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Post by less1brain on Oct 15, 2021 16:47:53 GMT -8
espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2021/09/espn-to-air-2nd-annual-geico-top-flight-invite/Based on the television schedule, none of the first round games will be televised. I assume #1 plays #8, #2 plays #7, etc. If #6, Hoop Nation, is Corona Centennial, they might whack out #3 Prolific Prep despite Dior Johnson, 6-3 2022 (Oregon), Adem Bona, 6-10 2022 (Kentucky or UCLA), MJ Rice, 6-5 2022 (Kansas) and Tre White, 6-6 2022 (transfer from Ribet Academy). CC returns 4 starters from last year, Donovan Dent, 6-2 2022, Jared McCain, 6-4 2023, Aaron McBride, 6-7 2023 and Devin Williams, 6-11 2023. Reserve Eric Freeney, 6-4 2024, looked very much improved from his FR year this summer and could be a real defensive stopper despite his youth. They also return Ramsey Huff, 6-0 2022, and Jeremiah Whitmore, 6-6 2023, from last year and add Santana Huff, 6-3 2024, and Kevin Anigbogu, 6-9 2024, so Bona will be facing size and Dior Johnson might not enjoy facing Dent, who has to be the most underrated and under-recruited PG in the country in the 2022 class. So, don't miss those consolation games at 4 and 6! #4 seed Dream City Christian with Shaedon Sharpe, 6-5 2022 (Kentucky), Yohan Traore, 6-11 2022 (?) and Milos Uzan, 6-5 2022 (?) might wind up in the consolation bracket as well since Vertical Academy has more than Mikey Williams, 6-2 2023. Take this as some consolation: Sunday might feature Bona v Trahore in one of those so-called Showcases (i.e., Losers' Brackets)... Or maybe that will be the 6 PM Saturday consolation game if #3 plays #4 because #5 and #6 both win in the first round... Paul Biancardi notes that Amari Bailey still has an aching toe, so "all eyes will be on Bronny James." Boy, I sure hope not. He might feel self-conscious sitting on the bench covered by the cameras while Biancardi raves about his shoes or uniform style while Mike Price, 6-2 2023, Isaiah Elohim, 6-6 2024 and Kijani Wright, 6-9 2022 (USC) draw all of the attention. If Ramel Lloyd, Jr, 6-6 2022 (Nebraska) and Shy Odom, 6-7+ 2022, are back, James will maybe get a nice run of 8 minutes of PT (he only played one game last year and he's coming off an injury himself, so I don't know what "Emoni Bates is the best high school prospect since LeBron James" silly Biancardi is releasing all the hot air over). With Bailey out, Dylan Metoyer, 6-0 2023, is the backup PG, not James, who's a wing. There, he competes with Tim Rudovskiy, 6-9 2023, Jeremiah Nyarko, 6-9 2022 and JoJo Phillips, 6-4 2023 for PT. Emoni Bates looks like he can eventually be a great scorer in the NBA, a Khris Middleton type, which is quite an excellent thing to be. But he's not even in the top 100 high school players since LeBron James. There's some question as to whether Price and Nyarko will be eligible for Sierra Canyon this year. Price can stay and sit. Nyarko will have to go back to St. John Bosco since this is his last year of high school. There were high school games down in Anaheim this past weekend and Corona Centennial wiped the floor against some good teams like Mater Dei and Damien. So, the Inland Empire isn't handing over its crown to Sierra Canyon just yet...
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Post by less1brain on Oct 16, 2021 13:59:41 GMT -8
The upsets didn't happen. Prolific Prep beat Hoop Nation 88-79 last night.
Hoop Nation came back today and beat Las Vegas Orange, which is otherwise known as Bishop Gorman High School. Jared McCain had 27 (33 against Prolific Prep), on 6-11 from the field, 3-6 from 3 and 12-14 from the FT line. He did make a TO, but also had 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Teammate Donovan Dent got 18 points and 5 assists (some easy baskets were fumbled or blown) and Devin Williams, who really reminds me of Ryan Hollins, had 14 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks and 7 alterations.
LV Orange, led by John Mobley, 5-10 2024 (17 points in first half, 5 in second, terrific 3-point shooter, not at all a PG) and Ryan Abelman, 6-4 2022 (offered by Northern Arizona and many Ivies, great 3-point shooter, 4.0 GPA according to announcers, must've led team in scoring), was tough, but didn't have the size. They led most of the game and then Eric Freeney, 6-4 2024, came in with about 10 minutes left after playing well briefly in the first half and caused chaos. Many turnovers and missed shots later, Hoop Nation went from down 4 to up 9 and Bishop Gorman, which may have won 25 straight state titles or something like that, played catchup and couldn't... catch up.
