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RELATED: LiAngelo Ball Drops 41 Points | Leland Green Turnt Up vs. Bentonville | 14-year old LaMelo Ball Shows Off Deep Range
Redondo Union head coach Reggie Morris Jr. is a state championship-winning coach and respected among his coaching peers and the media as one of California's best. But after seeing Chino Hills take apart a quality Jonesboro (Ga.) team in the semifinals, he walked out of the Rancho Mirage (Calif.) High School gym on Tuesday night not knowing exactly his plan of attack to slow down the RUN GMZ scoring machine.
Entering Wednesday night's game, he had a game plan to slow down the long touchdown passes of UCLA-bound Lonzo Ball and Redondo Union accomplished that goal. But after Chino Hills came away with a 96-80 victory over his team, Morris Jr. had an assessment of what the difference was in the outcome and what a team needs to do in order to beat the Huskies.
“The difference in the game was in the fourth quarter when we didn’t rebound the ball,” Morris Jr. said. “There was a couple of balls there we didn’t get to and we gave them too many chances. As far as what teams need to do in order to defeat Chino Hills? Pray. Playing in high school gyms, they shoot the ball so well.”
There were two other main differences in the game, one factor which is usually more prevalent in football games rather than a high school basketball game – Chino Hills won the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. The game was knotted up at 33-33 in the second quarter, then Chino Hills (13-0) outscored Redondo Union 9-3 to end the second period and took a 42-36 lead into intermission.
At the beginning of the third period, Ball recorded seven assists in a three-minute span, as the Huskies shot better from the field after poor shooting first half. RUN GMZ outscored Redondo Union, 26-17, in the final quarter, as the Sea Hawks shot well themselves, but just ran out of offensive answers for arguably the most potent offensive team in the country.
The second difference in the outcome was Ball himself, as the 6-foot-5 senior demonstrated how he impacts high level games from the lead guard position more than any player in recent high school lore. His vast arsenal was only full display on Wednesday night, as he finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, seven blocks and four steals. The entire grassroots basketball community has long known about the passing and rebounding ability, but what he’s doing better over the last six months is exploding by first defenders off the dribble and blocking shots. His shot blocking was key in Chino Hill’s COP title, and he’s now starting to intimidate defenders around the basket with his defensive ability.
Had his younger brothers LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball shot a better percentage in the first half, there is no telling how many assists Zo would have ended up with. His younger brothers were 3-of-23 from the field in the first half. Redondo Union (10-3) shot an excellent percentage from the field -- and still lost by 16 points. That should give one good perspective on what it’s going to take to beat Chino Hills this season.
Gelo Ball finished with 19 points while Melo Ball finished with 16 points. Zo Ball was named tournament MVP by the media in attendance, while Gelo joined him on the first five all-tourney team.
Ryse Williams, a 6-foot-2 junior, Morgan Means, a 6-foot-1 senior, and Leland Green, a 6-foot-2 senior, were all named to the second five all-tourney team for Morris Jr.’s club. Green, like Means an unsigned senior who colleges may be somewhat missing the boat on, finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. Williams added 13 points and Means finished with seven points.
Redondo Union, which suffered two of its three losses at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, gave a game effort and its resume will have to be broken down to see if its FAB 50-worthy. It avenged one of its three losses versus Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) in the California desert, but the Prestonwood Christian Academy (Plano, Texas) team the Sea Hawks lost in Sin City to went 2-2 at the Maxpreps Holiday Classic.
Bishop Gorman fell to Jonesboro (Ga.) 65-64 in the open division third place game, as the Gaels were unable to slow down all-tourney pick M.J. Walker. The Jonesboro standout junior wing finished with 39 points, making five 3-pointers in the process. One of the nation’s best football-basketball combo athletes a year ago, Walker sat out the 2015 football season and his stock as a basketball player is beginning to soar. He looked like a legitimate 2017 McDonald’s All-American candidate in this tournament and will be one of the most interesting players to evaluate on the grassroots circuit this spring and summer.
