SoCalHoops High School News

WSS Scholastic Hoops Jam Notes:
Underclassmen Game Report--(May 3, 1999)

We know that the idea for a Southern Section v. City Section contest isn't new, because the Valley teams have been doing the same thing for the last three years (and they also played this past Saturday night too, which created much inner-conflict among those of us who would have enjoyed attending both events but couldn't because of the lack of coordination in scheduling these games, but then life is full of conflicts).   But the WSS (that's Warehouse Shoe Sale) folks have taken the concept to new heights, and they put on a first-class affair, from the banquet to the games themselves.  We've already prattled on long enough about the banquet, but the game is the thing, so here's what we saw in the Underclassmen Game.

This one got underway at 6:00 p.m. and we arrived just about midway through the first half (we had to drive all over town from the City back to the Valley and then back again, and spent the entire afternoon, four solid hours watching some of the young Rockfish prospects who weren't with the Rockfish team that was back getting hammered at the Spiece Tourney in Indiana, but that's a whole different story).   

The City Section lost the game and the Southern Section won, 116-93.  A fairly low scoring game as All-Star games go, and there was actually a lot of good defense being played.  Baron Davis, who was coaching the Southern Section guys was all pumped up at the end of the game, and he shouldn't have been, because in the following Senior Boys' game, the Southern Section got whacked,  by something like 97-75 (we actually lost track of the score; at 5:12 to play at about 11:30 p.m., the score was 84-66 with the City ahead, and while it got close again, the City boys just pulled out ahead) and so each of the UCLA player-coaches walked away with a 1-1 record.  But who won and lost isn't important. Here are some player observations:

City Section Team:

E.J. Harris  (6'-3" Jr. PG) from Crenshaw: Played better than we've seen him play in a long time; exhibited great ball-control, and kept the turnovers to a minimum.  Dished, drove, dished some more and finished with 19 points, second best on the team.   Solidified his position as one of the top recruits in the junior class, and made up for his absence from the Camp Exposure team which played at the Spiece event with some spectacular behind the back no-look passes to Chad Bell (who rarely caught them) and to Crenshaw teammate Tommy Johnson who rarely dropped them.. He reportedly stayed home to take the SAT's which were held on Saturday morning, and it's a good thing because we saw some excellent ball from EJ

Tommy Johnson (6'-4" Jr. SG) from Crenshaw:   Didn't have his usual high scoring evening, and only came away with 7 points, but played excellent defense.  Tommy is still, in our view one of the top shooting guards on the West Coast, and will be a mid to high major prospect by the time this summer is over.  Athletic and smooth, was not terribly consistent, but then most of the guys in this game weren't worried about consistency.

Evan Burns (6'-5" Fr. SF) from Fairfax: We can't figure out why Evan Burns keeps showing up on all of these all-star rosters.  First it was the Pump N Run II team, and he was a consistent no-show, and now the Scholastic Hoops Jam, where he was also a no-show. We've only seen Evan play during the regular season, and while he's an athletic player, talented, he must be telling all these event promoters that he'll play for them, because they can't all be making it up.  We'd actually like to see him show up at one of these events for a change.

Jason Morrissettee (6'-4" Jr. SG/SF) from Fairfax:   Jason came away with 12 points, the third highest total on the team, and he played pretty solid defense and pretty unremarkable offense.  No flourishes, not much in the way of dunking, just steady effort up and down the floor, which was very refreshing because Jason has developed a reputation in some circles for not competing 100%.  In our view, he can and does compete, flat-out, and he too will be one of the top mid to high major prospects this summer, and colleges looking for a slightly smaller version of Joe Shipp (perhaps a more athletic Kris Johnson) a guy who can shoot out to three who has good size and mobility should take a look at Jason.

Craig Smith (6'-6" So. F) from Fairfax: Craig was another one of those players who just sort of showed up and did his thing in a quiet way, and he finished with 5 points and about 7 rebounds. Slender and quick, Craig has all the potential to  develop into a top prospect by next year.

Eugene Moore (6'-6 Jr. SG/SF) from Washington High: Eugene was not at the game, reportedly in Indiana at the Spiece Tourney playing for Camp Exposure.

