2013 Summer Shootouts
Cerritos JUCO Slam
San Gabriel Valley JUCO Shootout
Over the summer, whenever I saw someone with ties to the JC world, I've posted the highlights on this page.
This summer this meant the Drew League, the Say No Classic and a day at the venerable SF Pro-Am league at historic Kezar Pavilion.
August 19: The Drew League, King-Drew HS, Watts
The Dynasty Falls!PF Malcolm Thomas and PG Horace Wormely were both in the starting lineup and combined for 27 points as Hank's Blazers ended the 3-year reign of LAUNFD as Drew League champions with a stunning 68-67 upset win in the final of the Sam Sullivan Division Monday night.
Thomas played at San Diego City College in 2008-09 after a year at Pepperdine, leading the Knights to the state tournament, and then led San Diego State to an appearance in the NCAA tournament before embarking on a pro career that has included stints with the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls. He has also played professionally in South Korea and Israel, as well as in the NBA Development League (NBDL).
Wormely, known locally as "The Gingerbread Man", played at Pasadena CC and then Vanguard, and has played professionally in China and Germany as well as domestically in the NBDL.
Monday they dethroned the three-time champion LAUNFD in the division final, which also serves as a league semi-final. LAUNFD features current NBA players Taj Gibson (Chicago Bulls) and Jordan Hamilton (Denver Nuggets) as well as past NBA players Bobby LB Brown, Marcus Williams, and Hassan Adams.
Monday, the Blazers led most of the way, holding a 5-point advantage after the first quarter and a 7-point edge at the half. The Blazers pushed the margin to as many as 15 points in the third quarter and led, 66-55, after a short jumper by Thomas with 3:14 left.
LAUNFD put in a late rally, cutting the margin to a single point on a 3-pointer by Hamilton with 37.6 seconds left. And LAUNFD had a golden chance to take the lead moments later when Hamilton had a lay-up chance after a steal by Williams. But Hamilton mishandled the ball and was called for a traveling violation with 12.9 seconds left. Later, Williams missed a 3-point try as the final buzzer sounded, allowing the Blazers to hold on for the win.
Thomas finished with a team-high 19 pts, a game-high 11 rebs, plus 4 asts and 2 blocked shots. Wormely had 8 pts, a game-high 6 asts, 4 rebs and a steal.
Gerard Anderson (Saddleback/CS Fullerton/NBDL) saw brief action for LAUNFD and had 3 pts.
In the other semifinal, the Wright Brothers took flight once again as 2-time JCHoops.com Northern California Player of the Year Delon had 16 pts, 6 rebs and 6 asts, and his older brother NBA veteran Dorell had 29 pts, 10 rebs, 6 asts 2 blocks and 3 steals to lead the Kings of LA to an 84-82 win over Hank's A-1 All-Stars in the final of the Alvin Willis Division.
This match-up also featured two JCHoops.com Southern California Players of the Year, Antonio Biglow and Corey Allen, both from Mt. San Antonio, who were joined in the backcourt by NBA veteran Brandon Jennings, now a member of the Detroit Pistons.
The Kings led by just four points at halftime, but pushed their advantage to as many as 15 points after a driving lay-up by onetime LA Clipper Mike Taylor late in the third quarter that made it 64-49.
But after the play, Taylor was whistled for a technical foul for taunting. And in the aftermath, he picked up a second technical foul for getting into a confrontation with Jennings. Taylor was ejected from the game for lightly slapping Jennings on the cheek. The enraged Jennings, who circled the fray with his fists clenched, was not even called for a technical foul, but left the game and did not return.
Garrett G-Money Nevels (Mt. SAC/Hawaii) took the resulting 4 free throws from the technical fouls and made them all, and added three more baskets in a 10-0 run that got the A-1 All-Stars back in the game. The Kings' lead shrunk to 6 points at 67-61 at the end of the third quarter.
And the A-1 All-Stars, coached by longtime JC coach Allen Caveness (Compton/Fullerton/Mt. SAC), now at CS Dominguez Hills, continued to rally in the fourth quarter. Concordia-Irvine alumn PF Jourdan Sweeney gave the A-1 All-Stars a 72-71 lead on his second straight putback basket midway through the fourth quarter.
The lead went back and forth the rest of the way, and the score was tied when Dorell Wright made a pair of free throws with 33.4 seconds left to give the Kings an 84-82 lead. Those turned out to be the final points of the game. Biglow missed a fallaway jumper with about 10 seconds left, and Nevels missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds, allowing the Kings to hold on for the win.
Delon Wright, who is headed to Utah after two years at City College of San Francisco, was far from the only JC presence on the Kings. SF Roy Walker (LA Southwest/The Master's College) had 3 pts, 4 asts, 2 rebs and 2 steals. PF Ty Bickham (LA Southwest) and SG Victor Michel (Chaffey) came off the bench but did not score. SG Gerry Blakes (San Bernardino) saw brief action for the winners and scored 4 points.
For the A-1 All-stars, Nevels had a team-high 25 pts and added 10 rebs, 2 asts and a game-high 5 steals. Allen had 15 pts, 2 rebs, 4 asts and a steal. Biglow had 4 pts, 2 rebs and 6 asts. Ctr Darnell Martin (Mt. SAC) started and had 4 pts, 2 rebs, a block and 2 steals.
Also, Ctr Josh White (Mt. SAC) had 4 pts and 3 rebs, and SF Tre Brewer (Fullerton/San Bernardino Valley/CS San Bernardino) had 2 pts. SF Jamaal Barnes (Mt. SAC/CS Dominguez Hills) and Ctr Kaimyn Pruitt (AVC/Mt. SAC/Adams State) also saw brief action but did not score.
postscript...Hank's Blazers defeated Kings of LA, 104-99, in the Drew League championship game on Tuesday, August 20th
August 18: Say No Classic @ Salesian HS, Boyle Heights
It was an all-JUCO day in the championship game of the Say No Classic as all 15 players in uniform for finalists Next Level Program and West Coast Hoops have attended, currently attend or will likely attend a JC.
The Say No Classic is normally the realm of Pac-12 and future NBA players such as Jordan Hamilton, Solomon Hill and Derrick Williams. But this season there were only a handful of Pac-12 players in the league, and two JC-dominated teams put together strong runs to meet in the championship game.
In the game, SF Shelton Boykin (Antelope Valley/TBA) scored 28 pts and PF Josh Gouch (Mt. San Jacinto/CS San Bernardino) scored 25 to lead Next Level Program to a 102-95 win and the Say No Classic championship.
The score was tied at 81 when PG Sam Natt (Mt. San Jacinto) made a 3-pointer that gave Next Level a lead it would hold the rest of the game. Boykin hit a key 3-pointer with 2:10 left to make it 94-87. Then he passed to Gouch on an inbounds play before finishing a fast break with a basket, all in the final minute, to make it 102-91 and clinch the win for Next Level.
Boykin finished with 28 pts, 11 rebs, 3 asts and 2 steals for Next Level, which won its last 10 games after Boykin joined the team following an 0-3 start to the season.
Gouch also had a double-double with 25 pts, 10 rebs and a steal. SG Jason Johnson (Antelope Valley/Utah Valley State/CS San Marcos) had 18 pts, 11 rebs, 5 asts and 2 steals. PF Montreal Harris (Mt. San Jacinto/Concordia) came off the bench for 11 pts, 5 rebs, 4 steals, 2 asts and 2 blocked shots. Natt had just 5 pts but added 5 asts and, surprisingly, a team-high 13 rebs. Ctr Milton Watts (Imperial Valley/Lindsey Wilson/TBA) started and had 4 pts, 6 rebs and 2 asts. SF A.J. Mathis (Victor Valley/TBA) had 6 pts and 5 rebs, and PG Carlos McCormick (Mt. San Jacinto) had 5 pts, 2 rebs and 3 asts.
