Cliff Alexander: The #1 in 2014

Cliff Alexander As a Sophomore

Just over one year ago in the HoopHall Classic, Chicago big man Jahlil Okafor took over the crown from his good friend Tyus Jones as the top player in the class of 2014. With a 26 point, seven rebound performance against Long Beach Poly, Okafor wrapped up an impressive two month span of impressive play which began from the opening tip of his junior year with a 34 point performance in the Chicago Elite Classic. Now, one year later, it is his Chicago counterpart in Cliff Alexander that holds the crown after a dominant 30 point, 13 rebound, and five block effort in an upset win over Montverde, the top team in the country. 

While one has to be careful not to overreact as many will certainly do after seeing Big Cliff’s latest exploits, this takeover has been coming for several months. In AAU play, Cliff Alexander joined up with Okafor and the Mac Irvin fire and finally got to play against the top talent in the country. Throughout the AAU circuit, Cliff averaged close to 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. It was supposed to be Okafor’s time to shine in his third year playing at the 17U level, but instead he suffered injuries throughout the spring before playing an integral part for the U19 gold medal USA team averaging 10.8 points per game against players several years older. This is by no means a knock on Okafor who constantly deals with double and triple teams and zone defenses night in and night out, but it is a reflection of how dominant Cliff Alexander has been as a senior.

In the winter of 2012, Alexander and Okafor, both sophomores went head to head in a regular season match-up. While Okafor was the more highly regarded player, the match-up was scored a draw as Alexander finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. A few months later in the spring and after a noteworthy sophomore season, Alexander put together a commanding display against his age group in the NY2LA Swish N’Dish. At the time Alexander was slowly rising up the rankings from the high teens to just outside the Top 10. After watching his performance I noted “ESPN currentlyhas Jahlil Okafor, another Chicago big man ranked #2 in the 2014 class; howeverI would have these players ranked #2 and #2a.” The two went at it again as juniors in the playoffs and once again the match-up was deemed a draw as Alexander went for 14 points compared to Okafor’s 13. Despite the national discrepancy, Alexander was chipping at Okafor’s heals.

Now in his senior season, it was Alexander who used the Chicago Elite Classic as a stepping stone. In a game against Bishop Gorman which featured two five-star junior big men in 6’10” Stephen Zimmerman and 6’9” Chase Jeter, Alexander went for 22 points and 20 rebounds. Needless to say the two 2015 prospects were not ready for Alexander’s power and tenacity. So far Alexander is averaging close to 27 points, 17 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game and his team is undefeated with him in the line-up. 

Alexander is an explosive athlete that loves to run the floor and with a frame similar to DeAndre Jordan he produces a plethora of rim-rattling dunks and blocks on a nightly basis. He tries to destroy the rim at every chance and is an extremely quick leaper which helps with his explosive dunks and blocked shots around the rim. There is no question that Okafor has better foot work around the basket along with a go-to spin move, but Alexander’s offensive arsenal has been improving rapidly. Against Montverde he had several spin moves on the baseline and showed off an impressive ability to find open teammates in the paint. Two weeks ago against North Chicago, Alexander pulled a nifty up and under move in the post which resulted in his only non-dunk or lay-up for the game (out of 13 made field goals). In AAU play Alexander showed off a 12 foot jump shot at times, but this is still not one of his current strengths. His game is made out of raw power and aggression; however his overall skill level is starting to catch-up and definitely on an upward trajectory.

After knocking off the number one team in the nation, Alexander’s dominance will now be talked about by more than those in the city of Chicago. By no means has Okafor’s play slipped but instead Cliff Alexander has started to emerge from his large shadow and unfortunately the two are not scheduled to match-up as seniors unless their teams meet in the playoffs. Last year Okafor used the HoopHall Classic to take the crown as the top player in 2014; however this year Big Cliff used the same tournament to topple the king and supplant himself as the #1 rated recruit in high school.

Hoophall Classic: All About Lone Peak

Lone Peak High began their national tour with an 81-46 drubbing of Proviso East (2011-12 state runner-ups in Illinois) back in December and concluded their tour with a 81-46 beatdown of the two time Division II state California champions in Archbishop Mitty.

In front of a packed house in Springfield, MA for the 2013 Hoophall Classic, the two-time defending state champions of Utah brought their A game and wowed the crowd with their pinpoint shooting and ball movement in a route to a win over top 5 senior Aaron Gordon and Co. For anyone who has seen Lone Peak play this year, it is well-known that they are led by their three headed BYU trio of guards Nick Emery and TJ Haws and big-man Eric Mika. While these three players all played up to their lofty expectations this MLK day, it was unsung starter Connor Toolson who stole the show and went 6-6 from three on his way to a team high 22 points. 

