November 27, 2011
The Fifth Annual NorCal Tip-Off Classic at Newark Memorial High School tipped off the high school basketball season in Northern California. Here are the game results plus the players of the game as determined by the media:
Game 1: Freedom, 73, Rodriguez 56
Player of the Game: Jelani Hardaway, Freedom
Freedom cruised in the opening game. The Falcons were up 22-11 at the end of one, 40-19 at the half, 54-40 at the end of the third, and prevailed 73-56 for the final.
Rodriguez
Rae Jackson is athletic and plays at a different gear. If he can harness his energy, then the junior could bring his game to a whole new level. Jackson had 11 points for the Mustangs.
As a team, the Mustangs need to slow down their pace as they played out of control. They can probably outrun less talented teams but will have trouble playing against teams who play defense and play with discipline. Jackson will be the focal point on offense but will be most effective as a distributor than a scorer.
Freedom
Elliott Smith came out strong in his first varsity game. Smith plays taller than his size as he led his team with 6 rebounds and was not afraid of contact as he scored 14 points. The sophomore projects to be a post player who has good face to the basket ability.
Jelani Hardaway is a quick guard with shiftiness. He led all scores with 21 points. He will provide the senior leadership for a young Falcon team.
As a team, the Falcons have good perimeter players. With Smith as an effective post presence, Freedom has a potent team. The Falcons look to be clicking after the first game of the season
Game 2: Jesuit 83, Dublin 74
Player of the Game: Bryce Pressley, Jesuit
As with game 1, game 2 followed the same script as Jesuit was ahead at the end of each quarter. The Maruaders were up 22-17 at the end of one, 43-27 at the half, 63-47 after three, and 83-74 at the end.
Dublin
Joe Mcglaston can play above the rim with ease. He projects as an explosive wing as he had 17 points in the loss. The junior has another gear as he can run faster and jump higher than his primary defender.
Devin Koeplin is a craft left handed point guard. The junior hit some contested three point shots and was able to break down his defender as he totaled 12 points. At 5-foot-8, his height will be his primary factor in terms of his recruiting.
The Gaels have talented pieces but did not seem to have a team effort in their first game. They have multiple offensive pieces and have 6-foot-8 Eric Nielson to man the post. Dublin will present matchup problems for their opponents.
Jesuit
Parker Uu showed his versatility by guarding the opposing team's defender who had a significant height advanatage. The senior could score inside or outside as he had 20 points that included 2 three-point shots. He is listed as a forward but will likely be a guard in college.
Kurt Parker is a 5-foot-11 guard who scored 22 points in an efficient manner by only taking 9 total field goal attempts. He was relentless in going to the basket as he had 10 free throw attempts.
The Marauders are a senior laden team that is already showing strong cohesion and teamwork. Aside from the interior size and a true post presence, Jesuit has few obvious deficiencies. They will be a favorite in the Delta River League.
Game 3: Pleasant Grove 62, St. Patrick-St. Vincent 49
Player of the Game: Matt Hayes, Pleasant Grove
The theme continued in game 3 as Pleasant Grove coasted to a victory a they were up 19-2 after one, 38-11 at the half, 51-34 after three, and pulled off the pedal with a 62-49 final.
St. Patrick St. Vincent
Jalen Canty will be a physical force as he had 8 points and 15 rebounds. The sophomore is still raw as he needs to improve on finishing in the paint but has the size to be mistaken as a linebacker. At 6-foot-6, Canty will have no trouble over-powering opposing defenders in the paint.
The Bruins looked sluggish as they were settling for individual perimeter shots and did not score until the 1:00 minute mark in the first quarter for their lone basket. The team looked much better when they went inside to Canty or took the ball to the basket.
Pleasant Grove
Malik Thames has a really smooth and polished game as junior. He was fluid in the way that he took the ball to the basket or how he elevated for his jump shot. The younger brother of San Diego State Aztec, Xavier, Thames projects to be a shooting guard in college. He has a respectable perimeter game but his ability to contort his way into the paint for shots was impressive as he had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Matt Hayes is a good spot up perimeter shooter as he had 20 points that included 3 three-point shots. He will be able to spread the court for his teammates. The junior also played solid perimeter defense.
Colfax Nordquist played a solid game as a forward at 6-foot-3. With an undersized team, the junior will have to continue with his physical play and rebounding. He had 8 points and 7 rebounds in the victory.