For West Coast Hoops, which also put together an impressive run after starting the season 0-3, SG Gerry Blakes (San Bernardino Valley) scored a team-high 22 pts and added 7 rebs, 4 asts, a block and a steal.
Ctr Codye Hatcher (Oxnard/LA Pierce/TBA) had a tremendous game for West Coast Hoops with 20 pts and 20 rebs. So did PG A.J. Harris (Santa Monica/Post Univ), who had 17 pts and game-highs of 12 asts and 6 steals. PF David Nwaba (Santa Monica/Cal Poly SLO) had 19 pts, 8 rebs and 3 blocked shots.
Also for West Coast Hoops, PG Adrian Francis (Impact Academy/TBA) had 10 pts, an assist and a steal. SF Terrance Sutton (TBA) had 5 pts, 4 rebs, 3 steals, 2 asts and 2 blocked shots. PF Isaiah Hicks (Allan Hancock) had 2 pts, 5 rebs, a block, a steal and an assist.
And of course, both teams had coaches with JC connections. Next Level Program was coached by Sean Hyland, who is on the staff at Mt. San Jacinto. And West Coast Hoops was coached by Julio Lopez, a longtime JC assistant at locations such as West LA and Santa Monica.
August 17: Say No Classic @ Salesian HS, Boyle Heights
It was an amazing day for the JC world at the Say No Classic as teams dominated by JC players won each semifinal game and will meet in tomorrow's championship game at 2 pm at Salesian HS.
First, 7th-seed West Coast Hoops knocked off Spirit of the North, a team that featured five players from the Ivy League and similar schools, 98-86. Then SF Shelton Boykin (Antelope Valley/TBD) poured in 36 pts as Next Level Program rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to post its 9th straight win, a 105-101 upset over top-seed BTI.
West Coast Hoops, a team led by onetime West LA and Santa Monica assistant coach Julio Lopez and featuring virtually all JC players, jumped out to an early 25-13 lead over the Spirits, a team that features Harvard standout Wesley Saunders and Brown-bound Leland King. The Spirits rallied to take a 36-34 lead on a Saunders 3-pointer, led by five points at halftime, and held an 80-73 lead early in the fourth quarter.
But then West Coast Hoops went on an 8-0 spurt to re-take the lead that became a 25-6 game-ending run that resulted in a berth in the championship game. PG A.J. Harris (Santa Monica/Post Univ) picked up a loose ball in the lane and scored to give WCH an 81-80 lead. A long 3-pointer by SF Terrance Sutton (Long Beach) made it 90-82 with 1:10 left, and a 3-point play by SG Gerry Blakes (San Bernardino Valley) made it 95-84 and sealed the victory for WCH.
PF David Nwaba (Santa Monica/Cal Poly SLO) led West Coast Hoops with 19 pts and added 8 rebs, 2 blocks, an assist and a steal. Harris had 18 pts, game-highs of 9 asts and 4 steals, and 3 rebs. Blakes, who kept WCH's season alive with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the quarterfinals, came off the bench for 14 pts, 8 rebs, a block, a steal and an assist. Sutton had 12 pts on 4 three-pointers plus 4 rebs, 4 steals, 2 asts and a block. Ctr Codye Hatcher (LA Pierce) had 8 pts, 4 rebs and 2 blocks, and PF Isaiah Hicks (Allan Hancock) had 7 pts and 4 rebs. PG Charles Glaster (LA Southwest/Texas College) saw brief action and had 1 pt, 1 reb and 1 ast.
For Spirit of the North, Ctr Joseff Singleton (LA Valley) had 5 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts and 3 steals. Saunders had a monster game with 30 pts, 17 rebs and 4 blocked shots, and King had a double-double with 16 pts and 10 rebs.
In the second semifinal, Next Level Program, consisting largely of players from Mt. San Jacinto and coached by MSJC assistant Sean Hyland, rallied from a 75-61 deficit midway through the third quarter to also advance to the title game.
Next Level fell behind, 26-15, in the first quarter. After a rally to take a 35-34 lead early in the second quarter, Next Level again fell behind, trailing by as many as 13 points at 48-35 late in the second quarter, and trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half at 75-61 midway through the third.
But Next Level rallied in the fourth quarter, tying the game on a putback basket by Boykin with 5:10 left that made it 90-90. Two free throws by PF Josh Gouch (Mt. San Jacinto/CS San Bernardino) 14 seconds later gave Next Level a 92-90 lead.
Boykin led all scorers with his 36 pts and he added 10 rebs, 2 asts and a steal. Johnson had 29 pts, 5 asts and 3 rebs. Gouch had 19 pts, 10 rebs, 3 asts, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Watts had 9 pts, a team-high 13 rebs and 3 steals, and McCormick came off the bench for 5 pts, 6 asts and 4 steals. Natt had 2 pts, 4 rebs, 5 asts and 5 steals.
For BTI, SF Michael Bolden (Irvine Valley/Cal Poly SLO) came off the bench for 3 pts, 3 rebs, a block, a steal and an assist.
So the championship game will feature Next Level against West Coast Hoops. Of the 16 players who saw action for these two teams in the semifinals, 13 of them have JC ties and another, PG Adrian Francis (15 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts and 2 steals today for WCH), played at prep school Impact Academy last season. But there is one notable exception: SG Dakota Pierce of Next Level, who came off the bench for 5 pts today including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter. He's from Thousand Oaks HS and is headed to the Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT).
August 14: San Francisco Pro-Am @ Kezar Pavilion, SF
PG Marquel Hoskins (Reedley/SF State/ABA) scored 23 pts and dished out 10 asts as the Bay Raiders avoided elimination with a 113-107 victory over SF City in Game 2 of the SF Pro-Am championship series.
SF City led by 7 points at halftime and by 9 early in the second half, but the Raiders rallied to take a 63-61 lead midway through the third quarter. Then the Raiders scored 37 points - with Hoskins providing 10 of those points - in the fourth quarter to get the win.
SG Sam Yeager (Modesto/CS Fullerton) scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, bringing his team within five points at 109-104 after the second of two long-distance 3-pointers. But Hoskins made 2 free throws with 23.2 seconds left to seal the win for the Raiders.
Hoskins finished with his game-high totals of 23 pts and 10 asts, and also had 5 rebs. SF Cardell Butler (Southern Idaho/Utah State/ABA) started for the Bay Raiders and had 7 pts, 4 asts, 1 reb, 2 blocks and a steal. Ctr Chris Adams (CCSF/Fresno State/ABA) came off the bench for 6 pts, 5 rebs and a blocked shot. Ctr Ivan Elliott (West Valley/UC Santa Barbara/Europe) started and had 2 pts, a rebound, an assist and a steal.
For SF City, Yeager had 18 pts, including 3 threes, 4 rebs, an assist and a steal.
postscript...on Friday August 16th, SF City won game 3, 118-111, to capture its second straight and 5th overall league championship.
August 11: Say No Classic @ Salesian HS, Boyle Heights:
SG Gerry Blakes (San Bernardino Valley) hit a running 3-pointer at the end of regulation, and scored the game-winning basket from the post to lift West Coast Hoops to a stunning 67-64 overtime win over Pomona in a quarterfinal playoff game at the Say No Classic.