Lou Wright (6'-6" Jr. SG) from Westchester High:   Lou again demonstrated why he is one of the best shooting guards around, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds (an uncharacteristically high number of boards for him), and he also had 3 three-pointers.  Smooth as silk when his shot is dropping, he also missed a fair amount, and probably took as many as he missed.  Lou's just getting his shot mechanics back under control again after starting a serious weight-training regimen this spring, and when that high-arcing shot is dropping, it's really very pretty.   Lou also played well defensively, grabbing a couple of steals.  High major prospect.  Will attend ABCD camp.

Chad Bell (7'-0" So. C) from Westchester High:   The program had Chad listed as a freshman, but until someone convices us otherwise, we're going to keep listing him as a soph, because that's how he was listed at Westchester in the official program guides we saw and that's what coach Azzam told us his class was.   Anyway, whatever class he's in, Chad proved he can score a little, in fact exactly what his 7'-0" counterpart, Tyson Chandler scored, which was 8 points.  Both he and Tyson ended up guarding each other for most of the night, and there was not a lot of physical contact between them.  Unlike Tyson, Chad doesn't have the same sort of mobility and seems a bit more awkward than Tyson, who is extremely agile for a seven-footer.  Still, we think Bell has tons of potential and is pretty skilled when facing the basket. He definitely needs to put on some weight to be considered a high-major prospect, but then again, he's also seven feet tall and can get up and down the court.  

Mario Roberts (6'-1" Jr. PG) from Manual Arts High: Mario is as worthy a successor to James Wright as anyone on the Manual team, and in fact with all of the seniors graduating at Manual, it's a good thing Mario is still there.   Looked cool with his corn-row 'do, and played pretty well, scoring 9 points and handing out at least 10 assists that we counted.  Mario is fast, not as blindingly fast as James Wright, but then there aren't many that fast. Good handle, good court vision, and provided he has the grades, should be a nice college-level D-I prospect.

Fowzi Abdelsamad (6'-1" Jr. SG) from Fairfax:   Fowzi played credible defense and scored only 2 points.  He was in the game mostly with EJ or Mario Roberts and Lou Wright and thus didn't get a lot of touches or the opportunity to score. Still, a good defender and a really nice young man who could have a breakout summer.

Earl Felix (6'-5" So. SG/.SF) from Manual Arts:   Earl didn't score much either, only 2 points, and frankly we didn't see much in the way of spectacular play from him, but still, for a young sophomore showed promise defensively.  It will be interesting to see how Manual fares next year with him, Mario and . . . well, it will be interesting, especially considering they will be in a new, realigned league which will basically be the old Southern League.

Eric Alvarez (5'-10" Jr. PG) from Pacific Palisades High:  Eric only scored 2 points, but he's one of the best ball-handlers in the city. Tough, strong, pushes the break exceptionally well, limited only by his size.   Had about 9 assists and five steals that we counted.   Plays solid defense and excellent offense, he'll drive right down the floor, directly at his man, forcing him to commit and then will blow by the initial defender.  Not a scoring point, which is probably his only limitation.  Really cool pony tail too.

Southern Section Team:

Andre Hazel (6'-0" Jr. PG) from Artesia High:   Andre is one of the premier point guards in the junior class, and he didn't get a lot of recognition as such, which is not hard to understand because when you're surrounded by Jason Kapono (who also likes to play the point from time to time) and Jack Martinez and Amaury Fernandez (why weren't these guys here? Surely they have at least a 2.7 GPA?) it's hard to stand out.   And like most of the point  guards in this game, Andre didn't do a lot of the scoring (only 4 points) but he had a ton of assists, and managed to get the ball to the guys who could do the most with it.  Quick, smooth, great court vision, excellent handle, pushes the ball and is a real floor general.  And he also won the contest for best essay (the topic was on his hero and role model, and Andre chose to write about his mom).   Great prospect. Should go no lower than mid-major D-I.

