10 Best: Nor Cal Tip Off Classic
The Twelfth Annual Nor Cal Tip Off Classic took place Saturday November 24, at Newark Memorial High School in Newark Ca. This annual event kicks off high school basketball in Nor Cal. There were eight games played and most of these teams and it’s top players are expected to be playing in the post season. Here is my 10 best performance list.
MVP. Je’Lani Clark. The 6’3 guard prospect from Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco)
Demonstrated he can be a dynamic athletic scorer. He consistently beat his defender. He was able to play hard and through contact on his way to the basket and drawing the foul to complete the old fashioned 3 point play. He finished with the highest individual scoring of the day. He was 10/25 fg and 11/13 ft to finish with 31 points and 6 rebounds.
Best Offensive Performance. Elijah Alonso. A 6’2 junior guard from Dublin High (Dublin Ca.)
He was on fire the first half going 6/6 from the perimeter and finished the game converting 8/10 fgs and 5/6 from the 3 point area finishing his scoring with 24 points. Elijah displayed excellent shooting range with good form.
Best Back Court. Brett Thompson 5’10 senior and Brah’jon Thompson 5’10 junior James Logan High School.
Both guards are exceptional perimeter defenders, they apply full court pressure, move with a quickness laterally and very seldom does their man get past them, they communicate with other. Offensively they take turn facilitating from the one guard spot, both are fearless when attacking, both have mid range to 3 point capabilities. They combined for 32 points and 4 stls on this day.
Best Player Off The Bench. Monty Bowser, 6’5 junior forward. Bishop O’Dowd High School (Oakland Ca.)
Monty came off the bench to help his team to victory against a good Grant team from Sacramento Ca. He was 6/11 in fgs, 4/5 in 3pts fgs, he scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and made big shots when his team needed to score.
Biggest Surprise. Oscar Chang 6’8 junior forward. Sacred Heart Cathedral High School ( San Francisco)
No one expected this kind of performance from Oscar. He was chosen as the MOP of the game. The junior forward tallied 19 points with 8 rebounds. He displayed good footwork to finish shots around the basket and had several nice put backs to lead his team to victory.
Best Defender. Brett Thompson, 5’11 senior point guard from James Logan (Union City Ca.)
A tenacious defender with exceptional lateral quickness. Brett causes a lot of disruption to the other teams offense and it’s primary ball handler by the way he defends. He is also a pretty good offensive threat scoring 24 point with 4 rebounds.
Best Rebounder. Dishon Jackson, 6’10 junior forward. St. Patrick – St. Vincent (Vallejo Ca.)
One of Nor Cals top ranked big men dominated the post area grabbing 18 rebounds, blocking 8 shots and forcing missed shots. He also finished with 20 points.
Best Freshman Performance. 6’3 Devon Day. Modesto Christian
Devin made his varsity debut on a big stage. I’ve always been impressed with freshman who show no fear, don’t worry about making mistakes, and play for the reasons they were brought up. With MC down and on the verge of letting the game get away Devin came in and knocked down a couple of huge 3 point shots to get his team back in the game. He finished the day 4/8 from 3 point land.
The Best Prospect. Marcus Bagley III, 6’8 guard/forward. Sheldon (Sacramento Ca.)
Demonstrated why he’s the top prospect in Nor Cal. Strong looking body, moves well for a player his size, has good handles, willing to make passes to open teammates, has range from the 3. Scored 19 points to go with 7 rebounds.
Don’t Sleep on Newark Memorial High School.
The host team seems ready to challenge for a spot at the top in league play the year, with good coaching and this group of players. Coach Ashmore always gets the most out of his players. Isaiah Cabrera, 5’11 senior guard scored 29 points. 6’3 senior Jeylen Slaton a strong body, provides intensity, inside scoring. He contributed 19 points, 7 rebounds. Endigo Coleman a 6’3 senior, a solid defender, a good slasher. Sophomore Chance Carlton a 5’9 point guard provided stability at the top. He ran the offense, played good man defense and had 0 turnovers.