Ron Massey Fall Hoops Classic: Second Five
Norwalk, Calif. — The 2018 edition of the Ron Massey Fall Hoops Classic further cemented the event as the must-attend basketball fall tournament in Southern California.
The Dinos Trigonis-led event drew many of the Southland’s top high school programs, along with two of the best teams in the state of Nevada, for a two-day event at Cerritos College featuring an eight-team Challenge of Champions tournament along with showcase games with plenty more high-level teams and players.
Bishop Gorman out of Las Vegas defeated Torrance Bishop Montgomery, 59-57, in Sunday’s tightly contested championship game. Gaels junior shooting guard Noah Taitz scored 18 of his game-high 21 points in the first half and earned tournament MVP honors in the process.
Here is the “Second Five” lineup from the weekend:
Devin Askew, PG, Mater Dei
Askew has been handed the keys of the high-powered Monarchs vehicle and early returns have been positive. The 6-foot-3 sophomore became well-known for his dynamic scoring ability, but has made big strides as a playmaker for teammates. Askew is seeing the floor better both in transition and half-court settings and that has resulted in an increase of his assist numbers.
Mater Dei point guard Devin Askew must guide the young Monarchs’ squad this season and his performance this weekend showed the team is in good hands.Josh Vazquez, PG, Bishop Montgomery
Vazquez, a Montana-commit, missed Saturday’s win over Coronado while on a visit to his future home, but returned tp help lead the Knights into the championship game. The 6-foot-3 senior is as poised and crafty as they come at the position and is always making timely plays whether it’s with a jump shot or high IQ basketball play off-the-dribble. Vazquez scored 16 points in a two-point loss to Bishop Gorman
Jaylen Clark, SF, Corona Centennial
Clark said he has been working on his 3-point shooting and he didn’t disappoint. The 6-foot-4 wing helped lead Corona Centennial to the consolation championship by filling it up from behind-the-arc. Clark hit a clutch 3-pointer at the end of regulation against Harvard-Westlake, sending the game into overtime where the Huskies pulled away and advanced to the consolation championship where they defeated Coronado.
Isaiah Mobley, PF, Rancho Christian
Isaiah Mobley had his hands in just about every stat category as Rancho Christian earned a third-place finish on the weekend. The 6-foot-9 forward made his biggest impact when exposing mismatches on the block with the continuous evolution of his post game. Mobley’s court awareness in both face-up and back-to-the-basket situations makes him, and the Eagles as a team, difficult to guard.
Evan Mobley, PF, Rancho Christian
The Rancho Christian guards had a hard time feeding Evan Mobley the ball in the Eagles first game of the event, but the 6-foot-11 junior got his fair share of paint touches (and dunks) as the weekend went on. Even when the younger Mobley isn’t getting the rock in good scoring position, he’s still making a huge impact on the defensive end, changing and/or blocking just about every shot in the paint by the opponent.