Lone Peak jumped out to an early lead as they are prone to do with their deadly three point shooting. Senior guard Nick Emery launched a deep three on the first possession and the route was on. Lone Peak jumped out to a 15-4 lead which quickly turned into a 44-20 halftime lead.

The second half was more of the same as Lone Peak showed off their athleticism and teamwork. Aaron Gordon was able to get his for Archbishop Mitty and finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds but his teammates were rendered helpless. Emery finished with 20 points for Lone Peak while Haws had 18 points and six rebounds. While Toolson stole the show today, he has been a steady first year starter all year and averaged almost 10 points per game while in three games against nationally ranked opponents in the City of Palms Classic. 

As noted above, Lone Peak has taken on all comers throughout the United States in several elite tournaments: 

Chicago Elite Classic – 12/1

Defeated Proviso East (Illinois) 81-46. Proviso East went 33-1 last year with their only loss coming in the state championship to Simeon 50-48.

Great Western Shootout – 12/7

Defeated Denver East (Colorado) 73-54. Denver East is currently ranked #1 in the 5A class of Colorado.

City of Palms Classic – 12/19 – 12/22

Defeated Callaway (Mississippi) 60-42. In the opening round of the City of Palms, Lone Peak defeated Malik Newmann who is one of the top sophomores in the country.

Defeated Chester (Pennsylvania) 73-50. Snapped Chester’s 61 game win streak with a dominant 2^nd half performance.

Defeated #16 Southwind (Tennessee) 67-52. Despite the athleticism of Jonathon Williams and Jujuan Johnson, Lone Peak used another dominant 2^nd half to advance to the championship.

Lost to #1 Montverde (Florida) 45-66. Lone Peak finally ran into a team with too many match-up problems. Kasey Hill and DeAngelo Russell kept the pressure on Emery and Haws all game, while Dakari Johnson battled with Mika down low. The Knights were within striking range for most of the 2^nd half before Montverde pulled away. While Mika and Johnson battled down low, the Knights did not have the size or strength to match-up with Devin Williams down low. 

Brandon Jennings Invitational – 1/12

Defeated Wesleyan Christian (North Carolina) 63-59. Despite not playing up to their normal high standards, Lone Peak came from behind to defeat Theo Pinson and his teammates in Milwaukee. 

Hoophall Classic – 1/21

Defeated Archbishop Mitty (California) 81-46

After this last performance, Lone Peak will now head back to Utah to defend their back to back state championships. Throughout the year, Lone Peak has been beating their Utah opponents by almost 30 points a game. Their closest game came in the first game of the year which was also happened to be a state title game re-match. In this game, Lone Peak only beat Brighton by 20 points after having beaten them by 30 points last year. Needless to say, Lone Peak should win their 3^rd state championship in dominating fashion. 

Other Notes:

·         Emery, Haws, and Mika have all signed with BYU while Talon Shumway will head to BYU on a football scholarship.

·         Lone Peak competed together on the Under Armour AAU circuit as the Utah Reign and they were competitive in all of the main tournaments they played in.

Saturday Recap - 1/19/13

Saturday’s slate of basketball games featured upsets, buzzer beaters, and blowouts. Here is a quick look back on a full day of action.

Game(s) of the Day:

College:

Butler 64 Gonzaga 63

Butler came into their much anticipated Gameday match-up with Gonzaga as 2.5 point home underdogs and also without their top player Rotnei Clarke. Butler was also down one point with 4 seconds left while Gonzaga had a half court inbounds. As Butler has proved time and time again, none of this mattered. Roosevelt Jones stole the inbounds pass and hit a floater over 7 –foot center Kelly Olynyk to win the game and set off a proper court storming. After a back and forth last minute, Butler ended up with the final shot and took advantage in a packed Hinkle Field house. Jones led the way for Butler with 20 points while Sam Dower and Elias Harris each scored 20 for the Zags.

Syracuse 70 Louisville 68

Syracuse came into their biggest game of the year in Louisville, KY without the services of James Sunderland and as 6.5 point underdogs. Syracuse held strong throughout and put together a strong final stand by holding Louisville scoreless for the final 1:58. Sophomore Michael Carter-Williams made a key steal and raced the length of the court for a rim rattling dunk with 25 seconds to give Cuse their final lead. Brandon Triche led the way for the Orange with 23 points on 9-13 shooting while Russ Smith scored 25 points for Louisville. Star guard Peyton Siva played 37 minutes but struggled mightily as he went 1-9 from the field. 