Despite Walker’s heroics, Gorman had a golden opportunity to win the game. With less than 10 seconds remaining in the game, Bishop Gorman put the ball in the hands of junior guard Christian Popoola Jr., who drive the baseline, got in the lane and threw a short pass to Gonzaga-bound center Zach Collins. There was a lot of bodies and traffic, but Collins was able to gather and score with .2 seconds remaining, but he was called for a charging foul and the Cardinals were able to run out the clock.
It was a tough call against Collins, who finished with 29 points.
As The Holiday Classic in San Diego (Calif.), Fairfax of Los Angeles won the national division title for the second consecutive season. In this year’s title game, the Lions jumped out all over Centennial (Corona, Calif.) and rolled to a 68-53 victory. LMU-bound guard Donald Gipson was named tourney MVP.
2015 Maxpreps Holiday Classic All-Tourney Team:
First five
Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills - MVP
James Walker, Jr., Jonesboro (Ga.)
LiAngelo Ball, Chino Hills
Chuck O'Bannon Jr, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Jordan Ratinho, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
Second five
Ryse Williams, Redondo Union (Redondo, Calif.)
Morgan Means, Redondo
Shacquille Dawkins, Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.)
Leland Green, Redondo
Zach Collins, Gorman
Elizjah Scott, Chino Hills
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
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RELATED: Leland Green Turnt Up vs. Bentonville | 14-year old LaMelo Ball Shows Off Deep Range
With his recent performances during holiday tournaments, Lonzo Ball is showing the country his game is something seen perhaps once in a decade. His Chino Hills (Calif.) team is trying to stay on course for a mythical national title, but in order to do that it will take a total team effort.
While Li'Angelo Ball, a 6-foot-5 junior for the Huskies, is not quite as talented as his older brother and not quite as flamboyant as his 14-year old freshman brother La'Melo Ball, he's just as important to the team's fortunes with his scoring instincts around the basket and his relentless outside shooting.
His full arsenal was on display in Chino Hills' 124-83 victory over a talented Jonesboro (Ga.) that put the Huskies in Wednesday evening's 9:10 pm open division title game versus Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.). Even when Gelo Ball is not on target from deep range, he doesn’t lose confidence and will continue to fire, sometimes from as deep as 40 feet in a half court setting, until it starts to drop. Case in point against Jonesboro in Tuesday evening. He was 6-of-22 from the field in the first half, but Gelo kept firing away and helped Chino Hills put the game away in the third period despite the Huskies’ major foul trouble.
“Gelo” finished with 41 points, including 4-of-10 from 3-point range, and added five rebounds and three assists. His numbers don’t tell the complete story, as his physical play around the basket and innate ability to be in the correct position for one of Lonzo’s serpentine passes has demoralized teams this season. The 70 and 80-foot passes Zo completes to his brother, sometimes even from a post up position, leaves fans in amazement and media and scouts shaking their heads.
"Everyone wants to get out best player in foul trouble," Li'Angelo Ball said about his older brother Lonzo. "Being the middle brother, I just play my game while they do their thing. Leading this team in scoring, that's what I know I can do."
There was a standing-room only crowd at Rancho Mirage High School, as fans in the Coachella Valley and surrounding Inland Empire communities realize this Chino Hills outfit is something special. In fact, there was a turn away crowd in Monday's quarterfinals, as hundreds of rain-soaked fans were stopped at the door by the fire marshal.
Nobody has been able to stop "Run GMZ" (Gelo, Melo, Zo) and Jonesboro didn't necessarily try to stop them, the Cardinals tried to run with them. It worked for one half, but a 35-21 Chino Hills advantage in the third period was basically the difference. Making Chino Hill's third quarter onslaught even more impressive was Lonzo Ball's major foul trouble. The UCLA recruit and Mr. Basketball USA candidate picked up three quick offensive foul calls early in the game. Chino Hills coach Steve Baik chose to momentarily sit his star point guard and eventually returned him to the game, only to see Zo pick up his fourth offensive foul call with 2:15 remaining in the second quarter. The 6-foot-5 point guard picked up his third with 5:03 remaining before halftime.
