HoopHall West HS Invitational at Chaparral HS (Scottsdale AZ) wrapped-up its final day of action last Saturday (December 7th) as the Sierra Canyon show came to Arizona, paparazzi and TMZ crowd in tow. Sierra Canyon’s Amari Bailey, BJ Boston and Terren Frank proved to be a formidable trio against Millennium (Goodyear AZ) and its star junior forward Da’Ron Holmes. Gonzaga-bound Julian Strawther set a HoopHall West single-game scoring record with a 51 point explosion, Evan Mobley and Jaden Hardy produced memorable encore performances and Tyrelle Hunt had a perfect day from both the field (14/14) and free-throw line (6/6).
Here is a look at several of the day’s standouts:
Amari Bailey 6’6” 2022 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth (CA)
Athletic and multi-dimensional young guard with size was instrumental in keeping an energetic Millennium/AZ squad at bay and helping spark Fab 50 #6 Sierra Canyon to a 76-66 win. Bailey’s 18 points/6 assists displayed his skill versatility and were key in the W. Amari played a lot on the ball for SC here and was impressive from a ballhandling and decision-making standpoint. Top 10 national soph recruit de-committed from UCLA last summer.
BJ Boston 6’7” 2020 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth (CA)
Silky-smooth Kentucky-bound swingman came off the bench in SC’s game versus Millennium and wasted no time in making an impact. Whether slashing and finishing above the rim or pulling up from distance, the result was the same. Boston finished with a game-high 22 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
Julian Strawther 6’7” 2020 Liberty (Henderson NV)
Gonzaga signee set a HoopHall West game scoring record of 51 points, finishing 19/29 from the field (including four “3s”), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Strawther is a natural scorer in the Tracy Murray (UCLA/NBA) mold.
Jaden Hardy 6’5” 2021 Coronado (Henderson CA)
Hardy followed up his impressive 27 point Friday night effort with an eye-popping 40 points in Coronado’s 95-60 win over Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) on Saturday. The 5-star scoring guard was also active on the glass (9 rebounds) and showed terrific pin-point passing and court vision (11 assists).
Evan Mobley 6’11” 2020 Rancho Christian (Temecula CA)
Mobley followed up his 16 point/11 board/3 block 2 assist/2 steal effort on Friday night with a 22 point, 17 rebound, 3 assist and 4 block master-piece in the Eagles’ 77-74 win over Christ the King (Middle Village NY). Mobley is the type of low risk/high reward NBA lottery pick prospect league front offices are very attracted to. USC signee will be one of college basketball’s stars in 2020-21.
Devin Askew 6’4” 2020 Mater Dei (Santa Ana CA)
Kentucky signee is a tough and confident lead guard competitor that controls his team’s tempo and can make shots despite heavy contact. Askew led Mater Dei with 14 points in a run-away 77-42 win over overmatched Perry (Gilbert AZ) and his impressive dunk was one of the biggest MD highlights of the game.
DaRon Holmes 6’8” 2021 Millennium (Goodyear AZ)
Despite a slow start versus Sierra Canyon, Holmes rebounded in the 2nd half to finish with 20 points, 9 boards and 4 blocks for Fab 50 #47 Millennium. Athletic forward with nice skill set needs to get stronger and tougher to reach great potential. DaRon has an impressive offer list that includes Arizona, Virginia, UCLA, USC and Arizona State.
Terren Frank 6’8” 2020 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth CA)
TCU signee did what he normally does, consistently impact the game every time he steps on the court. Very versatile forward had 17 big points for the Blazers which contributed greatly to SC’s solid 10 point win over Millennium.
LeBron James Jr. 6’2” 2023 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth CA)
Being the son of an all-time great isn’t an easy thing to deal with, but Bronny seems to be handling it with an excellent attitude and poise. Playing on a team full of high-major talent, Bronny only had 5 points and 3 rebounds, but showed flashes of his smooth HM skill set which includes an accurate 3-point stroke as well as nice ball-handling ability.
Tyrelle Hunt 6’5” 2020 Coronado (Henderson NV)
Undersized forward is a blue-collar and very productive player that had a very efficient and perfect 34 points (14/14 from field and 6/6 from free-throw line) vs. Shadow Mountain. Hunt, who has a Southern Utah offer, also had 12 boards.
Samson Ruzhentsev 6’7” 2020 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (TN)
Florida signee had 17 points and 2 steals in HHCA’s decisive 67-52 win over Hillcrest Prep. Big lead guard with nice ballhandling ability can score in a variety of ways.
Bayron Matos 6’8” 2020 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (TN)
Tough and physical rebounder for Fab 50 #15 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy is a New Mexico signee that can score though contact on the block.
Keon Edwards 6’7” 2021 Hillcrest Prep (Phoenix AZ)
Athletic WF is currently ranked #43 on the 247Sports.com composite 2021 national rankings. Effective slashing scorer and rangy defender.
Dylan Anderson 6’10” 2022 Perry (Gilbert AZ)
Skilled young forward with size showed flashes of greatness here (including a nifty turn-around jumper off a post-up as well as a face-up long-range “3”) but needs to improve consistency of effort and production to fulfill immense potential. Anderson has early offers from Arizona, Arizona State and Cal.
Justus Jackson 6’0” 2021 Millennium (Goodyear AZ)
Energetic lead guard came out of the gates fired up, making long range bombs against Sierra Canyon but faded down the stretch. What I liked about Jackson at HoopHall West: confidence, lethal 3-point stroke and deceptive athleticism. What I did not like: questionable decision-making and lack of leadership and poise when the game was on the line and in play for Millennium in the 2nd half.
Harrison Hornery 6’9” 2021 Mater Dei (Santa Ana CA)
USC-bound stretch-forward has very good shooting range and touch.
Andersson Garcia 6’7” 2020 Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (TN)
Versatile swingman is a very underrated prospect with offers from Dayton, Pacific, South Alabama, East Tennessee State and Tennessee State.
Shy Odom 6’5” 2022 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth CA)
Hard-nosed and strong forward is an important “glue-guy” for the Blazers.
Ahmed Mohamed 6’0” 2021 Apollo (Glendale AZ)
Scoring combo-guard had 22 points (5 “threes”) versus Liberty (Henderson NV).
Robbie Devries 6’4” 2020 Millennium (Goodyear AZ)
WG has nice shooting touch and basketball IQ.
Devontes Cobbs 6’2” 2022 Hillcrest Prep (Phoenix AZ)
Quick and athletic guard is an excellent slashing scorer and finisher in transition.
Davon Cobbs 6’2” 2020 Shadow Mountain (Phoenix AZ)
Older brother of Devontes is an aggressive wing guard that competes on every play and is a solid defender.
TJ Muhammad 5’8” 2021 Crossroads (Santa Monica CA)
Stingy on-ball defender played well here. Good penetrator with solid court vision.
