Washington's a Jungaleer

Darren Washington has taken his game to Detroit Southeastern and will be eligible to play for the Jungaleers immediately. The 6-9 center from Sterling Heights was expected to play at Stevenson High School but Washington and his family decided Southeastern would be the best choice for his development as a player.

"I was real excited when I find out that Darren was going to attend our school," mentioned Head Coach Mark White of Southeastern, "I had heard of him better I had never seen him play. He has a ton of potential and already has laid the foundation to be a really good player. He has good right and left balance and his skill set is solid. The sky is the limit for Darren."

Washington spent his freshman year at Heritage Middle school in Sterling Heights. Even though Heritage has freshman enrollment they are considered a middle school, which allowed Washington's enrollment at Southeastern to not be considered a transfer. Washington had his choice to attend any high school with open enrollment and he picked the Jungaleers.

"Big D" has exploded onto the basketball this world. He has spent his weekends playing with the 15-u Michigan Mustangs. Washington has rare characteristics for a 15 year old of his size. "He has a huge upside and can really run the floor for a player of size," states Coach Mike Faletti of the Michigan Mustangs, "He has great timing blocking shots and rebounding plus he has a passion for the game and he's a real tough kid."

Washington now gives Coach White three high major prospects from the class of 2011 with Washington joining 6-4 Brandan Kearney (PG) and 6-8 Percy Gibson (PF). "All three guys learn quickly and they have a chance to be really, really good." says Coach White, "We have talent and potential but now we need to develop those skills. We are working hard in individual drills and in the weight room."

Washington already has a 7-foot wingspan and with a size 18 shoe the writing is on the wall that he will soon be a 7-footer. But being a seven footer isn't Darren goal, he wants to be a skilled basketball player when it is all said and done, and right now he is on the right road.

CMU Team Camp: Top 10 Performances

(Is there anything Pookie can't do on the hardwood?)

(Trey Zeigler pushes the ball up the court while at CMU)

(Just one of the times Kallante Miller exploded to the basket at CMU)

(at 6-7 Dan Chilcote can do anything a guard can do)

Mt. Pleasant- Below are a listing of the top individual performances from CMU's team camp this past weekend. Players are listed in ranked order.

1. Maurice Jones, Arthur Hill- "Pookie" controlled every game he played by being a playmaker on both ends of the floor.

2. Trey Zeigler, Mt. Pleasant- Zeigs was deserving of the #1 spot but the difference was Pookie won the championship game. Zeigler showed off his ability to run the point as well as dominate on the block.

3. Sammy Burton, Oak Park- did a terrific job of controlling the tempo and looking for his teammates. He knew when to push it and when to pull it out.

4. Omari Humes, Arthur Hill- Humes time in the weight room is starting to pay off.

5. Kallante Miller, Oak Park- attacked the basket well but just ran out of gas as the day went on.

6. Andrew VanDierendonck, Wyandott Roosevelt- I loved his ability to handle the ball and get to the basket at his height.

7. Dan Chilcote, Lumen Christi- hit jumpers from all over the court, impressive for a 6-7 sophomore.

8. Joey Saladino, Forest Hills Central- hit 11 3-pointers against Lumen Christi in the quarter finals, enough said!

9. Jimmy Davis, Saginaw- carried the load for a Trojan team that was missing plenty of players.

10. Korey VanDussen, Zeeland East- played well but struggled against some of the better players.

Dumars To Head South

Jordan Dumars has taken his name off of the board by giving a verbal commitment to the University of South Florida. The 6-5 wing will finish up his last season at Country Day before becoming a Bull and taking his game to the Big East.

"I'm a Michigan kid, so it's not like I grew up rooting for USF,'' Dumars said. "But Coach Heath knows my Dad pretty well and he knows a lot of the Pistons' people. He came and saw me at the beginning of the fall and he really liked me. We have stayed in contact since then. And me being so comfortable with him, that's what really helped me make the decision.''

