The very best of the Best in the West is once again located in the Pacific Northwest.
The Press-Telegram began the Best in the West with the high school class of 1977.
And for the past few years, ballers from the Pacific Northwest have been dominating the list:
"Jon Brockman, a forward at Snohomish in Washington, started the Pacific Northwest BIW run in November of 2004.
The following November, center Spencer Hawes (Seattle Prep) - a future teammate of Brockman's at the University of Washington and, now, with the Sacramento Kings - topped the voting.
In 2006 center Kevin Love (Lake Oswego in Oregon), who was Pacific 10 Conference Player of the Year and first-team All-America during his one season at UCLA, finished atop the voting for a strong class.
Another future one-year Bruin, guard Jrue Holiday (Campbell Hall in North Hollywood), brought the honor back to Southern California.
Last November, guard Abdul Gaddy (Bellarmine in Tacoma, Washington) kick-started the Northwest run on the top spot again a few days before signing a national letter of intent with the UW.
As was the case three years ago, when Kyle Singler (South Medford in Oregon) - now a Duke junior and the preseason ACC Player of the Year - finished behind Love, Terrence Jones (this year's top vote getter and UCLA 2010 target) was immediately followed by another Northwest standout in the balloting.
Six-nine, 270-pound center Josh Smith (Kentwood in Covington, Washington) finished reasonably close to Jones in the balloting, with 356 points to Jones' 373."
"(UCLA commit) Tyler Lamb, one of three Mater Dei players selected to the first team, was third in the balloting with 330 points and six top prospect designations."
Along with Terrence Jones, Joshua Smith and Tyler Lamb, UCLA target Jordin Mayes also made the list.
Terrence Jones of Jefferson High School in Portland, Ore., was the top vote-getter int he Press-Telegram's 31st Best in the West. (Kelly Kline/Nike)
Rest of the Best can't keep up with Jones
By Frank Burlison, Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Press-Telegram
Posted: 11/07/2009 09:00:00 PM PST
Terrence Jones of Jefferson High School in Portland, Ore., was the top vote-getter int he Press-Telegram's 31st Best in the West. (Kelly Kline/Nike)The results of the balloting for the Press-Telegram's 31 st Best in the West high school basketball team were in line with a recent trend:
The very best of the Best in the West is once again located in the Pacific Northwest.
Six-foot-eight Terrence Jones of Jefferson High in Portland topped the results of the voting from among 64 coaches and scouts who cast ballots for the latest edition of the Press-Telegram's yearly survey on the best college prospects among the current crop of seniors in the western portion of the country.
The Press-Telegram began the Best in the West with the high school class of 1977.
BIW selections weren't made during the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons.
Jon Brockman, a forward at Snohomish in Washington, started the Pacific Northwest BIW run in November of 2004.
The following November, center Spencer Hawes (Seattle Prep) - a future teammate of Brockman's at the University of Washington and, now, with the Sacramento Kings - topped the voting.
In 2006 center Kevin Love (Lake Oswego in Oregon), who was Pacific 10 Conference Player of the Year and first-team All-America during his one season at UCLA, finished atop the voting for a strong class.
Another future one-year Bruin, guard Jrue Holiday (Campbell Hall in North Hollywood), brought the honor back to Southern California.
Last November, guard Abdul Gaddy (Bellarmine in Tacoma, Washington) kick-started the Northwest run on the top spot again a few days before signing a national letter of intent with the UW.
As was the case three years ago, when Kyle Singler (South Medford in Oregon) - now a Duke junior and the preseason ACC Player of the Year - finished behind Love, Terrence Jones was immediately followed by another Northwest standout in the balloting.
Six-nine, 270-pound center Josh Smith (Kentwood in Covington, Washington) finished reasonably close to Jones in the balloting, with 356 points to Jones' 373.
Voters (who filled out ballots with six teams of five selections apiece) cast 33 "best overall prospect" designations to Smith's 15.
Tyler Lamb, one of three Mater Dei players selected to the first team, was third in the balloting with 330 points and six top prospect designations.
Lamb - who is expected to sign a national letter of intent with UCLA on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA's fall signing week - is one of 10 players from Southern California who landed on the 15-member BIW first team.
Joining Jones and Smith among the five non-Southland players on the first team are Phoenix's Daniel Bejarano (North) and Royce Woolridge (Sunnyslope) - Nos. 10 and 12 in the balloting - and No. 11 Kyle Collinsworth (Provo in Utah).
Other Mater Dei first-team choices are guards Keala King (tied for fifth in the balloting) and Gary Franklin (No. 9), who are committed to Arizona State and Cal, respectively.
