2017 guard Greg Elliott continues to impress

DETROIT - The game started at around 5:00 p.m., and ended at 6:10 p.m., in was a very fast paced game offensively between Detroit East English Village Prep, and Detroit Allen Academy, with EEVP pulling away late from Allen, 89-76. Junior combo guard, Greg Elliott, poured in a team-high 27 points for EEVP along with six rebounds, and George Mason commit, Karmari Newman, shook off a slow start to finish with 22. On Allen's side, East Tennessee State signee, Jason Williams, was on fire through three quarters, but cooled down late, still finishing with a high of 29 points, and five assists. Kent State was in the gym checking on 2016 commit Danny Pippen, who did not do much on offense, with just nine points, but used his 6-7 frame to pull down 12 rebounds, and block five shots.

I was impressed with...

I might have low-balled Greg Elliott on my city rankings. I placed him at No.10, but he has been playing much better than that to start his junior year, after a very strong summer on the court. At 6-3, and growing, Elliott really does not have a true position right now, which is not necessarily a bad thing. He does not do one particular thing well, he does them all well. He can score, shoot the three, rebounds well for a guard, and with arms down to his knees, is a good defender, with that sneaky length. He will not always wow you on the court, but he brings his lunch pale every game, and effort is a skill you cannot teach. Elliott will certainly grow a few more inches before he leaves high school, and is a sure-fire Division I prospect. Xavier has expressed some interest in him.

Consecutive triples for EEVP 2017 guard Greg Elliott. I believe that 23pts for him. Has EEVP up 75-66 w/6:10 to go. He's just good.— Branden Hunter (@JustCallmeBHunt) December 17, 2015

His 5-11 height might be the only thing keeping Allen Academy senior point guard Jason Williams from going high Division I. But other than that, his game speaks for itself. Williams started off the game on fire, going 6-6, and ended up 13-17 for 29 points. He was almost impossible to stay in front of, and is so slippery getting to the basket, finishing on either side. The ETSU signee will need to continue improving his jump-shot, but no one can question his toughness, playmaking, and ability to score one-on-one.

Surprise, surprise...

With IPFW commit, Chris Rollins, having to sit out for a few weeks with a finger injury, EEVP just plugs the next man in, in their high-octane offense. Senior Lamar Neely does not get as much publicity as his teammates, but he is instant offense off the bench. The 6-3 shooter drained three 3-pointers against Allen, and even had three steals to go along with 13 points. Neely is the younger brother of former Detroit Crockett and 2012 Mr. PSL winner, Lloyd Neely, who last played at Oakland.

Allen Academy could have used a few more 3-pointers from junior Jawan Snoody, who had four of them on the night, and 12 points. EEVP left the 6-3, Snoody, open, and he took the shot almost every time. He showed the ability to make that shot, and if he continues to do that, the Wildcats can make some serious noise in Class C, along with their other arsenal of scorers.

Looking towards the future...

Once Williams graduates from Allen Academy, head coach Craig Covington has nothing to worry about when it comes to who will run his team. Freshman sensation, Mark "Rocket" Watts, is as good as advertised. In his first high school game a week ago, Watts had 22, letting everyone know that the hype is real. He only scored eight against EEVP, granted he did not take a lot of shots. Still, he showed great poise for a freshman that starts, and never gets rattled on the floor.

EEVP also has a promising freshman point guard of their own, in Tariq Shepherd. Like Watts, he handles the pressure of running the team well, when it is his turn, and does not try to do more than he is asked with the ball. Obviously, EEVP head coach Juan Rickman has some confidence in him to allow him to play in big games, which will boost his own confidence going forward.