Arthur Hill falls, but Maurice Jones makes case for Mr. Basketball bid

I wrote last week after the holiday tournament at Saginaw Arthur Hill that 5-6 senior guard Maurice Jones is the best basketball player in Michigan. It was a bit of a departure for me, since I’d been singing the praises of Detroit Country Day’s Ray McCallum, who I still believe is the most college-ready player in Michigan.

On Friday, Maurice Jones had a chance to make his case that he, not McCallum, Trey Zeigler (Mt. Pleasant) or Keith Appling (Detroit Pershing), is the best player in the state.

The Lumberjacks lost by eight to Appling’s Doughboys, but Pookie put on a show with 49 points and 11 assists. Appling’s not exactly chopped liver, of course. He had 38 points, 11 shy of his 49-point effort at the Breslin Center in March against K-Zoo Central.

Even so, Jones will be Mr. Basketball in 2010. No one will be able to forget the kid who couldn’t weigh more than 130 pounds looking like Brandon Jennings against Golden State

No one can touch him in transition; no one can guard him in the halfcourt and, without doubt, no one is more important to his team.

– Jared Field