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

The Big Man Battle Part 2: Review

Juniors Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander battled it out in Part Two of the Chicago big man battle; however it was junior guard L.J. Peak who stole the show and helped lead Whitney Young to a 62-58 victory over Curie in a tight ball game. The crowd got to see the top big men in the country go at it, but it was Okafor’s talented supporting cast who stepped up in the second half to advance to the sectional finals against rival Simeon.

Game Recap:

The underdog Curie Condors started the game off as the aggressors in a 1-2-2 full court trap and active zone defense. 5’9” senior point guard Demarcus Richardson led the way for Curie from the start by using his quickness to disrupt the Whitney Young ball-handlers and drive to the basket for open lay-ups or kick outs which resulted in a 14-13 first quarter lead.

 In a quarter filled with runs, Whitney Young started with a 6-0 run to take a 19-16 lead which ended with a Miles Reynolds lay-up. This run was quickly answered by Curie as they went on their own 9-0 run highlighted by a violent Alexander tip dunk. Whitney Young cut their deficit down to two until the Stamps brothers (Joe and Josh) hit back to back threes to give Curie a 31-23 halftime lead. Curie also managed to keep Okafor scoreless for the final 13 minutes of the first half by limiting his touches in the post and swarming him with their zone defense. 

While Curie entered the half with the momentum and the crowd behind them, it was Whitney Young who turned into the aggressors in the 2^nd half. After a non-existent second quarter, Okafor started the quarter off with a quick lay-up and rim rattling dunk followed up by a Peak three-pointer to cap a 9-0 run. Starting with Whitney Young’s 9-0 run, LJ Peak took over the ball game and showed why he is considered a top 50 player in the country. After the three, Peak scored the next six points for his team on a dunk and two lay-ups coming from aggressive drives to the basket. Despite having Okafor pick up his 4^th foul with 2:23 to go in the 3^rd quarter, Whitney Young had a 42-39 lead behind Peak’s 10 points in the quarter and going to a “5-out” offense with all players surrounding the perimeter. 

In a back and forth fourth quarter affair, Whitney Young took hold of the game as Okafor re-emerged off the bench. Whitney Young went on a quick 6-0 run which began with a Peak basket, and an Ausar Madison jump shot. The last basket came off an Okafor block which ignited a fast break and ended with the big man being rewarded with a lay-up after running the court which provided a 53-48 lead. After this final surge, Whitney Young was able to knock down their free throws while holding Curie at bay. L.J. Peak was the game’s high scorer with 23 points while point guard Ausar Madison had 9 assists. 

Whitney Young will face off against Simeon in a re-match of their regular season battle shown on ESPN. Simeon won that game, but Whitney Young won the Chicago public league crown. Whitney Young will try to knock off Simeon and end their reign as the back to back to back state champion.

The Match-up:

As sophomores Okafor and Alexander scored nine and ten points respectively in a match-up that was plagued by foul trouble and guard dominated play. In their junior year match-up, Okafor went for 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while Alexander went for 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks. 

First half stats:

Okafor: 5 points, 2-3 FG’s, 1-4 FT’s

Alexander: 4 points, 2-5 FG’s

The match-up started off slow in the first half. Okafor began the game by attacking Alexander on the right block for a short basket and the foul. He then went on to record another lay-up in traffic before going scoreless the remainder of the half. Alexander added four points in the first half with one basket coming in each quarter. In the first quarter Alexander scored from the right block over Okafor and then in the second quarter he put down a rim rattling one hand put back dunk that got the crowd off its feet. 

Second half stats:

Okafor: 8 points, 4-5 FG’s

Alexander: 10 points, 3-4 FG’s. 4-6 FT’s 
 

In the second half, Curie went away from their zone defense and Alexander and Okafor were finally allowed to go mano y mano. Both players tried their best to back down the other big man in the post with limited success. Okafor picked up two quick fouls and was sent to the bench with four fouls and 2:23 to go in the third quarter. Before this, Okafor scored off a right hook and dunk down the lane to start the quarter and Young’s comeback. Alexander scored one basket in the third quarter which came off an aggressive back down on Okafor and also added in two free throws.

In the fourth quarter, Okafor added two more baskets from in close with a lay-up in traffic and a fast break lay-up which give his team a lead that wouldn’t be relinquished. Alexander had his most aggressive stint in the fourth quarter starting off with a forceful dunk while Okafor looked on from the sideline. Alexander kept calling for the ball on offense and when allowed room to make a move he was able to draw contact and get to the line. In the final minutes, Alexander caught the ball and quickly elevated in the middle of the lane for a 5 foot jump hook over Okafor for his most impressive non-dunk of the day. 

Overall:

In their second match-up, neither Okafor nor Alexander got the best of each other as both big men had solid second halves. Alexander has the athleticism while Okafor has the more refined offensive game. They took turns going at each other while showing the crowd that their premier status is well deserved. While most big guys prefer to float out to the perimeter, both Okafor and Alexander barely venture outside the paint and battled inside. In yesterday’s match-up, only one shot between the both of them came from outside the lane (Alexander missed a 12 foot jumper). Both big men also displayed a tendency to only go right upon receiving an entry pass to the post. Alexander preferred taking a few dribbles before turning for a right hand hook shot, while Okafor would routinely maneuver his way to the basket until he was comfortable shooting with his right hand.

While Alexander and Curie won the meeting last year, Okafor and Whitney Young got their revenge this year and live to play another day.

The Big Man Battle of Chicago: Part 2

Two of the top big men in the class of 2014 face off in an Illinois sectional semi-final tonight with the winner meeting Jabari Parker and Simeon one day later. In one of the most anticipated individual match-ups of the season, the number one player in the junior class in Jahlil Okafor leads his Whitney Young squad against Cliff Alexander (#5 – 2014) and Curie.

Match-up #1:

Okafor: Match-Up #1

Cliff- Match-Up #1

Despite playing in the same city, Okafor and Alexander have only squared off once in both high school and AAU.  Last year Curie defeated Whitney Young 59-47, but both of the big men were relatively quiet in a guard dominated game. Okafor put up 9 points and 8 rebounds with his baskets coming on three power dunks, a contested lay-up, and a free-throw. In the 3^rd quarter Okafor went to his patented spin move on the right block which slightly missed and turned into the last shot he attempted all game. On the other hand, Alexander finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He spent a good chunk of the game in foul trouble and scored off dunks and a contested and-one spin move on Okafor in the second half. On the defensive side, Okafor guarded Alexander straight up, while Alexander often fronted Okafor and received back side help from his teammates. 

2012-12 Season Recap:

This year Whitney Young comes into the sectional semi-finals fresh off a Chicago public league championship and sports a 26-3 overall record while being ranked #6 in the country by ESPN. Curie comes in with a 19-7 record and is currently ranked #12 by the Chicago Sun-Times. Whitney Young has been one of the most improved and impressive teams in the country while running through a nationally ranked schedule. The three losses came against Montverde (overtime), Simeon (3 points), and Orr (3 points). Besides Okafor, Whitney Young features a steady senior point guard in Ausar Madison and three other high major juniors in Paul White, L.J. Peak, and Miles Reynolds. On the other hand, Curie played most of their games within the state of Illinois and doesn’t sport the same resume as Whitney Young. Their main match-up that came on the national stage resulted in a blowout loss to Oak Hill in the first game of the season. With the addition of junior guard Joseph Stamps Curie is a much different and more dangerous team now.

Match-up #2:

While both centers hail from the same city and are mentioned in the same breath, they are two completely different players.

Jahlil Okafor (#1 – 2014)

Okafor stands 6’10, 273 lbs with a 7’3” wingspan and a pair of hands similar to former UNC big man Sean May. Okafor was named the Chicago Sun Times player of the year for his dominant junior season which has often resulted in routine double doubles.

• Go To Move: Okafor is a true post up player and loves to use his wide body to establish post position. His go to move comes when catching the ball on the right block. Okafor will take a dribble or two while backing his defender down and then utilize a quick left to right spin move for a lay-up or short shot off the glass. Defenders know the move is coming, but they still can’t keep up with the speed and power of the spin move.  

Cliff Alexander (#5 – 2014) – Alexander stands 6’8”, 240 lbs and has a 7’2” wingspan. “Big Cliff” is known for his dominant shot blocking prowess and athleticism similar to LA Clipper DeAnde Jordan which earned him a spot on the Chicago Sun Times 1^st team.

• Go To Move:Alexander has been steadily improving his offensive game throughout his junior season. He does not stray far from the paint and uses his wide wing span to establish a strong post presence. Using his athleticism, Alexander likes to turn right to shoot over his defender from the paint.

Game Time:

In the last match-up, both big men were just sophomores and did not demand the ball when the contest turned into a guard oriented game. Last year Curie brought help on defense when Okafor caught the ball, but hopefully this year both coaches let the stars face off against one another. While Okafor is now the top rated junior in the country, this match-up is one that NBA scouts will look to when analyzing Okafor’s pro prospects. While Okafor might have the higher skill level at this point in time, Alexander presents the length and athleticism that is evident on a nightly basis in the NBA. As for Alexander, he will finally get to test his improved offensive game against a player his size and caliber. Hopefully the Big Man battle of Chicago Part 2 will turn into a classic that never materialized the first time.