RANCHO MIRAGE, Ca. – Here are the BurlisonOnBasketball 20-player “Plus 1” all-tournament selections from the 13th MaxPreps Holiday Classic that wrapped up Wednesday night at Rancho Mirage High.
The choices are not based upon “college potential” but upon the way they players performed during the four games each played over Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday:
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER:
Chino Hills High went “3 for 3” in December while winning tough tournaments in Corona, CA (the “Battle Zone”), Ft. Myers, FL (“City of Palms”) and, Wednesday night, at Rancho Mirage High.
And Huskies’ 6-foot-5 point guard Lonzo Ball looked more like a strong National Player of the Year candidate with each event, bagging Most Outstanding Player (called “Most Valuable Player”, too) hardware at each stop.
Ball and his teammates will take a 13-0 record – including victories over teams from eight different states – into their next game (El Cajon, CA, Foothills Christian during the Sierra Canyon Challenge in Chatsworth, CA, on Jan. 9).
FIRST TEAM
LiAngelo Ball 6-5 Jr. Chino Hills (CA): He alternately bruised defenders in the low post and shot 25-footers over the top of them over during the four-games-in-five-days stretch. He had 41 points in the semifinal against Jonesboro (GA).
Zach Collins 7-0 Sr. Las Vegas Bishop Gorman: His play during the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas two weeks ago and during the Open Division games at Rancho Mirage nicely illustrated why he is one of the very best “true centers” in high school hoops and a strong candidate to be on the McDonald’s All-American team when it’s unveiled on Jan. 17. He scored 29 points in the third-place loss to Jonesboro Wednesday night.
Shacquille Dawkins 5-8 Sr. Mission Hills (CA) Alemany: The Warriors are one of the most underrated teams in Southern California and the oh-so-fast-and-quick Dawkins is a key reason why.
Leland Green 6-2 Sr. Redondo Beach (CA) Redondo: He scored a career-high 32 points in a second-round, Open Division win over Bentonville (AR) and also played exceptional defense throughout the run to the championship game against Chino Hills.
Jonah Mathews 6-3 Sr. Santa Monica (CA): The USC-bound Mathews was the Most Outstanding Player while helping Vikings capture the Nike Division championship (with especially impressive wins over SoCal power Etiwanda in the semifinals and Mercer Island of Washington in the finale).
Morgan Means 6-3 Sr. Redondo Beach (CA) Redondo: Other than you-know-who for Chino Hills, no point guard had a better overall four-game stretch as a scorer, floor leader, passer, decision maker and defender. Like teammate Leland Green, he figures to be one of the more hotly recruited senior guards in California over the rest of the winter and into spring leading into the April NCAA signing period.
Charles O’Bannon Jr. 6-5 Jr. Las Vegas Bishop Gorman: His deep jump shots are moving into the nearly “automatic” range as his performances at the Tarkanian Classic and at Rancho Mirage demonstrated. He was particularly sizzling in the fourth quarters of near-comeback victories against Redondo and Jonesboro in the semifinals and third-place games.
Bryce Peters 6-3 Sr. La Verne (CA) Damien: The future University of Colorado Buffalo scored 36 points while leading his team to a 74-60 victory over Villa Park (CA) in the Ford Dealers Division championship game Wednesday.
Elizjah Scott 6-5 Jr. Chino Hills (CA): His contributions to the unbeaten and top-ranked (in some ratings) team in the country are no longer widely underappreciated, as those who watched him against Jonesboro (GA) and Redondo Tuesday and Wednesday nights (when he averaged 17.0 points and 10.0 rebounds) would attest.
M.J. Walker 6-4 Jr. Jonesboro (GA): Other than Lonzo Ball there was no more impressive player at Rancho Mirage than this guy, whose repertoire of deep jumpers (four consecutive 3s in the third quarter Wednesday night) and big-bang dunks were especially on display while scoring 30 points against Chino Hills Tuesday and 39 against Bishop Gorman Wednesday.
He’s got a 4.0 grade point average, as well.
SECOND TEAM
LaMelo Ball 5-10 Fr. Chino Hills (CA): His jump-shooting success was inconsistent (to say the least – he missed his final 12 shot attempts of the first half in the Open title game) but his flair as a dribbler and passer, as well as his “fearlessness” are something to behold from a kid who didn’t turn 14 until Aug. 22.
Evan Battey 6-8 Jr. Villa Park (CA): The transfer from the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies was quite imposing as and scorer and rebounders for his new program in December. He had 24 points in the loss to Damien in the Ford Dealers’ final Wednesday afternoon.
Jordan Ford 6-1 Sr. Folsom (CA): The Bulldogs struggled to execute against Redondo’s all-court defensive pressure in an 18-point first-round Open Division loss.
But, behind this future Saint Mary’s College guard, they bounced back quite nicely with consecutive wins against St. Petersburg (FL), Sacramento Capital Christian and Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Santa Margarita for the Consolation championship.
Schnider Herard 6-11 Sr. Plano (TX) Prestonwood Christian Academy: The powerful (and then some) future Mississippi State Bulldog helped his team bounce back from losses to Concord (CA) De La Salle and Sacramento Capital Christian to close with wins over St. Petersburg (FL) and Seattle Prep in the Open Division.
Eric Lovett 6-1 Sr. Jonesboro (GA): There were a lot of exceptional jump shooters in this event and he was one of them. He especially riddled Chino Hills and Bishop Gorman with 3-pointers on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Like Morgan Means and Leland Green of Redondo, he is unsigned and remarkably underrated.
Malik Monk 6-4 Sr. Bentonville (AR): He’s a consensus Top 5 prospect in the national Class of 2017. But the future University of Kentucky Wildcat only showed glimpses of how good he is – and how good he can be in college and, likely, beyond – at Rancho Mirage, where his team split four games while losing to California squads Redondo and De La Salle.
Onyeka Okongwu 6-9 Fr. Chino Hills (CA): There are a lot of very good freshmen in Southern California but none have had the impact as a shot blocker, rebound and low-post scorer against such difficult competition – regionally and nationally – as Okongwu has.
Jordan Poole 6-4 Jr. Milwaukee Rufus King: If there had been a “Jump Shooting” contest at Rancho Mirage that included the likes of the last two fellows on this list, as well as Charles O’Bannon, M.J. Walker and this guy, the “smart money” might have been on this future University of Michigan Wolverine.
Jordan Ratinho 6-3 Sr. Concord (CA) De La Salle: The Spartans led by five points late in the third quarter before losing to Bishop Gorman in the second round, which proved to be their only loss. Ratinho could lead his squad to Northern California’s Open Division championship in March.
Ryse Williams 6-3 Jr. Redondo Beach (CA) Redondo: This jump shooter-deluxe is one of the reasons why the Seahawks may have the deepest collection of quality guards of any program in California this season.
