High School Basketball

So much for Jalen Green changing the fortunes of a top college program in 2020-21.

The highly regarded prospect has elected against attending college next season and will instead play in the NBA G League:

blessing from the man above🙏🏽❤️ pic.twitter.com/TItfZTSX85

— Jalen Green🤍 (@JalenGreen) April 16, 2020

Green told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports:

“I wanted to get better overall and prepare myself for the NBA because that's my ultimate goal. Everything was planned out right and set up for me to succeed. I think this was a good decision at the end of the day. I'm still going to be able to go back to college and finish school. So, it's not really that I'm missing out on college because I can go back and finish whenever I need to. School is a big thing in my family.”

He also told Haynes he would have committed to Memphis had he chosen to go to college.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Green's G League contract is expected to be worth in the range of $500,000 with the opportunity to increase with endorsements.

Charania added that the G League is planning to launch a new team in Southern California with Green as the centerpiece.

Green checks in at 6'5" and 170 pounds and is a 5-star prospect in 247Sports' composite rankings. He is the No. 3 overall player, No. 2 combo guard and No. 2 player from the state of California in the 2020 class.

His versatility stands out because he can handle the ball on the offensive side or hit from deep while playing shooting guard. He can also slash into the lane as either a scorer or facilitator and doesn't hesitate to get out in transition when the opportunity presents itself.

Green also brings a high ceiling on the defensive side as someone who can rebound from the backcourt, press up onto ball-handlers and contest perimeter shots with his length.

That skill set should translate to the professional level even without any collegiate experience.

Before Green made his decision, Evan Daniels of 247Sports cited sources who called the G League "the favorite" over collegiate suitors such as Auburn and Memphis and noted other top recruits are also considering such a path.

"When the G League announced their intentions of creating a program that would harbor prospects that opted out of college, the salary released to try and entice potential players was $125,000," Daniels wrote. "Sources have indicated to 247Sports that the G League is now willing to pay more for the right prospects."

If Green lives up to the hype as a G League player, it wouldn't be a surprise to see his name atop the 2021 NBA draft board.

Still, his decision surely came as something of a surprise for top colleges that hoped he would choose them.

There are hardly any surprises when it comes to the finalists for the 2020 Gatorade Player of the Year. 

Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley, the No. 1 and No. 2 recruits in the class of 2020, respectively, headline this year's finalists along with Emoni Bates, No. 1 recruit for the class of 2022, per 247 Sports. 

Previous recent winners of the boys' award include NBA luminaries such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Love, Bradley Beal, Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Ben Simmons and Jayson Tatum. Brandon Knight, Greg Oden and LeBron James each won the trophy in back-to-back years. 

The youngest of this year's finalists, Bates is just a freshman and already earning comparisons to Kevin Durant based on his body type and skill set, per 247 Sports' Evan Daniels, Brian Snow and Josh Gershon. That's had Michigan State coach Tom Izzo going hard after the in-state player with rival Michigan and first-year head coach Juwan Howard not far behind. 

Bates has also earned offers from Kentucky and Florida State as the 6'8" small forward continues to impress. 

The remaining finalists have already put an end to their recruitment with Oklahoma State picking up a commitment from Cunningham, a 6'6" combo guard at Montverde Academy in Arlington, Texas, and Mobley, the 6'11" center from Temecula, California signing with Southern California. 

Both prized recruits mark the biggest signing for their respective school's head coaches as USC under Andy Enfield looks to reboot the program while Oklahoma State's Mike Boynton proves he's up for the challenge of recruiting against the likes of Kansas and Texas in the Big 12. 

The most recent winner of the Gatorade Player of the Year award in boys basketball is James Wiseman, the former Memphis Tiger who is expected to be among the top picks in the upcoming NBA draft. While winning Gatorade POY doesn't guarantee a successful pro career, six of the last seven recipients have become top-three selections in the draft. The lone exception being Michael Porter Jr. in 2017, who was coming off a season-ending back injury at Missouri. 

There will be no 2020 McDonald's All-American Games. 

Organizers of the annual event issued the following statement Thursday in light of concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: 

"After careful consideration, we have decided to cancel the 2020 McDonald's All American Games and all associated events. We made this very difficult decision in order to protect the health and safety of the players, coaches, fans and event staff.

