Storm Claims Camp Darryl 16U Crown

The Grand Rapids Storm defeated Battle Creek Elite to win the 16U title of the 14th-annual Camp Darryl Classic.

Though HQ’d in Kalamazoo, only in the 16U bracket did the 14th-annual Camp Darryl/Bankhoops.com Classic feature a semifinal with only West Michigan teams. The Storm beat Battle Creek Elite in the championship game, after both knocked off various incarnations of the West Michigan Lakers in the semis.

The Storm featured perhaps the most complete player in the division, long, athletic and defensively versatile 6-4 Cedar Springs sophomore Jameson Pavelka, who was named MVP. He  It seems every team in West Michigan has an East Kentwood kid making an impact, and the Storm was no different as Pavelka was joined on the 16U all-tournament team by 6-4 EK soph Jalen Buress.

• CDBA Classic 16U MVP  Jameson Pavelka  6-4  So  Storm (Cedar Springs)
• Tyler Black  6-0  So  West Michigan Lakers-Purple (Forest Hills Northern)
• Jalen Burress  6-4  So  Storm (East Kentwood)
• Jake VanTubbergen  6-4  So  West Michigan Lakers-Black (West Ottawa)
• Jeremiah Vincent  6-2  So  Battle Creek Elite (Kalamazoo Central)

Everyone knows about Kalamazoo Central’s top 10 sophomore, Isaiah Livers. But the Maroon Giants have other college prospects in the 2017 class, and helped Battle Creek Elite make the championship game. 6-2 Kazoo Central soph Jeremiah Vincent is athletic enough to score in the lane but also made four straight three-pointers against the Lakers in the semifinals.  6-3 Kazoo Central soph Roger Stein is burly but athletic with good hands.

The Lakers future is bright. They already have two sophomores, Wayland’s Zack Niewkoop and Avery Hudson, playing 17U, and still made two semifinals in 16U. Their Black team has a strong frontcourt in 6-4 West Ottawa soph Jake VanTubbergen, 6-6 Rockford soph Ryan Gamm and 6-6 Lowell soph Austin Branagan.