With football season still in session, this team was not expected to be so crisp and coordinated. When they do get their football players, such as Cody Demps, this team may be the dark horse in the Delta River League.
Game 4: Vallejo 65, El Cerrito 63
Player of the Game: Tajai Johnson, Vallejo
Game 4 was on pace to continue the trends of the first three games as El Cerrito lead 21-14 after one, 36-28 at the half, and 52-44 at the end of three. With over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Gauchos had a 13-point lead but ended up losing 65-63 to Vallejo.
El Cerrito
Jaise Griffey is an intriguing sophomore as a 6-foot-4 forward. He plays comfortably in the post and can be a high producer of rebounds and post points if he gets taller by the time he is a senior. In this game, he had 12 points and 9 rebounds.
The Gauchos are a high-energy team with a plethora of quick guards. With no seasoned post experience, they will have to out run and out hustle opponents. In this game, the lack of size seemed to prevent them from grabbing key rebounds in the end.
Vallejo
Larry Wickett will help with the backcourt. The senior provides versatile scoring and solid perimeter defense. He had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists to provide some balance.
Jabbar Brown is a freshman guard at 6-foot-2. He had 5 points and 5 rebounds but projects to be a really solid perimeter player.
The Apaches are scrappy and did not despair when they were down by 13 points in the fourth quarter. The team is not going to win with size but with hustle as everyone crashed the boards and hustle to the floor for loose possessions.
Game 5: Berkeley 64, Weston Ranch 62
Player of the Game: Langston Morris-Walker, Berkeley
The fifth game broke the trend, as it was a back and forth battle between Berkeley and Weston Ranch. Berkeley was up 15-13 after one, Weston Ranch was ahead 28-27 at the half, Berkeley took the lead 43-42 at the end of three, and Berkeley prevailed 64-62 in the end.
Berkeley
Henry Cornelious will provide much needed size for Berkeley. The 6-foot-5 junior had 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks. He showed good energy in rebounding and defense while still hustling up and down the court.
Justyce Key is another junior who will have to contribute at the guard position. He had 5 points and 8 rebounds despite not being a big guard. The shifty junior can create his own shot or break down opposing defenders on the dribble.
Berkeley is again without a true center or even a true power forward by historical standards. But the team is similar to last year's in that it showed hustle and relentlessness. Coach Damion McNeil concurs that this team probably has more depth than last year's version.
Weston Ranch
Zerrion Payton is a good floor general for his Cougars. The lefty point guard is agile and breaks down presses well as he resembles former Georgia Tech star Kenny Anderson.
The Cougars will be an entertaining bunch to watch as everyone can run up and down and are athletic. The team let this game get away as they had multiple chances at the end to extend the lead or to tie the game.
Game 6: Newark Memorial 74, Deer Valley 58
Player of the Game: Paramvir Singh, Newark Memorial
Newark cruised in their victory in the sixth game. The Cougars lead 21-13 after one, 41-25 at the half, 56-37 at the end of three, and ended the game with a 74-58 victory.
Deer Valley
Olajuwon Garner, Kendall Smith, and Marcus Lee will be the core for this Wolverine pack. Garner and Smith had 16 points each but were quite inefficient in attaining those numbers. Lee had foul trouble and could never get into any rhythm.
The Wolverines will be much better and create matchup problems for opposing teams. In this loss, they could never dictate the tempo or pace of the game and yielded to Newark's pressing defense.
Newark Memorial
Casey Norris and Joey Frenchwood will make up one of the better performing backcourts in the region. The two had 19 and 7 points respectively but pressed timely in creating 6 and 1 steals respectively as well.
Newark has a true and tried system that flusters opponents. The team has a rotation that probably goes nine deep as they come at opposing teams in waves on the full court press.
Game 7: Sheldon 45, McClymonds 43
Player of the Game: Armani Hampton, Sheldon
In the literal nightcap game, the seventh game was either a defensive struggle or two teams that could never find any rhythm in their play. Sheldon was up 8-3 after one, 19-18 at the half, 32-22 at the end of three, and squeezing out a 45-43 final.
Sheldon
Hampton led the Huskies with 13 points as he was not hesitant with his perimeter shot. The junior will be called upon for more scoring in the season.
Ryan Manning will be the main post presence for Sheldon as he had 9 points and 6 rebounds. The son of former Washington Huskie, Rich, Manning is a junior who will be critical in the Huskies run to repeat in league.
Jalen Hicks had 8 points but will be running the point position. The junior was instrumental in breaking the press and taking the ball to the paint.
Sheldon did not look anywhere near their preseason expectations. Dakarai Allen and D'Erryl Williams had off games as they totaled 6 points and were battling foul trouble for the entire game. However, the Huskies will take the win and try to build on this.
Mcclymonds
Seniors Dulani Robinson and Lawrence Otis had 13 and 9 points respectively. The team made 13 out of 43 field goal attempts but free throw shooting helped keep them in it.
Willie Williams and Dalvin Guy make up an imposing interior as they combined for 15 rebounds. With the impending return of senior Jamaree Strickland for the New Year, the Warriors should have the depth to win the Oakland Athletic League. But to make a deeper run in the postseason, the team will have to play more as a unit.
All Tournament Team
Jamir Andrews, Dublin - Has good size for a guard. The junior can create his own shot and can post up against smaller guards. Andrews also has a solid perimeter game as he made 3 three-point shots to lead his team with 21 points in addition to 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Andrews rally resembles former Detroit Piston Vinnie Johnson in body stature and basketball ability.
Bryce Pressley, Jesuit - Is fundamentally sound as he had 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead his team. The senior played with good composure and displayed a consistent fade away jumper. Pressley, his father played in the NBA, is listed as a forward but will have to be a guard at the college level. He played with control and always seems to let the game come to him.
Justin Johnson, El Cerrito - Had 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. But the senior will be the glue guy for his team. He does a little of everything. With the team up by 13 points in the fourth quarter, Johnson was taken out of the game. When he returned, the Gauchos were only up by 2 points and had lost the momentum and ended up losing the game. Expect Johnson to be on the court till the end to help finish games.
Tajai Johnson, Vallejo - Will be a good barometer for his team's success. If he plays an efficient game, then expect his team to win and vice versa. He had 26 points and 6 rebounds in the win. But he came up big in closing the double digit deficit and was central in taking key shots, picking up crucial rebounds, or making the right pass.
Langston Morris-Walker, Berkeley - Will be the focus of opposing teams and for good reason. In the victory, he had 18 points and 19 rebounds. Once again, Morris-Walker will be expected to play a big role in the paint for his team.
Daiveon Leverett, Weston Ranch - Plays above the rim with ease at 6-foot-7. The left hander is a back to the basket forward but is absolutely agile and nimble. The junior needs to improve on finishing as he missed a few dunk attempts. Despite those misses, he still scored 17 points on 10 field goal attempts and also had 10 rebounds.
Dylan Alexander, Weston Ranch - Is one of the more thorough offensive players in the region. The junior could pull up with ease at the perimeter or break down defenders on the dribble. He also has a nifty turnaround, fade away jumper. He has that Florida Gator Mike Miller feel in the way that he plays but is deceptively quick.
Paramvir Singh, Newark Memorial - A senior forward at 6-foot-3 who is projected to be a DII or JUCO prospect. He had a monster game with 17 points and 18 rebounds but flustered the opposing Deer Valley interior. Singh plays in a Newark system where he knows what his strengths are and plays to them. In the right college system, his hustle and determination could be of some value.
Observations and Musings
Free throw shooting was overall really bad. Dublin though had an impressive 21 out of 23 in their attempts but still lost their game. Contrary to expectations of what usually happens with bad free throw shooting, Sheldon on the flip side was 8 out of 23 in their attempts but they somehow pulled out their game.
Jesuit and Newark Memorial are really complete teams. If they play consistently like their first game, they will be difficult to beat. For Jesuit's opponents, it will be pick your poison in terms of whom you want to defend. For Newark Memorial, opposing teams would be wise to break the full court press by staying in the middle of the court and to have someone flash to the top of the key to help break the press.
Sheldon, Mcclymonds, and Deer Valley probably did not have their best day. Each was a preseason favorite for their respective league. Mcclymonds and Deer Valley will probably still be the league favorites.
Pleasant Grove is ahead of schedule. This team was missing their football teammate size, but that did not seem to matter. Jesuit looks to be the top of their league while Sheldon will need a more convincing performance. But league play is months away and much can change till then.
Freedom has some good pieces. They probably do not have the size nor experience to challenge Deer Valley in their league yet.
Weston Ranch is in Stockton and is somewhat remote from San Francisco. But it would be a shocker if this team did not make a deeper run in the postseason this year. The Cougars create multiple matchup problems for opposing teams.
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