State predictions!
- Thread starter Lacy222
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I haven't been able to find any articles or previews as of yet, or I'd link 'em up...
But I have seen most of the boys teams play in person this season, many of them multiple times... I've even seen two of the Socal teams play. So, I'll take a swing at predicting the boys games. I'm no expert, but I'll play one in this post...
Open: Dream matchup, rematch of last year, but no Stanley Johnson to have to deal with this time for the Dragons... Not that Mater Dei hasn't kept right on winning or anything...
O'Dowd ranked #3 in the state according to MaxPreps, Mater Dei is at #1. Mater Dei has 6'10" MJ Cage to take on Ivan Rabb... They might neutralize each other, as well as Mater Dei's guards battling pretty even with the amazing Paris Austin. I think the key in O'Dowd's favor might be forward Isaiah Thomas, who looked sort of marginal to me in their foundation game loss to DLS... Saw him later this season, and he is vastly improved now and has committed to Northern Arizona... I'll go with O'Dowd in a physical war, 54-50.
Div. I: SRV and Keith Smith take on Chino Hills and UCLA commit, junior Lonzo Ball... and his brother... and a cousin... All in the family, they say...
I was in SoCal with a night free in February, so I went to see Chino Hills play at Div. III representative Damien. Lonzo Ball lived up to the hype, except he had a horrible shooting night and they lost to Damien in OT. Chino Hills is extremely athletic, but don't really run much of a halfcourt offense at all, relying on their fullourt press for quick buckets. Shot selection is horrible, but their raw talent generally makes up for it. If SRV can keep from turning the ball over too much, they can wear Chino down... However, I think Lonzo and the speed merchants will be too much to handle. I'll say Chino Hills 67-59.
DIV. II: Mitty takes on La Mirada, whom I've only seen thru online replays...
Obviously a whole lot depends on the iffy health of Sebastian Much, who has been injured a lot this year but certainly appears just fine at the moment... I've seen 'em play a few times, both with and without Much... Almost looks like two completely different teams. La Mirada has a 6'8" guy named Kendall Lauderdale with a college offer or two, generally rated a 2-star recruit. Hard to really get a good feel on a team thru sketchy online feeds, though. So this is really a guess... Mitty 54, La Mirada 49.
DIV III: Campolindo and Chris Hansen v. Damien and San Diego State commit Jeremy Hemsley, the Battle of San Diego...
I've seen Campo a bunch of times, and Damien twice... 6'7" Hansen, heading to UC San Diego, dominates the paint for Campo, and 6'4" guard Hemsley, headed to San Diego State, scores almost 25 per game for Damien. On paper or based on the ol' eyeball test, this game looks like Damien should win comfortably, but Campo's tough kids from the streets of Moraga don't seem to listen to that stuff. Haven't all year. Not when they faced loaded Modesto Christian (Campo won), not when they faced loaded El Cerrito (Campo won)... Campo and their one big guy and tiny guards will find a way to get it done. Campo in an upset, 61-58. p.s. this prediction may have been colored just a bit by my emotions
DIV IV: Crespi v. Capital Christian
Have only seen Crespi online and CC just once, last week at American Canyon... I liked the way CC adjusted during the 2nd half vs. St Mary's, but SM has been so Jekyll/Hyde this year I dunno what to think. Both teams are making their State Finals debut... so I'm completely guessing here, based on what appears to be a tougher schedule for Crespi. Crespi 66-57.
DIV V: SF University v. Goliath, errr Sierra Canyon
University is very well-coached, but they simply don't match up physically will need to re-invent the wheel to hang with Sierra Canyon, who gave mighty powerhouse Oak Hill everything they could handle before losing 64-60 earlier this year, and beat a bunch of other highly-rated teams. Interestingly, Sierra Canyon could have been even better this year... One of their top players missed the whole season due to injury. Further, Sierra starts three sophs and a freshman. And the injured guy is also a soph... These guys, loaded with D1 recruits, will be scary for a long while. Good news for NorCal D5 fans, it's very unlikely that Sierra will be anywhere but the Open for the next couple of years. Sierra Canyon in a dunkfest, 85-49.
