballhandler. The senior guard had 18 points along with six rebounds and four assists. He’s a clear Division I point guard.
Caleb Catto (Southwest Florida Christian)
With the Tracey brothers now at Riverdale, senior FGCU commit Caleb Catto has to do everything and more for Southwest Florida Christian. He dropped 30 points in a 79-68 loss to Wildwood.
Carte’Are Gordon (Missouri Webster Groves)
6’8″ senior forward had 17 points and six rebounds on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting from the field. He was a bully inside despite the blowout loss to Hudson Catholic. With his size and power, Gordon is a surefire Division I player.
Darion Wilson (Wildwood)
Wilson was the spark that Wildwood needed badly as the Wildcats upended Southwest Florida Christian. He scored 27 points to lead the way and he did it by hitting from outside and driving inside often. He connected on 3-of-6 triples and 10-of-13 free throws.
Jared Jones (Georgia McEachern)
Jones is a big body at 6’9″, however, he plays like a wing. Finishing with 16 points and seven rebounds in a convincing 77-57 win over Ranney, Jones didn’t have to be as aggressive as usual. If his team wants to win the City of Palms, the junior will have to attack more. But the potential is there for this Division I prospect.
Sharife Cooper (Georgia McEachern)
2020 guard Sharife Cooper proved to be the best player on the floor in the final game of the night. He scored a productive 21 points in 29 minutes which included a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Cooper is young, but he is speedy and crafty near the rim.
Isaac Okoro (Georgia McEachern)
Another impressive player from McEachern was Okoro. The junior forward stands at 6’6″ and he uses every inch of his frame to get around defenders. He scored 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.
Lior Berman (Alabama Mountain Brook)
All eyes were on 6’9″ sophomore Trendon Watford on Mountain Brook. The junior recorded 15 points and 11 rebounds, but in my opinion, it was junior forward Lior Berman who was the best for his side. He netted 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting and find good openings near the basket.
Bryan Antoine (New Jersey Ranney)
Antoine had a slow start, but he started to pick up his game in the second half against McEachern. The 6’5″ junior worked his way to a 22-point performance. His best play came on the last points of Day 1. Here is the clip as he falls to the ground he finds a wide open Scottie Lewis who goes in for the slam.
BONUS: Play of the Day
Berrrick Jeanlouis made the play of the night with a block and a slam in transition. The Canterbury crowd was bummed all day with the blowout loss to Mountain Brook but this gave them something to cheer about quickly.