West Coast Hoops trailed, 58-50, with under two minutes left to the second-seeded team from Cal Poly Pomona. But Blakes made one 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left and, after two free throws from Pomona's Deronn Scott, made his semi-desperation 25-footer at the buzzer to tie the score at 62.
PG A.J. Harris (Santa Monica/Post Univ) made a 3-pointer to give West Coast Hoops a 65-64 lead in overtime. Then Blakes scored from the post to push West Coast Hoops to the target score of 67 and get the win.
Early on, it looked like it would be much easier for West Coast Hoops to advance. A 3-pointer by SF Wendell Lee (LA Southwest/Colorado State-Pueblo) gave WCH a 34-19 lead late in the first half.
But Pomona rallied to take the lead early in the fourth quarter, and built was seemed to be an insurmountable 8-point lead in the final minutes. Lee scored on a driving lay-up to bring West Coast Hoops within two points at 58-56, and despite Scott making 4 free throws in the final 9.7 seconds West Coast Hoops caught up thanks to Blakes' 2 three-pointers in the final 4.1 seconds.
Blakes finished with 19 pts, 5 rebs and 2 steals. Harris had game-highs of 24 pts and 12 rebs as well as team-highs of 4 asts and 3 steals. Lee had 11 pts and 6 rebs. SG Charles Glaster (LA Southwest/Texas College) had 6 pts. West Coast Hoops won despite virtually no contribution from Ctr Codye Hatcher (Oxnard/LA Pierce), who was ejected for his second technical foul early in the second half and left without any points or rebounds.
In the day's first game, SF Shelton Boykin (Antelope Valley) scored 29 pts and grabbed 8 rebs and four of his teammates scored in double digits as Next Level held off a late charge from the Hoopsters to post an 89-80 win in another quarterfinal playoff game.
After the Hoopsters jumped out to an early 10-4 lead, Next Level quickly went in front and built a 20-point lead at 71-51 after back-to-back 3-pointers by SG Sam Natt (Mt. San Jacinto) and PF Josh Gouch (Mt. San Jacinto/Cal State-San Bernardino) early in the fourth quarter.
The Hoopsters rallied to cut the deficit to just six points in the final minute of the game. But SG Jason Johnson (Antelope Valley/Utah Valley State/Cal State-San Marcos) hit a key 3-pointer moments later to allow Next Level to hold on for the win.
Boykin led all scorers with his 29 pts, and his 8 rebs were a team-high. Johnson had 18 pts, 7 rebs, 4 asts and 5 steals. Gouch had 14 pts, 7 rebs and 4 blocked shots, filling in at center for Ctr Levon Harper (Mt. San Jacinto), who injured his hand after blocking a shot in the game's opening minutes. Natt had a very solid game with 10 pts, 7 rebs, 6 asts and a steal. PG Carlos McCormick (Mt. San Jacinto) did not score but had 2 rebs, an assist, a block and a steal.
For the Hoopsters, PG Da'Shawn Gomez (Antelope Valley/Iona) had 21 pts, 6 rebs and a game-high 7 asts. Ctr Kemorris Gunn (El Camino/Texas A&M-International) had a double-double with 18 pts and 13 rebs. SG Bryce Layne (LA Southwest/Northwest Oklahoma State) and SF Percy Evans (LA Southwest/Texas College) each scored 13 pts. Ctr Daveon Thomas (Cypress/Long Beach CC) came off the bench for 10 pts and a game-high 16 rebs. SF Miles Green (Saddleback) had 5 pts, 7 rebs, 5 asts and 2 steals. PG Sidd Martin (LA Southwest) and SG Justin "Speedy" Barnwell (Santa Monica) both also saw action but did not score.
In another playoff game, SF L.J. Kimbrough (East LA) scored a game-high 28 pts for D-1 Select Elite in a 79-68 loss to Spirit Of The North.
D-1 Select jumped out to an early 10-2 lead, and led, 23-13 after one quarter. But Spirit Of The North, featuring Ivy Leaguers Wesley Saunders (Harvard) and Leland King (Brown), took a third-quarter lead thanks also to the hot shooting of Jacob Hazzard (Arizona). The Spirits led by as many as 20 points midway through the fourth quarter.
D-1 Select rallied to cut the deficit to six points in the final minute, but never quite caught up. A slam dunk by King off a pass from Saunders pushed the lead back to 10 points at 74-64, and Hazzard's 7th 3-pointer moments later clinched the win for the Spirits.
Kimbrough's 28 points led all scorers. SG Tim Johnson (LA Trade Tech/Cameron) had 13 pts and 5 asts, and SF Mike Foster (East LA) had 10 pts, 7 rebs, 4 asts, 3 blocks and 2 steals. PG Marshawn McMahan (Lassen) came off the bench and did not score but dished out 4 asts.
For the victorious Spirits, Ctr Joseff Singleton (LA Valley) had 2 pts and added 4 rebs, 2 asts and 3 steals. Hazzard and King each finished with 23 pts; King also had 13 rebs. Saunders had 21 pts, 8 rebs, 6 asts, 3 blocks and 6 steals.
August 4: The Drew League @ King-Drew HS, Watts:
It was a glorious day at the Drew, with fans lining up more than an hour before the games started to pack the gym on the final day of the regular season. With numerous playoff berths - and seedings - on the line, there was plenty of drama, but the excitement was the prospect of seeing several of the NBA's top stars including Kevin Durant and James Harden up close.
The first of the so-called "Monster Match-ups" was the 12:30 game with 3-time defending champion LAUNFD ("LA Unified") taking on CABC. The two starting lineups featured 8 current or former NBA players, including 3-time scoring champion and 2012-13 MVP runner-up Durant, as well as 2-time all-star LaMarcus Aldridge and Drew League legends Bobby "LB" Brown and Marcus Williams.
And in the middle of all the excitement was SG Jeff Ledbetter, now known locallly as "The Unabomber". The 6-4 guard played 2 seasons at Irvine Valley and one at Idaho, and played professionally last season in Brazil. But he held his own with the big names in front of the packed house.
CABC jumped out to an early 10-3 lead before LAUNFD rallied to cut the margin to a point at 17-16 on a Durant 3-pointer. LAUNFD went in front, 25-24, early in the second quarter on a jumper by Denver Nugget Jordan Hamilton. But CABC rallied to lead, 40-37, at halftime, and the highlight of the first half was a ball-fake by Ledbetter under the basket that gave his team a 33-32 lead.
In the second half, LAUNFD pulled away, taking a 53-47 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Durant and Brown. Hamilton scored off a pass from Brown to make it 55-47. A 3-pointer by Hamilton made it 61-49.
CABC rallied again in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 3 points on a steal & lay-up by The Unabomber early in the quarter. A 3-point play by Mychel Thompson made it a 2-point game at 63-61. Then Aldridge tied the score at 63 on a slam dunk.
Then a little reality set in, as Ledbetter found himself defending the 6-9 Durant in the post. Durant faked left and drove right, scoring to give his team a lead it would hold the rest of the way. A 3-point play and then a dunk moments later by Chicago Bull Taj Gibson made it 78-70 and finally clinched the win for LAUNFD.
Durant finished with 25 pts and 12 rebs to lead LAUNFD, and Hamilton had 20 pts and 13 rebs. Brown had 18 pts and 7 asts. Gibson had a double-double with 17 pts and 10 rebs.