"We know how much the McDonald's All American Games means to the tremendously talented 48 high school athletes selected to the roster. Canceling the Games does not diminish the contributions they have already made to the sport and their communities—nothing can take away the fact that each of them will forever be a McDonald's All American."

The games were scheduled to take place in Houston on April 1.

The rosters included some of the most notable recruits in the country, including Paige Bueckers on the women's side and Cade Cunningham on the men's side. Four of the players in the men's game are committed to North Carolina, while three are committed to Duke. Five of the women's players are committed to Oregon.

This is the latest in a string of postponements or cancellations in the sports world due to the coronavirus.

Most notably, the NCAA announced the men's and women's basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring championships, were canceled.

The NBA and NHL both suspended their current seasons, while Major League Baseball announced it has canceled the rest of spring training and delayed the start of the regular season.

According to CNN, there are more than 124,500 cases of COVID-19 worldwide. The virus has also led to more than 4,600 deaths.

The 2020 Jordan Brand Classic, one of the marquee events for the nation's top high school basketball players, has been canceled due to the coronavirus.

Wintrust Arena in Chicago was slated to host the game on March 27

In announcing the cancellation of the game, Jordan Brand announced all tickets purchased will be refunded: 

The 2020 Jordan Brand Classic has been canceled, per a release from @Jumpman23. pic.twitter.com/y5aH5JsfOa

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 12, 2020

"While we understand how disappointing this is for the athletes, their families, and the communities who were excited to participate, in everything we do, we must prioritize the health and safety of our employees, athletes and consumers," the company said in a statement. 

Jordan announced the decision on Thursday in the wake of numerous cancellations and postponements across the sports world. Major League Baseball has suspended spring training and delayed its season for at least two weeks. Thursday afternoon, the NCAA has canceled all remaining winter and spring championships, including the men's and women's basketball tournaments. All Power 5 conferences previously canceled their basketball tournaments and the NHL and NBA have suspended their seasons. 

Multiple top-10 recruits were slated to play at the Jordan Brand Classic including 247sports.com's No. 1 overall recruit in 2020, Cade Cunningham, and No. 2 recruit, Evan Mobley. Additionally, B.J. Boston, Ziaire Williams, Isaiah Todd, Caleb Love, Jalen Suggs and Terrance Clark were on the men's team roster. 

Boston and Williams are teammates on Sierra Canyon with Bronny James and Zaire Wade—which just had it's California state title game canceled because of COVID-19. 

According to CNN, 1,272 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the United States as of Thursday afternoon with 38 people dead. 

Recent Jordan Brand Classic alumni include Bam Adebayo, DeAndre Ayton, Bradley Beal, DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and LeBron James. 

The California Interscholastic Federation announced Thursday it's canceled the remaining state championship basketball games because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The announcement included a statement from CIF executive director Ron Nocetti about the decision:

"We want to recognize the hard work and commitment our student-athletes have made to reach the State Basketball Championships. The impact of COVID-19 created many unexpected challenges during this year’s tournament season, and we want to thank everyone involved for their flexibility, patience, and commitment in providing our student-athletes a great experience despite this unique situation."

Sierra Canyon School, which features a star-studded roster led by Ziaire Williams, B.J. Boston Jr., Bronny James and Zaire Wade, was among the teams scheduled to compete in title games.

The CIF has canceled all remaining California State Basketball Championship games, per statement from @CIFState.

Sierra Canyon will not play this Saturday as previously scheduled. pic.twitter.com/UReCkfSGxr

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 12, 2020

The Trailblazers defeated Etiwanda High School in the semifinals Tuesday with a buzzer-beater by Williams to reach the final with a 30-4 record.

Ziaire Williams with the game-winner at the buzzer to send Sierra Canyon to the State Championship game! 😱

(via @Tarek_Fattal) pic.twitter.com/xbGDjndroA

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 11, 2020

The championship game was scheduled to take place Saturday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

In all, 12 matchups (six boys and six girls) were scheduled to take place between Friday and Saturday for California's state titles.

Ziaire Williams' knocked down a mid-range buzzer-beater to help Sierra Canyon overcome a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit and defeat Etiwanda 63-61 in the semifinals of the California state boys basketball championship Tuesday.

