Sophomore Jamal Cain is one to watch

DETROIT, Mich. - From his first shot attempt, which was a missed alley-oop near the front of the rim, you could tell that sophomore, Jamal Cain, had something special. From there he wouldn't have a great shooting night, but still found a way to put up 16 points and 17 rebounds to help his Detroit Cornerstone Health and Tech team to a 76-66 over Detroit Allen Academy.

And although Cain wasn't able to put up his usual numbers against a scrappy Allen Academy team, there was still a lesson to be learned in the game.

"They played really good defense," Cain said. "They took charges, and they kept me out of the paint so I wouldn't score. They played a really good defensive game.

"But from this game, I know that I have to box-out harder, play smarter, and run the floor harder."

At almost 6-7, and still growing, you would think that Cain would be a household name around the state. He's super athletic, rebounds at a high rate, and can handle the ball like a smaller guard can, but has still flown under the radar compared to others in his class. And maybe because of where he plays, a smaller classification school in Cornerstone, but he's good!

Cain averages close to 28 ppg., along with 14 rpg., consistently, which if you ask me, is pretty good no matter who you play. He's having a successful sophomore campaign at Cornerstone, after transferring in from Melvindale ABT, and hasn't let factors such as competition level distract him.

"My mindset is just to go at them, and go at them really hard, no matter who," Cain said of his opponents. "I just try to get mismatches, and use my strengths to my advantage. The season has been going really good for me, and I get to play with my boys, so things like that don't bother me."

No matter the competition level, for a player his age and size, Cain has a nice skill set that you wouldn't expect out of 6-7 kids. Unless you're special. Even his missed shots were on target, just needs to continue to develop that touch around the rim. He showed the ability to get to the free throw line at a high rate, and even better, makes his free throws.

Handling the ball the way he can is what really makes Cain stand out. Playing along the perimeter was no problem for him against Allen Academy, and whenever he grabbed a rebound, he was able to push the ball up the court himself. Cain is still raw in some areas, but he's improving over at Cornerstone. His mother, Amanda Branner, played basketball at Pontiac Northern in the late 90s, so he has basketball running through his veins.

"I can always get better, and I always try to work on things," said Cain. "Like I said, as a bigger player, I have to box-out better, run the floor harder, execute the plays, and try to be a better leader by talking more.

"It was hard coming from Melvindale ABT to Cornerstone, because I couldn't play the first three games because of the transfer rules, but I fought through it, stayed together, and I'm playing good now. Coach Covington has been a big influence on my life, and he's a great coach."

Cain isn't a sought after recruit just yet, but he soon will be in due time. For now, he does have some college interest, and even had a school watching his game against Allen Academy last night. Covington said IUPUI, Oregon, St.Bonaventure, Stanford, and a few others have contacted him consistently about Cain. The Ducks are scheduled to come watch him play some time next week, which is big for Cain, who mentioned them often.

"I've heard from Oregon, and Detroit a lot," he said. "Oregon has just been sending me text messages, and they tell me to watch their games. That's about it. There aren't really any other schools I want to hear from, I'm just taking my recruitment as it goes along."