Sunday's Sweet Sixteen

Michigan Mustangs drop Select in title thriller in Lansing

By Jared Field

3 June 2007

greatlakeshoops.com

(Pictures from Saturday at the Aim High Tournament can be purchased here.)

Lansing-- Sunday's championship final in the U-16 division at the Spring Jamboree at Aim High was basketball at its very best.

The Mustangs took revenge for a loss in pool play against Michigan Select with a frenetic championship game victory, 98-91.

Both teams started and finished the game running, maintaining a pace of play that would make the Phoenix Suns jealous.

In the end the Mustangs proved to be a resilient bunch, clawing back in the game in the second half every time Select seemed poised to make a run.

The Mustangs' Drew Valentine (left), a 6-4 sophomore from Lansing Sexton, was the talk of the gym after an incredible performance in the finale. Valentine scored 31 points on an array of shots from the paint and the perimeter. Valentine did it all for the Mustangs on Sunday and was, without a doubt, the best player on the floor.

Michigan Select, behind a tremendous performance from Hartland's Vonn Jones, took a razor-thin one point advantage into halftime before Flint Powers' Shane Moreland and Valentine took control of the game in the final few minutes.

Moreland finished with 18 points and Karien Baker added 15 for the Mustangs.

Vonn Jones led Select with 20 and Flint Northwestern's Deandre Upchurch added 14.

Other divisions

The Mustangs swept the U-15 and U-17 divisions on Sunday. Neither game was half as compelling as the U-16 final, however. Several Mid-Michigan hoopsters earned first place medals including Saginaw High's Christian Vaughn, Grand Blanc East's Patrick Lucas-Perry, Beecher's Taron Boose and Saginaw Arthur Hill's Maurice Jones-Cooper (U-17).

Sunday Game Notes

--At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Drew Valentine is out cold. The 6-4 do-all guard/forward almost single-handedly won the championship for the Mustangs in the second half of the U-16 finale. His release is so quick and fluid--his ceiling is high. He isn't a tremendous athlete, but he is a great player.

--Former UDJ standout, Dion Sims (right), looks like a B-E-A-S-T. He should be an absolute stud for Orchard Lake Saint Mary's.

--Jason Washburn is tall and mobile, but I fail to see what all the fuss it about. He lacks the strength to bang in the post which surprised me a little after hearing about his vast improvement since last year. Still, I do see a lot of potential. Someone should probably tell him that a 6-10 center dunking isn't as fresh as he thinks it is.

--Detroit Renny's Delano Collins takes a lot of bad shots, but somehow manages to make them on a fairly regular basis. His hang time is impressive to say the least. He changes his shot in the air more than any player I've seen in a long time.

--Novi's Caleb Dean was ejected from the semi-final for being involved in a fight with #25 from the Detroit Dynasty. It was UGLY, and both players should be embarrassed by their behavior. What's even more embarrassing, however, is that Dean's coach allowed him to play in the final. I'd say the coach missed a pretty good teaching moment.

--Hartland's Vonn Jones (left) appears to be as good as advertised. His outside shot is money, his handle is solid and his quicks are well above average.

--Team Detroit came up short against the (U-17) Mustangs, but they are totally impressive on the defensive end. They flat-out get after it.

--Speaking of coming up short, Arthur Hill's Maurice Jones-Cooper is the Roy Jones of high school basketball. He is pound-for-pound the best there is. He's like the little running back that no one can find in amongst the offensive line. His handle is slick, his quickness is breakneck and his passes leave very little to the imagination.

--Lapeer West's Chris Hutton (U-17 MM Lakers) is quickly making a name for himself. He has put together a nice string of 20+ point games in his last three tournaments including 21 points and seven rebounds against the Mustangs on Sunday.

--Beecher's Taron Boose is too good for U-15 ball. I've got 40 reasons why.

--K-Zoo Central's 6-5 sophomore (U-16 & U-17 Mustangs) Doug Anderson (cover shot) is the best athlete on a basketball court in Michigan. He probably averages four dunks a game. He's just not a very good basketball player yet. His shot isn't very sound and his ballhandling can be atrocious at times. He needs polish and quick. He cannot let that unbelievable athleticism go to waste. Every time I heard a roar at Aim High on Saturday, I just knew he was involved.

--Call me old-fashioned, but allowing players to play on two different teams in the same tournament is classless. I don't blame the players, but coaches should set an example. At least three Mustangs played for the U-17 and U-16 teams. That's bush-league. At the risk of sounding like a public service announcement, I just don't think winning is everything.