Austin Daye of CABC led all scorers with 30 pts and he also had 9 rebs and 7 asts. Aldridge had a double-double with 16 pts and 11 rebs. And Ledbetter had a very strong effort with 12 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts, 3 steals and a blocked shot. Thompson added 10 pts and 7 rebs. PF Mikey Lambert (Orange Coast/SD Christian) also saw brief action but did not score.
Later in the day, the other Monster Match-up saw the first-place Money Gang taking on the Cheaters II. And while Harden was key in the Money Gang's 90-75 win with 25 pts, 9 rebs and 6 asts, PF Kwame Alexander (Irvine Valley/CS Fullerton/Greece) was center-stage throughout with performance of 14 pts and a game-high 16 rebs for the winners.
The Money Gang got off to a slow start as the late-arriving Harden got warmed up, falling behind, 26-9, early in the second quarter. But Harden scored 16 of his team-high 25 points in the second quarter, and his 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in the half made it 41-39 at the break.
In the second half, the Money Gang started to pull away. A driving lay-up by SF Jayceon Taylor aka Jason Voorhees aka The Game gave his team a 44-43 lead early in the third quarter. A 3-point play by Toronto Raptor Demar DeRozan pushed the lead to double digits for the Money Gang, also known in the league as La Cosa Nostra. The Money Gang held its lead throughout the fourth quarter en route to a 15-point win.
Harden led the winners with his 25 pts. Taylor had 20 pts and DeRozan had 12 pts, 8 rebs and 7 asts. Veteran overseas pro Kenny Lawson had 28 pts and 11 rebs for the Cheaters, and Drew League star Caspar Ware had 24.
Franklin Session (Saddleback/Weber State/Cal State LA/NBDL) started for the Money Gang before Harden was ready and had a quadruple-single with 1 point, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal. Ervin Ware (Mt. SAC/LB State) started for the Cheaters and while he did not score he did dish out a team-high 7 asts and managed to annoy Harden enough to bait him into a technical foul. SG Tim Austin (Cypress/Hawaii-Hilo) had 2 pts, 2 asts and a rebound, and SF Jaquain Weary (Cerritos/ABA) did not score but grabbed 3 rebounds.
Those were the headliners, but there were other games, starting with a 10 am game that featured Denver Nugget standout JaVale McGee and N.W.A. taking on A.P.E. in a game with playoff implications for both teams.
McGee, who had a monster game with 40 pts and 20 rebs last month, was expected to dominate and lead his team to the win, particularly with veteran overseason pros Seketoure "Viper" Henry and Davon Jefferson on hand for NWA.
But someone forgot to explain all that to Justin Johnson (Citrus/Concordia), who exploded for 36 pts, 6 rebs and 6 asts to lead APE to an 87-83 win. Johnson scored 19 of his points in the first half, hit a ridiculous 3-point bank shot from 30 feet out at the end of the shot clock to give his team an 81-74 lead with 42 seconds left and 4 free throws in the final 8.7 seconds to clinch the win.
SF Reggie Patterson (Long Beach CC/CS San Bernardino/Europe) came off the bench for the winners and had 5 pts, 2 rebs, 2 asts and 2 steals.
PF Tom Granado, who played at Citrus a year after Johnson left before heading to Concordia and then Japan to play professionally, started for NWA and finished with 2 pts and 4 rebs. SG Terrell Hendricks (Cerritos/La Sierra/Europe) also started and had 7 pts including a 3-pointer.
The 2 pm game featured 2-time JCHoops.com Northern California Player of the Year PG Delon Wright (San Francisco/Utah) playing alongside his NBA veteran brother Dorell, who just signed a new contract with the Porland Trailblazers for the Kings of LA in an 89-61 romp past Salvatori's No Shnacks.
The Wright brothers flew the Kings (sorry, couldn't resist) to an easy win as Dorell and Delon combined for 20 of their team's 31 points in the first quarter. The Kings led, 31-14, after 8 minutes and 55-34 at halftime, and cruised to the easy win with both Delon and Dorell sitting out the fourth quarter.
Delon finished with a typical stat-sheet-stuffing performance of 15 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Dorrell had a game-high 19 pts plus 8 rebs, 4 asts, 2 blocks and 4 steals. SG Roy Walker (LA Southwest/The Master's College) started for the winners and had 11 pts and 3 rebs. PF Tylon Bickham (LA Southwest) had 8 pts, 7 rebs, 3 asts and 4 steals, and SG Gerry Blakes (San Bernardino Valley) had 4 pts. SF Rawlston Charles, now an assistant coach at San Bernardino Valley, came off the bench and had 9 pts, not including an amazing behind-the-backboard shot as he fell out of bounds that was negated by a needless goal-tending tip by a teammate.
SG Dwight Gordon (Victor Valley/UC Riverside) scored 10 pts for No Shnacks, which was a little shorthanded without LA Clipper Darren Collison. Ctr Jordan Richard (Riverside/Cal State LA) had 6 pts, 5 rebs and 3 blocked shots. PG Trone Jackson (Chaffey/Livingstone) had 3 pts, 3 rebs and 2 asts.
Later in the day, two recent JCHoops.com SoCal Players of the Year from Mt. San Antonio shared the backcourt for former Mt. SAC coach Allen Caveness and Hank's A-1 All-Stars in an 84-75 win over Skye Rise that secured a playoff berth.
2011 SoCal Player of the year SG Antonio Biglow, who went on to Montana State, scored a game-high 25 pts and added 6 asts and 3 steals. 2013 SoCal Player of the year PG Corey Allen, who is headed to South Florida after leading the Mounties to the 2013 state title, had 17 pts, 8 asts and 2 steals for the victorious A-1 All-Stars.
A-1 started the game with a 12-3 spurt, but Skye Rise rallied to take a 15-14 lead and led, 17-16, early in the second quarter.
Then came a 10-0 run for A-1, with Biglow the catalyst as he scored two baskets, grabbed two steals and dished out two assists to push A-1 to a 26-17 lead. Biglow scored two more baskets at the end of the second quarter, one on a floater and the other off a pass from Allen after a steal, to give A-1 a 38-24 lead at the half.
A-1 extended its lead in the third quarter, with Biglow passing to Allen for a lay-up that made it a 20-point game at 46-26. A Biglow 3-pointer continued the push, extending the margin to 23 points at 53-30 with a 3-pointer.
Skye Rise made a late rally, slicing the deficit to just two points in the final minutes. A 3-pointer by PG Corey McIntosh (Pasadena/Fullerton/Iowa State/Europe) made it 68-62. Then McIntosh hit a short jumper to bring Skye Rise within four points at 72-68 with 2:06 left. And he brought Skye Rise within two points, scoring on a floater with 51.6 seconds left that made it 74-72.
But A-1 held on, with Allen scoring on a driving lay-up to make it 76-72 and making two free throws with 26.2 seconds left to make it 78-72. Biglow made four free throws in the last 17.2 seconds to clinch the win for A-1.
PF Darnell Martin (Mt. SAC) started for A-1 and had 8 pts and 8 rebs. Ctr Josh White (Mt. SAC) started and had 6 pts and 8 rebs. SF Tre Brewer (Fullerton/San Bernardino Valley/CS San Bernardino) came off the bench and scored 6 pts, while SG Ahmaad Cook (Ball State/Fullerton CC/Northwest Univ) played briefly and did not score.