Lonzo Ball finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, seen assists and three steals. Junior forward Eli Scott added 18 points and five rebounds for Chino Hills (12-0).
M.J. Walker, who has been stellar through three games at the event, led Jonesboro (9-3) with 30 points. He's impressed McDonald's All-American voter Frank Burlison and other media scribes on press row with his scoring ability, deep range shooting and athleticism. Eric Lovett, a 5-foot-11 senior shooting guard, kept Jonesboro in the game early with his long-range shooting. He had four 3-pointers in the first period and five for the game, finishing with 23 points. The Cardinals trailed 28-26 at the end of the first period.
It’s going to take a herculean effort for Redondo Union to take down Chino Hills in Wednesday night’s championship game. The Sea Hawks extracted a bit of revenge against Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), defeating the Gaels 77-69 after losing to the same club by five points in the quarterfinals of the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas.
Redondo Union (10-2) was in control throughout and led by as much as 22 points before Bishop Gorman (9-3) made a fourth quarter rally behind the shooting of junior wing Charles O’Bannon Jr. The 6-foot-6 junior scored 18 points in the final period and helped the Gaels get within three points in the closing minutes. Gorman even had a chance to tie the game on a possession with one and a half minutes remaining, but Redondo’s Morgan Means came up with a clutch steal and was fouled on the other end.
Means, a 6-foot-1 unsigned senior, finished with a team-high 26 points, five assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Ryse Williams, a 6-foot-2 junior, added 23 points for coach Reggie Morris Jr.’s club.
O’Bannon finished with 37 points.
Gorman’s loss to Redondo means all four participants in the title games of the main divisions of the Maxpreps Holiday Classic and UA Holiday Classic in San Diego, Calif. are SoCal clubs.
Down at Torrey Pines High School on Wednesday night, Fairfax (Los Angeles) will square off with Centennial (Corona, Calif.) in the national division final.
Fairfax downed Army-Navy Academy (Carlsbad, Calif.) in its semifinal contest, 49-42, while Centennial avenged an earlier loss to FAB 50-ranked Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) with a resounding 67-52 win. Centennial advanced in this tournament without the services of UCLA-bound center Ike Anigbogu, who is not available because of a death in his family.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
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View my UAA Finals Recap No. 1 | Link
View my UAA Finals Recap No. 3 | Link
View my UAA Finals Recap No. 4 | Link
Make no mistake, the teams in Suwanee, Ga. for the Under Armour Association Finals want to go home with one of the three shoe company-oriented team championships that are earned on the summer grassroots circuit. There is a lot more to the games than winning, however, as college coaches are evaluating players on the 17U, 16U and 15U level to see if they are the right fit for their program -- or if they can project to play at their level down the line.
Two Thursday standouts at the UAA Finals on different levels of play and in different stages of their recruitment offered their opinion on the state of the game.
Matt Mitchell, a 6-foot-6 power forward who has used the circuit to improve his face-up skills as he develops into a powerful wing prospect, plays for the Earl Watson Elite (Calif.) 16U team. He feels the most important aspect of 16U ball is developing for 17U play and preparing for the college level, not necessarily the team's won-loss record. Mitchell is killing two birds with one stone as programs in the West Coast and Mountain West Conferences are making serious inquiries while he helped EWE win two games on the court on Thursday.
Mitchell, a 2017 prospect who played his sophomore season at Roosevelt (Corona, Calif.), scored 11 points in a 51-45 victory over Young Legends in a Showcase game. Mitchell has improved his face-up game and steps into his jump shots with confidence, something he didn't do with regularity during the 2014-15 high school season. Mitchell also is a good passer off the dribble in the open court and makes simple plays that college coaches are taking notice of.
He was even better later in the day, icing a 78-72 victory over the Atlanta Express in pool play by canning two free throws with 33.3 seconds remaining to give EWE a 74-70 lead. Mitchell finished with a team-high 23 points.