Two players from L.A. Price, guard Allen Crabbe (No. 4) and center Richard Solomon (No. 12), each of which is committed to Cal, are other first-team choices.
Taft (which had a 2007-08 BIW selection, Larry Drew, who is projected to start for North Carolina this season) has two first-team representatives in 6-6 Bryce Jones (tied at No. 5) and 6-8 DeAndre Daniels (No. 15).
Other first team choices are 6-8 James Johnson of Elsinore (No. 7), 6-6 Anthony Brown of Ocean View (No. 8) and 6-2 Jordin Mayes of Westchester (No. 14).
Terrence Jones, who led his high school program to consecutive state championships, solidified his status as one of the very best prospects in the national class of 2010 during his play at camps and in tournaments over the summer - including the Nike Global Challenge in Hillsboro, Oregon, in early August.
"He had the most impressive summer of any player in the West," said Joel Francisco, a Long Beach resident who covers the Western high school hoops scene for the ESPN.com Insiders.
"He made more progress from his junior season until the end of the summer than any other nationally ranked player I saw."
But, other than Terrence Jones and Smith, Francisco doesn't see this BIW class as being an exceptional one.
"It's the weakest class in memory," he said.
"Usually a great class has a lot of talented big men and quality point guards. There were no true point guards on the Best in the West first team and, other than Smith, no big men with dominant offensive games with their back to the basket."
Greg Hicks, who lives in Sherman Oaks and is the West Coast recruiting analyst for the Scout.com network, agrees with Francisco on the dearth of point guard and low-post prospects on the BIW first team.
But he points to the crop of wing-types (shooting guards and small forwards) on the first team as being "more along the kind that we see in a normal class.
"There are clearly some high-major players - guys like Tyler Lamb and Bryce Jones," he added.
Many coaches fall in line with the observations of Francisco and Hicks.
"Certainly, the two guys at the top (T. Jones and Smith) are clearly the best of the bunch and have tremendous potential," said a head coach at a Pacific 10 Conference school, who can't be indentified because NCAA rules prohibit coaches from commenting on players who haven't signed letters of intent."
"There are some pretty good wings in the group but, overall, the class isn't an exceptional one."
The quality of this class may be leading to a "trickle up" effect in terms of recruiting.
"There aren't quite as many elite players as in some of the past classes that had guys such as Kevin Love," said a head coach for a Big West Conference program.
"But there are quite a few good prospects among guys who, in other years, would be considered mid-major prospects."
That being said, "Jones and Smith would be elite players in any year."
And, in this class, no one is better.
_________
Best in the West First Team 2009-10
The Los Angeles Press-Telegram
Posted: 11/07/2009 09:10:25 PM PST
PLAYER CITY/SCHOOL POS. HT. WT. PTS.
Terrence Jones Portland, OR/Jefferson F 6-8 215 373
Joshua Smith Covington, WA/Kentwood C 6-9 270 356
Tyler Lamb Santa Ana, CA/Mater Dei G 6-5 205 330
Allen Crabbe Los Angeles, CA/Price G 6-6 185 306
Bryce Jones Woodland Hills, CA/Taft F 6-6 190 300
Keala King Santa Ana, CA/Mater Dei G 6-5 185 300
James Johnson Wildomar, CA/Elsinore F 6-8 215 288
Anthony Brown Hunt. Beach, CA/Ocean View G 6-6 180 279
Gary Franklin Santa Ana, CA/Mater Dei G 6-2 185 274
Daniel Bejarano Phoenix, AZ/North G 6-5 205 273
Kyle Collinsworth Provo, UT/Provo G 6-6 205 229
Richard Solomon Los Angeles, CA/Price C 6-9 205 202
Royce Woolridge Phoenix, AZ/Sunnyslope G 6-2 180 189
Jordin Mayes Los Angeles, CA/Westchester G 6-2 180 182
DeAndre Daniels Woodland Hills, CA/Taft F 6-8 205 171
BEST PROSPECT VOTES: (64 ballots cast) T. Jones 33, Smith 15, Lamb 6, Crabbe 4, Shelton Boykin (Long Beach, CA/Poly) 1, Johnson 1, B. Jones 1, King 1, Dwayne Polee (Los Angeles, CA/Westchester) 1 and Desmond Simmons (Richmond, CA/Salesian) 1.
