City of Palms: Championship

The 40^th annual City of Palms championship featured two of the top teams in the country Saturday night at Bishop Verot High School. Lone Peak came into the championship game 3-0 in the tournament having defeated their opponents by an average of 19 points per game. Despite this margin of victory and their three future D-1 players, the championship game more closely resembled the battle of David and Goliath, with Montverde playing the role of Goliath. Montverde had the edge in athleticism with their four high major Division 1 starters, but this advantage had not stopped Lone Peak before. The close to capacity crowd backed Lone Peak in its previous games and was ready to see the public school from Utah take on the private academy from Florida.

Game of the Night:

#4 Montverde 66 #7 Lone Peak 45

As mentioned in the Day 4 recap, the keys to this game were going to be how Lone Peak dealt with the size of Montverde and how they handled their pressure. While Lone Peak previously carved up any type of trapping press that other teams had thrown at them, Montverde went for the full-court man-to-man pressure as their guards had the length and quickness to frustrate the star duo of Nick Emery and TJ Haws. In addition, Montverde featured PF Devin Williams (6’8” 230) as Lone Peak’s PF; Talon Shumway stood 6’4” 200. 

Montverde came out of the gates firing on all cylinders with senior guard Miguel Cartegena and junior guard D ‘Angelo Russell knocking down three’s and Williams dominating down low. On the defensive side it was almost impossible for Lone Peak to get a clean shot in the lane with Dakari Johnson and Williams patrolling the paint and the long arms of Russell made it hard for sharp shooter TJ Haws to get an open look. Lone Peak miss-fired on countless three point attempts and fell behind 22-12 after the first quarter and 39-22 at the half. Russell led the way with 13 points and the big 3 BYU trio of Haws, Emery, and big man Eric Mika only scored 13 points combined.

Despite their struggles in the first half, Lone Peak came out aggressive and angry in the 2^nd half. Coach Quincy Lewis ran a set play for Haws which resulted in a picture perfect three point swish. Lone Peak turned the pressure up on defense and swarmed Johnson and Williams any time they touched the ball resulting in numerous turnovers. Lone Peak held Montverde to only four points in the 3^rd quarter, but could only muster 10 themselves trimming a 17 point lead to an 11 point lead entering the 4^th. Once the final quarter began, the Montverde sized played a deciding factor. Both Williams and Johnson finished with double doubles and Lone Peak struggled to get open looks. Star guard Kasey Hill was quite on the offensive end for Montverde but finished off Lone Peak with a steal and two hand reverse jam that got the Florida faithful out of its seat.

Williams finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds on 6-8 shooting while Dakari Johnson had 10 points and 11 rebounds. TJ Haws was the high scorer with 21 points, but needed 19 shots to do it. Emery was held to 8 points and Mika was held to 5 points on six shots. Montverde utilized its size and athletic advantages to ensure that David did not pull the upset of Goliath in the 40^th City of Palms championship game.

Top Performer:

D ‘Angelo Russell: 15 points, 3 steals

Russell had a quiet semi-final game with 4 points, but made his mark early in the championship game. Russell went 3-3 from the three point line in the first half knocking down corner threes from both sides of the court. He also added two impressive drives to the basket. As mentioned earlier, Russell also drew the defensive assignment of TJ Haws, who scored the second most points in the tournament. With his long arms and quick feet, Russell contested every jump shot Haws took. Russell dominated both the offensive and defensive sides of the court in the first half and was a key reason Montverde jumped out to a 17 point lead. 

Breakout Performer:

Miles Reynolds, Whitney Young (6’3” Junior Guard)

With the transfer of guard L.J. Peak to the Whitney Young Dolphins this year, most people have referred to Whitney Young as having a junior led trio of Jahlil Okafor, Paul Young, and L.J. Peak. Now, it will have to be called the Big Four. Junior guard Miles Reynolds made a name for himself in a 3-day stretch. He started off the tournament scoring a team high 18 points against Montverde including three free throws to send the game into overtime. In his second game against a tough and athletic Omaha squad, Reynolds went for 15 points on 5-6 shooting and was a perfect 3-3 from the three point line. In his final game of the tournament against Chester, Reynolds scored 17 points in the first half going 3-4 from the 3-point line.

