HoopHall: Ball shines again

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- UCLA-bound senior point guard Lonzo Ball had a near epic triple-double while leading his two younger brothers, LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball, and Chino Hills to a nationally televised win Oon the final day of the 2016 HoopHall Classic.

Undefeated on the season and holding title belts from two major national events in the City of Palms and Maxpreps Holiday Invitational, Chino Hills (Calif.) entered the HoopHall as the top ranked team in the country. By the time five-star point guard Lonzo Ball had finished leading the Huskies running and gunning, they had racked up another impressive win while thrilling the crowd to a 100-75 win over Kentucky-bound five-star big man Bam Adebayo and High Point (N.C.) Christian.

On ESPNU, the eldest Ball showed the entire country why he is one of the most unique point guard prospects to come along in some time. Directing what could best be described as a high school hoops version of the Fun-and-Gun, the 6-foot-5 point guard leads his team and himself to video game-type numbers on a regular basis. Whether it’s saving a ball falling out of bounds and tossing it 80 feet with the flick of a wrist, he’s must- watch television. On the day, Ball finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 18 assists, four steals and three blocks. Already ranked No. 8 in 2016, he is deserving of a spot in the national top five.

Far from a one man show, Ball’s youngest brother Lamelo Ball (a freshman) chipped in with 21 points. Junior brother LiAngelo Ball -- who like Lonzo and LaMelo is committed to UCLA -- had 29 points (10-29 FG, 7-19 3PT), seven rebounds and five assists as well. Finally, keep an eye out for Chino Hills freshman power forward Onyeka Okongwu. Pushing 6-foot-9, he’s athletic, can run the floor and has terrific instincts. He was good for 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.

His team ended up getting beaten pretty soundly and his teammates had trouble getting him the ball, but Adebayo was impressive in the loss. The No. 7 ranked player in 2016, the physically imposing 240-pounder and jumping jack around the rim was dominant on the glass, clearing 18 rebounds to go along with 13 points (5-10 FG).

Duke-bound Jayson Tatum showed off his entire scoring arsenal full of mid-range jumpers, stepbacks and strong drives while scoring 40 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Unfortunately for the No. 3 ranked player in the class of 2016, it wasn’t enough to take out Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha and five-star guard Markelle Fultz as Tatum and St. Louis (Mo.) Chaminade fell 72-69 in an overtime thriller.

Ticketed for Washington and playing almost the entire game as a point guard, Fultz struggled a little bit with his jumper. What sets the 6-foot-4 senior apart from some other high school stars is that he never panicked and instead of forcing things, he turned to his teammates and got them involved until his offense came around. His unselfishness and trust in his teammates was never more evident than on the final play of regulation. Trailing by two, Fultz lost control of his dribble on the right side of the floor and rather than forcing up a hero shot after getting the ball back, he calmly passed to teammate Kellon Taylor who took a dribble and hit a floater at the buzzer to force overtime. Fultz finished with 20 points, five rebounds and five steals.

Prior to fouling out, DeMatha’s five-star junior wing D.J. Harvey was also impressive in stretches scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Harvey mentioned Duke and Arizona as standing out in his recruitment.

John Calipari came to watch Bentonville (Ark.) High’s shooting guard and Kentucky commit Malik Monk. An explosive 6-foot-4 athlete, Monk thrilled the crowd late with a few soaring jams to finish with 22 points (7-17 FG, 0-7 3 PT), eight rebounds and six assists in a 72-50 loss to Jersey City (N.J.) St. Anthony. However, he struggled mightily with his jumper and most of his scoring came late when the outcome of the game was already decided.

Directed by legendary coach Bob Hurley, the St. Anthony defensive game plan was to harass Monk everywhere he went and it worked to perfection. Rivals150 combo guard Jagan Mosely played physical defense, dished out seven assists and scored 14 points. He looks like a future upperclassman leader for Georgetown. Hitting early and often from three-point land, junior guard R.J. Cole hit five deep balls and scored a game-high 23 points. Eastern Kentucky-bound Asante Gist also helped out on Monk and scored 13 points of his own.

Montverde (Fla.) Academy sophomore power forward Simisola Shittu again backed up his top 10 status in the class of 2018, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a win over Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon. Ohio State-bound senior teammate Micah Potter played the best we have ever seen him play, hitting jumpers and scoring inside for 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Sierra Canyon’s star junior power forward Cody Riley was outstanding in defeat. Against Montverde’s five 6-foot-8 or taller big men, the 6-foot-7 bruiser stood tall, scoring 25 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.

Saturday night, Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill beat Sierra Canyon on a buzzer-beater to win the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo. On Monday in Springfield, Mass. they put a 74-55 beating on Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei. Leading the way was Alabama-bound combo forward Braxton Key, who played a flawless all-around game, scoring 16 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, dishing out three assists and blocking three shots. Creighton-bound four-star shooting guard Ty-Shon Alexander showed off his dangerous jump shooting, hitting four threes and scoring 14.