andy katz on the ebo tourney final

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SoCalHoops Tournament News

Fresno Bee: Andy Katz On adidas
EBO/EA Tournament Final --(June 2, 1999)

Yesterday's Fresno Bee had a column from Andy Katz, who also writes on recruiting and high school hoops for ESPN and other national publications, and his takes on the final game of the tournament were pretty consistent with ours, i.e., that during the last six minutes of the tournament, Deshawn Stevenson (6'-5" Jr. SG/SF) simply took over the game, even if he was playing with four fouls. Here's Andy's article (with a bit of commentary thrown in where appropriate):

Stevenson elevates above the rest in Hoop Summit final

By Andy Katz
The Fresno Bee
(Published June 1, 1999)

DeShawn Stevenson brought the fans to their feet by bouncing the ball off the backboard, catching it and finishing with a one-handed jam in the middle of an early second-half possession.

That was for show.

When it was time to really play, Stevenson took over the final minutes of the Adidas Hoop Summit championship game and led Fresno-based EBO/EA Sports to an 84-83 basketball victory over Los Angeles-based Pump-N-Run Gold on Monday at Edison High.

Playing with four fouls and fighting off the fatigue of carrying the team during seven games in three days, Stevenson scored eight of EBO's final 14 points in the last three minutes.

The most critical play came on a steal in the far corner of the gym when he stole the ball from Branduinn Fullove, spun around him and went on for a layup to break a 79-79 tie with a minute left.

The layup preceded a traveling call on Pump-N-Run's Lou Wright, a junior from Westchester and the brother of Los Angeles Clippers forward Lorenzen Wright. Stevenson was fouled on the next possession and made 1 of 2 free throws for a three-point lead.

[Note: The traveling call on Lou Wright was probably, in our view, one of the worst calls of the game, and indeed was critical. Lou had the ball on the right wing, dribbled into the key, did a loud jump stop, hesitated for perhaps a moment too long, and without putting the ball on the floor, simply went up, and hit a five foot spinning, off-balance shot. Perhaps it was the hesitation in his short, perhaps it was the spin, but it was the identical move, albeit slower, which had been made countless other times by DeShawn Stevenson during the game. At least that's our opinion.]

"I felt like I had to do something," said Stevenson, the 6-foot 5-inch junior out of Washington High. "I had never won this tournament, and I've played in it three years."

That's because Stevenson was on the freshman team when EBO's top team - led by Arkansas' Chris Jefferies and UCLA wings Matt Barnes and Ray Young - won the inaugural '97 title. Oakland Slam-N-Jam won the '98 championship.

"We hadn't played together since this tournament, so this will help our confidence for July," said Washington High junior DeShawn Anderson, who scored 18 points on four 3-pointers to trail only Stevenson's 21 on EBO.

Anderson had to pick up the slack while Stevenson was on the bench and EBO was getting burned by Antone Jarrell. The 6-6 junior out of Jefferson High (Ore.) made five 3-pointers, three over Stevenson, to push Pump-N-Run ahead throughout most of the first half and early second.

"I get up for games like this," Jarrell said. "Stevenson is a big-time player, and it definitely gets you up to go against him."

However, Pump-N-Run eventually wore down after playing consecutive games to get to the championship, including a grueling semifinal win over QBL Lakewood, a team made up mostly of Artesia High players.

EBO had a 90-minute break between games. It didn't help Pump-N-Run that point guard Salim Stoudamire was out of the game late in the second half with a slight concussion. Stoudamire, a 6-2 point guard from Lake Oswego (Ore.) High, is the cousin of Portland Trail Blazers guard Damon Stoudamire and the brother of former Oregon point guard Antoine Stoudamire.

"I took an elbow to the head," Stoudamire said. "I'll be fine." Stoudamire was one of a handful of casualties on the final day of the 34-team tournament. Trainers working the event said there was also a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament injury, a fractured leg and a separated shoulder. Most of the injuries were blamed on players being tired.

It could happen again in July when teams like EBO will play in tournaments all over the country for three weeks.

"I'll be in shape by then," Stevenson said. "I wasn't this weekend because I hadn't been playing as much basketball."

Stevenson can't afford to be spent in July when he attempts to become a McDonald's All-American and the No. 1-rated high school senior. Regardless of his conditioning, it shouldn't affect his recruitment. His stepfather, Terry Popps, said it's likely his short list will be Duke, Kansas, UCLA, Stanford and, if Popps has his way, Fresno State. Popps ran track for the Bulldogs from 1986-89.

Popps and his wife, Genice, were two of the many parents on hand who left satisfied with the tournament. However, a few of the coaches did complain about it being spread out at five high schools in Fresno. The only such facilities that could hold it in one place are in Clovis.

"It would be better on a weekend tournament with only 30-something teams to have it in one place," Dana Pump said. "The competition was OK, too."

Darren Matsubara, coach of EBO and tournament organizer, said he has had two offers to move the tournament in the state but wants to keep it near his home in Fresno. The Hoop Summit was one of six AAU tournaments going on nationally this weekend. "This is great for our community," Matsubara said.

"Our high school coaches have been able to make contacts for games from around the state and that helps their programs. We've brought a high-level tournament to Fresno, and we're successful. We want to keep doing it."