C.M.U. Team Camp: Top Teams

(Arthur Hill's Jalen Bland played well at CMU)

(Sammy Burton has big plans for Oak Park)

(Jay Willis can play inside and out for Lumen Christi)

The Championship game featured two Saginaw Valley League teams, with Arthur Hill coming out on top over Mount Pleasant. Arthur Hill's toughest battle came in the semi-finals against a scrappy Oak Park team. Oak park rallied from 16 points to cut the lead to 1, but the Jacks were able to regroup and put the game away with two big buckets from Maurice Jones and Omari Humes.

Mount Pleasant snuck past Toledo Waite in the other semi-final. Mount Pleasant didn't have the hottest start of the camp as the Oilers dropped their first three games, but come bracket play Trey Zeigler put his team on his shoulders and dominated the competition.

Below are a listing of the top 5 Michigan teams from the CMU team camp:

1. Arthur Hill- an easy pick for #1 because they won the championship and were without three starters, however they did have Maurice "Pookie" Jones and Omari Humes and that proved to be enough. Coach Greg McMath has spent the last two weeks developing his bench and that bench is looking pretty talented, particularly Jalen Bland (So.), Kwincy Tucker (Jr.), and Dell Simon (So.) All three players came up with big plays as the Jacks stomped through the bracket.

2. Mount Pleasant- yes, the Oilers did take some losses early on but they put it together late Saturday. Trey Zeigler had his plate full in games, since he has to put up most of the productivity as well as being the coach on the floor. To credit the rest of the team, they do come up with plays and points when they were needed.

3. Oak Park- first things first-the Knights have a chance to be real good this year. They lack a true big man but Kallante Miller is physical enough to make up for it. Sammy Burton continues to play well as he matures into a"take care of the ball" point guard. Oak Park excelled at running the floor and scoring in transition but they struggled hitting jump shots when teams zoned them.

4. Forest Hills Central- nothing fancy in terms of size or athleticism but they played hard, had a deep bench, and could score- primarily combo guard Joey Saladino. Central has the ingredients to have a successful season.

5. Jackson Lumen Christi- this football powerhouse might be able to make some noise in the basketball world. Lumen Christi has five players that stand over 6-5. At times they are too impatient offensively and force shots but they get after it hard on the boards.

Northwood Shootout: Top 5 Teams

(Chris Jones is ready to make Heritage a contender for the SVL)

(Christian Vaughn has played solid with the ball in his hands so far in June)

Midland, MI- First off credit has to be given to Coach Mike Thomas and the rest of the Northwood staff for putting togther a wonderful camp in a top notch facility. Close to 30 teams from around the state of Michigan gathered for the two day event. Below are my top 5 teams based only on there performance at Northwood.

1. Saginaw Heritage Yes, Heritage! The Hawks seem to be turning a new leaf with their basketball program. The kids enjoy playing for newly hired coach, John Wilson. Heritage did have their complete team at Northwood and were able to pull off wins against Carman-Ainsworth, Saginaw, and Arthur Hill. The Hawks still have a long way to go till they can pull wins off like this in the season but the foundation is set to be competitive. Chris Jones, AJ Thomas, and Lavario Smith give the Hawks a strong guard rotation.

2. Saginaw High the Champs were without Mike Green but all that did was give players like Tommie McCune, Jimmy Davis, and Christian Vaughn an opportunity to step up. Vaughn continues to develope more and more into a combo guard than a wing forward. McCune played more aggresively and demanded the ball more than he did at Michigan State last week. Coach Lou Dawkins had a bench full of about 17 bodies and gave everyone minutes.

3. Arthur Hill the Jacks were missing a majority of their team due to football 7-on-7's but the younger players looked good. Maurice Jones was still there to lead the way even though he played very few minutes. Kwincy Tucker is starting to develop into a reliable post player for Coach Greg McMath. McMath is spending June minutes to develope his bench and that'll pay off come winter.

