Team Spotlight: St. Louis Prophets 16U Boys

The St. Louis Prophets 16U boys team enjoyed a very productive summer under the guidance of head coach Marcellus Miller. The Prophets were 29-17 during the summer, including two tournament championships.

 "Our kids played well over the summer," Miller said. "We had our ups and downs, but when we were good, we were very good."

 The Prophets won the Rameybasketball.com May Classic during the spring, winning all three of their games. They ended the summer by winning the Rameybasketball Grand Finale at Florissant Valley C.C. while playing in the 17U division. They also advanced to the semifinals of the Chicago Wildcats' Tournament, which was their best showing out of town during the summer.

 The Prophets are not a big team, but they play hard and they play well together. Most of the players will be looking to make a big impact on their high school teams as juniors this season.

 "The kids are excited about getting the high school season started," Miller said. "They are also looking forward to next summer when they play at 17's."

 Miller is really high on 6'3" forward Brandon Johnson, who will be a junior at East St. Louis. Johnson is a slashing swingman who can get to the basket and score.

 "He was our top forward throughout the year," Miller said. "I'm looking for him to have a real good season."

 Sharing the point guard duties were the 5'8" pair of Colbren Thompson (Lutheran North) and Calvin Lewis (University City). Thompson was the team's floor general who kept things moving while Lewis was the team's sparkplug off the bench as well as a tough on-ball defender.

 Guards Zach Carel (Parkway Central) and Clayton Buchanan (Clayton) were also productive shooters and fine all-around players. Carel battled an ankle injury for much of the summer. Buchanan was also a nice player in the transition game.

 Up front, Miller depended on 6'3" forward Darius Ruckert (Whitfield), 6'3" B.J. Olden (Cardinal Ritter) and 6'1" Jeffrey McGhee (University City) to battle the big boys. Rucker is a tough rebounder and finisher around the basket while Olden is a versatile player who is comfortable inside or outside. McGhee is a strong player around the basket who excels against bigger players.

 Rounding out the Prophets' roster are guard Charlie Harned (Clayton), forward Sean Griffin (McCluer), forward Dominic Tillman (Lindbergh) and guard Darryn Henson (McCluer).

 The Prophets will be fielding teams in the 15U, 16U and 17U divisions next spring and summer. For more information on the Prophets, you can visit their website and leaguelineup.com\prophets.