But I have seen most of the boys teams play in person this season, many of them multiple times... I've even seen two of the Socal teams play. So, I'll take a swing at predicting the boys games. I'm no expert, but I'll play one in this post...
Open: Dream matchup, rematch of last year, but no Stanley Johnson to have to deal with this time for the Dragons... Not that Mater Dei hasn't kept right on winning or anything...
O'Dowd ranked #3 in the state according to MaxPreps, Mater Dei is at #1. Mater Dei has 6'10" MJ Cage to take on Ivan Rabb... They might neutralize each other, as well as Mater Dei's guards battling pretty even with the amazing Paris Austin. I think the key in O'Dowd's favor might be forward Isaiah Thomas, who looked sort of marginal to me in their foundation game loss to DLS... Saw him later this season, and he is vastly improved now and has committed to Northern Arizona... I'll go with O'Dowd in a physical war, 54-50.
Div. I: SRV and Keith Smith take on Chino Hills and UCLA commit, junior Lonzo Ball... and his brother... and a cousin... All in the family, they say...
I was in SoCal with a night free in February, so I went to see Chino Hills play at Div. III representative Damien. Lonzo Ball lived up to the hype, except he had a horrible shooting night and they lost to Damien in OT. Chino Hills is extremely athletic, but don't really run much of a halfcourt offense at all, relying on their fullourt press for quick buckets. Shot selection is horrible, but their raw talent generally makes up for it. If SRV can keep from turning the ball over too much, they can wear Chino down... However, I think Lonzo and the speed merchants will be too much to handle. I'll say Chino Hills 67-59.
DIV. II: Mitty takes on La Mirada, whom I've only seen thru online replays...
Obviously a whole lot depends on the iffy health of Sebastian Much, who has been injured a lot this year but certainly appears just fine at the moment... I've seen 'em play a few times, both with and without Much... Almost looks like two completely different teams. La Mirada has a 6'8" guy named Kendall Lauderdale with a college offer or two, generally rated a 2-star recruit. Hard to really get a good feel on a team thru sketchy online feeds, though. So this is really a guess... Mitty 54, La Mirada 49.
DIV III: Campolindo and Chris Hansen v. Damien and San Diego State commit Jeremy Hemsley, the Battle of San Diego...
I've seen Campo a bunch of times, and Damien twice... 6'7" Hansen, heading to UC San Diego, dominates the paint for Campo, and 6'4" guard Hemsley, headed to San Diego State, scores almost 25 per game for Damien. On paper or based on the ol' eyeball test, this game looks like Damien should win comfortably, but Campo's tough kids from the streets of Moraga don't seem to listen to that stuff. Haven't all year. Not when they faced loaded Modesto Christian (Campo won), not when they faced loaded El Cerrito (Campo won)... Campo and their one big guy and tiny guards will find a way to get it done. Campo in an upset, 61-58. p.s. this prediction may have been colored just a bit by my emotions
DIV IV: Crespi v. Capital Christian
Have only seen Crespi online and CC just once, last week at American Canyon... I liked the way CC adjusted during the 2nd half vs. St Mary's, but SM has been so Jekyll/Hyde this year I dunno what to think. Both teams are making their State Finals debut... so I'm completely guessing here, based on what appears to be a tougher schedule for Crespi. Crespi 66-57.
DIV V: SF University v. Goliath, errr Sierra Canyon
University is very well-coached, but they simply don't match up physically will need to re-invent the wheel to hang with Sierra Canyon, who gave mighty powerhouse Oak Hill everything they could handle before losing 64-60 earlier this year, and beat a bunch of other highly-rated teams. Interestingly, Sierra Canyon could have been even better this year... One of their top players missed the whole season due to injury. Further, Sierra starts three sophs and a freshman. And the injured guy is also a soph... These guys, loaded with D1 recruits, will be scary for a long while. Good news for NorCal D5 fans, it's very unlikely that Sierra will be anywhere but the Open for the next couple of years. Sierra Canyon in a dunkfest, 85-49.
