Despite the snow and ice that blanketed Baltimore a few days prior, the Hill Field House on the campus of Morgan State University was bubbling on Saturday, January 31 during the 4th annual A Very Melo Classic.
Folks gamely braved the treacherous elements to support the emerging prep hoops bonanza hosted by one of Charm City’s most celebrated sons, Carmelo Anthony.
Before Melo’s national and international accolades — a 2003 national championship and Final Four Most Outstanding Player award as a freshman at Syracuse University, winning three gold medals for the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, and being honored as a 10-time All-Star during his decorated 19-year NBA career — his Hall of Fame journey began as a kid at places like the Mount Royal Recreation Center.
The achievements that eventually brought worldwide fame and acclaim have never separated him from his roots, which remain firmly planted in the soil that nourished him from his formative days.
He made that clear early on as a 19-year-old NBA rookie when he became the first athlete other than Michael Jordan to be sponsored by Nike’s Jordan Brand, insisting that his first commercial be shot on the rugged West Baltimore streets that propelled him forward.
And the Melo Classic is merely an extension of that.
The event is more than simply an elite basketball showcase with a slate of games featuring some of the nation’s best high school talent.
It’s also a love letter, penned by Melo himself to amplify his message of hope in the unseen for the next generation while urging them to chase their own dreams.
“I love seeing young talent get a chance to shine on a big stage and interact with someone who’s done so much for Baltimore and basketball,” said D. Watkins, a New York Times bestselling author who penned Anthony’s exceptional memoir, “Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised.”
“And Melo’s fully invested and present in the moment, watching and talking with excitement as if he’s one of the kids playing. He embraces and celebrates them.”
Among others sitting courtside was the University of Maryland’s sensational freshman quarterback Malik Washington, whose relationship with Anthony extends back to his freshman year in high school when he played alongside his son Kiyan Anthony on the Nike EYBL circuit with Team Melo.
“Melo, he’s just a very wise man,” Washington once told me prior to his junior year in high school. “I’ve been blessed to see that Melo is more interested in who I am as a person than who I am as an athlete. He’s real chill and super down-to-earth. To have access to that type of counsel, from a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest scorers to play the game, is a special opportunity. He talks to me about life, business, stuff like that, sharing bits and pieces of his journey with me. I was a little starstruck when I first met him … now he’s just Uncle Melo.”
With Melo sitting alongside Bay Frazier — his longtime advisor, mentor, business manager, and co-founder of Team Melo — and other luminaries including ESPN’s Michael Wilbon and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who rocked a slick charcoal grey Under Armour ensemble embroidered with “For Baltimore, From Baltimore,” they took in some scintillating action in what is emerging as one of the country’s marquee high school basketball events.
As the crowd trickled in during the 11:00 a.m. game, the early arrivals were treated to one of the most electric performances of the day, courtesy of Mount St. Joe senior guard BJ Ranson against DC’s Gonzaga College High School.
The 6-foot-1 Ranson, a scoring machine, will suit up for St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia next year, where his father, Bino, who was on the University of Maryland coaching staff for 11 seasons, is now an assistant. Ranson earned Game MVP honors with 21 points and dazzled with his kinetic energy, crispy handles and long-range marksmanship, drawing gasps every time he splashed the nets from deep.
The St. James from northern Virginia, in its first year of existence and coached by former University of Arizona assistant Book Richardson, knocked off Forestville’s Bishop McNamara 72-60 in the second game of the day. 6-foot-5 senior guard Jahda Swann, a Brooklyn, New York, native, scored 19 points in The St. James victory.
At halftime of the next game between Long Island Lutheran and Sidwell Friends — which featured a dazzling matchup between diminutive DC area guards Jamaal McKnight, the floor general from Hyattsville who attended DeMatha Catholic last year, and Sidwell sophomore Jada Washington — the crowd began buzzing when one of Baltimore’s best backcourt duos walked into the gym together in street clothes — the St. Frances Lady Panthers’ Khloe Ison and Chloe Mills.
Long Island Lutheran was led by their 6-foot-6 senior guard Kayden Allen, who scored 25 points in the 52-45 win.
By tipoff of the 4:15pm game, the gym was at about 80% capacity, a remarkable turnout considering the frigid temps and obstacle course of snow and ice outside. And the energy was palpable with the St. Frances boys squaring off against DC’s St. John’s College High School.
The hometown squad gave everyone a sincere bang for their buck, coming back from a 49-38 halftime deficit to win 75-71 in overtime behind a spectacular performance by their outstanding lefty floor general Terrence Jones, who scored 23 points.
The five-game event was capped by senior guard Jordan Smith, among the top recruits in the country who’ll be a certified NBA Lottery pick after his lone college season next year, leading his St. Paul VI Catholic High School squad with 16 points and eight assists in their 77-56 win over Virginia’s Oak Hill Academy, where Anthony capped his prep career after transferring from Towson Catholic.
“Anytime you get a chance to play in front of an NBA Hall of Famer in our own backyard in front of a major crowd is special,” said St. Frances head coach Nick Myles. “We’ve been a part of this event every year, which has already produced numerous McDonald’s All-Americans and future pros. Melo is an incredible brand ambassador and for all of his success, he’s just a normal person who truly cares about his community.”
The future looks extremely bright for the event in the years ahead.
And at its epicenter will always be the kid from Myrtle Avenue in West Baltimore.