Overall, Reynolds finished the tournament shooting 79% from the field and 72% from the three point line. This hot shooting came against teams that are all ranked in the top 15 nationally as well. Not only can Reynolds shoot the ball, but he also can slash to the basket with his speed and quickness. Reynolds caught the eye of LSU on Thursday and picked up an offer from them. Expect more offers to be coming soon.

Other Notes:

Long Beach Poly defeated Southwind (TN) to take home 3^rd place. Senior forward Jordan Bell led the way for Poly as he had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 7 blocks. Jajuan Johnson led the way for Southwind with 23 points but needed 24 shots.

Huntington Prep easily took home the Signature Series championship over Arlington County Day with a 74-57 victory. Andrew Wiggins, the #1 player in the country went for a cool 20 points, but this was not one of his finer games. Instead it was big man Moses Kingsley who did the most damage to Arlington County Day on 11-14 shooting for 26 points.

Junior, Guard / Forward Justin Jackson scored over half his team’s points (28) in a loss to Kiski. Jackson has his floater game down pat and scored many of his points with shots in the paint.

Whitney Young dominated Chester in the 5^th place game to hand Chester its 2^nd loss of the tournament.

Paul VI dominated Callaway 50-34 in the 9am game and frustrated star sophomore guard Malik Newman all day long. Newman went 1-8 from the three point line as Paul VI hounded him all day long. Big man Quadree Smith scored 16 points to lead the way for Paul VI.

City of Palms - Day 4

Dick Vitale was not in attendance on Day 4 of the City of Palms tournament, but that didn’t stop a capacity crowd coming out for the night’s semi-final match-ups. With a birth to the 40^th annual City of Palms championship on the line the top teams in the nation battled for the coveted final game on Saturday.

Game of the Day:

(67) Lone Peak vs. (52) Southwind

On Thursday night, Lone Peak jumped out to an early lead against Chester and never looked back while snapping their 61 game win streak. On Friday night, Lone Peak needed until the 3^rd quarter to pull away. The athleticism of Southwind created some problems early on for Lone Peak as the game started out with Southwind’s center, 6’10” Jonathon Williams III hitting a 3-point attempt over Eric Mika. Williams followed up his first offensive possession with a blocked shot on the first defensive possession setting the stage for the first half. Senior guard, Jujuan Johnson came off the bench and quickly scored 7 points in a matter of minutes. With Lone Peak miss-firing on deep three pointers, Southwind had a 19-14 lead after the 1^st quarter. Future BYU guards Nick Emery and TJ Haws brought Lone Peak back in the 2^nd quarter with their shooting and Lone Peak trailed 31-30 at the half. TJ Haws and Lone Peak came out blazing in the 3^rd quarter. Haws went for 13 points in the quarter and turned a 1 point deficit into an 11 point lead. Haws was getting to the basket for mid-range jumpers and lay-ups while also connecting on a three pointer plus the foul. After this scoring explosion, Lone Peak held on in the 4^th quarter despite Southwind’s pressure and won 67-52. TJ Haws led the way for Lone Peak with 24 points (four 3’s) and Nick Emery added in 16 points. Big man Eric Mika added in a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds as well. Southwind cooled off in the second half, but Jonathon Williams III still had a fine performance and finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds. 

Performance of the Day:

Malik Newman – 21 points

In one of the early afternoon games, sophomore guard Malik Newman led his team to a 59-43 victory over Tift County 59-43. This game was tied at 21 a piece at halftime before Newman took over. Despite facing a box and one defense all game Newman started the half off with a quick 3-pointer. Newman then added another corner three before going to work off the dribble. Tift tried to make it hard for Newman to catch the ball, but when he did they were in trouble. Routinely catching the ball at half-court, Newman drove to the left and right at will and went 4-4 in the lane on contested finishes. Newman shot 6-8 in the 2^nd half for 14 points and helped turn a tie game into a 16 point victory. Along with his offensive foray, his mere presence on the court led to easier shots for his teammates such as TreShawn Bolden. Newman also added in 10 rebounds and 3 steals. Despite having a future Kansas commit on Tift in Brannen Greene, Malik Newman was far and away the best player on the court.