Jamaal Williams (6'-6" So. F) from Corona Centennial High:  Jamaal tied for second-leading high scorer in the game and was the high scorer for his Southen Section team with 19 points, and he got them all in the paint with some very nice drop-step moves, powering up to the basket, about half facing the hoop and the rest with his back to the basket on nice turn-around moves.  Very well-developed footwork, and plays defense too.  And he's got a big body.  Jamaal had a very good game.

Derrick Craven (6'-2" So. SG/PG) from Bishop Montgomery:  Didn't play in this game; instead traveled to Indiana for the Spiece Tourney where he and brother Errick played for the Pump N Run team which went 5-1 and made it to the final 8 teams in the tournament.

Errick Craven (6'-2" So. PG/SG) from Bishop Montgomery: Ditto.  But then with a twin brother, people probably say that a lot about Errick and Derrick.

Scott Borchart (6'-9" So. F/C) from Chaminade: Scott didn't show at this game either.  His parents reportedly told other game and team organizers (the Pumps and others)  that he wasn't going to play this spring, and they evidently meant it, and so the soonest we'll hear about Scott donning a uniform and playing in an organized game will be for Miles Gonzales' California Express team which will leave for France at the end of May for the Nike Junior World games.  Oh well, it would be nice to see him play domestically once or twice this summer. 

Keith Brooks (6'-7" Jr. PF) from Dominguez High:   Keith finished with 8 points but did more damage defensively, even getting a couple of blocked shots and a ton of rebounds.  Keith's game hasn't fallen off at all, and we know that he's interested in schools like UCLA (he was even spotted back in the locker room after one of the mid-season UCLA games), and we'd predict that he will be a mid to high major prospect by the time the summer is over.

Tyson Chandler (7'-0" So. C) from Dominguez High: Tyson, as we noted, scored 8 points and spent most of his time guarding Chad Bell and avoiding physical contact in the paint.  It's not like he can't do it down on the blocks, because we saw him and Kamron Leonard (6'-9" Sr. PF/C) from IEBP/Upland go at it like nobody's business at the Long Beach Fall Hoops Classic and we also saw him play inside a lot during the season, so maybe it was just the relaxed intensity of the all-star atmosphere which had him laying off.  Even Michael Cooper, former Laker and current Fox Sports West high school hoops analyst (and coach of the girls' Southern Section all-star team) was prompted to ask Tyson just before the start of the second half, "Hey, are you gonna play tonight?"   Tyson just looked at him sort of puzzled, and said, "No, I've already got a game here, and this one will be over too late."  To which Michael said again, "No, are you going to play tonight."   After a couple of seconds, Tyson got it, smiled and said, "Oh yeah."   And in the second half he did, scoring all 8 of his points, on some pretty convincing dunks and slams, and blocking a couple of shots too.   Hey, it's an all-star game, and Tyson had already played two games earlier in the day at the Future Stars Spring Jamboree, so give the kid a break.  Still a huge prospect in our view.

Adon Baines (5'-8" Jr. PG) from Hawthorne: This is the first that we've seen Adon this year, and we were impressed with his speed and quickness and good ball-handling ability.  Not a huge scoring threat with all this talent on the floor, he only finished with three points, but was able to distribute the ball with a minimum of turnovers.  Size and weight will be his only limiting factors, and we'd expect that if he signs D-I, he'd be worth a red-shirt year unless he can put on some serious muscles. 

Josh Childress (6'-4" So. F) from Mayfair: Josh had an excellent night, finishing with 13 points, 8 boards and even a couple of assists.   Agile, runs the floor extremely well, only needs to bulk up.  Great footwork, excellent leaping ability, and while most are touting him as a high-major prospect, we'd have to agree.  Very smart player, knows the game, and plays like he knows it.

Edwin Draughn (6'-5" So. F) from Mayfair:   The skinnier version of Josh Childress, only finished with 4 points, and needs more work in the weight room than even Josh.  Extremely athletic, jumps well, gets out on the break and passes very well, but didn't get a lot of opportunity due to his unselfish play to show off a lot in this game.  Also has the capacity and talent to develop into a high major prospect.

