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The Desert Invitational, a two-day basketball event at Camelback High School, showcased talent from local youth players as well as West Coast teams.
Photo by Luis C. Lopez The last game of the invitational featured the Channing Frye Elite and a Las Vegas team Hard 2 Guard-Marcus Banks.
Watching the two teams play was like watching an all-star game. They ran the floor and scored without taking too much time off the clock. Both teams very rarely called timeouts or set-up for extensive defensive sets.
Chad Groth, program organizer and Channing Frye Elite’s coach, said more than 20 Division I coaches attended the two-day invitational.
Although Groth couldn’t coach his team from the sidelines, he took time to acknowledge his team’s effort and motivation.
“They are players that work hard together,” Groth said.
Channing Frye Elite took full advantages of the exposure, especially their star guard John Green. He led all scorers with 27 points against Hard 2 Guard. Green showed a strong presence inside the key as well as a respectable outside shot and mid-range jumper.
Evan Roquemore, who finished the game with 11 points, is also another ace on the Elite team. He is one of the top Rebook Camp All-Americans from Foothill High School in Las Vegas Nevada, Groth said. Forward Stacy Davis, and guards Demetrius Balark and Corbin Smith also had strong games.
Overall the game was a high-flying, high scoring atmosphere, something Hard 2 Guard coach Darrius Banks said was intended to showcase each player’s talent and athletic ability.
“We are trying to emulate the Mike D’Antoni style of play,” Banks said. “It’s all about the kids trying to showcase their ability to college coaches.”
Banks also added that it was always fun to play with Arizona teams and that he was looking forward to building a relationship with Arizona teams.
“They have some nice players in Arizona, and we are looking forward to doing something together,” Banks said.
Banks’ standout players include guard Kevin Olekaibe, who scored 23 points against Elite. Guard Sian Laine scored 18. | 