For Skye Rise, which will also make the playoff field, McIntosh had a team-best 21 pts plus 6 rebs, 2 asts and 2 steals. McIntosh was the starting point guard on the undefeated 2006 Fullerton College squad. SG Josh Gordon (West LA/Texas A&M-Commerce) had 13 pts and 5 asts, while SF LaCurtis Sumlin (West LA/Chico State) had 9 pts and 7 rebs. Ctr Shannen Garner (LA Southwest) had a solid game with 9 pts, 11 rebs and 4 asts. PF Julius Brazzel (Modesto/Texas A&M-Kingsville) had 10 pts and 6 rebs before leaving with an apparent knee injury with 1:39 left in the first half.
Earlier, SF Andrew Fisk (Riverside/Cal Baptist) scored 25 pts, SG Joseph Morgan (LA Trade Tech/Morgan State) scored 18 and SG Tim Johnson (LA Trade Tech/Cameron) scored 17 to lead Salvatori's Panthers to a 79-70 win over Tradition.
It was a close game all the way, despite the distraction of Durant entering the gym while the game was in the third quarter. It was tied 21-21 after one quarter, the Panthers led by a point at halftime and Tradition led by a point after three quarters before the Panthers finally built a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
Tradition pulled within six at 76-70, but Morgan split two free throws with 28.5 seconds left to again make it a 3-possession game at 77-70. Fisk threw down a dunk off a pass from Morgan in the final seconds to make it 79-70 and clinch the win for the Panthers.
Fisk finished with 25 pts, 10 rebs, 3 asts, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Morgan had 18 pts, 7 rebs, 4 asts and 2 steals. Johnson came off the bench for 17 pts, 5 rebs and 2 asts. Ctr Will Faiivae (Ventura/Texas A&M-International) had 11 pts, 7 rebs, 3 asts and 5 blocked shots, swatting Drew League veteran Keith Everage on successive shots in close in the first quarter.
PG Carlos Rivers (LA Valley/CS Dominguez Hills) started for Tradition alongside USC and UConn alumn Marcus Johnson and had 9 pts and 4 asts.
For the Panthers, the win lifted them into an 8-way tie for 4th in their division. The original bracket showed 5 of those 8 teams being selected for the playoff field, and the Panthers were not one of them.
However, upon further review, a play-in game was added, and the Panthers' hopes are still alive! They play Cheaters II Friday night at 7:45 pm.
August 3: Say No Classic @ Salesian HS, Los Angeles:
SF Shelton Boykin (Antelope Valley/TBD) poured in 36 pts as Next Level won its 6th straight game and second game of the day, 91-86 over West Coast Hoops, to conclude the day at the Say No Classic.
Boykin, a LB State signee out of HS, played at Antelope Valley in 2010-11, but is still determining where he will play this season. But on a team full of players from Mt. San Jacinto, he has excelled and the team finished with a 6-3 record entering the playoffs after a ragged 0-3 start.
Next Level held a 17-point halftime lead and was never really threatened, though West Coast Hoops cut the margin to five points in the final minute. Boykin scored 26 of his points in the first half and clinched the win with 2 free throws that made it 91-84 with just a few seconds left.
Boykin finished with 36 pts, including 3 threes, plus 8 rebs, 2 steals, a block and an assist. Ctr Milton Watts (Imperial Valley/Lindsey Wilson/TBA) had 12 pts and 7 rebs, and SF Josh Gouch (Mt. San Jacinto/CS San Bernardino) had 11 pts, 5 rebs and 7 asts. PF Montreal Harris (Mt. San Jacinto/Concordia) had 11 pts and a game-high 14 rebs. PG Sam Natt came off the bench for 2pts, 3 asts and 5 rebs.
Of current MSJC players, PG Carlos McCormick (Mt. San Jacinto) had 5 pts and a game-high 7 asts. Ctr Levon Harper had 4 pts, 3 rebs and a blocked shot.
For West Coast Hoops, SF Wendell Lee (LA Southwest/Colorado St-Pueblo) had 18 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts, and 3 steals. SG Charles Glaster (LA Southwest/Texas College) had 16 pts, 4 asts and 2 steals. PF David Nwaba (Santa Monica) had 11 pts, 4 rebs and 4 steals. SG Emerson Castaneda (Glendale) also played briefly and had 2 asts but did not score.
In Next Level's first game - they play both of their games on Saturdays to make the travel from Hemet easier - Gouch scored 21 pts and Boykin scored 18 in an 81-71 win over the Toros, a team of players from CS Dominguez Hills.
Next Level jumped out to a 25-11 lead at the end of the first quarter and was never really threatened despite a tremendous game from SF Givon Crump (Pasadena/CSDH) of the Toros. And any thoughts the Toros had of a dramatic late-game comeback ended when Crump went to the bench with a sore ankle with about 2 minutes to play.
Gouch finished with 21 pts, 8 rebs, 3 asts, 2 steals and a blocked shot. Boykin had 18 pts, 2 rebs, 2 asts and 2 steals. Watts had 9 pts, 4 rebs and 2 steals, and Harper had 6 pts, 5 rebs, 3 asts, 2 blocks and a steal. McCormick had 5 pts, 4 rebs and 4 asts. Harris had 4 pts and 6 rebs. Natt came off the bench for 2 pts, 6 rebs and a game-high 6 asts.
For the Toros, Crump poured in a game-high 34 pts and added a game-high 12 rebs as well as 2 asts. SG Tyler Payne (Orange Coast/Fullerton) came off the bench for 11 pts, 5 rebs, 3 asts and a steal, and his brother Jason started and had 5 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts, a block and a steal. PG Deon Geary (East LA/CSDH) had 8 pts, a team-high 5 asts and a game-high 3 steals.
In the day's first game, SF Dwayne Benjamin (Mt. San Jacinto) had 17 pts, 11 rebs, 3 asts and a steal to lead 3 The Hard Way to an easy 64-42 win over the Future Stars.
Benjamin, who was reportedly headed back to his native Louisiana to play for Baton Rouge CC earlier this summer, is now going to stay for a second season at Mt. San Jacinto. The 6-7 wing, who originally signed with Tim Floyd and UTEP out of HS, posted game-high totals in points and rebounds in an excellent all-around performance.
SF Malcolm Collins (LA Pierce/Pt. Loma Nazarene) had 14 pts, including 3 threes, for the winners. SG Dajuan Smith (Mt. San Jacinto) had 2 pts, 4 rebs and 3 asts. PG Devyn Iglehart (SD City) arrived late and played just briefly and did not score, though he would get his chance later in the day.
For the Future Stars, Ctr Desean Anderson (San Bernardino Valley/LA Trade Tech/Iona) had a double-double with team-highs of 14 pts and 10 rebs. SG Shawn Hampton (Pasadena/West Georgia) had 11 pts, 2 asts and a game-high 5 steals. SF Evan Brooks (Pasadena) had 6 pts, 7 rebs and 2 asts. PG Donte McFrazier (LA Trade Tech/Tennessee Wesleyan) also played but did not score.
The next game featured first-place BTI against the O'Quinn Work Ethic. But the O'Quinn team was short of players, so Iglehart, Collins and D.J. Hicks all stayed around and joined the team so a game could be played.
Still, BTI jumped out to an early lead and was never threatened thanks to the likes of Loyola-Marymount standout Nick Stover (5 pts, 4 rebs), Cal Poly versatile swingman Chris Eversley (7 pts, 8 rebs, 3 asts, 2 blks, 1 stl), Harvard's Kenyatta Smith (8 pts, 12 rebs, 2 blks) and St. Bonaventure 7-footer Youssou Ndoye (14 pts, 6 rebs, 3 blks).
