LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – In a season in which there were multiple candidates within the senior class for the honor it’s a member of the Class of 2016 who bagged the BurlisonOnBasketball Most Outstanding Player nod.
Lonzo Ball of Chino Hills High, the best point guard prospect produced in Southern California since Baron Davis was a senior at Santa Monica Crossroads 18 years ago, is the BurlisonOnBasketball Southern California Most Outstanding Player for the 2014-15 season.
Ball, who committed to UCLA more in the winter of 2013, averaged 24.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 4.5 steals and 3.5 blocked shots per game.
The Huskies upset Moore League champion Long Beach Poly on the road before losing to Santa Ana Mater Dei in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Open Division playoffs.
They bounced back to win the State Southern Division I regional final (knocking off top seed Corona Centennial) before losing in overtime in the state final to San Ramon Valley – a game in which Ball fouled out with three minutes to go in regulation.
Among the seniors Ball finished ahead of for the honor were Rex Pflueger of Mater Dei (the BurlisonOnBasketball Southern California Most Outstanding Senior), Stephen Thompson Jr. of Torrance Bishop Montgomery (the Southern Section’s Open Division Player of the Year), Jeremy Hemsley of La Verne Damien (the L.A. Times Player of the Year), Tyler Dorsey of Pasadena Maranatha (who led all California preps in scoring at 34.0 points per game) and Lindsey Drew of Fairfax (the L.A. City Section’s Player of the Year).
Players from the CIF Southern, L.A. City and San Diego sections were eligible to be selected to the BurlisonOnBasketball All-Southern California team. Only players I watched play in person during the season were eligible.
The players were chosen based upon their on-court accomplishments and not necessarily how extensively they were recruited, are being recruited, or will be recruited, for their on-court potential in college.
The first- and second-team, 12-player selections, including Ball (listed alphabetically):
FIRST TEAM
Lonzo Ball (6-5/Jr./Chino Hills)/MOP
Sed Barefield (6-2/Sr./Corona Centennial)
Michael Cage Jr. (6-9/Jr./Santa Ana Mater Dei)
Chance Comanche (6-10/Sr./Beverly Hills)
Tyler Dorsey (6-4/Sr./Pasadena Maranatha)
Lindsey Drew (6-4/Sr./L.A. Fairfax)
Jeremy Hemsley (6-4/Sr./La Verne Damien)
T.J. Leaf (6-9/Jr./El Cajon Foothills Christian)
Chimeze Metu (6-9/Sr./Lawndale)
Rex Pflueger (6-5/Sr./Santa Ana Mater Dei)
Cody Riley (6-8/So./Chatsworth Sierra Canyon)
Stephen Thompson Jr. (6-4/Sr./Torrance Bishop Montgomery)
SECOND TEAM
Milan Acquaah (6-2/Jr./L.A. Cathedral)
Bennie Boatwright (6-9/Sr./Sun Valley Village Christian)
Lorne Currie (6-3/Sr./L.A. Fairfax)
Shacquille Dawkins (5-8/Jr./Mission Hills Alemany)
Kameron Edwards (6-6/Sr./Etiwanda)
K.J. Feagin (6-1/Sr./Long Beach Poly)
Aaron Holiday (6-0/Sr./North Hollywood Campbell Hall)
Tommy McCarthy (6-0/Sr./Carlsbad La Costa Canyon)
Brandon McCoy (6-10/So./San Diego Morse)
De’Anthony Melton (6-3/Jr./Encino Crespi)
Devearl Ramsey (5-10/Jr./Chatsworth Sierra Canyon)
Kendall Small (6-0/Sr./Lakewood Mayfair)
SENIOR MOP: Rex Pflueger
JUNIOR MOP: Lonzo Ball
SOPHOMORE MOP: Cody Riley
FRESHMAN MOP: Riley Battin (Oak Park)