Troy Baxter, a 6-foot-8 small forward who played his junior season at The Rock School (Gainesville, Fla.), is in a different boat than Mitchell. He plays 17U ball for Team Breakdown and is already committed to college. The slender athlete announced in May he would attend South Florida in the fall of 2016.
Baxter, who will attend Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.) as a senior, feels he could have earned a scholarship without travel ball, but similar to Mitchell feels the UAA has been important in his development. Neither have a personal trainer, and neither feel it leaves than at a disadvantage over their peers who do.
Baxter is a fantastic rebounder and a good spot up shooter on the wing, but needs to develop into a more physical presence on the block and on the defensive end. He has quick leaping ability and good timing and can finish with either hand around the basket.
On Wednesday, he sealed a big win over Supreme Court with a resounding dunk and on Thursday helped Team Breakdown defeat Philly Pride, 52-51, in pool play by scoring 13 points and eight rebounds. Earlier in the day in a Showcase game versus We R1, he had the full arsenal working, finishing with 25 points and seven rebounds.
"Troy is a big-time, NBA-type athlete," said Team Breakdown coach Jordan Fair, who also happens to be the head coach at Oldsmar Christian. "He needs to work on his handle as he develops into a 3-man. Not many out there have more talent. He has a high talent level and recently he's been playing the best I've ever seen him play."
In addition to Mitchell and Baxter, here are five players that also caught our eye with their play on Thursday in various age groups at the UAA Finals (listed alphabetically):
Bryan Antoine, Ranney School (Tinton Falls, N.J.)/Team Rio 15U, 6-5 SF 2019
The UAA is filled with an abundance of talent in the 15U division and Antoine is definitely a standout. One of the nation's better talents in the rising freshman class has a plethora of scoring ability and lead guard skills. He went for 21 points in Team Rio's 70-54 Showcase win over KC Run GMC.
Josh Jackson, Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.)/1 Nation, 6-8 SF 2016
The well-traveled and well-known big guard prospect has had an up-and-down start to the UAA Finals from a team perspective, but his individual play has been up to par. On Thursday evening, 1 Nation fell 69-57 to Thon Maker and Canada Elite, as Jackson tried to keep his team in it with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 blocked shots. 1 Nation is undersized and Jackson spent plenty of time battling Maker on the block after battling DeAndre Ayton and his Supreme Court team earlier in the day. Jackson has good defensive instincts and makes the correct open court decision with the ball a vast majority of the time. In the 61-56 win over Supreme Court, he finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds. On Wednesday night, he had 23 and 12 in the buzzer-beating loss to We R1.
Jayce Johnson, Santa Monica (Calif.)/Earl Watson Elite, 6-11 C 2016
This burly big man had an excellent showing at the West Coast Elite/Elite 100 Camp in California during the first NCAA July viewing period and his Thursday performance against Thon Maker had the Suwanee Sports Academy buzzing. Johnson went toe-to-toe with Maker and finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds in EWE's 67-57 win over Team Canada. Johnson's physicality and improved conditioning makes him a tough check and a legitimate top 100 national prospect. Maker finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds and bounced back with a big 25-point, 11-rebound performance vs. Josh Jackson and 1 Nation later in the day.
M.J. Walker, Jonesboro (Ga.)/Atlanta Express 16U, 6-5 SF 2017
This explosive wing prospect was the unofficial runner-up to DeAndre Ayton for Grassroots Hoops National Sophomore of the Year honors last season and was downright spectacular in his team's 78-72 loss to Earl Watson Elite on Thursday afternoon. A good athlete with big-time shooting ability, Walker was on fire in the second half and finished the game with 37 points. He converted 7-of-8 2-point field goals and 4-of-6 3-point field goals.
Bryson Williams, Roosevelt (Fresno, Calif.)/Team Superstar, 6-7 PF 2016
This long-time Fresno State commit is the ultimate glue-type that can help a team win in a variety of ways. Williams has a strong frame and even though he's not an elite finisher against UAA circuit-type length, he finds a way to punish defenses. In a 47-45 Showcase win over the Texas Boys Franchize, Williams went for 15 points, including the game-winning lay-up as time ran out off an offensive rebound.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
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