Ctr Kunnu Shofu (Fullerton) led O'Quinn with 17 pts and added 5 rebs, 4 blocks and 3 steals. PF David Hall (Cerritos) had 16 pts and a team-high 11 rebs for the double-double. Collins had 10 pts, 5 rebs and 4 asts, and Iglehart had 4 pts and 4 rebs. SG Mike Mayes (West LA) had 8 pts, 5 rebs and 3 asts.
In the day's other game, Spirit Of the North got 25 points from Harvard-bound Wesley Saunders and edged the Shooters, 67-62.
PF Marquise Washington (Cerritos) had 6 pts and 5 rebs for the Spirit. Ctr Joseff Singleton (LA Valley) started and did not score but had 5 rebs, 2 asts, 3 steals and a blocked shot.
SF Jordan Mackie (Citrus/Humoldt State) started for the Shooters and had 13 pts, 4 rebs and 3 asts. PG Everett Brown (Santa Monica/CS Dominguez Hills) started and did not score but dished out a team-high 6 asts.
July 13: The Drew League @ King-Drew HS, Watts:
SG Domimique Johnson (SW Tennessee/Azusa Pacific/NBDL) scored 14 pts including a game-tying 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in regulation time, and PG Horace Wormely (Pasadena/Vanguard/NBDL) scored 10 of his game-high 24 points in OT to lead Hank's Blazers to a dramatic 78-70 win over the Roley Boyz in the 5 pm game.
Hank's Blazers trailed most of the second half, and trailed by 10 points at 61-51 midway through the fourth quarter. But thanks to Johnson's key 3-pointer and Wormely's scoring explosion in OT, the Blazers came away with the win.
Wormely, known as "The Gingerbread Man", finished with game-highs of 24 pts and 7 rebs, and also added 6 rebs, a steal and a blocked shot. He's listed at 5-7. SF Steven Mallory (Mt. SAC/Norfolk St) had 16 pts and 5 rebs. Johnson had 14 pts and 6 rebs. Ctr Amani Daanish (Cowley/Indiana State/Asia) had 9 pts and 5 rebs. SF Jamel McGuire (SD City/CS San Marcos) came off the bench for 6 pts.
For the Roley Boyz, SF Marc Wilson (Mt. San Jacinto/Cal State LA) had 4 pts, 7 rebs, 2 asts, 2 steals and a blocked shot. SG J.R. Lewis (LA Trade Tech/Fresno Pacific) had 5 pts and an assist. PF Joshua "Byrd" Rayne (Fullerton) and SF Myron Green (Saddleback/CS Dominguez Hills) each scored 2 points.
In an earlier game, SG Kris Lawrie (El Camino/Colorado State-Pueblo) scored 10 pts and added 4 rebs, 4 asts, 2 blocks and a steal to help LA Loop to a 73-66 win over Hank's Bulldogs and into first place in the Sam Sullivan division with a stellar 7-1 record.
Coached by longtime JC assistant Julio Lopez (West LA/Santa Monica), LA Loop led after every quarter in winning its 3rd straight game after suffering its only loss June 15th vs. the Gilbert Arenas-led MHP squad.
Ctr Donald Lee (LA Pierce/CS Bakersfield) had 6 pts, 7 rebs, 2 asts, 2 blocks and a steal for the winners. SF Dominic Brumfield (Big Bend/Hawaii) had 6 pts, 5 rebs and 2 asts.
For Hank's Bulldogs, Ctr Tyrone "50" Riley (LA City/San Francisco) scored a game-high 22 pts and grabbed 8 rebs. PF James Boyd (USC/West LA football) had a monster game with 19 pts and 18 rebs. SG Kendrick "Milk" Harris (LA Southwest/Lamar) had 15 pts and 5 steals. PG Rodney Blackmon (West LA/E New Mexico) had 2 pts, 3 rebs and 4 asts.
The next game featured the newest LA Clipper, Darren Collison, who scored 27 pts and added 7 rebs, 6 asts and 2 steals to lead Salvatori's No Shnacks to an 84-81 win over Top Prospects.
But Collison got some help from Ctr DeShawn Stephens (Santa Monica/SD State), who had a double-double with 11 pts and a game-high 11 asts, and Ctr Jordan Richard (Riverside/Cal State LA), who came off the bench for 4 pts and 10 rebs. SG Dwight Gordon (Victor Valley/UC Riverside) started and had 4 pts and 4 rebs. SG Robert Ellis (Contra Costa/Lewis & Clark) saw brief action but did not score.
The 2 pm game was dominated by Denver Nugget JaVale McGee, who had an extraordinary game with 40 pts, 20 rebs and 5 blocked shots to earn Drew League Player of the Week honors in an 86-73 win by NWA over Hard Times.
PF Mark Dawson (Pasadena/LB State) came off the bench for the winners and had 7 pts and 7 rebs. PF Tom Granado (Citrus/Concordia/Asia) started alongside McGee and had 5 pts and 7 rebs. Ctr Shakir Johnson (Santa Monica/Metro State/Asia) came off the bench for 2 pts and 2 rebs.
For Hard Times, SG Nick Porter (Compton/Creighton) scored 17 pts and added 8 rebs and 2 asts. PF Tremayne Johnson (LA Southwest/E Washington) had 11 pts, 5 rebs and 2 steals. PF Kilpatrick McCauley (Santa Monica) came off the bench for 8 pts, 5 rebs and 2 asts. Ctr Stephen Colvin (Riverside/Panhandle State) came off the bench for 2 pts and an assist.
June 30: Say No Classic @ Dominguez HS, Compton
SG Shawn Hampton (Pasadena/W Georgia) scored 31 pts including a 3-pointer with 5.6 seconds left in regulation time to help the Future Stars to a 78-76 win over the Toros.
After Hampton sent the game to OT, Cal starting point guard Justin Cobbs hit a short jumper to get the Future Stars the win.
SG Donte McFrazier (LA Trade Tech) came off the bench for 5 pts, 2 rebs, 2 asts and a steal for the Future Stars. SF Evan Brooks (Pasadena) also had 5 pts including a half-court shot to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter.
PF Givon Crump (Pasadena/CSDH) had 26 pts and 12 rebs for the Toros, a team of players from Cal State Dominguez Hills. PF Steffon Neal (Chaffey/CSDH) had 6 pts, 9 rebs, 3 asts, a block and a steal. PG Deon Geary (East LA/CSDH) had 4 pts and 4 asts, and SG Jason Payne (Orange Coast/Fullerton/CSDH) had a 3-pointer.
In the day's first game, SF Gerry Blakes (San Bernardino Valley) scored 20 pts including the game-winning shot, an 18-foot jumper with 6.5 seconds left that lifted West Coast Hoops to a 74-73 win over D-1 Select Elite.
Blakes finished with a team-high 20 pts plus 8 rebs, 3 asts and 4 steals. PG A.J. Harris (Santa Monica) had 17 pts. PF Terrence Sutton (LA Southwest) had 11 pts, 7 rebs, 2 asts, 4 blocks and 2 steals. SF Emerson Castaneda (Glendale) chipped in with 10 pts, 3 rebs, 2 asts and 2 steals. SG Kerdt Elisaldez (East LA/Cypress) had 5 pts and a team-high 4 asts.
For D-1, Ctr Julian Camper (El Camino/Cal State LA) scored a game-high 33 pts and added 7 rebs, 2 asts and a steal. SG Tim Johnson (LA Trade Tech/Cameron) had 14 pts, 9 rebs, 5 asts, 2 blocks and 2 steals. SF Mike Foster (East LA) had 14 pts, 6 rebs, 2 asts, a block and 2 steals. SG Justin "Speedy" Barnwell (Santa Monica) came off the bench and didn't score but had 4 rebs, 3 asts and 4 steals.