KIDDMAN- That was a well written piece my friend. Solid.
Here goes it for me.
Open-
I think the curse of Odowd stays at the state finals and Mater Dei prevails by 4 in a slugfest. 49-45. I've seen both teams play and MD talent is equally as impressive and they've had a much harder road to the finals. Plueger will be a tough matchup as a 6"6 perimeter player. If he shoots it well I like MD even more. I've seen him both hot and cold but the Notre Dame system is perfect for him.
D1- This is a tough one. I could see Chino Hills being sloppy and careless. What is up with Lonzo Ball Jumper? That thing looks so broken. Great athlete. I could see SRV hanging around. Polosky has to stay out of foul trouble. But in the end Chino should prevail. Crazy but DLS probably matched up better.
D2- I like Mitty an Kennedy especially if Much is playing. To me he will be a mid major by the time he's a senior. Legit 6"7 and growing. Kid must have size 17 shoe. This division was really watered down and the south doesn't seem to be any better.
D3- Campo, Campo, Campo. I watched Damien lose a close one to St Francis over at Jesuit. Damien's guard is big time legit. Hemsley had some huge offers. He's going to get PT at SDSU immediately and I hate to say it but those Sheldon kids just got pushed down the bench further. I could see Hansen going for 20 and 20 in this one. He is going to eat Damien alive down low.
D4- Capital seems to be on a mission. Nobody had them at the Norcal level but they were pretty dominant. I think they bring it home.
D5 Ouch Ouch This one makes no sense. Sierra Canyon.. Really. Nationally good. I would love for University to stay close and play the game of there lives. But I could easily see a running clock by 2nd half.
I think North boys could getting 3 wins.
Here goes it for me.
Open-
I think the curse of Odowd stays at the state finals and Mater Dei prevails by 4 in a slugfest. 49-45. I've seen both teams play and MD talent is equally as impressive and they've had a much harder road to the finals. Plueger will be a tough matchup as a 6"6 perimeter player. If he shoots it well I like MD even more. I've seen him both hot and cold but the Notre Dame system is perfect for him.
D1- This is a tough one. I could see Chino Hills being sloppy and careless. What is up with Lonzo Ball Jumper? That thing looks so broken. Great athlete. I could see SRV hanging around. Polosky has to stay out of foul trouble. But in the end Chino should prevail. Crazy but DLS probably matched up better.
D2- I like Mitty an Kennedy especially if Much is playing. To me he will be a mid major by the time he's a senior. Legit 6"7 and growing. Kid must have size 17 shoe. This division was really watered down and the south doesn't seem to be any better.
D3- Campo, Campo, Campo. I watched Damien lose a close one to St Francis over at Jesuit. Damien's guard is big time legit. Hemsley had some huge offers. He's going to get PT at SDSU immediately and I hate to say it but those Sheldon kids just got pushed down the bench further. I could see Hansen going for 20 and 20 in this one. He is going to eat Damien alive down low.
D4- Capital seems to be on a mission. Nobody had them at the Norcal level but they were pretty dominant. I think they bring it home.
D5 Ouch Ouch This one makes no sense. Sierra Canyon.. Really. Nationally good. I would love for University to stay close and play the game of there lives. But I could easily see a running clock by 2nd half.
I think North boys could getting 3 wins.
Yeah, Lonzo Ball's jumper looks at bit... strange. Brings the ball up in front of his left side but shoots right-handed, like maybe his left eye is dominant and he needs the ball over in front of the left eye for most accurate aim. The other members of the Ball family look like they shoot in a similar way, just not quite as much so.
Whether it has anything to do with eye dominance or not, it needs repair; too many moving parts.
Whether it has anything to do with eye dominance or not, it needs repair; too many moving parts.
