(St. Louis, MO) – Apparently you CAN go home again. St. Louis natives and Kansas State basketball players Xavier Sneed and D.J. Johnson did just that Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena. K-State came to town and dominated the smaller Saint Louis University Billikens (83-54), and Sneed and Johnson had a lot to do with it.
Johnson, from Parkway North High School started at center and was the energy his team is constantly looking for. From winning the opening tip, blocking two early shots and slamming two thunderous first half dunks, Johnson is playing up to the potential Wildcat coach Bruce Weber expected when he recruited him out of North St. Louis County.
Sneed, from Hazelwood Central High School comes off Weber’s bench and is one of five Cats averaging double figures in scoring. Johnson, Barry Brown, Wesley Iwundu and Kamau Stokes are the others. Sneed was one of the top players in the State of Missouri last year and was a key signing during last season’s recruiting cycle.
Saturday night Johnson was at his athletic and energetic best. Recording a double-double with 21 points and ten rebounds in front of family and friends. Father Darrall was beaming from start to finish.
Sneed, more highly touted out of high school, could have gone to virtually any school in the country and through the recruiting efforts of former Southern Illinois head coach Chris Lowery and Weber, he ended up in Manhattan.
K-State insiders told me ‘X’ has provided them with a needed spark. The 6’5 wing has been brilliant shooting the ball. His field goal percentages are outstanding as he is shooting 50% from the field and .414 from deep.
Sneed finished with 15 points. The St. Louis area products say they were glad to be back in St. Louis and playing in front of family and friends. We asked both players to reflect on the potential talent in the St. Louis area and about some players they’ve played against.
Big time programs keep finding the St. Louis area to be talent rich and that high level players are found here. Weber and Lowery have a leg up on some of the competition. Both coached and nearby Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) and had great success with local players.
Weber says his staff loves to recruit the St. Louis area and they are excited about current signee, Vashon’s Levi Stockard.
SLU freshman Zeke Moore (Riverview Gardens) has shown some flashes of being able to compete at a high level and Billiken head coach Travis Ford is working hard to close the St. Louis borders to outside forces. Moore scored eight points in the K-State loss and was praised by his coach as one of the players fighting hard throughout the game.
Ford told me he is working hard to bring Sneed and Johnson type of St. Louis talent to Chaifetz Arena. There are solid indications that he is succeeding as highly rated Cart’Are Gordon (Webster Groves) will be coming to SLU in two years and next season Belleville Althoff’s Jordan Goodwin will join the fray.
(St. Louis Players in the Valley)
There are St. Louis area players all throughout the Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley Conferences and at the big time ‘money conferences’ too. Reigning Gatorade Player of the Year Jayson Tatum (Chaminade) is finally healthy and playing at Duke. His Red Devil teammate Tyler Cook is averaging 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game at Iowa. Illinois’ leading scorer Malcom Hill (Belleville East) is averaging 18.4 points and seven rebounds during his senior season in Champaign.
Outstanding St. Louis area players are succeeding in every locale!
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.@SEMOMBB wins at home and is 2-0, tied with @MSUEaglesMBB atop the @OVCSports. Our prayers are with the @LRTrojans after the death of one of their managers Josh Claxton. Their game with EIU was postponed today.
Good officiating in the @SEMOMBB/@SIUEMBB in a little late game dust up.
BTW, @LindenwoodWBB is 2-0. @CoachAmyEagan has that program headed the right direction.
With @SkyhawkHoops winning on the road and @LUMensBball winning at home, right now, 5 @OVCSports teams are 1-1.