Sierra Canyon advances to the State Championship after Ziaire Williams hits a buzzer-beater 😤 @brhoops https://t.co/6h7df9snWy

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 11, 2020

Sierra Canyon, which trailed by 11 with fewer than three minutes remaining, closed the game on a 13-0 run. BJ Boston scored seven of his game-high 26 points during that stretch.

Sierra Canyon was down 10 with 2 minutes left and came back for the win‼️ They’re back in the state championship 😈 @SCanyonSports pic.twitter.com/IqSOf8t1vu

— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) March 11, 2020

Per freelance prep writer Jack Pollon, Williams scored 17, Amari Bailey and Harold Yu each had seven, and Shy Odom scored six.

As for Williams, he spoke about the shot postgame.

"That shot is my go-to," Williams said per Tarek Fattal of the Los Angeles Daily News. "My dribble pull up, going to my left. I just let it fly."

Sierra Canyon had faced (and beaten) Etiwanda twice before the state playoffs. Tyree Campbell had 19 points for Etiwanda, which finished a great season 30-4.

The Trailblazers also feature LeBron James Jr. (Bronny James) and Zaire Wade. James is the oldest son of Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward LeBron James, and Wade is the oldest son of NBA legend Dwyane Wade.

Both players have made numerous contributions this season on both ends en route to Sierra Canyon's 30-4 record and second-place ranking in MaxPreps' national rankings.

The Trailblazers, who are competing in the state's top division (Open), will now face the winner of Sheldon vs. Bishop O'Dowd on Saturday in Sacramento for the championship.

The Sheldon-Bishop O'Dowd game will take place Thursday.

In front of a sold-out crowd at Pepperdine's Firestone Fieldhouse near Malibu, California, No. 1 seed Sierra Canyon continued its march to the CIF Open Division State Championship with a 75-65 victory over Harvard-Westlake on Saturday.

Amari Bailey led the way for the Blazers with 22 points, while Ziaire Williams added another 18 himself, including 11 points over a crucial stretch late in the fourth quarter. With Sierra Canyon down 53-50, Williams helped spark a 15-4 run that locked up the 10-point victory.

Neither James nor Zaire Wade factored much into this one, yet the full team effort on display by the Blazers was crucial to pulling off the victory. James, a freshman, made his playoff debut in the win.

Sierra Canyon 39, Harvard-Westlake 30. Halftime
Amari Bailey 15; Harold Yu 10 for SC. Brase Dottin 12 (all threes) for HW

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) March 8, 2020

FINAL
Sierra Canyon 75, Harvard-Westlake 65
Amari Bailey 22; Ziaire Williams 18; Harold Yu 18 for SC
Brase Dottin 18 for HW

Trailblazers will take on Etiwanda in CIF State Open Div. Regional final on Tuesday at CSUN. 7 p.m.

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) March 8, 2020

Ziaire Williams pull-up jumper. Sierra Canyon on 9-0 run, leads Harvard-Westlake 61-50. 4 to go pic.twitter.com/XPFxN34fkp

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) March 8, 2020

BIG time sequence here for Sierra Canyon. Harold Yu block, pass from Ziaire Williams to Amari Bailey for one-handed jam. Sierra Canyon has largest lead of game 37-27, 1:53 left in second. pic.twitter.com/bkFjyzM3eu

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) March 8, 2020

The 3,000-seat arena did its best impression of the Staples Center on Saturday as LeBron James and Drake both showed up courtside to take in the action.

Drake and LeBron pulled up to the Sierra Canyon game 🦉👑

(via @latsondheimer) pic.twitter.com/XOIXkyxhCV

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 8, 2020

Up next for the Blazers is No. 3 seed Etiwanda, which will attempt to do what only four teams have done this season and knock off Sierra Canyon. A victory for the Blazers would give them the regional final title and send them on their way to the state championship game.

Should they get that far, the Blazers' opponent is still unknown. On the other side of the bracket, Bishop O'Dowd is facing off against Archbishop Mitty for the right to face No. 4 Dublin in the second regional final. The winner of the Dublin game will advance to the title round.

The California state championship is set to take place on March 14 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

Ziaire Williams scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers to a 59-48 win over Mater Dei Monarchs in the CIF Southern Section Open Division Final title game on Friday.

https://twitter.com/prepzone/status/1233635059388895232

Sierra Canyon never trailed, leading 16-13 after one and 33-27 at halftime. The Trailblazers led by five or more for the entire second half.     