Andrew Zahn (6'-9" Jr. PF) from Redondo Union:   It's absolutely perfect that Andrew is from a beach community, because he's got that sort of surfer-cool attitude, wears his pants down like they're falling off his butt, and in general plays in the paint like it's his beach and he wants to know, demands to know what the *&%$ you're doing on his turf.  Can play very tough, a big-bodied guy, Andrew finished with 11 points Saturday night, all powerful slam-dunks.  Andrew will also be going to France with Gonzales' Nike team, and we can't wait to see what the French say when he shows up with those shorts. A seriously strong player who kind of cruised through this game and was clearly just having a ton of fun.

Travon Bryant (6'-7" Jr. PF) from Long Beach Jordan:   If Zahn was having fun, Travon was having a party, and he scored 16 points and grabbed at least that many rebounds.  Dunks, layups and varying degrees of post play but mostly converting on transition, Travon was having fun until he cut his middle finger while executing a huge slam dunk in the last two mintues of the game, and it was great seeing him walking around the arena after the game with his middle finger in a splint, all taped up, motioning to Dinos Trigonis, laughing and extending that seriously taped middle finger (hey, he was just kidding. . . Travon had played earlier in the day for Belmont Shore at the Future Stars tourney and he was clearly on his game until the injury which prevented him from playing on Sunday in the Future Stars Championship game which Belmont won).

Wesley Stokes (5'-10" Jr. PG) from Long Beach Poly: Wesley did his usual thing, which is to push the break, score about 8 points, and take a lot of really long-range, NBA-type threes.  Unfortunately, they weren't dropping in this game.  Great ball-handler, excellent vision, he handed out more than 10 assists in this game, mostly to Childress and Zahn.

A.J. Diggs (5'-9" Jr. PG) from St. Anthony's: AJ has just started a growth spurt (height & weight) and by September a lot of people will be surprised by this young man.  He finished with 4 points but also dished out a good number of assists. He was listed in our "Next 25" Junior Point Guards, and frankly we thought about and might have included him in the top list, but we haven't seen him enough, even with the Rockfish play we watched this spring, to fairly list him there.   A.J. is quick, has a good handle, and can push the ball on the break but will need to develop more strength and bulk.  A fine player, we're glad he was added to the roster.

Jonathan Harper (6'-4" So. SG/SF) from Long Beach Poly:  We don't know how Jonathan didn't score in this game, but the official book (stats by Ebony, so don't blame us) didn't have him with any points, which is pretty uncharacteristic for this fine young shooter.  Jonathan just sort of disappeared in this game, but it didn't seem to bother him at all, because he realized that this one was just for fun.  Jonathan will be traveling this summer and the rest of the spring with one of the Pump N Run teams (we hear that there will be three teams, and they're going to name them something like "red" "blue" and "orange" to avoid the numbers game, ala Rockfish). 

Geoffrey Clayton (6'-4" So. SG) from Magnolia: Where has this guy been hiding all year?  This was the first chance we've had to see Geoffrey, and we were duly impressed. Finished with 9 points. Strong player who runs very well, athletic, good hops and plays D too.  Looking forward to seeing him more this summer.

Felipe Williams (6'-3" Jr. SG) from Crossroads: If he was there, we sure missed him, and likewise the scorers also didn't have him with any points.  Which is not to say he wasn't there, we just didn't have any notes on him.

Steve Moore (6'-4" Jr. SG) from Compton Dominguez:   Steve was there, but amazingly, didn't score at all, one of those strange mysteries of life, seeing as he's one of the best pure shooters in the Southern Section.  Oh well, everyone gets an off-night now and then.  Not like it really mattered here since this was just for fun.

Ellis Myles (6'-7" Jr. F) from Compton High:   Ellis is sort of an enigma. He finished with 7 points, a ton of rebounds and at times was all there and at other times, just disappeared.  He has all the tools and even the athleticism (although he doesn't always use it) to pound in the points and clean the glass just about every trip down the floor.  Consistency and the will to compete will need to be Ellis' biggest focal points this summer for him to achieve the major D-I status that he's capable of playing at.   Loves Georgia, the only question is whether they'll love him back.  Capable of greatness if he steps up to the challenge.

That's it for the underclass game. It was a lot of fun, and if WSS sponsors this game again next year, you'll want to catch it. 

 
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