Other Notes:

Whitney Young (#17) won a close game with Omaha Central (#15) 60-57 behind Jahlil Okafor’s 23 points and 11 rebounds. Okafor dominated down low and shot 6-8 in the first half and 5-6 in the 2^nd half despite constant double teams. Okafor showed off a great set of hands and even hit a deep jumper to lead the Dolphins. Omaha was led by a well-balanced attack and had 4 players in double figures. A Louisville assistant coach was in the stands to watch a future Cardinal in Akoy Agau. Agau had 14 points and 8 rebounds while going 3-3 from behind the arc in the first quarter.

Junior Whitney Young guard Miles Reynolds had another solid effort in the tournament with 15 points on 5-6 shooting. Despite not getting the publicity of the other top three juniors on his team, Reynolds is rapidly gaining recognition. Reynolds went 3-3 from behind the line including the biggest shot of the game as he gave the Dolphins a two point lead with under 2 minutes to go. LSU offered Reynolds a scholarship after watching his game on Thursday night. More offers will be coming shortly.

Montverde Academy (#4) easily defeated Long Beach Poly (#9) in the 2^nd semi-final 76-51. Montverde was just too big for the Jackrabbits of Westchester and jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Big men Dakari Johnson and Devin Williams led with 17 a piece. Senior forward Roschon Prince led the way for Poly with 22 points but it wasn’t enough.

After having their 61 game win streak snapped on Thursday, Chester (#3) took their aggression out on Lake Wales with a 78-64 victory which was not as close as the score suggests. Senior forward Rondae Jefferson (Arizona) led the way with 27 points and 14 rebounds and attached the rim with several highlight reel dunks in the first half. Jefferson went 11-13 from the field. Despite the loss, Douglas Brooks scored a tournament high 32 points with 8 three pointers.

Sophomore forward Marcus Derrickson of Paul VI scored 17 points in an easy win over Lake Highland Prep. Derrickson mixed in several outside jump shots with his brute strength down low to dominate.

One day after Nick Emery won the 3-point shootout for Lone Peak, Erik Mika won the slam dunk contest.

Championship Preview:

In what could be the most anticipated game of the high school season, Lone Peak faces off against Montverde in the City of Palms championship. Montverde has the size and all of the five star recruits, but nobody shoots the ball or moves the ball around like Lone Peak. Here are several keys to the game:

Size – Future Mountaineer, Devin Williams is the X-Factor. While Dakari Johnson and Eric Mika will square off, Lone Peak does not have anyone to guard Williams in the post. He made Long Beach Poly pay; can he do it again tonight?

Pressure – Lone Peak has feasted on the full court pressure shown to them by Chester and Southwind. Montverde does not press full-court but will instead apply half-court pressure led by guards Kasey Hill and DeAngelo Russell. Lone Peak has been used to getting numerous open looks after breaking the pressure. How will they fare in a half-court game?

Shooting – Lone Peak relies on outside shooting, which certainly isn’t a secret. Will Russell and Hill be able to slow down the future BYU back court of TJ Haws and Nick Emery? Conner Toolson and Talon Shumway are more than capable of hitting from the outside as well, but they will have to be ready to play to keep in Lone Peak in the game.

City of Palms - Day 3

Day 3 of the City of Palms brought out a variety of college coaches along with ESPN’s Dick Vitale. The star studded event did not disappoint with the game of the day wrapping up close to 1am between Montverde and Whitney Young. This game was the most competitive game of the day as several of the other hyped match-ups turned into early blowouts. Despite a lack of close games, there were a few strong individual performances, notably the 31 point exhibition that Andrew Wiggins, the number 1 player in America put on. In addition, a 61 game winning streak was snapped.

