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Opening night at the King James Classic

By: James Mulcahy

In the first game of the night we saw the dynamic duo of Derrick Favors and Trae Golden help the Atlanta Celtics to a win over the Baltimore Stars.

Favors, the #2 player in the class of 2009, lived up to his lofty ranking by scoring 18 points, two of which came on a monster tomahawk dunk at the end of the game. The 6’9 power forward was a presence on defense, too, where he did a good job of controlling the boards and blocking (and altering) shots.

Golden also backed up his rep (he’s ranked #6 in the class of 2010 nationally) as he bullied his way to 14 points and, as usual, was stronger, faster, and more skilled than the opposing guards.

As if the Celtics aren't loaded enough already, Golden and Favors will be joined on the court tomorrow by class of 2009 standout Noel Johnson, a top 20 player in his class nationally.

Other games we scouted on opening day included the World Wide Renegades (Black)’s matchup against Chicago Express.

The Express is Derrick Rose’s brother, Reggie’s team and Derrick, who is expected to be the first or second pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, was courtside for this game. But even with one of the best point guards in the world showing his support, the Express had no answer for the WWR's 5'9 point guard Phil Taylor (class of 2010), who was, no-doubt, one of the most impressive players we’ve seen at the tournament so far.

Taylor ran the show to perfection by getting the ball to his teammates in scoring position and knocking down all of his open shots. Expect him to move well into the top 50 nationally when we update the 2010 rankings.

Things really begin to heat up tomorrow, so be sure to stay tuned to HoopsReport.com as we check in on teams like the New York Guachos, DC Assault, The Family, Rising Starts, Playground Warriors and many others.

This article is associated with the following player(s):
Favors, Derrick
Golden, Trae
Taylor, Phil

POSTED: 4-25-2008

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