4. Carman-Ainsworth post players Dee Chapman and Jaylen Larry continue to compliment each other well. Larry shot the elbow jumper well whenever he popped up. Point guard Glenn Cosey will also play a key role as he replaces Jon Lee at the point. This year's Cav team plays more physical that what we have seen in the past.

5. East Grand Rapids- East will be led by a fantastic junior class that knows how to play the game. everyone knows who Colin Voss is, and the 6-7 forward will draw most of the attention from opposing defenses but East has players that can spread the floor and shoot the ball.

Izzo Shootout: Top 15 teams

Below is a listing of the top 15 team performances in ranked order from the Izzo Shootout. Rankings are based on only the performances from the past weekend and are no reflection of rankings of the upcoming season.

1. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard The class C power shocked everyone by walking away as the camp champs. Eso Akunne and Josh Herbeck were the headliners but the supporting cast was the difference. Richard is now the clear cut favorite to win class C this season.

2. Clarkston the Wolves were without Matt Kamienicki but Coach Fife didn't let that slow them down. Tom Staton and Brandon Pokley stepped up and got the job done. Clarkston finished second at the camp and now raise the question- is this the year the Wolves finally make it to the Breslin come March?

3. Southfield the Blue Jays were the biggest surprise of the camp and that credit goes to sophomore Carlton Brundidge. The 6-1 scoring wing almost single handily carried Southfield to the "final 4". The Blue Jays managed to get wins over Hartland, Belleville, and Arthur Hill.

4. Romulus No coach in the state might get more out of his players than Nate Oats does. The Eagles lost 7 seniors to graduation but Oats simply reloads. Junior DeAndray Buckley covered every aspect of the game while Donnavin Searcy roamed the paint.

5. Lansing Eastern In just his second season Coach Watts has the Quakers looking like a contender, but that's easy to say when you have sophomore Donte "Buckets" Henton flying all over the floor. Rico Stewart did a fantastic job at the point and new comer Pierre Bracket fit in perfectly. Eastern got wins over Country Day and Saginaw High.

6. Detroit Southeastern Yes the Jungaleers are young but all the pieces are there for Coach White. Southeastern has plenty of size and beef on the roster to go with some speedy guards and the trump card is sophomore Brandan "The King" Kearney. Under Coach White's watch this team will be tough to reckon with come winter.

7. Arthur Hill The Jacks missed 6-7 Mike Schaff but it gave the young fellas a chance to flaunt their stuff. As long as Pookie Jones has the ball in his hands the Jacks will always have a chance to win. Look for 2007 JV players- Jalen Bland, Dell Simon, and Kwincy Tucker, to be key contributors this season.

8. Flint Powers Sugar Shane is the man, Patrick Lucas Perry is the PG, and Rodney Anderson will make the highlights but if Patrick O'Brien, Demarco Sanders and Kevin Pickens can play in the season like they did at MSU then this will be the Chargers' year!

9. Lansing Sexton the Big Reds had Gabriel Richard on their toes on the main Breslin floor in the quarter-finals but fell just short. Sexton has some tough/disciplined players and Coach Valentine is doing a wonderful job of developing his young guys while making Sexton a Class B contender.

10. De La Salle Yes, it is only June but I was hoping to see a little more out of De La Salle...but maybe they didn't want to go too deep in their bag of tricks? Alex Marcotullio played well but I want to see Kevin McCarthy become more dominate in the post.

11. Benton Harbor Another big surprise from the weekend. A few solid post players led by Tyrone Black and wing Terrell Clinton will give the program that headliner. They played smart and tough over the weekend.

12. Hartland The Eagles looked better on Friday with a 50% Matt Poches and shooter Chris Cagle but neither gave it a go on Saturday and Vonn Jones was left to carry the team. Jones is still the best PG in Michigan! Hartland will surprise some people this year.