Here's an article from the LA Times... Take the SoCal slant with a grain of salt...
http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-boys-basketball-cif-state-championship-matchups-20150326-story.html
http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-boys-basketball-cif-state-championship-matchups-20150326-story.html
Another from the Times, this one's about Players to Watch.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-sp-state-basketball-championships-20150327-column.html
http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-sp-state-basketball-championships-20150327-column.html
Daayyuumm Kidd!!! That's getting it done. Now that's how you flash a platinum cred card instead of those EBT's some folks keep throwing on this board. [Applause] Excellent information and resources. It does my eyes good to read coherent opinions.
I like Mitty to win the D2 title by a wide margin. It looks like Mitty is peaking right now and is playing lockdown defense which will be the deciding factor. I have watched film on La Miranda and they are a good team. I think Kone wins the battle down low as their big guy is no where near the caliber of a Solomon Young which Kone won that matchup. The other 6-7 guy is a lanky stretch four who can shoot and should be a tough matchup, but I think Mitty has a strong group of bigs off the bench that can contain him. Much should win this matchup. As far as guard play La Miranda has a 6-4 shooter who will probably be guarded by Monroe who did a great job on Terrell from Sac hi. If they limit these three it should be smooth sailing. One common opponent was early on where La Miranda beat Saddleback by 6. Mitty beat the same team in the Max Preps tourney by 21. Mitty also has played at HAAS this year vs Moreau and lost by 3 despite 20 turnovers and that was without Much. Mitty 68 La Miranda 54
This post was edited on 3/27 7:34 AM by PAL95
This post was edited on 3/27 7:34 AM by PAL95
In our preview, I took Bishop O'Dowd (Open), Chino Hills (D1), Mitty (D2), Damien (D3), Crespi (D4) and Sierra Canyon (D5)
Streak, the Chron must have used your picks in their survey.
Let's hope we can win more than 2 games this weekend, but none will be easy.
Kidd, great info as usual. Thx.
Let's hope we can win more than 2 games this weekend, but none will be easy.
Kidd, great info as usual. Thx.
Well Kidman. You got the D-5 game right. And BOD. 2-4 is not good.
Chino Hills put the worst coached HS team I have ever seen. They had superior athletes with speed quickness and length yet sat in a Swiss cheese zone that got SRV shooters open looks all night.
Offensively Chino ran NOTHING! Nothing. 4 kids standing and watching one kid dribble. It was awful.
Chino Hills put the worst coached HS team I have ever seen. They had superior athletes with speed quickness and length yet sat in a Swiss cheese zone that got SRV shooters open looks all night.
Offensively Chino ran NOTHING! Nothing. 4 kids standing and watching one kid dribble. It was awful.
Well Larry you got the top 4 games wrong. MD Chino Mitty Campo. All lost.
Predictions on this site are ill fated.
Predictions on this site are ill fated.
Nate-
Gosh I was so off huh? God I was totally in left field.
MD leads 99.99% of the game but it was Rabb's FT's securing a 1 pt game.
D1- double OT. Lonzo Ball fouls out and game totally changes. Chino Hills was sloppy like I said. Great win by SRV.
D2 - La Mirada wins by 1.
D3- Damien was better than I thought. I actually think they could have beaten by D1 and D2 teams.
D4- Comes down to the wire and kid makes play of the game on a shelton mosley layup. Great Season for CC.
Don't be an idiot. Anybody with a brain in there heads knows these games were all tossups and it was a great Finals hosted by HAAS.
Gosh I was so off huh? God I was totally in left field.
MD leads 99.99% of the game but it was Rabb's FT's securing a 1 pt game.
D1- double OT. Lonzo Ball fouls out and game totally changes. Chino Hills was sloppy like I said. Great win by SRV.
D2 - La Mirada wins by 1.
D3- Damien was better than I thought. I actually think they could have beaten by D1 and D2 teams.
D4- Comes down to the wire and kid makes play of the game on a shelton mosley layup. Great Season for CC.
Don't be an idiot. Anybody with a brain in there heads knows these games were all tossups and it was a great Finals hosted by HAAS.
Nice explanation. The great thing about sports is there are winners and losers. 0-4 on your picks.