Game of the Day:

Montverde (FL - #4) vs. Whitney Young (IL - #17)

Okafor vs. Dakari - Rd. 2

The most anticipated game of the day, not to mention the most anticipated individual big man match-up of Jahlil Okafor (#2 – 2014) vs. Dakari Johnson (#12 – 2013) tipped off at 11pm in Fort Meyer, FL. Despite the late start and the travel that Whitney Young had incurred (plane flight to Tampa, drive from Tampa to Fort Meyer), the Dolphins got off to a strong start with a 17-11 1^st quarter lead. Montverde made a strong second quarter run to take a 29-26 halftime lead before a back and forth second half. Okafor started off slow going 1-4 early, but finished the half with 9 points and 5 rebounds on 3-6 shooting. Okafor ran the floor well and attacked Johnson in the post when not facing double teams. Dakari held his own in the first half with 7 points. The 2^nd half was a bit more guard dominated by players such as Whitney Young’s L.J. Peak (#53 – 2014) and Miles Reynolds (2014) along with Montverde’s Kasey Hill (#9 – 2013) and DeAngelo Russell (#13 – 2014). Peak and Reynolds hit several timely three pointers towards the end of the 4^th quarter to keep the game in reach and Reynolds hit three free throws to send the game into overtime after being fouled on his game tying three point attempt. With players beginning to foul out in overtime, Montverde’s other big man; Devin Williams (#85 – 2013) came up large with several clutch free throw attempts and buckets. Junior guard LJ Peak missed a last second 25 foot three in overtime to try and tie the game again. Williams and Russell led Montverde with 17 a piece and Reynolds led Whitney Young with 18. Okafor finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds while Johnson finished with 10 points and 17 rebounds. Okafor may have won the individual battle, but Johnson goes to 2-0 against Whitney Young at the City of Palms (both matched-up in 2010).

Mismatch of the Day:

Lone Peak (UT - #7) vs. Chester (PA - #3)

In the early quarterfinal match, Chester carried a 61 game win streak into their match-up with everyone’s new favorite team, Lone Peak. Chester took a 2-0 lead to start the game before Lone Peak completely dismantled them. Junior TJ Haws (#66 – 2014 Scout) began the game with two threes along with a buzzer beater three to end the first quarter up 17-8. Haws continued to stay hot in the 2^nd quarter while big man Eric Mika (#76 – 2013) joined the action down low and dominated the boards. Chester was still within striking distance at the half only down 33-22; however senior guard Nick Emery (#61 – 2013) put the game out of reach leading a 9-2 run for Lone Peak. Emery continued to knock down shots and went for 16 2^nd half points as Lone Peak led 59-36 after the 3^rd quarter and 73-50 at the end. Both Haws and Emery scored 23 points for Lone Peak while Chester was led by Arizona commit, Rondae Jefferson (#17 – 2013). Jefferson’s strong performance was not enough to keep his teams win streak going. Chester pressed the entire game and apparently did not get the memo from Proviso East (IL) that it is futile to press this Utah squad. Next up for Lone Peak is the number 12^th ranked team in the country, Southwind (TN).

Player of the Day:

Andrew Wiggins (#1 – 2013)

Wiggins started the day off taking pictures with Dickie V during lay-up lines and finished the day with 31 points on 15-22 shooting. Wiggins came out of the gate a bit slow going 2-5 in the first quarter for 4 points, but picked it up in the 2^nd quarter where he went 4-5 for 9 points. He showed off his ridiculous hops with a two handed alley oop and his head at the rim to get the crowd off its feet and added in a three for good measure. Wiggins also guarded 6’7” Justin Jackson (#16 – 2014) and made his life miserable in the first quarter. In the second half, Wiggins showed why he is the future number 1 pick in the 2014 draft by going 9-10. All 10 of his shots came within a few feet of the basket either on powerful two-hand dunks or strong forays to the basket. Wiggins dominated the game on both sides of the ball and helped his team to a 77-50 victory.

Wiggins Domination 

Other Notes: 

·         Paul VI (#16) suffered an upset loss in Day 2 of the tournament and needed a last second free throw to defeat an injury riddled Prestonwood squad. Despite having a double digit deficit primarily the entire game, PG Marquan Botley led the Lions back and scored 5 points in the last minute before Paul VI won on a free throw.

