The 14th Annual Big Apple Basketball Showcase
During Martin Luther King Jr. weekend Xavier High School in New York City hosted the 14th annual Big Apple Basketball showcase. The two-day tournament featured some of the best teams in the country with some highly regarded competitors. The matchups during the showcase made for some entertaining games, some of which went down to the wire. Teams that garnered national attention such as Our Savior Lutheran (NY), The Patrick School (NJ) and Putnam Science Academy (CT) competed, to name a few. The Big Apple Basketball showcase has a long, rich history. NBA players like Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets, Isaiah Thomas of the Cleveland Cavs and Thon Maker of the Milwaukee Bucks have all played in the showcase. This was my first time attending and I must say, everything went smoothly and was run with class and professionalism.
Eric Ayala (L) and Anfernee Simons (R) make up a star studded backcourt on IMG Academy (Postgrad) team. Photo ATH
The first matchup that caught my attention during the Big Apple Basketball festivities was IMG Academy (FL) vs Our Savior Lutheran (NY). Both teams nationally recognized programs and were stacked with talent. IMG featured players Eric Ayala and Anfernee Simons who are both on ESPN’s top players in the class of 2018. Ayala, who has committed to play with Maryland, a 6’5 combo guard, started out in the class of 2017 but reclassified to 2018 in order to get more exposure and experience. Ayala is a cerebral PG who knows how to run a team. Anfernee Simons, the other premier guard to be featured is a highly skilled guard who has NBA potential and is said to be possibly making the leap and enter the 2018 NBA Draft by the same loophole that allowed Thon Maker to join the NBA ranks before playing in college. He is currently undecided about what he will do and will wait to the final signing period to make his decision.
Jared Rhoden of OSL was the most outstanding player in the showcase. He collected two MVP awards. Photo ATH
Our Savior Lutheran (National) is a team who has emerged as a national power after countless wins against respectable programs around the country. They have a really deep team who can compete against anybody in the country. Their premier player is Jared Rhoden, a 6’6 shooting guard who can flat out ball. Rhoden is one of my favorite players from the class of 2018 and is highly underrated in my opinion. He is very versatile player and can potentially be a pro if he continues to work as he’s been working. He has committed to the Seton Hall Pirates next season and will be someone who will make an instant impact on both ends of the floor. The other high profile player for OSL is Posh Alexander who at barely 6’0 can play wit anyone in the country. Only a sophomore, Alexander has the track record and experience of a senior. Highly athletic, Posh can jump out the gym and is always on attack mode. Dashawn Davis is another player always on attack mode, and is a secret weapon of sorts.
Jose Perez of Putnam Science Academy took home some hardware at the Big Apple Basketball Showcase. Photo ATH
The game was intense from the start with all of the premier players mentioned above doing exactly what they are supposed to do for their respective teams. Ayala seemed to be controlling the action for IMG, while Rhoden did the same for his team. The game was close throughout with OSL getting some key stops at the end to seal the victory 95-90. Rhoden ended up with the MVP award for OSL.
Devon Dotson and his Providence Day squad competed in the Big Apple Basketball event. He was recently selected as a McDonald’s All American. Photo ATH
The next game that caught my eye features Long Island Lutheran (NY) vs Providence Day School (NC). Both schools appeared evenly matched and the expectations were for a hard fought game. Providence Day has a rich history of being a quality program. Last year they won their fifth straight CISAA conference title and were nationally ranked for their fourth consecutive season. Their premier player is senior Devon Dotson, who recently was named as a McDonald’s All American. Dotson is a 6’2 Point Guard who is headed to Kansas next year. They faced off with a Long Island Lutheran team who simply are a group of blue collar players who get the job done. By way of a stingy defense, LuHi was able to force turnovers and convert of them. Led by Donatas Kupšas’ 22 points, LuHi was able to dominate and heftily outscored Providence Day in the paint. Kupsas, a class of 2018 Small Forward, announced he has committed to Weber State. Tyson Etienne also was impressive as he played solid defense and seemed to score at will at times. LuHi has been putting in major work as they have been ranked as high as 23 in the country on some national polls. They are a scary team to play. Capable of beating anybody they face. Beware.
Donatas Kupšas (L) will be Attending Weber State. He went to work and dropped 22 against a tough Providence Day squad.
The last game of the showcase was the matchup that everybody came to see. The Patrick School (NJ) vs Our Savior Lutheran (NY). Both schools have experience with big games on a large stage and both are battle tested. The Patrick School’s top returnees are 6-9 senior C Valdir Manuel and 6-1 junior SG Al-Amir Dawes. Missing from the lineup, newcomer Markquis Nowell who suffered an injury and it is unknown as to when he will be back in the Celtic lineup. This is a huge loss to the Celtics as Nowell is one of the best players on the team and is being recruited by some quality division 1 programs. Junior guard Alejandro Vasquez and 7-1 sophomore center Major Majakmake The Patrick School a tough team to beat.
Jason Curry, President of Big Apple Basketball presents Trey Wertz of Providence Day with some hardware. Photo ATH
OSL, as mentioned above, is a scary opponent for any team. They are a deep squad and can swarm opponents with smothering defense all game long. That’s exactly what the did this game. Their defensive pressure forced The Patrick School out of their comfort zones. Made them uncomfortable and disrupted their ability to run half court sets. The game was relatively close in the first half, and was still within striking distance for TPS but OSL proved to be too much and jumped out to a large lead right after halftime and never looked back. OSL ended up winning 92-79. Jared Rhoden once again walked away with the game MVP trophy by scoring 39 points. Dayshawn Davis also was instrumental in the win pouring in 23 huge points.
All Things Hoops Notable Players
Aidan Igiehon (Lawrence Woodmere), Trey Werst (Providence Day), Jared Rhoden (OSL), Posh Alexander (OSL), Cormac Ryan (Milton), Devon Dotson (Providence Day), Dashawn Davis (OSL), Jose Perez (Putnam Science Academy), Anfernee Simons (IMG Academy), Eric Ayala (IMG Academy).