___________
Best in the West bios
By Frank Burlison, Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Press-Telegram
Posted: 11/07/2009 09:01:33 PM PST
Terrence Jones
Portland, OR/Jefferson
Forward
Ht.: 6-8 Wt.: 220
Coach.: Pat Strickland
BIW totals: 373 points
High school/summer resume: The left-handed Jones led Jefferson to consecutive State 5-A championships. The Democrats, 22-1 when he was a sophomore, were 20-6 last season when he averaged 24.6 points per game and was the division's Player of the Year. He enjoyed a spectacular summer, playing very well at all of his camp stops and leading his Portland-based I-5 Elite to an unbeaten run to the championship of the national Center Stage Tournament at UNLV in July.
National rating: No. 6 (Bob Gibbons' All-Star Sports Top 25)
Summer camp/traveling team: Pangos All-America Camp; NBA Players Association Camp/I-5 Elite
Why he is rated this highly: There may not be a player his size in this national class who does as many things as well as Jones does. He handles and passes the ball about as well as many of the top point guard prospects in the country, yet he can also be ranked with the best power forward prospects nationally.
College commitment: Narrowed choices to Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oregon, UCLA and Washington
Frank says: The only thing keeping him from being a consensus Top Five prospect in the class of 2010 is the lack of a consistent deep jump shot.
Joshua Smith
Covington, WA/Kentwood
Center
Ht.: 6-9 Wt.: 270
Coach.: Michael Angelidis
BIW totals: 356 points
High school/summer resume: A first-team 4 A All-State choice for the Conquerors, Smith averaged 26.8 points (and 13.5 rebounds) per game as a junior after dropping in 21.0 as a sophomore and 14.4 as a freshman. His team has gone 19-7 in each of its past two seasons and may be ready to win a title during his final season patrolling the middle. He also was a dominant presence in the Seattle Rotary Select lineup on the traveling team circuit over the past three summers and springs.
National rating: No. 9 (Bob Gibbons' All-Star Sports Top 250)
Summer camp/traveling team: He didn't play in any major camps last summer/Seattle Rotary Select
Why he is rated this highly: Smith, who is playing his first football since middle school (at tight end and defensive end), has an exceptional pair of hands, and, despite his girth, nimble feet and quick leaping ability. He rarely ranges beyond a 15-foot radius of the basket but is capable of hitting jumpers to that range.
College commitment: Smith is expected to sign with UCLA or Washington
Frank says: If he puts in the kind of work needed to bring his weight to the 250-pound range, he will be a dominant player in college.
Tyler Lamb
Santa Ana, CA/Mater Dei
Guard
Ht.: 6-5 Wt.: 205
Coach.: Gary McKnight
BIW totals: 330 points
High school/summer resume: Lamb, prior to transferring to Mater Dei, was a two-year starter at Colony High, averaging 27.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore.
Last season he averaged 14.0 points per game for a 31-2 Mater Dei team that lost two of its final three games. He was among the top scorers at the June NBA Players Association Camp in Charlottesville, Va.
National rating: No. 86 (Bob Gibbons' All-Star Sports Top 250)
Summer camp/traveling team: NBA Players Association Camp/California Supreme
Why he is rated this highly: Lamb is the most advanced and physically dominant of the wings (big guards/small forwards) in this Best in the West class. No one in the west drives harder or posts up stronger, and he is a reliable, if not exceptional, jump shooter to the 3-point arc. He is as focused, defensively, as any prospect in this class as well and, with his strength and determination, can defend post players who are two or three inches taller.
College commitment: UCLA
Frank says: He is a player in the mold of former UCLA standouts Arron Afflalo and Josh Ship, and is likely to play that kind of role for the Bruins - maybe as soon as his freshman season.
Jordin Mayes
Los Angeles, CA/Westchester
Guard
Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 180
Coach.: Ed Azzam
BIW totals: 182 points
High school/summer resume: Mayes was an integral element in the Westchester Comets' run to L.A. City, Southern Regional and State Division I championships last spring, averaging 19.8 points. 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while earning All-L.A. City honors as the team finished 35-2. He was a key reserve as a sophomore on the club that was 27-5, losing to Fairfax in the City semifinals and Martin Luther King in the Regional second round.
National rating: No. 100 (Bob Gibbons' All-Star Sports Top 250)
Summer camp/traveling team: Pangos All-America Camp/Pump-N-Run
Why he is rated this highly: Many coaches and recruiting analysts think he is more "combo guard" than "point guard". Mayes is among the more tenacious prospects in this class, on each end of the court. He has always been a consistent jump shooting threat. And he has become a more efficient penetrator - to score or to dish to teammates - since the end of his junior season.
College commitment: Arizona and Washington State are among those under consideration.
Frank says: Regardless of the position he plays in a backcourt, he has all the ingredients needed to be a solid college guard.
For bios on some of the other ballers on The Los Angeles Press-Telegram 31 st Best in the West high school basketball team, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment