Memphis Roar

Nino Johnson (#9) of the Memphis Magic

Memphis, TN – – Thursday, July 8th marked the opening day of the 2nd annual River City Showdown in Memphis, TN. After a highly successful inaugural tournament, which featured Division I signees like Joe Jackson, Casey Prather, Tarik Black, Chris Crawford, and Austin Hollins, this year’s teams have mighty big shoes to fill. In day one of the Showdown, big men Willy Kouassi (2011, Birmingham, AL) and Nino Johnson (2011, Memphis, TN) were the first to willingly step up to the challenge.

Standout Players

Nino Johnson (Memphis, Tn./White Station)

2011 6’8” PF


Finishing with both hands and displaying good handles in the open court, Johnson picked right back up where he left off earlier this spring. Johnson corralled loose balls and snagged rebound after rebound. Although he missed a wide-open dunk in transition, he was probably the most dominant player on the floor in the Memphis Magic Elite versus Arkansas Warriors game. Johnson undoubtedly finished with a double-double.


Willy Kousassi (Birmingham, Al./Central Park Christian)

2011 6’10” C


Legitimately 6’10”, Kouassi has a nice touch inside and finishes with authority. He is definitely not afraid to dunk in traffic.  A little slight in stature, Kouassi “looks” a little too frail to be physical in the paint and was moved around by shorter opponents, but still showed a huge amount of upside. Kouasssi has great lift off the floor at both ends of the court, his timing as a shot blocker allowed his teammates to convert on multiple fast break opportunities.


Player to Watch


Bernard Morena (Birmingham, Al./ Central Park Christian)

2011 6’8” SF


Morena is a versatile, inside-out small forward with an effective jumpshot out to the three point line. He appears more comfortable on the wing than in the post, but attacked the basket consistently from the wing. Although he appears to be a true wing, he did run the point some for Team Alabama and showed good handles and the ability to ‘get-and-go’.


Notes


DeAndre Harper (Douglasville, Ga./Alexander)

2012 6’6” SG


Harper has a good frame but needs to add some extra muscle. He showed good range out to 18 feet but has somewhat of a slow release. Harper had a few quick and aggressive drives, showing good handle and a knack for knowing when to give it up. Harper also caught two alley-oops on back door cuts and caught a third at the beginning of the second half off of a dive down the lane. Harper had a nice little side-step on a drive in transition to avoid the charge and finish with the bucket.


Telvin Wilkerson (Memphis, Tn./Melrose)

2011 6’2” SG


Wilkerson has a great frame and tremendous handle. Using his quickness to get in the lane, Wilkerson was the initiator for most, if not all, of M33M’s offense. The main issue for Wilkerson was that his teammates failed to convert on many of the opportunities Wilkerson set for them.


Ryan Rhoomes (Middleton, NY/Cardazo)

2011 6′8″ C


Rhoomes has a jaw-dropping wingspan and is now the biggest player in the Memphis Magic’s frontline. In his first game with the Magic, Rhoomes came off the bench to provide an immediate spark on the defensive end by blocking multiple shots in two straight possessions. We will focus more on Rhoomes tomorrow, as we will get to see him in two contests, but he is definitely a guy that major college coaches across the country will be keeping an eye on as July progresses.