High School:

Chester (PA) 63 Gonzaga (DC) 55

Chester bounced back after suffering an upset loss in the Brandon Jennings Invitational with a strong showing against senior forward Kris Jenkins and Gonzaga. Senior forward Rondae Jefferson (Arizona) missed Chester’s loss last week but returned with a vengeance and finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, and six steals. Senior guard Darius Robinson took the game over in the final minutes and went on a person 6-0 run to put the game out of reach. On the other side, Jenkins scored a game high 23 points for Gonzaga while draining several three pointers and using his big body down low.

Upsets of the Day

College:

Utah 74 Washington 65

In one of the final games of the night, Utah pulled the biggest upset of the day. The Utes came into Seattle as 11 point underdogs and winless in the PAC-12. On the other side, Washington came into the game fresh off an easy win over Colorado and a 4-0 PAC-12 record. Washington struggled from the field and the Utes jumped on them early with a 14-4 run to start the game. The Utes led by eight points at the half and held on during a high scoring 2^nd half. Center Jason Washburn and forward Jordan Loveridge led the way for the Utes with 18 and 17 points respectively.

High School:

Paul VI (VA) Montverde (FL) 67

Montverde, the top ranked team in the country suffered a stunning loss to Paul VI in the Missouri Bass Pro Tournament of Champions only one day before their much anticipated match-up with Findlay Prep. Paul VI battled back from a 10 point deficit in the 3^rd quarter to force overtime after two free throws from sophomore Marcus Derrickson. One day after hitting a game winning jump shot against St. John Boscoe, sophomore guard Kevin Dorsey delivered again with another game winning jump shot. Both teams played in the City of Palms Classic this past December but Paul VI suffered an opening night upset loss and the teams never met up. The sophomore laden Paul VI squad has now knocked off Oak Hill Academy and Montverde.

Blowout of the Day:

College:

Florida 83 Missouri 52

The Gators gave Missouri a nice welcome to the SEC with a 31 point beat down on Saturday afternoon. Point guard Scottie Wilbekin scored off the tip and Florida never looked back starting off with an 11-0 run and a 40-23 halftime lead. Four players scored in double figures for Florida led by forward Eric Murphy and his three-point shooting. One of the top point guards in the country, Phil Pressey struggled mightily as he went 1-7 from the floor and finished with 10 turnovers. Despite two losses, Florida served notice that they should be in the conversation for top teams in the country.

High School:

Whitney Young (IL) 85 Long Beach Poly (CA)52

Long Beach Poly came in 3^rd place at the City of Palms Classic while Whitney Young placed 5^th; however the match-up yesterday was not even close. LB Poly started the game off with a 12-6 1^st quarter run and then it was all Whitney Young as they went on a quick 12-0 run to take the lead that only increased throughout. Big man Jahlil Okafor dominated inside with 26 points and seven rebounds and continued his impressive junior campaign. While Okafor led the way for Whitney Young it was the least talked about Whitney Young starter that sparked the initial run. Senior point guard Ausar Madison is often disrespected by defenders but made LB Poly pay with a 15 foot jump shot and three-pointer on back to back possessions in the first quarter. After that, the remaining Whitney Young starters in Paul White, L.J. Peak, and Miles Reynolds took over. Whitney Young’s lone defeat came to Montverde in overtime after a long day of travel in Florida and face off against the 3 time defending state champion of Illinois in Simeon next Saturday.

Other Notes:

·         The Hangover effect – Coming off big wins, both Maryland and Wisconsin suffered road defeats. Maryland got blown out in Chapel Hill from the get-go and trailed by 22 points at the half. Junior guard Reggie Bullock scored 21 points in the 1^st half and Maryland committed 15 first half turnovers. UNC only scored 18 points through the first 17 minutes of the 2^nd half, but Maryland could not capitalize. Wisconsin trailed from the get go in Ames and suffered through a 1-10 shooting performance from guard Traevon Jackson.

·         Marquette got off to a slow start at Cincinnati with 13 first half points, but almost pulled off the come from behind victory. Last week Marquette defeated Pittsburgh in overtime as 11 point underdogs and this week they lost to a hot shooting Sean Kilpatrick in overtime 71-69.

·         Florida State only scored 36 points in a twenty point defeat to UVA while shooting 1-15 from three.

·         Oregon won at Pauley Pavilion 76-67 and took possession of first place in the PAC-12 after defeating both of the Southern California schools this past weekend.