Double-Header in the D

Detroit, MI.- Public School League quarterfinal action at Detroit Cass Tech produced plenty of talent Wednesday as Pershing faced off against Crockett in the opener and Renaissance took on Central.

Pershing has 6'9 center Derrick Nix '09 and 6'1 combo guard Keith Appling '10 that are headed to Michigan State but, they have a lot in the cupboard that provide key ingredients to the Doughboy's success. Their battle versus Crockett was a true test for the Rocket's 6'6 235-pound Devin Long '10 and the big guy faired well against Nix in the loss. The game was relatively close and very high scoring in the first quarter, 24-18, as 6'1 guard Ben Richbow '09 scored the majority of his eleven points. Pershing was up 42-32 to start the second half and the lead grew from there and finished 68-41.

Appling led Pershing with 15 points and was a catalyst in Pershing's second half surge. He shoots the ball without effort and he's starting to show off his athleticism towards the rim consistently. For Spartan fans in attendance, Nix showed me three things that I have never seen him do: attempt an alley-oop, hit a right handed hook shot from five feet, and knock down a SMOOTH GO TO fade away jumper from just inside of ten feet. He also grabbed double digit rebounds and scored twelve and he's looking better every time I see him. 6'5 wing Juwan Howard, jr. '10 knocked down some big shots and is a go to guy on the perimeter. Howard, jr. plays with poise and is a future shooting guard in the making on the mid-major level. Richbow scored eleven and knocked down a couple of threes while playing solid defense. He's a super solid DIII player that might catch the eye of a DII program that might be happy they stole one in the coming years. 6'7 senior center Tevin Conrad weighs in at 310-pounds and scored ten and cleaned up the glass when he was subbed in for Nix. Conrad told IPS after the game that he's headed to Saginaw Valley St. to play football to the relief other GLIAC basketball programs. 5'10 guard Dennis Perry '09 didn't get the nick-name "Lil' Scrappy" for nothing as he battles on the boards, bowls to the bucket, knock down threes, and play in your face defense for nothing. 5'10 point guard Deon Dismuke played limited minutes and made the most of them as he did what any DIII/NAIA school would want and that's to hit the mid-range jumper, play defense, pass the ball, and most important take care of the ball.

Crockett's Long is "the next best big-man in Detroit," according to Nix. Long scored ten points and was limited because of a third foul in the second quarter. He grabbed near double-digit boards and watching him go against Nix was a treat. Long is getting looks and offers faster than a storm rolling through Denver. If there were one player that made a huge splash on to the public scene it would be 6'4 athlete Brandon Donaldson '10. Donaldson scored eleven but his six blocks and his explosiveness is eye opening. 5'7 point-guard Tevin Fields '09 would be on a lot of DII and Low-Division I program's recruiting list if he was 6'. He's not but he can still get in the lane, make the right pass, take care of the ball, and he knocked down a couple of threes amongst his sixteen points.

The following game kept fans in their seats until the end as it took 6' point guard Delano Collin's '09 lay-up with eleven seconds remaining on the clock giving Renaissance a 63-62 lead and the final score. Central looked they were going on a route as they led 18-6 after the first but Renaissance rallied and closed the lead, 29-24, to end the half. The lead was closer to end the third, 43-39.

Starting the fourth quarter, Renaissance jumped out to a 5-0 run and took the lead on 6'5 small forward Daniel Sutherlin's '09 tip. The game was tied three times before Central held their own on the defensive end and 6'3 guard DeAngelo Hailey '09 completed a three-point play giving Central a 53-48 lead with 3:43 on the clock. 6'3 wing Darius Ware '09 and 5'9 point guard Demarco Johnson '09 helped keep Central's lead as Renaissance's Collins, Sutherlin, and 6'1 guard Chene Phillips made big plays in the games waning moments.

Collins is a winner and one of those players that seems to have been around forever as he's been on the big scene for four-years after a Class B state championship run as a freshman. Collins led the Phoenix in scoring with twenty points and told me he has offers to play basketball and football from Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley State. 6'3 wing Brandyn Mungo '09 reverse lay-upped his way to 18 points. Mungo is a can't miss player for Division III schools as he provides a little bit of everything with a lot of agility. Daniel Sutherlin is at minimum a Division II player and should garnish looks from a large handful of Low-Division I and maybe higher for some programs. Sutherlin showed perimeter skills with a three-pointer and toughness in the post as he scored 14 and grabbed a dozen rebounds. Phillips scored nine and is more noted for his defense. Expect more from Phillips as he's starting to show up big in clutch moments.

Central's marquee player is the MR. PSL award winner, Hailey, he led all scorers with 22 and can stake a claim for best guard in Michigan's 2009 class. He's a natural two who knocked down some big shots from beyond the perimeter and created his own shot. 6'3 wing Darius Ware '09 showed the mid-range game that I was accustomed but also went further than that with his athleticism. Ware dropped in 18 and possibly Central's Valedictorian. Johnson scored 15 and is another tough PSL point guard who has the ability to play on the next level.