Williams, a 6'7" small forward, led Sierra Canyon to the title and delivered the highlight of the night with this windmill dunk:

https://twitter.com/prepzone/status/1233618398271168513

The fifth-ranked player in 247Sports' composite rankings for the class of 2020 was a force on both ends:

https://twitter.com/prepzone/status/1233617165804281856

BJ Boston added 14 points for the Trailblazers, whose next stop is the California state tournament:

https://twitter.com/prepzone/status/1233628166465445889

The Kentucky commit also brought it on the defensive end, with this steal leading to a Williams hoop:

https://twitter.com/prepzone/status/1233632838748180480

Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward LeBron James, did not score but played a part in the Trailblazers' tenacious defensive effort, with Tarek Fattal of the Los Angeles Daily News providing one example:

https://twitter.com/Tarek_Fattal/status/1233616522456625154

Devin Askew led Mater Dei with 15 points.  

Ziaire Williams scored 24 points, BJ Boston posted 19 and Amari Bailey added 18 as the high-scoring trio led Sierra Canyon School to a 73-62 win over Etiwanda High School on Friday in the CIF Southern Section Open Division boys basketball final.

The Trailblazers moved to 27-4 on the year after their second win this season over Etiwanda, which was led by Jaylen Clark's 32 points. Sierra Canyon beat the Eagles 57-53 on Dec. 28.

Etiwanda has only lost three times overall and entered Friday on a 17-game winning streak. Sierra Canyon has won eight of nine.

The two teams went back and forth in a first half characterized as "intense" by the Los Angeles Times' Eric Sondheimer. Sierra Canyon's Shy Odom threw down this dunk to pare Etiwanda's lead down to 27-24:

Shy Odom of Sierra Canyon. This game is INTENSE. Etiwanda 27-24. pic.twitter.com/iwpDgW9HRh

— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) February 22, 2020

Sierra Canyon freshman guard Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward LeBron James, scored two points on a second-quarter bucket to close Etiwanda's lead to 30-27.

Etiwanda opened a 34-29 lead and held possession with time running out in the second quarter, but a turnover led to a Ziaire Williams layup as time ran out to cut the edge to three.

HALFTIME
Etiwanda 34, Sierra Canyon 31
Jaylen Clark leads all scorers with 14.

Last play of the half. Ziaire Williams with the finish. pic.twitter.com/aYvfqTHWsh

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) February 22, 2020

The second half belonged to Sierra Canyon, however. Per Tarek Fattal of the Los Angeles Daily News, Boston, Williams and Bailey scored all of the Trailblazers' 23 third-quarter points.

Sierra Canyon outscored Etiwanda 23-10 in that frame for a 54-44 edge into the fourth. Once there, Etiwanda cut the lead to as low as six points but could not come any further.

The Trailblazers have now advanced to the Open Division Final, where they will face Mater Dei. The game will take place at Long Beach State on Feb. 28 at 11:30 p.m. ET, per freelance prep writer Jack Pollon.

The state tournament will follow in March win or lose for Sierra Canyon.

Amari Bailey scored 17 points and Brandon Boston Jr. added 12 as Sierra Canyon defeated St. Anthony 61-49 on Tuesday in CIF Southern Section Open Division Championship Pool A play.

SLAM provided highlights of the day's action, which San Antonio Spurs swingman DeMar DeRozan took in:

DeMar DeRozan had a front row seat for the Sierra Canyon SHOW tonight! 🍿 @SCanyonSports pic.twitter.com/13HBrq35EU

— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) February 19, 2020

Per freelance prep writer Jack Pollon, Ziaire Williams had 11 points, Terren Frank contributed nine and Shy Odom added eight.

Harold Yu and LeBron James Jr. (known as Bronny) each had two. James is the son of Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward LeBron James.

Sierra Canyon moved to 2-0 in pool play and will now face Etiwanda on Friday in the de facto pool championship game. The winner advances to the Open Division title game against the Pool B winner on Friday, February 28. The two teams played at The Classic at Damien in La Verne, California, on Dec. 28. Sierra Canyon won 57-53.

The state championship will occur in March.