Jace Richardson, 6-3 2024, son of Jason Richardson, was very athletic in this game and got 6 points (2-11 from the field) and 6 turnovers. Too much Freeney and 6-7 2023 Aaron McBride who showed the ability to defend pretty much every position on the floor. Richardson did score 24 in last night's game against what is effectively Oak Hill Prep.
Announcers announced that Donovan Dent has committed to New Mexico.
I'll bet he transfers to the Pac-12 by his JR year after he starts for the Lobos as a FR and SO. Husky to Lobo seems like an easy transition.
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Post by less1brain on Oct 16, 2021 15:47:22 GMT -8
#7 seed Air Nado (Coronado High School in Las Vegas) wiped out #5 seed Vertical Academy, who also got wiped out by #4 Dream City Christian. Richard Isaacs, 6-2 2022 (Texas Tech) scored 39 points (he had 43 in a one-point loss at the buzzer to #2 seed Virginia Gold aka Oak Hill Academy last night). Mikey Williams had a game he'd rather forget, 1-12 from the field for 3 points (only one shot was a bad shot, he just bricked a lot of open shots and sort of quit shooting in the second half as he was 0-9 at the half and his team was already dead meat).
I assume this means that Air Nado and Hoop Nation will be playing each other in one of the "Showcase" games on ESPNU (a little used reserve on Air Nado is Lance Stephenson, Jr., 6-6 2025, whose dad played for Mick Cronin for a year at Cincinnati and is how playing overseas in the PRC). So, Isaacs and McCain might duel it out to see who will score 30, though I imagine that Donovan Dent will guard Isaacs.
I don't know if UCLA will be recruiting anybody on these teams. I think they would've offered McCain by now if they wanted him. Devin Williams is the sort of guy Cronin might offer a 6th scholarship to in that class if he has 6 scholarships to offer (and he might since Campbell, Johnson and Nwuba will be out of eligibility and it's a good bet that Bailey, Watson and possibly, say, Bona and even Mitchell will all be turning pro... so that might mean filling 7 rides in one class).
Prolific Prep and Oak Hill square off at 5. So, Adem Bona, allegedly down to UCLA and Kentucky, is in that game and will play in either the championship game or another Showcase tomorrow depending on if his team wins or loses this game.
7 PM has CBC aka Sierra Canyon going against Dream City with Shaedon Sharpe, likely to reclassify and enter Kentucky this season at Christmas, and Yohan Traore, who was mentioned with UCLA a lot, but now not so much. UCLA is recruiting 6-6 2024 Isaiah Elohim on CBC (the announcers are using last year's rosters and calling him 6-4, but you can see he's probably closer to 6-7). I think it likely UCLA will also eventually offer Mike Price, 6-2 2023, of CBC, who might be the best pure PG (though he can really shoot it and score very well) in the West in his class. WHEN (not if) Jaime Jaquez makes it clear he's NBA-bound after this year, Cronin might offer a scholarship to another forward in the 2022 class and I would think Shy Odom, 6-7 +, is a candidate. He's been hurt and might not play in this event.
Again, CBC will either be playing for the championship tomorrow or in a Showcase game.
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Post by less1brain on Oct 17, 2021 0:02:51 GMT -8
THIS IS SO WEIRD.
Against Oak Hill, Adem Bona looked like he should take a lesson on how to play basketball. Savino: "Adem, this is a basketball." "I am one and done." Savino: "Of course you are, you big guard. But I want to show you a basketball. It's what you get hold of and score and rebound with." "Coach, I am one and done." Savino: "Mick?" Cronin (to Rod Palmer): "Is it too late to recruit Shadraq Nganga?"
Then I had to go to a concert to see a band I just signed.
Then I got home and turned on the replay of the CBC-Dream City (Shaedon Sharpe, Yohan Traore and Milos Uslan, among others) game. It's 15-2 Dream City and I think "Biancardi was right! Bronny James must be the starting PG for CBC!"
Nope, he's out injured. But Shy Odom and Ramel Lloyd got activated and apparently CBC's offense was just a hot mess.
Then Sierra Canyon decided to start playing and as I write this, it's 35-31 CBC at the half: 33-16 after the game actually got televised.
Kijani Wright had 12 points and 16 rebounds in the first half.
But mh isn't impressed.
Odom looks like Cody Riley usually does in mid-October: 20 pounds overweight.
Note: Riley came in lighter than his supposed playing weight when practices started. Someone's in trouble and it's not UCLA.
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Post by less1brain on Oct 17, 2021 0:30:32 GMT -8
THIS IS SO WEIRD IT'S WEIRDER THAN WEIRD.
Here's a new prayer for true UCLA fans appropriate for yesterday:
"Dear St. John,
Yeh, that we walk through the shadow of Adem Bona sitting on the bench the entire season but turning pro, we hereby pray that Ernest Udeh picks UCLA on Wednesday, October 20.
