Brawl for the Ball weekend wrap-up

GRAND RAPIDS - Another successful session of the Brawl for the Ball AAU tournament wrapped up on Sunday afternoon, and it didn't disappoint. The July recruiting period for college coaches is an important one, and coaches from Michigan State, Michigan, Alabama, Detroit, Cleveland State, Oakland, and many others assembled on MVP Fieldhouse to see some of the top players and teams in the region go at it. Game-winning buzzer beating shots, spectacular dunks, and players playing at a high level was plentiful, which resulted in an exciting four days of high school basketball.

STAR POWER

The 17-Under Platinum championship game ended with the Detroit Stars outlasting the Michigan Playmakers in overtime, 81-80, on a buzzer beating 3-pointer by junior guard, Gregory Elliott. The Stars have a really good collection of talent on their team, led by rising sophomores, Donnie Tillman of Findlay Prep, and 6-6 wing, Jamal Cain. Tillman looks like a power forward at just 6-5, but don't tell him that. Despite his lack of height, he was a bully in the paint all weekend, and displayed his ability to put the ball on the floor. It'll be interesting to see how tall he ends up. Cain, who picked up his first two offers from Oakland and Kent State not too long ago, showed flashes of what he could be down the line, handling the ball, blocking shots, attacking the basket, and finishing with authority. He certainly opened more eyes over the weekend.

The biggest stock riser on the team may have been Elliott, who has grown nicely to 6-3, and does just about everything on the floor. He has impressive length for a guard, and loves to rebound and get steals. He also showed the ability to make shots, including the 3-pointer to take home the title. Offers will certainly be coming his way sooner than later. Danny Pippen, who already has a couple of Division I offers, played extremely well, using his 6-8 frame to be a disrupter in the paint, and block a number of shots over the weekend. Senior guard, Luster Johnson, also played well for the Stars, attacking the basket.

KINGS OF THE COURT

The best team at the entire event, with arguably the best player in 2017 guard, Markell Johnson, was the King James 16-Under team. The talented bunch from Ohio never lost a game the entire weekend, and seemingly won all of their games easily, including the 16-Under Platinum Division. All Johnson did was wow the crowd with his incredible athleticism at only 6-1, dunking everything he got his hands on, including a windmill dunk on a fast-break. Aside from being a gifted jumper, Johnson also has a high basketball IQ passing the ball, and can shoot it a bit from deep. His backcourt running-mate, fellow junior, Jayvon Graves, was also impressive with his shooting, attacking the basket, and high IQ. Junior point guard, Marreon Jackson, also did a very solid job of running the point for King James all weekend. Sterling Manley, a 6-9, center for King James was also an intriguing prospect, with his size and length.

HORSE POWER

The 15-Under Platinum championship was played between two teams for the Michigan Mustangs AAU family, with the Mustangs/Faletti team edging the Mustangs/Watts team at the buzzer, 59-58. The Mustangs/Faletti team is absolutely loaded with some of the best sophomores in the state, including 6-8 big man, Thomas Kithier, who played himself to his first offer over the weekend from Detroit, and with 2018 wings, Jalen Tobias and Zavon Godwin. Both go 6-5 and 6-4, respectively, and have high ceilings. Point guard, Davion Williams, can jump out the gym, and didn't hurt his stock over the weekend. He's arguably the top player at his position in the class. Carl Bow, and Taylor McCaskill are two solid point guards who can run a team.

ALL TOURAMNENT TEAM

15-Under:

PG: Duane Washington - Mustangs/Watts

SG: Lamar Norman - Mustangs/Watts

SF: Jalen Tobias - Mustangs/Faletti

PF: Grant Nabors - Mustangs/Watts

C: Thomas Kithier - Mustangs/Faletti

16-Under:

PG: Markell Johnson - King James

SG: Jayvon Graves - King James

SF: Brandon Johns - Triple Threat

PF: Josh Long - 1Nation

C: Sterling Manley - King James

17-Under

PG: Gregory Elliott - Detroit Stars

SG: Karim Murray - REACH

SF: Jamal Cain - Detroit Stars

PF: Donnie Tillman - Detroit Stars

C: Drew Noble - Ohio Cagers