Brother Rice four raising game during offseason
The “Fab Four” at Birmingham Brother Rice will be The Beatles of the boys basketball court in Oakland County these next two years.
In other words, must-see in every way, shape and form. This crew of hoopsters is taking no prisoners in its quest for greatness.
Brother Rice’s much-ballyhooed junior foursome of Curtis Williams, Xavier Thomas, Johnny Blackwell and Henry Garrity are using the offseason to polish up their respective games and judging by early returns appear ready to have the Warriors challenging for both Catholic League and state titles in the upcoming 2022 and 2023 campaigns.
They combined forces to bring Brother Rice a district crown last year and a long-awaited return for
the program to the CHSL tournament championship game.
“Each of these guys answered the bell for the summer grind and are all well on their way to seeing an uptick in recruitment across the board,” said Brother Rice head coach Rick Palmer of his Class of ’23 studs.
All four are playing on the Nike circuit this summer, with Williams, Blackwell and Garrity teammates on The Family. Thomas plays for Bates Fundamentals.
The Family competed in the prestigious Peach Jam AAU tournament held in Augusta, South Carolina this week.
The lanky and smooth 6-6 Wil
liams, a 4-star recruit on the wing, is the No. 1 small forward prospect in the state’s Class of ’23 and a deadeye shooter with a silky stroke from downtown. Alabama, Maryland and VCU are the schools showing the most interest in him right now.
Michigan and Michigan State are said to be circling and poised to put offers forth in the near future. He visited Michigan State two weeks ago and has used the offseason to work on his move to the rack and finishing at the rim, not to mention becoming a more
complete baseline-to-baseline player.
“Curtis has really focused on his slashing and refining his rebounding technique, but he has also turned a lot of heads scouting wise with his play on the defensive end,” Palmer said. “He’s guarded the opposing team’s top player and has consistently locked them down.”
Thomas is a broad-shouldered 6-5 with a game reminiscent of NBA All-Star Draymond Green (SaginawMichigan State), able to play all positions on the floor and facilitate an offense from the high post. He was the Catholic League’s most improved player last winter and reeled in a Central
Michigan offer back in the spring.
“People ask what position X plays, I tell them he plays the butt-kicker spot, he just kicks opponents’ tails wherever he is on the court,” said Palmer of Thomas. “College coaches are seeing he can score and positively affect the game in so many ways.”
The 6-4 Blackwell runs the point for the Warriors and is the son of University of Illinois alum Glynn Blackwell (Highland Park). His recruiting exploded in the offseason. Rhode Island, VCU, Toledo, Northern Illinois, Oakland University, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan have all offered since the start of spring.
“I think John is the best kept secret in his class, he’s tough as nails and everything you want in a big, strong floor general,” Palmer said. “On the recruiting front, he’s clearly made tremendous strides and his getting more interest by the day. The pacing of the game has really slowed down for him and he’s blossoming as a playmaker as a result.”
Garrity is the son of retired NBA sharpshooter Pat Garrity (Orlando Magic) and has his dad’s range and grittiness. Standing 6-5, the younger Garrity is also a standout on the football field as a tight end. He’s probably made the biggest jump in his game this summer
and should be getting his first scholarship offer soon.
“Henry has made the biggest improvement in his game of the group this offseason by far,” Palmer said. “He’s just playing with so much more confidence and its translating to him continuing to get better and better.”
Tweet of the week
“Xavier Thomas is the best big guard, two-way player I’ve ever played with,” Orchard Lake St. Mary’s incoming freshman phenom Trey McKenney, a 6-3 wing guard with a DePaul offer already, on his AAU teammate and future rival in the CHSL Central.