In the next game, SF Michael Bolden (Irvine Valley/Cal Poly SLO) scored 8 pts and added 2 rebs, 1 ast, 1 block and 5 steals to help BTI to an 83-61 win over 3 The Hard Way.
SF Dwayne Benjamin (Mt. San Jacinto/Baton Rouge CC) led 3 The Hard Way with 14 pts, including 3 three-pointers. PF Malcolm Collins (Pierce/Pt. Loma Nazarene) and SG Dajuan Smith (Mt. San Jacinto) each had 8 pts and 2 rebs. Ctr Hassante Manning (Mt. San Jacinto/Morgan State) had 3 pts, 2 rebs, 2 asts and 4 steals.
In the next game, SF Chase Miller (Santa Ana/Montana State) scored 22 pts, making 6 three-pointers, for CABC in an 86-75 loss to Spirit of the North.
PF Mikey Lambert (Orange Coast/SD Christian) had 17 pts and 7 rebs for CABC, and PG Taylor Cunningham (Saddleback/Wayland Baptist) had a huge game with 16 pts, 11 asts and 3 steals. PF John Russo (Orange Coast/Ave Maria) had 5 pts and 2 rebs, and SF Jordan Reise (Cerritos) had 4 pts, 7 asts and 2 asts.
PF Joseff Singleton (LA Valley), playing alongside Ivy Leaguers Wesley Saunders (Harvard) and Leland King (Brown), did not score but had 3 rebs, 3 asts and 4 steals for the winners.
June 16: Say No Classic @ Dominguez HS, Compton
SF Dwayne Benjamin (Mt. San Jacinto/Baton Rouge CC) scored 19 pts and SG Dajuan Smith (Mt. San Jacinto) had 16 including the dunk of the weekend to lead 3 The Hard Way to a 61-58 win over the BB Hoopsters.
Benjamin had a strong game with 19 pts, 6 rebs, 2 asts, 3 blocks and a steal, but it was Smith's one-handed throwdown over 6-7 Ctr Daveon Thomas (Cypress) that generated the buzz in the crowd in this one.
Smith finished with 16 pts, 9 rebs, 4 asts and 2 steals in the game. Ctr Hassante Manning (Mt. San Jacinto/Morgan State) also started and had 4 pts and 3 rebs. Ctr A.J. Ussery (Cuyamaca/SD Christian) came off the bench for 7 pts and 3 rebs, and SF Malcolm Collins (Pierce/SD Christian) had 3 pts.
For the BB Hoopsters, SF Chris Camper (Santa Monica) had game-highs of 22 pts and 12 rebs. And despite the dunk - which happens to all big men once in a while, especially if they play defense - Thomas had a solid game with 11 pts and 11 rebs. SG R.J. Strickland (Long Beach) also had 11 pts. SG Robert Nixon (Santa Monica) also saw brief action and did not score but had 3 rebs.
In the next game, SF Gerry Blakes (San Bernardino Valley) had 25 pts, 11 rebs, 3 asts and 6 steals, and PG A.J. Harris (Santa Monica) had 20 pts, 7 asts and 4 steals but West Coast Hoops came up just short, falling, 75-71, to BTI.
SG Kerdt Elisaldez (East LA/Cypress) had a pair of 3-pointers for WCH for 6 pts, SF Terrance Sutton (LA Southwest) had 5 pts and 5 rebs and Ctr Codye Hatcher (Oxnard/Pierce) had 4 pts, 3 rebs and 2 blocked shots.
PG Dushon Carter (East LA) came off the bench for the winners and had 4 pts, 3 rebs and an assist. SF Michael Bolden (Irvine Valley/Cal Poly SLO) also came off the bench and had 2 pts, 2 rebs, 1 ast and 1 blocked shot.
In another game, SG Shawn Hampton (Pasadena/W.Georgia) had 11 pts and 8 rebs to help the Future Stars to a 57-46 win over CABC. SG Marcus Johnson (LA Valley/Mississippi Valley State) also played for the winners, which featured PG Justin Cobbs (Cal), PF Jett Raines (Pepperdine) and Ctr Brendan Lane (UCLA/Pepperdine) though he did not score.
SF Chase Miller (Santa Ana) led all scorers with 21 pts for CABC. Ctr Rashaad Davis (Saddleback) started for CABC and had 6 pts, 6 rebs, 4 blocks and 4 steals. PF Mikey Lambert (Irvine Valley/SD Christian) also had 6 pts and 6 rebs and added a block and 2 steals. SF Nate Marsing (Saddleback/Westmont) had 2 pts, 1 reb and 2 steals, PG Taylor Cunningham (Saddleback) had 2 pts and 3 asts, SG Phillippe Zarif (Saddleback/UC Irvine) had 2 asts and SF Jordan Reise (Cerritos) had 3 pts and 2 rebs.
In the final game of the day, Ctr Julian Camper (El Camino) had 13 pts and 7 rebs and PF Kemorris Gunn (El Camino/LA Valley) had 11 pts for D-1 Select Elite in an 82-57 loss to Pomona, a team of players from Cal Poly Pomona.
SF L.J. Kimbrough (East LA) started for D-1 and had 7 pts. His ELAC teammate Mike Foster came off the bench for 4 pts and 5 rebs. PG Vinay Parman (LA Trade Tech) had 4 pts and PG Justin "Speedy" Barnwell (Santa Monica) had 2 pts and an assist. SG Tim Johnson (LA Trade Tech/Cameron) came off the bench for 4 pts and 3 rebs.
June 15: Say No Classic @ Dominguez HS, Compton
The Say No Classic returned after a year's hiatus this weekend, and Pomona, a team of players from Cal Poly Pomona, had little trouble winning the first game of the season, 68-40, over Next Level Program.
SF Kenny Morgan (Chaffey/Adams State) scored 6 pts and added 2 rebs, 2 asts, 2 steals and a blocked shot for Next Level. SG Sam Natt (Mt. San Jacinto) had 5 pts and 2 asts. Ctr Levon Harper (Mt. San Jacinto) had 5 pts, 3 rebs and 2 blocks, and PF Cameron Johnson (Mt. San Jacinto) had 2 pts and 6 rebs. SF Cameron Lewis (San Bernardino Valley) did not score but grabbed a team-high 7 rebs.
In the second game, PG Lance Booker (San Bernardino Valley) had 11 pts, 6 rebs and 4 asts, and SG Michael Mayes (West LA) had 8 pts, 7 rebs, 4 asts and 5 steals for the O'Quinn Work Ethic in an 89-69 loss to Spirit of the North, which got 43 points from forward Leland King. King just graduated from the Brentwood School and is on is way to Brown University. PF Joseff Singleton (LA Valley) started for the winners and had 4 pts, 13 rebs, 4 asts and 3 steals.
In the best game of the day, Ctr Givon Crump (Pasadena) scored 27 pts, grabbed 10 rebs and hit the game-winning shot with 1.1 seconds left to lift the Toros to a 66-64 win over West Coast Hoops.
Crump hit a pull-up jumper from the right elbow to break a 64-all tie moments after West Coast Hoops rallied from a 5-point deficit in the final minute to tie the game on an alley-oop slam dunk by PF Codye Hatcher (Oxnard/LA Pierce) off a pass from SG Kerdt Elisaldez (East LA).