Yeh, though we walk in terror that Bona will actually commit to UCLA, we hereby pray that he getteth confused and Yohan Traore remembers he was interested in UCLA and IS again.
Yeh, we feel blessed that the Bailey and Andrews are lambs within our flock; let not Adem eateth an apple and all of the lambs without getting a stat lest it be a bad one for Kentucky.
Yeh, for I have seen the Promised Land and its name is Isaiah Elohim.
And of all the things, the most important is Elohim.
So who cares about Bona, Traore and Udeh?
For we hath Johnson, Nwuba and Etienne, and who has so much charity as to haveth 3 posts?:
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Post by less1brain on Oct 17, 2021 0:41:36 GMT -8
CBC won. Barely.
Not enough Metoyer. Dang, UCSB, Portland, San Francisco and Cal should recruit Mr. Metoyer.
The Promised Land got his 20 in the second half. 25 for the game.
mh posted The Promised Land's first blog: "I'm learning to play off the ball, like I will do in college."
Boo: Any coach, and yes that includes Andre Chevalier, who thinks Elohim should ever give up the ball unless it's for a masterstroke assist, should work for Jim Saia at Cal State LA. They certainly can't coach at any other college.
Hurray: He said he will go to college for a year.
At UCLA! And be very coachable! And win a NC for UCLA even if he has to score 83 points in the final to do it!
I don't see any other way of interpreting his blog...
Call me an optimist.
CDC, still missing the best high school player in the country (um, er, AMARI BAILEY), plays Oak Hill Academy, using a fake name as if CBC was really Sierra Canyon..., in the championship game tomorrow on ESPN2.
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Post by less1brain on Oct 17, 2021 1:02:54 GMT -8
All those schools who might offer Metoyer should offer Price.
USC recently had Tre Price, 6-6 2022 (Prolific Prep, formerly of Ribet Academy), on campus.
USC offers everyone. But they don't host everyone. Not even unofficially.
"Yeh, St. John, please have White commit to USC in 2 weeks. That must mean someone they need and who, unlike White, is a Pac-12 player, is transferring out at Christmas. And USC is just SC. Or so we do pray."
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 17, 2021 14:20:09 GMT -8
I watched today's first game. Donovan Dent was the best player on the floor. It seems like every time I see him, I am impressed by him. Too bad he is headed to New Mexico. I agree he is likely to end up his career at a higher-level school.
Jared McCain had a fairly quiet 17. He played within himself and clearly was playing for the team, not himself. I am not sure he is a UCLA-level player.
I can see the Ryan Hollins comparison for Williams. Very athletic and nice body control. Osiris Grady may have slightly outplayed him, but they are both good players.
Maybe Isaacs was tired, like the announcers suggested. I wasn't impressed.
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Post by less1brain on Oct 17, 2021 18:38:09 GMT -8
Dent's defense might've caused Isaacs to be tired, though Ramsey Huff and Eric Freeney took turns and I think he did look worn down at the end of both halves. But Dent was on him 80% of the time and he's one of the best individual defenders in the country.
Isaacs made some great passes and has a very quick release from 3 that often goes in. I'm impressed. He likely needs to develop physically before he becomes a high level starter for Texas Tech.
Like everyone else, I rank Amari Bailey and Dylan Andrews ahead of Dent as PGs in the 2022 class in California.
But that's it. He's #3 in California and has to be a top 100 player nationally. 55 points and 25 assists (along with 9 steals) in the 3 games in this event.
The announcers seemed relieved that "Hoop Nation finally won a game here." Um, they beat Las Vegas Orange on Saturday. Their only loss was to Prolific Prep, 89-82, on Friday.
I saw Darren Savino in the house. Hopefully, he likes Devin Williams too...
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Post by mhbruin on Oct 18, 2021 7:55:23 GMT -8
It's hard not to like Devin Williams.
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Post by less1brain on Oct 20, 2021 14:51:22 GMT -8
Washington and USC have now offered Williams a scholarship (as have New Mexico, Nevada and a lot of other schools). The official visit limit is on an annual basis, so he's decided to take an official visit to UDub this year. He's moved in 24/7's top 150 for the class of 2023. Hard to see how he doesn't wind up in the top 100 eventually.
He's already visited Loyola Marymount. If that doesn't excite anyone, my prediction is that LMU makes the NCAA Tournament this year and I won't be shocked if they make the Sweet 16.
Surprised, but not shocked.
The WCC has had some good teams besides Gonzaga. But with BYU leaving, Utah State losing its coach and St. Mary's seemingly in a funk for some time now (and I don't know if Pepperdine will get over the hump especially after Kessler Edwards bolted early for the NBA), LMU might be poised to reach a consistently higher level.
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