CMA senior John Phillips III recently played in the Horatio Williams Foundation Second Chance Basketball Games.
This event took place April 9 from at the Detroit Edison Public Academy. The Horatio Williams Foundation Second Chance Basketball Games is for high school seniors who didn’t receive a college basketball scholarship during the basketball season. College coaches are invited to watch them play. College scouts wanted to see the players in person to get a better idea of who they are as a person and as a player vs. watching on video.
Phillips was one of the players out of the estimated 65 seniors who were in attendance, only two from CMA participated. There were six teams with NBA team names such as Miami Heat, Pistons, Indiana Pacers, etc.
Phillips played on the Warriors and went up against each team once. They played 12-minute halves (24-minute games). After all the games were done, the top performers played against each other on two teams. Phillips was recognized as a top performer of the event by averaging 11 points and two steals per game and scoring 78 points in seven games. Phillip’s team won four out the seven games that he played in by averaging 65 points per game. His playing time averaged out to be 20 minutes per game.
“An opportunity to play in the front of the college coaches for a basketball scholarship and a chance to have fun and enjoy my passion,” Phillips said when asked about what he gained from his new experience.
Various colleges were in attendance such as Wayne State, Saginaw Valley, Oakland Community College and Albion College. Since Phillips was the top performer he received athletic scholarship offers from Wayne State, Albion, Oakland Community College and Henry Ford College.
