Big Man Battle Part 3: Preview

Okafor vs. Cliff in 2013 - Chicago Sun Times

The most anticipated match-up of the high school season is finally here. On Friday night two of the top players in the country will face-off for Chicago bragging rights. 6’10” Jahlil Okafor of Whitney Young and 6’8” Cliff Alexander of Curie are set to do battle in the Chicago Public League Championship. The two five-star prospects have been on a collision course since Day 1 of their senior seasons when both put on dominating performances at the Chicago Elite Classic and finally get to go head to head.

Curie is currently the No. 1 ranked team in the state of Illinois while Whitney Young is right behind them at No. 2. Curie is ranked No. 3 in the country by MaxPreps while Whitney Young is ranked No. 15. Both teams have a recent history with the Chicago Public League championship game. In 2012 Curie made it to the city championship where they lost to a Jabari Parker led Simeon squad and last year Whitney Young took home the championship. Both teams were favored to make it this far in 2014, but they both had close calls in the quarterfinals and then again in the semi-finals. Curie defeated Hyde Park in a squeaker 58-56 while Whitney Young needed a massive comeback to top Orr 55-53. The top two teams in the city get to meet up for the first time this year; however all eyes will be on the men in middle. 

Up until the past few months Cliff Alexander always lived in the shadow of Jahlil Okafor. Earlier in their high school careers, Okafor was always regarded as a Top 5 player while Alexander lagged behind in the low teens. As a junior Alexander started to close the gap, but it was Okafor who put together a dominant junior campaign that earned him honors as the top player in the country. Okafor played on the Nike EYBL AAU circuit while Alexander toiled in relative obscurity playing for the D Rose All-Stars before they teamed up this past summer. Even when it came time to make a college decision, Alexander got second billing and had his announcement bumped in order to highlight Okafor’s announcement on ESPNU. Now as a senior, Alexander is attempting to surpass his talented classmate and could do so with a strong performance Friday night.

Senior Season Comparison:

Alexander and Okafor have put together outstanding senior campaigns; however Alexander has been outright transcendent at all times. He started the season off with a 22 point, 20 rebound, and five block performance against Bishop Gorman which featured two five-star junior big men in Stephen Zimmerman and Chase Jeter who were rendered useless. Alexander used this game to jump start a string of impressive double-double efforts that always included rim-rattling dunks and monster blocks. He got to show off his dominance to the nation in January at the HoopHall Classic when he led a come from behind victory over the then No. 1 ranked Montverde. In this game he went for 30 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks. 

While Alexander’s been busy putting up ridiculous stat lines and highlight reel jams, Okafor has quietly gone about his business. After dominating play his junior year while winning the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year award over Parker, Okafor has been forced to deal with constant double and triple teams in addition to frequent foul trouble. Despite the extra attention, Okafor has certainly shown why many consider him to be the top player in the county. In the City of Palms third place game Okafor shot 8-9 from the field and tallied 22 points and 23 rebounds. In the Les Schwab Invitational over the Christmas holidays he averaged 31 points and 12.5 rebounds. 

Past Match-Ups:

Okafor and Alexander have faced off before. The first time came in a regular season game when both were sophomores and then last year the two faced off in the Argo semi-final sectionals. Both games could be considered a draw in terms of head to head match-ups while Alexander’s team won the first game it was Whitney Young who won last year. In their sophomore match-up Alexander put up 10 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks while battling foul trouble. Okafor scored nine points to go along with eight rebounds with all four baskets coming right at the rim. As juniors it was Okafor who got in foul trouble early and finished with 13 points to Alexander’s 14. In both games, Curie played a majority of zone defense which only allowed for brief moments over mano y mano action. Guard play was a key in both victories as the two big men basically cancelled each other out. In 2012, it was the Curie guards who stepped up, while in 2013 it was future Hoya, L.J. Peak who led the way with 23 points.

THE MATCH-UP:

The two players are a contrast in styles. Okafor is a true big man with a well refined arsenal in the post. With huge hands and a powerful body, he loves to overpower people down low. Okafor is able to hold the ball out like a tennis ball before backing his defender down for a bucket. He loves to catch the ball on the right block and take one to two dribbles before utilizing a left to right spin move. The advantage goes to Okafor when it comes to low post moves, but Alexander shines in other departments. Alexander, with his broad shoulders and long stride is a freak of an athlete. He runs the floor hard and fast and attempts to rip the rim down every chance he gets. He attacks the glass hard and is relentless pursuing the ball. He is a monster in the paint on the defensive end and tries to block every shot he sees, usually with great success. His low post game is not nearly as refined as Okafor’s (although its steadily improving) but he does like to shoot a right handed hook when he isn’t busy dunking on helpless defenders.

Okafor and Alexander are both once in a generation type players and they get to go against each other with city bragging rights on the line. What could be better than that? While the individual match-up will get the hype, if the past two years has taught us anything it’s that the match-up will most likely be dead even. That means someone other than the five-star big men will need to step up to help decide the outcome. The most likely candidate would be Whitney Young’s Paul White. The future Georgetown Hoya is a 6’8” match-up nightmare but has been slowed by a leg injury this past week. With White not 100 percent, it could be Curie junior guard Josh Stamps that could provide the deciding edge. 

Chicago has been the king of high school basketball over the past few years. Three years ago it was Chicago native Anthony Davis, who came out of nowhere to become the top player in the class of 2011. He subsequently led Kentucky to a national championship in 2012 and then became the No. 1 draft pick soon thereafter. After Davis, it was Sports Illustrated cover boy Jabari Parker who won four straight Illinois state titles with Simeon and is now making his own run at the No. 1 draft slot. Now it is the two big men, Okafor and Alexander who are kings of the city. As two of the top players in their class they both have the city buzzing about this being the biggest individual match-up in city history. No matter how the game turns out, the big men battle part III will be a treat to witness. 

2012 Match-Up
2013 Match-Up