13. Country Day Riley and Kirk were around on Friday but they had ACTs to take on Saturday leaving it up to the youngsters. I really like sophs-to-be Lee Bailey, Kenny Knight, and Amir Williams, they play with plenty of energy and heart.

14. Saginaw High the Trojans have plenty of guards but they lack a true PG to replace Daniel West. Mike Green and Jimmy Davis can score but they lack PG skills, right now it looks like it might be Christian Vaughn. The State Champs weren't on the same page in East Lansing but trust me that'll change come December.

15. Grand Ledge Talk about playing hard! No Jon Horford but the Comets still got some big wins, they play hard and scrap for everything. This team just enjoys playing with each other. They got wins over Flint Powers and Southfield.

Izzo Shootout: Top 15 upperclassmen

Listed below are the top 15 performances from the classes of 2009 and 2010 at the Izzo Shootout. Players are listed in alphabetical order. Two notable names that are missing from this list are D. Riley and D. Kirk of Country Day, who missed Saturday to take their ACT.

Eso Akunne, Fwd., Gabriel Richard- picked it up right where he left off at the Breslin Center during the state semis. Akunne is a mismatch just waiting to happen and with a high hoops I.Q. he knows how to take advantage of it.

Kyle Bryant, PF, Det. Southeastern- he has that "I want to learn" attitude to go with a soft touch around the basket. He also knows how to get position and use his wide frame to box out more athletic players.

DeAndray Buckley, wing, Romulus- people want to see him play like his brother but that is unfair to ask of him. He goes about his business in a much quieter way although he is still Nate Oat's floor general from the wing.

Terrell Clinton, wing, Benton Harbor- where did this kid come from? An explosive 6-6 wing, with solid ball control, that is destined for a breakout junior year.

Mike Green, guard, Saginaw- I still am unsure if Green is ready to run the point full time but it's very clear he can stroke the ball. The jury is still out on if Green is ready to step up and become the man for the Trojans?

Josh Herbeck, wing, Gabriel Richard- I am still unsure where this 6-3 sharpshooter fits in at the next level but after his performance this weekend I would have to lean towards the D-1 level. Also showed that he isn't afraid to put the ball on the floor.

Maurice Jones, PG, Arthur Hill- "Pookie" was the most exciting player to watch play in East Lansing. He dominated his opponents with his speed and ball control. He is now ready to be the new leader of the Lumberjacks.

Vonn Jones, PG, Hartland- we got to see the best of both worlds from Jones over the weekend. Friday he distributed the ball like a true PG, and on Saturday, without Poches or Cagle, he put up a bulk of points.

Alex Marcotullio, guard, De La Salle- the lefty scorer has taken his game to the next level by playing better physical defensive. He did a good job of freeing himself up by running off picks.

Shane Moreland, combo, Flint Powers- He's now an upperclassmen and he is playing like it. There is more to Sugar Shane's game than just scoring. He's becoming a leader and getting after it on the defensive end.

Tom Staton, wing Fwd., Clarkston- gives Clarkston an athletic edge that they usually lack. Nothing too fancy but very effective, solid shooter and passer.

Jamie Stewart, wing, Livonia Clarenceville- another big surprise at the shootout. Stewart had a solid junior season and he's showing flashes of being one of the top players in his class.

Booker Stoudemire, combo, Belleville- very underrated player. can excel at either the one or the two. His athletic skills say the two but his mind set says the one. Crazy hops for a six footer.

Drew Valentine, wing, Lansing Sexton- Mr. Utility does it all for his Big Reds. Defensively he handles the post and offensively he usually handles the point. Drew is forming into a Mr. Basketball candidate.

Trey Zeigler, combo, Mt. Pleasant- "Zeigs" didn't have much help, while most of his teammates were playing baseball, but he didn't let that slow him down. Zeigs proved that he will be able to carry the Oilers by himself this season.