Memphis, TN – – Thursday, July 8th marked the opening day of the 2nd annual River City Showdown in Memphis, TN. After a highly successful inaugural tournament, which featured Division I signees like Joe Jackson, Casey Prather, Tarik Black, Chris Crawford, and Austin Hollins, this year’s teams have mighty big shoes to fill. In day one of the Showdown, big men Willy Kouassi (2011, Birmingham, AL) and Nino Johnson (2011, Memphis, TN) were the first to willingly step up to the challenge.
Willy Kousassi (Birmingham, Al./Central Park Christian)
2011 6’10” C
Legitimately 6’10”, Kouassi has a nice touch inside and finishes with authority. He is definitely not afraid to dunk in traffic. A little slight in stature, Kouassi “looks” a little too frail to be physical in the paint and was moved around by shorter opponents, but still showed a huge amount of upside. Kouasssi has great lift off the floor at both ends of the court, his timing as a shot blocker allowed his teammates to convert on multiple fast break opportunities.
