Grinders' Najae Coates goes to the basket for a layup against two Sharp Shooters defenders during an Annapolis Summer League basketball game Tuesday. (Terrance Williams/Capital Gazette)
Old-timers cannot ever remember a first-year franchise capturing the Annapolis Summer League Basketball championship. Chris Simmons and his Next Up teammates are hoping to make history on that front.
“I always want to do something that’s never been done before,” Simmons said.
Next Up is well on the way to earning the top seed for the Annapolis Summer League playoffs after improving to 9-0 with a gutsy comeback victory Tuesday night at Truxtun Park.
Simmons, Next Up player-coach, missed the game because of a conflict but was watching via Facetime when his younger brother kept the team unbeaten with two games remaining in the regular season.
Stanton Center's Damonte Dodd shoots against several Savoy defenders during an Annapolis Summer League basketball game Tuesday. (Terrance Williams/Capital Gazette)
Meikhi Simmons made a layup with three seconds left as Next Up rallied from a double-digit deficit to defeat Robinwood MIF, 68-66, inside the Pip Moyer Recreation Center.
Tre Dunn missed the front end of a one-and-one from the foul line with 11.9 seconds left, but Simmons came away with possession following a mad scramble for the loose ball and banked in the game-winner.
“We’re a family and we stick together through thick and thin. We got down early, but we kept fighting and playing our game,” said Meikhi Simmons, an Old Mill graduate along with his older brother. “We came back based off energy and effort.”
Wilkerson, another Old Mill product, scored 20 points to lead a balanced attack for Next Up, which trailed by 14 points late in the first half. Kris Peet (North County) scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the thrilling win. Tre Dunn (Meade) added 13 points and six rebounds.
Next Up can clinch the top seed by beating defending champion B.I.G. on Friday. B.I.G. and Savoy are tied for second place at 7-2.
“I feel good about our chances [of capturing the championship] because of our depth and chemistry. We have no drop-off when we go to the bench,” Chris Simmons said. “Not many teams in that league play team offense and defense the way we do. That togetherness is what gives us the upper hand.”
Summers has carefully crafted a close-knit roster over the years while competing in various leagues around the area. The core group originally consisted of the Simmons brothers, Dunn, Peet and Kyuan McCallum. Wilkerson and former Annapolis Area Christian School standout Dylin Borden were later brought aboard.
“I found guys that I know personally and was sure would mesh well,” he said. “They’re all team-oriented and all about winning. Nobody cares about anything else. They’re all committed to winning championships.”
Next Up played in the Tunnel Vision Summer League in Severn and the Leadership Through Athletics league in Lansdowne last year and lost a total of five games, Simmons said.
“I’ve been running with this same crew in a couple other leagues and I knew if I brought them down to Annapolis we would have a lot of success,” he said.
Next Up won all its previous games by double digits before running into Robinwood, led by Annapolis Summer League legend Curtis Spencer. This is among the best teams Spencer has put together in several years led by veterans Dontray Smith and Phoenix Butler-Poole.
Savoy’s Dalonte Joyce drives to the basket against Stanton Center's Ben Young during an Annapolis Summer League basketball game Tuesday. Next Up currently is undefeated leading the league with Savoy and B.I.G tied for second as the teams jockey for positioning with the playoffs looming. (Terrance Williams/Capital Gazette)
Slick and speedy point guard Tre Wainwright drained five 3-pointers in the first half to stake Robinwood to the big lead. The former Montgomery Blair star finished with 25 points to lead all scorers.
Smith scored 18 points on a mixture of step-back 3-pointers and strong drives to the basket as Robinwood maintained the lead midway through the first half. That is when Next Up turned up the defensive pressure and started pushing the ball in transition, steadily wearing down an opponent with just one substitute.
Severe thunderstorms forced the slate of six games inside Tuesday night and Savoy stayed on pace for a first-round bye by beating Stanton Center, 54-48, behind forward Mico James (Annapolis).
Dalonte Joyce contributed 13 points for Savoy, which beat B.I.G. earlier this season and holds the tiebreaker between the two. Savoy suffered a big personnel loss when Annapolis resident Byron Ireland returned to the University of Maine.
“We have a veteran group of guys who know what it takes to get it done come tournament time,” said Joyce, the former Annapolis and Bethany College standout who is now an assistant coach at Chesapeake Community College. “I think we have as good a chance as any team out here of coming away with the championship.”
Player-coach D’Andre Savoy did not make Tuesday’s game and his players were left without jerseys as a result. Ray Bush (Meade) saved the day by distributing practice jerseys from Spalding, where he serves as an assistant coach.
Former Maryland forward Damonte Dodd scored 12 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead Stanton Center (1-8), which remains mired in last place alongside The Unit.
B.I.G.'s Daon Riley, right, goes for a layup as Da Younn's Jairush Carroll defends during a 2021 Annapolis Summer Basketball League playoff game. (Brian Krista/Capital Gazette)
B.I.G., which has maintained a consistent core roster for close to a decade now, is always a postseason threat. In fact, veteran coach Tyrone “Stixx” Jones maintains that B.I.G. is the team to beat when the tournament begins next Wednesday.
Versatile guard Mahzi Thames and high-flying forward Antonio Wright have led the way all season for B.I.G., which has claimed eight championships. Thames, who is headed to Virginia Union following a decorated career at Chesapeake College, is a leading candidate for regular season Most Valuable Player.
“Mahzi has a smooth, slow-paced game. He’s always under control and you can’t speed him up,” Jones said. “Mazhi is just a pure scorer who knows how to put the ball in the basket.”
Hard-charging guard Daon Riley and 7-foot center Travis Hyman are other mainstays for B.I.G., which wants to send a message by beating Next Up on Friday.
“We’d like to knock them off Friday so they don’t go undefeated. Either way, we’ll see them again,” Jones said. “I think our postseason experience will show through again.”
Explosive swingman Jacob Aryee (St. Mary’s, Millersville University) scored 12 points to lift Sharp Shooters past Grinders, 45-41. Garrett Snoops (Spalding, Marymount), a veteran guard nicknamed the “Big Fundamental,” added 10 points in the win.
Player-coach Trey Quinn brings on-court leadership and playmaking abilities to Sharp Shooters, who are tied with Robinwood for fifth place at 5-4. Quinn is the St. Mary’s head coach and has several of his current and former players on the roster, including Peyton Mason and Audric Washington.
“We can compete with any team in this league when we’re at full strength,” said Quinn, noting that three of four losses were by single digits. “It seems like we’re always missing two or three guys.”
Lightning-quick guard AJ Burch (Severn School, St. Francis) has been the spark plug for P.O.D., which is all alone in fourth place after beating the Hawks, 66-61, Tuesday. Trey Gross, the former Delaware State wide receiver who was invited to the rookie/free agent minicamp of the Washington Commanders, has been an inside force for the squad that stands for Puddle of Dreams.
“We’ve been playing well lately, so I’m encouraged,” said Greg Johnson, co-coach of P.O.D. along with Tony Burch. “If we continue to play the way we have been we can make some noise in the playoffs.”
Grinders' Rob McKenzie passes the ball against Sharp Shooters' Mike Parme during an Annapolis Summer League basketball game Tuesday. (Terrance Williams/Capital Gazette)
1. Next Up, 9-0; 2. B.I.G. and Savoy, 7-2; 4. P.O.D., 6-4; 5. Robinwood MIF and Sharp Shooters, 5-4; 7. Acme Coyotes, 4-5; 8. Grinders, Harris & Sons and Hawks 3-6; 11. Stanton Center and The Unit 1-8