Hoophall West: Five-star Amari Bailey, Sierra Canyon lead parade of stars

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Fans started lining up hours in advance for Saturday's evening session at the Hoophall West and five-star Amari Bailey and Sierra Canyon made sure what would be a standing room only crowd didn't go home disappointed.

Bailey was just one of many big time prospects who brought it on Saturday.

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The hottest ticket in high school basketball is Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon as freshman LeBron James Jr. and senior Zaire Wade (out with injury) draw in the casual fan. But, Sierra Canyon is crazy loaded with five-star Kentucky bound senior B.J. Boston, top 10 senior Ziaire Williams (who will become eligible in January after sitting due to a transfer ruling), Rivals150 TCU bound big man Terren Frank and more.

On Saturday night, it was five-star sophomore Amari Bailey who made sure that the loaded crew gave the crowd what they wanted in a fun game against Goodyear (Ariz.) Millenium. Before Sierra Canyon eventually wore them down, it was Bailey's energy that carried his team.

A big time athlete who is explosive in the open floor, Bailey got to his spots, was tough on defense and was most impressive with his passing. He's got great vision and showed it off while racking up 18 points, six assists and five rebounds. Even though he's a sophomore, Bailey has already been committed to DePaul and UCLA but is now open with attention from all the West Coast and local schools plus Illinois, Kansas, Michigan and many more.

Leading the way as a scorer for Sierra Canyon was Boston who actually came off of the bench to score 22 points and grab four rebounds. The team gets him lots of open jump shots and he's been knocking them down. As for Bronny James, he certainly had a few bright spots. He connected with Boston from about halfcourt on a big time lob pass, swished a corner three and sent the crowd into a frenzy by finishing a lob with a dunk of his own.

Mark down 2021's top ranked shooting guard Jaden Hardy as the early leader for top performance of the winter. The 6-foot-4 junior at Henderson (Nev.) Coronado was unreal in every aspect of the game has he put together an epic 40 point, 12 assist and nine rebound effort.

Ranked No. 9 overall in the junior class, Hardy has good size and while playing point guard showed that he's got tremendous versatility and feel for the game. Seeing him score has never been a worry, but seeing that complete floor game and ability to play either backcourt spot really puts him into a new category.

Hardy's older brother Amauri Hardy plays at UNLV and Hardy said that he has taken fall visits to Arizona, UCLA and USC. Michigan and Kentucky are his most recent offers and he's got a lengthy list with no plans to narrow it down anytime soon.

.... Current No. 1 Evan Mobley was pretty good in flashes during Friday night action at the Hoophall West, on Saturday, well he was flat out dominant. The USC bound seven-footer dominated both ends of the floor in a 22 point, 17 rebound and four block effort where he showed everything he's capable of. He's smooth, he is skilled, he can face the rim and he's a big who fits easily into today's game at the highest level. His motor can still run a little hot and cold but it was a big step in the right direction to see him bark at teammates a few times for missed assignments or selfish shots.

Teammate Luke Turner also impressed. A 6-foot-6 junior, Turner is a dangerous jump shooter who doesn't miss much from deep and can play as a wing or a floor stretching four man. He's got early offers from Pepperdine and UTEP.

.... Against Sierra Canyon it was a bit of a mixed bag for top 30 ranked junior DaRon Holmes. He managed to play with tremendous energy and settle for too many jump shots at the same time during a 20 point, nine rebound, four block effort. The thin four man is bouncy, can really run and is always active. The jump shot is eventually going to be a part of his game but he gives defenders a break when he settles for it first instead of using his quickness, length and motor around the rim. He's already logged official visits to Marquette and Virginia and has seen Arizona, Arizona State and Kansas unofficially.

Fellow junior teammate Justus Jackson is one to keep an eye on. A six-foot combo guard he's got explosive athleticism and supreme confidence in his jump shot. Pepperdine, Southern Utah, Grand Canyon Pacific and some others have already offered the three-star.

.... Four-star wing Samson Ruhzentsev missed the summer due to injury but the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Hamilton Heights senior showed no rust leading a deep team with 20 points. Signed with Florida, he's got very good size, is a tremendous athlete and looks to have potential to be a big time jump shooter. We're going to be watching him closely this winter because he looks ready for a rise in the 2020 rankings. A teammate of his we are really looking forward to seeing more down the road is 6-foot-10 sophomore Felix Okpara. Okpara was relatively quiet on Saturday but he's big, has a great frame and moves pretty well for a young player his size. It's not going to be a surprise if he turns into a high major target.

.... We'll wrap things up with a few notes. We'll see much more of Gonzaga bound Julian Strawther in a few weeks but he was the event's leading scorer and we got there just as he was wrapping up a 51 point explosion. ... Kentucky bound point guard Devin Askew had some flashes for Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei but was also limited a bit by foul trouble. He's best when the game is up and down and had 14 points and seven assists in a win. ... It was a pretty tough two game go of it for Phoenix (Ariz.) Hillcrest and their loaded roster at the Hoophall West. At least on Saturday night, five-star junior Michael Foster bounced back a bit to score 24 points. ... Finally, mid majors on the East Coast and within shouting distance will want to keep close tabs on Middle Village (N.Y.) Christ the King senior Ryan Myers. He competes, has toughness and is a shot maker from deep who went for 24 in a loss to Temecula (Calif.) Rancho Christian and Evan Mobley.