SoCal High School & Prep Tournament News

40th Annual Arroyo Tournament
Update: Bell-Jeff Beats Arcadia--(December 10,1997)

"I'm tearing my hair out trying to figure out the right combinations"-- Eli Essa, Bell Jeff Coach

We happened to read about this game just by chance, and since we'd been seeing local reports in the papers about this tourney for the past two days, since we were in El Monte on other business, we decided to take a little diversion and check out the 4:30 game at Arroyo High between Bell-Jeff and Arcadia.

As the program guide tells us, Bell-Jeff is coming off a 22-6 season, and returns 1st Team All State/All-CIF guard Ruben Douglas, who is bound for Arizona and is considered one of the best players in the nation. Center Mike West is an All League & All Region performer averaging double figures in scoring & rebounding. And "Frosh Chris Jones can impact as a Pt. Guard" says the media guide.

Strange game today. Most of the local tourneys feature large crowds, music and a festive atmosphere. This game was sparsely attended, and the gym was so quiet during the half that when some dropped a pin. . . well, you get the idea. And during the game, it wasn't much louder. The "golf rules" were in effect during free-throw shooting--only quiet polite applause was permitted, thank you very much.

Actually this game was scary if you follow Bell-Jeff at all this year. Scary because they almost lost. Scary because of the sheer numbers of shots Ruben Douglas didn't make, especially considering the number that he did make: we counted about 36 points.

Bell-Jeff won 66-61. This was a close one, but Bell-Jeff never seemed to develop any intensity. They struggled to find a rythym for most of the game, and Ruben was getting visibly frustrated at times with the passing that he was receiving (or not receiving) from some of the new players; as a result of losing 4 starters in the two months before the season, including 6'-7" Kenny Esteves who moved to Washington, Bell-Jeff has had to move Douglas from the point, where he is a natural, to a forward swingman, shooting guard type of position. And Essa has had to play 6'-6" Mike West at the center spot, and although he does have some great post moves, he's really more of a forward type of player and it's pretty clear that the team is without a true center.

Bell-Jeff started

Chris Jones (6'0" Fr. PG)
Ruben Douglas (6'-5" Sr. SG)
Chris Equia (5'-9" Sr. G)
Patrick Thornell (6'-3" Jr. G/F)
Mike West (6'-6" Sr. C/F)

Arcadia started:

Sean Fang (6'-4" Sr. F)
Jorge Corbera (5'-6" Sr. G)
Dionse Cox (5'-11" Jr. G)
Dennis Wang (6'-0" Sr. G/F)
Oliver Chi (6''-3" Sr. G/F/C)

Fang was the tallest player out there on the Arcadia roster. There's only the one 6'-3" player. This is one of those "not so tall" teams that seems to be this year's specialties in the Arroyo Tournament. But they have some great shooters. Fang and Arthur Chin (6'-0" Sr. G/F) each had 4 threes, and both can really penetrate as well, with Fang having the better j in the lane. Also scoring well was Dionse Cox.

Cox is a slight, smaller version of Ruben, and he should be getting some D-I notice if he isn't already. He's very quick, has a great handle and guarded Douglas very well, shadowing him effectively and limiting Ruben's point production during the first half. He had 5 steals, shot about 16 points. He's a great player, and we really like both his offensive and defensive fundamentals.

Jorge Corbera also played a fine game for Arcadia, scoring the teams first 7 points, first on a layup on which he got fouled and made the line shot, then on two technical shots called because one of the Bell-Jeff players said something to the ref (we don't know who it was assessed against), making both of those, and then hitting again for 2. In fact, after 5 minutes in this game, it looked like only Corbera and Cox were going to score with any regularity, and the score was only 4-11, with Arcadia winning. In the entire first quarter, Ruben only had one basket, and that was on a put back after a missed Mike West shot from under the basket. Boy was Ruben getting frustrated. He was walking around with his head down, talking to himself, to others and to anyone who would listen. And it took a while for Essa to find the guys who would listen to Ruben.

At the end of the first half, the score was only 15-10, Arcadia. In the second quarter, the matchup between Kionse on D, Ruben on O became more visible, and Ruben decided he was going to have to make some things happen. with only a few minutes gone into the second, Ruben just exploded, hitting a 2, getting fouled and hitting the free-throws, scorng on a long 3, and two consecutive slam dunks. During this little spree, the scoring was 11-0, and while the score had been 17-12 in favor of Arcadia when the run started, it was now 23-17, with Bell-Jeff on top. Then Patrick Thornell hit for 2, which was followed by a Chris Jones field goal.

But Arcadia isn't going away. Arcadia has some great shots, including Dionse's great driving and slashing layups and short j's and a three, and at the half Arcadia leads 33-31 following Corbera hitting on two free throws with no time showing on the clock.

In the second half it was all Ruben and Mike for Bell-Jeff and mostly Corbero, Cox, Wang and Chin, with Cox hitting a bunch of twos, a three, an Chin being the three-point king. In the span of about 4 minutes, Chin shot three in a row, and at the end of the third quarter it was 45-47 with Arcadia still on top.

In the fourth Arcadia has Wang, Corbera, Chi, Fang and Chin in, while B-J has Equia, Jones, Douglas, West and Thornell--all the starters for both, except for Chin. And since Chin has been hot, Coach Anders Anderson (yes, that's his name, it's not a typo), wasn't about to change the lineup: It was working.

First Cobrera hits for two, then Fang hits and the score is 49-45 Arcadia up by 4. West gets the next offensive board and the put back and takes the score to 49-47. And he's fouled and makes the shot, 49-48.

Arcadia calls time-out with 6:25 showing on the clock. Plenty of time. But then Ruben goes to work. He attempts a layup, gets fouled and makes both shots. Now it's Bell-Jeff up by one, 50-49. Ruben's shots are followed by a nice jumber in the lane from Thornell, a miss by Ruben and a West steal and score. Then Ruben steals and gets the put-back. And Arcadia is not completely silent either. With only about 3 minutes showing, the score is 56-51.

Ruben misses another layup (he missed way too many layups today--needs to concentrate more). Then he scores again. And again. Then Dionse scores.

Actually we wish we could tell you that the end of this game was really dramatic. It wasn't. Bell-Jeff took advantage of Arcadia's weaknesses and caused them to foul, and with only 42 seconds on the clock the score was 62-57. Bell-Jeff knew it had the game locked as long as they didn't do anything stupid, so they didn't. . . .Almost did, but they managed not to get called for it. Game final 66-61. Bell-Jeff wins.

We do really like the play of Jorge Corbera. He's fast, can penetrate, and has a nice jump shot. He manages just to squirm and wiggle away from defenses, and while he's really probably too small for D-I ball, who knows? There was a place for Muggsy Bogues after all.

And it was apparent that Bell-Jeff is still trying to figure out the best combination to play with Ruben. He's just so incredibly talented, and so much better than the rest of the players on the floor, that he often seems like he's just sleepwalking through it, like he knows that he can turn it up any time he wants, and is just resting. Not a "sleepy" type of play really, like Tayshaun Prince, but an ease, a smoothness that is unusual among high school players. Cox also displays some of this ease and glide and we think that even if Arcadia doesn't make much of an impact (and they very well might) that at least Cox and the rest of the starters on this team will.

If you're in the El Monte area and want to see some great hoops on Thursday or Saturday, then go on over to Arroyo High. You won't really be disappointed.

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