Chantrel Clayton dominates at the Run 4 the Roses

Standout girls basketball player Chantrel “Tutu” Clayton of Vashon has established herself as one of the top players in the state during her first three years of varsity competition.

The 5’8” Clayton was a key figure in the Wolverines run to their historic first ever state championship in girls basketball in March. The multi-talented guard brought her game to the national stage last week and shined in one of the biggest grassroots tournaments in the country.

“Tutu” put on an absolute show last week as she led the Lady Brad Beal Elite 17U team to a pair of championships at the Run 4 the Roses Showcase in Louisville, KY. The tournament featured more than 1,000 teams from all across the country and parts of the world.

Every time you turned around, you would probably see one of the nation’s top-level high school players in action. One of those top-level players was Clayton, who put on an outstanding offensive display with her ball handling wizardry and three-level scoring skills. There were numerous jaw-dropping plays where she would tantalize opposing defenders with her deft ball handling, only to drop them off in the lane and proceed to score with an acrobatic scoop shot or layup with either hand in the lane or a pull up jumper.

Clayton has been a well established offensive threat throughout her stellar career, but she has also emerged as a standout playmaker with a nice feel for the game and the ability to make her teammates better with her passing. As a junior, she averaged 16.1 points, 2.7 assists and 2.9 steals while making 43 percent of her 3-pointers for the Class 4 state-champion Wolverines. She has been even more dominant on the summer circuit with Lady BBE.

“I think I’ve matured so much more as a basketball player,” she said. “I’ve become better at making plays for the rest of my teammates and seeing the entire game. Playing in those big games in the state tournament has also prepared me.”

Whenever the game was on the line, Clayton was there to take and make the big shot and she displayed her clutch gene on a number of occasions. In the championship game of Session I, she hit the game winning shot in the final seconds to give Lady BBE a 43-41 victory over Michigan Drive Premier.

In two other games that I watched her play in Louisville, Clayton displayed great leadership and poise as she knew when to get her teammates involved and when to step on the gas offensively and take a game over with an eight to 10-point scoring riff on her own to put a game away.

“Chantrel Clayton has grown so much in four months since our state championship,” said Vashon coach John Albert, who also coaches the Lady BBE 16U team. “She’s become a leader and also leads by example by staying in the gym and working on her game. It has shown in July, not just with scoring points, but getting her team involved and rebounding the ball on a high level.”

In her final game in Louisville last Tuesday, Clayton put a bow on a week-long of sparkling performances with a game-high 24 points in Lady BBE’s 54-49 victory over Heart of Illinois National in the Elite 40 Platinum Division championship game.