·         Jonathon Williams III (#37 – 2013) and Jujuan Johnson (#64 – 2013) combined for 48 points in a blowout win against Lake Wales, FL.      
  Jujuan Johnson

·         Kiski defeated Brewster Academy and Tilton in the New England Prep School Showcase, but met their match in Arlington County Day (FL). Breakout star Rashad Richardson, who had 30 against Brewster went 2-15 for 5 points.     

·         Malik Newmann (#3 – 2015) was in foul trouble for most of the game but still scored 12 points to lead his Callaway team to a 47-44 win.

·         Day 4 of the City of Palms tournament features a Lone Peak vs. Southwind semi-final followed by a Montverde vs. Long Beach Poly semi-final.

Cliff Alexander: Inside Look

Cliff Alexander, a 6-8 junior big man from Chicago dominated his competition during the June summer camps and rose quickly up the national rankings. After winning the MVP at the Pangos All-American Camp and performing strongly during the NBPA Camp, Alexander went from a top 20 player to a top 5 player in the blink of an eye. An ankle injury in late June derailed all of Alexander’s July AAU season with Team Rose which also caused him to fall briefly out of the bright spotlight surrounding him. As his junior season gets underway, Alexander will look to boost his ranking while attempting to lead Curie to a Chicago Public league championship.

Despite starting the year with 0-3, Alexander began the season with 26 points and 10 rebounds against Oak Hill and a near triple double in a local match-up against Homewood-Flossmoor watched by Tom Izzo. In this 42-40 loss, Alexander missed a game tying lay-up with 2 seconds left that rolled in and out but despite the miss his final stat line came out to 9 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 blocked shots. 

Strengths

Alexander is well-known for his athletic ability and ferocity on the boards. These strengths were on full display in the night cap of the D Rose Classic. There might not be a high school player that passes “the look” test more than Cliff Alexander. Along with being an elite athlete at 6’8,” Alexander also owns a 7’2” wing span. These features alone will have NBA personnel such as Chad Ford projecting Alexander as a top lottery pick in the 2015 draft. 

In the first half against Homewood-Flossmoor, Alexander accumulated 5 rebounds and 3 blocked shots while in the second half he added to that with another 7 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. A 2-3 zone limited his offensive touches in the paint, but Alexander attacked the glass which resulted in several offensive rebounds. On the defensive end Alexander did not rely on his athletic ability to corral rebounds but instead used a picture perfect box-out technique to keep the opponent off the boards. Several of these rebounds elicited “ooohs” from the crowd with how high he got. Alexander also dominated the paint with nine blocked shots with several coming as he baited the offensive player into putting up a shot before slapping it off the glass. 

Running the floor along with offensive rebounds directly led to all of Alexander’s points throughout the game. The Curie guards struggled to look inside while Homewood-Flossmoor routinely kept two players surrounding Alexander all game. 

Improvement Areas:

Touches around the basket were sparse during the game and Alexander did not attempt a shot outside of four feet. As the competition gets stiffer, Alexander will need to show off an improved post game with one or two go to moves along with a reliable 5-12 foot jump shot. Unfortunately, this chance did not exist with defenders swarming Alexander before he got the ball and routinely double, triple, and even quadruple teaming him when he did receive the ball. While he established strong post position in the 4^th quarter, it will be necessary to establish this position throughout the game. A common refrain heard from the stands during Cliff’s AAU and high school games is “GIVE IT TO THE BIG MAN.” In order for this to happen, Alexander will need to fight for position all game and not just in spurts. Another area of improvement is free throw shooting. Alexander went 1-5 from the line including two crucial misses in the last minute. He did display solid form, but improvement will only come through repetition and confidence. 

Overall:

Athletically speaking, Cliff Alexander has no equals in the high school game amongst big men. Despite only being a junior, Alexander already resembles a young Deandre Jordan in both look and game. Alexander already established that he could compete with anyone in the country, but in order to tap into his immense potential he will need to continue developing his offensive game with a go-to post move and a short outside jump shot. While these things can be improved through hard work, Alexander already possesses the intangibles that NBA teams will covet in June 2015.