The Toros, a team of players from Cal State Dominguez Hills, led 64-59 with under a minute to go when Elisaldez hit a 3-pointer to make it a 2-point game. Then PG A.J. Harris (Santa Monica) stole the ball near midcourt, setting up the alley-oop jam that tied the game.
But Crump, who played his freshman season at Baylor before transferring to Pasadena CC in 2011, had plenty of time to hit the game-winning shot.
West Coast Hoops led, 23-15, in the first half after the first of Elisaldez' four 3-pointers. But the Toros went on a 15-0 run to take a 28-23 lead. The advantage went back and forth after that until the Toros went on a 6-0 spurt to break a 50-50 tie, and the Toros held a narrow lead until Hatcher's slam dunk in the final seconds.
PG Deon Geary had 8 pts, a game-high 8 asts and 2 steals for the winning Toros. PF Steffon Neal, (Chaffey) the Kenneth Faried of the Say No, had 7 pts, 8 rebs, 2 asts and 2 steals.
For West Coast Hoops, Harris had team-highs of 16 pts, 8 rebs and 6 asts, and also grabbed 3 steals. Elisaldez had 14 pts, including the 4 threes, and 6 asts. Hatcher had 10 pts, 5 rebs and 4 steals. But WC Hoops was unable to overcome a rather astounding 55-25 rebounding differential in favor of the Toros.
The next game saw the BB Hoopsters pull away in the second half for a 72-53 win over the Shooters.
The Hoopsters started the game with a 14-3 run. The Shooters ralled to tie the score at 19 and trailed by just 3 points at the half, 35-32, but never took the lead. And the Hoopsters pulled away in the second half, pushing the lead to 11 points at 53-42 at the end of the third quarter and holding a comfortable lead throughout the fourth.
PF Chris Camper (Santa Monica) led the Hoopsters wtih 18 pts, and he added 7 rebs and 3 steals. Ctr Daveon Thomas (Cypress) had 8 pts, a game-high 11 rebs and 2 blocked shot. PG Brandon Moore (Long Beach) had 4 pts, a team-high 5 asts and 2 steals. Off the bench, SG Kristien Owens (Long Beach) scored 9 pts. SG Robert Nixon (Santa Monica) had 4 pts and 3 rebs.
For the Shooters, SF Jordan Mackie (Citrus/Humboldt State) had a double-double with a game-high 19 pts and 10 rebs. PG Everett Brown (Santa Monica/CSDH) had 13 pts plus a team-high 5 asts and a game-high 4 steals. Ctr Kendrick Thomas (Citrus/Antelope Valley) also had a double-double with 11 pts and 10 rebs. SF Julian Wheeler (Santa Monica/Adams State) had 2 pts, 3 rebs and 2 asts.
June 1: The Drew League @ King-Drew HS, Watts
Five players scored in double digits as Hank's A-1 All-Stars knocked Salvatori's No Shnacks from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 76-70 win in the 12:30 game.
2012-13 JCHoops.com SoCal Player of the Year Corey Allen (Mt. SAC/South Florida) led the All-Stars with 14 pts, his teammate on the 2013 California state champs Garrett "G-Money" Nevels (Mt. SAC/Hawaii) scored 13 and 2010-11 JCHoops.com SoCal Player of the Year Antonio Biglow (Mt. SAC/Montana State) had 10 pts plus 8 asts and 4 steals.
No Shnacks led by 8 points several times in the first quarter, but the All-Stars' depth gradually took effect. The All-Stars had 13 players available while No Shnacks had just 6. The all-Stars took a 39-38 lead just before halftime, and the lead went back and forth for most of the rest of the game.
Nevels put the All-Stars ahead to stay with a steal & lay-up to break a 68-all tie midway through the fourth quarter, and Biglow followed with a driving lay-up. No Shnacks never pulled even again after that.
PF Mike Cox (Fullerton/CS Dominguez Hills) and SF Wayne Andrews (Compton/Fullerton/CSDH) each scored 10 pts for the All-Stars, who are coached by former Compton, Fullerton & Mt. SAC coach Allen Caveness, now an assistant at CS Dominguez Hills. Ctr Kaimyn Pruitt (Antelope Valley/Mt. SAC/Adams State) had 4 pts and a team-high 8 rebs. Ctr Josh White (Mt. SAC) had 4 pts and 6 rebs.
Other JC alumni who played for the All-Stars included PF Darnell Martin (Mt. SAC), who had 2 pts and 5 rebs; SF Larry DeHughes (Fullerton/CS San Bernardino) who had 3 pts, 3 rebs, 2 asts and a blocked shot and SF Jamal Barnes (Mt. SAC) who had 2 pts and 2 rebs.
No Shnacks lost despite a huge game from Ctr DeShawn Stephens (Santa Monica/SD State), who had 9 pts, 20 rebs and 9 blocked shots to just miss a triple-double. SF Phil Martin (NE Oklahoma/UC Riverside/Europe) scored a game-high 28 pts and grabbed 7 rebs. SG Dwight Gordon (Victor Valley/UC Riverside) had a double-double with 14 pts, 11 rebs, 4 asts and 2 blocked shots. PF Trevele Jones (Cerritos/Texas Southern) had 12 pts, 7 rebs, 2 asts, 2 blocks and 3 steals. PG Trone Jackson (Chaffey/Livingstone) had 4 pts and dished out a team-high 7 asts. PG Tim Johnson (Antelope Valley) came off the bench for 3 pts in limited action and late arrival SF Brandon Clemons (Chaffey/Lindsay Wilson) did not score in a couple of minutes of playing time.
In the 2 pm game, PF Kyisean Reed (Antelope Valley/Utah State) scored 14 pts and added 8 rebs, 5 asts and 3 steals to help the Top Prospects to an 83-76 win over the Cheaters.
Reed arrived just after the start, and his team trailed by as many as 8 points early in the second quarter. But the Top Prospects, led by NBA veterans Pooh Jeter and Julian Wright, both now playing in Europe, and Reed, stormed back to take an 8-point lead at the half. The lead reached double digits in the third quarter, and the Prospects led the rest of the way to run their record to 3-0 on the season.
SG Donte Archie (Citrus/Lewis & Clark) led the Cheaters with 15 pts, and he also had 3 rebs and 4 asts. SF Van Girard (Cerritos/CS Dominguez Hills) added 14 pts and added 7 rebs, 3 asts, a block and 5 steals. SF Eric Boyette had 8 pts. And perhaps the most inspirational performance was by 42-year-old SF Nick Sanderson (Canyons/Brigham Young), who came off the bench for 10 pts including a pair of 3-pointers as he managed to keep up with players half his age.
In the 3:30 game, PG Horace Wormely (Pasadena/Vanguard/NBDL) scored 22 pts and dished out a game-high 7 asts for Hank's Blazers which pushed 3-time defending champion LAUNFD (aka LA Unified0 to the limit before falling, 82-80.
The Blazers led by 13 points late in the first half, and even after falling behind several times in the second half tied the game on a basket by SF Dominique Johnson (SW Tennessee/Azusa Pacific/NBDL) with 7 seconds left. LA Unified got the game-winning basket from 2013 McDonald's All-American Isaac Hamilton, younger brother of the NBA's Jordan Hamilton, with 3.2 seconds left. Johnson ended up with 8 pts and 4 rebs coming off the bench.
LA Unified, seeking an unprecendented 4th straight Drew League championship, was led by NBA veteran Marcus Williams (Connnecticut/New Jersey Nets/Europe), who scored 35 pts and dished out 4 asts. Williams played this past season with Unicaja Malaga of the Euroleague.
