6’3” junior Jrue Holiday (Campbell Hall/North Hollywood CA) had 26 points, 9 boards and 7 assists in the Vikings’ dramatic and much anticipated 73-71 win over Taft (Woodland Hills CA) on Saturday January 13th at Pierce College (Woodland Hills CA). Down as much as 21 points in the 3^rd quarter, Taft, behind a terrific junior of their own 6’0” Larry Drew, rallied to tie the game to set the stage for quite a dramatic finish. Drew who had 25 points and 6 assists was fouled as he drove to the basket as time expired and was awarded two shots that would have sent the game into OT if made. Drew stepped to the line for the first attempt, but missed and Campbell Hall was victorious. Drew’s miss did not diminish his excellent performance in front of a packed crowd which included the likes of Lute Olson (Arizona), Ben Howland (UCLA) and Lorenzo Romar (Washington).

But it was Holiday who was able to push and inspire his squad into the “W” column. Holiday may be as complete a guard as there has been in California over the last several years. It seems that he is involved in almost every play in the game – whether it is pressuring the opposing ballhandler, contesting every shot, mixing it up on the boards, pushing the ball in transition, beating defenders off the dribble, driving to the cup as well as pulling up for both the soft mid-range and deep outside shot and seeing the floor and finding the “open” man. Ever since the beginning of his sophomore year, I have felt that his best position is at the “point” where he can impact the game more directly as a “power lead guard”. Having a tremendous basketball IQ, an everlasting passion and energy for the game and the ability to be unselfish when it serves the team’s interests make him an impact player on the next level with the potential to be a young Sam Cassell-type player beyond that. Another thing that makes him special is the willingness and boldness to make the “big play” at crucial junctures of the game (although it sometimes gets him into trouble when he forces things). I saw an early glimpse of this at the 2005 Houston Kingwood Classic when in the 3^rd OT of a game against a Portland Panthers team that had 4 high major players of its own, Jrue knowing that with his team down two with just seconds remaining and another OT not a good idea after two teammates fouled out and others including himself in serious foul trouble, calmly sunk a three-point shot to give his squad the lead and the dramatic win. Campbell Hall coach Terry Kelly is doing Jrue a great service in letting him be the “primary” point on his Viking squad in that it should enhance his long-term development as a potential pro point guard……….On Wednesday January 17, Eddie Oliver’s HoopsUSA.com anointed Artesia (Lakewood CA) as the #1 high school team in the nation and that demarcation might soon become the HS equivalent of the Sports Illustrated jinx as the Pioneers were upset (and that is putting it mildly) that same night to a Suburban League opponent La Mirada (La Mirada CA) 67-65. Down 1 with about a minute to go, La Mirada’s 6’7” soph Derrick Williams grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed front-end of a teammates’ “one-and-one” freethrow opportunity and was fouled on his shot attempt. Williams proceeded to calmly knock down both freethrows to give the Matadors a very slim one point lead. La Mirada’s Josh Robbins then proceeded to intercept an Artesia pass and raced the length of the court to score and give La Mirada a 3 point lead with just 11 seconds remaining. With 3 seconds on the clock, Artesia’s 6’5” senior James Harden (Arizona State signee) attempted a very long three-point shot that was short but he was however fouled in the act and had a chance to send the game into OT if he could knock down all three shots. Harden missed his first shot, made the second and then missed the third intentionally in order to give Artesia a chance to rebound the miss and tie the game with a score. But the clock ran out as both teams scrambled for the ball and the La Mirada student section stormed the court and rejoiced in the nation’s #1 upset of the year. Williams (14 points) is a well-built power-forward with nice upside (has grown 4-5 inches over the past year). Williams has mid D-I potential at this point and was virtually unknown by anybody in the recruiting community until last Monday when he had a career-high 23 points/11 boards in another La Mirada upset of Gahr (Cerritos CA)…………………Former Harvard-Westlake star 6’4” Ed White who left the Yale basketball team earlier this season, intends to transfer to Stanford where he will sit-out the 2007-08 season (due to NCAA transfer rules) and be a guaranteed “walk-on” thereafter. White, who will have two years of NCAA eligibility remaining, led Harvard-Westlake to 4 straight CIF titles while in high school………….

6’5” junior Julius Von Hanzlik (Beverly Hills/Beverly Hills CA) is one of SoCal’s top sleeper 2008 prospects and the sharpshooting off-guard has deep perimeter range. Von Hanzlik is averaging 15 points and 9 rebounds per game and has attracted interest from the likes of Arizona State, Washington State, Oregon State, Holy Cross, Florida State, New Mexico State, UC-Santa Barbara and Santa Clara……………. One of Utah’s top junior guards is 5’11” Michael Salazar (Timpview/Provo UT). The cerebral point is a solid floor-general and is averaging 10.5 points and 11 assists per game this season……………USC’s 6’7” freshman Kevin Galloway has decided to transfer. Possible destinations include San Francisco, Fresno State and College of Southern Idaho…………….Freshmen brothers 6’5” Jimmy Smith and 6’7” Jarrel Smith have left Colorado State and are both currently looking to transfer to a new D-I school………..6’2” senior combo-guard Derrick Strings (Leuzinger/Lawndale CA) has committed to UC-Irvine. Strings’ three-point bomb as time expired in OT was the difference in
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Leuzinger’s 67-64 win over Dominguez (Compton CA) at the South Bay Extravaganza at West High School (Torrance CA)……………One of Southern Cal’s top senior all-around players is 6’6” Zareh Zagaryan (Hoover/Glendale CA). Zagaryan had 43 points/10 rebounds in Hoover’s 72-48 win over league rival Crescenta Valley (La Crescenta CA). Zareh is a multi-position player that is an excellent ballhandler for his size (potential to be a point-forward) with nice passing touch and legitimate three-point range………In a Moore League 1^st place showdown, Long Beach Jordan’s 6’5” senior Larry Anderson’s 40 points wasn’t enough as Compton behind the junior duo of 6’6” DeMar DeRozan (26 points) and 6’10” Edgar Garibay (24 points) edged the Panthers 77-76 on Monday night. Down one with less than 50 seconds remaining in the contest, Compton forced a turnover that led to a DeRozan dunk in transition to give the Tarbabes the lead and the game winning score.

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