Tag: Chino Hills

Lonzo, LiAngelo, LaMelo Ball likely to team up in Drew League contest

For the first time since their Chino Hills days, Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo may be teaming up together in the Drew League this summer.

The 2015-16 Chino Hills basketball team will likely go down as one of the best high school teams ever. On top of a perfect 35-0 season and a state title in California, the lineup featured three future top-6 NBA draft picks in Lonzo and LaMelo Ball and Onyeka Okongwu as well as Eli Scott and LiAngelo Ball, both who received Division I scholarships.

That group of players, though, only played together for one season with Lonzo graduating following the unbeaten season. A chance to reunite that group, then, is an exciting proposition that may come to fruition this summer.

During his house tour for SLAM, LiAngelo revealed the potential plan to team up with his brothers, and potentially Scott and Okongwu, in the Drew League this summer.

“I’m going to be playing in the Drew League with my brothers. That’s going to be exciting. That’s going to be a show. Damn near our whole high school team, for real. Me, Melo, Zo, Eli (Scott). (Onyeka Okongwu) might play. It’s going to be fun, just all grown up now and coming back together so I’m excited to see what’s going to happen but I know it’s going to be a show for sure.”

Big Baller Brand does have a team in the Drew League this season which is comprised at least partly of players from the now-defunct JBA. LaMelo and Lonzo were spotted in attendance during last week’s games.

Having the three brothers play together seems like a very plausible scenario, especially considering LaVar has spent time as the coach of the BBB team. Scott, who is entering his final season at Loyola Marymount, could also rather easily get clearance.

The one hangup would be Okongwu, who is currently playing in the Eastern Conference finals. The Drew League season typically runs into August, which means the NBA season would end but the turnaround would be quick for Okongwu to join a Drew League contest.

Having all three brothers team up again would be a fun proposition regardless whether Scott and Okongwu join. After a year off, the Drew League could really be heating up again.

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Lonzo, LaMelo Ball share stories of memorable backyard basketball games

Years before stepping foot onto an NBA court, Lonzo and LaMelo Ball crafted their skills in the backyard of their Chino Hills home.

Lonzo and LaMelo Ball will meet for the first time against one another on Friday in an official basketball game. However, their battles against one another date back many, many years to the backyard in Chino Hills.

While the brothers rarely played 1-on-1 due to the age and size discrepancy, that doesn’t mean there weren’t backyard duels. With the benefit of three brothers, the boys could easily set up 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 contests.

“We played 3-on-3 pretty much every day,” Lonzo said. “So we always went at it. I think you see that in (LaMelo’s) game. He’s not he’s not afraid of anybody. He’s always played up and it’s always been that way for him.”

The youngest in the family, LaMelo held his own in the battles. As Lonzo notes, it was the beginning of LaMelo playing against older and bigger competition. It would be a recurring theme for LaMelo as he eventually played as a 16-year old professionally in Lithuania then as an 18-year old in Australia.

Before those stops, though, LaMelo played in his backyard and took more bumps and bruises than in any professional league.”

“Nobody took it easy,” he said.” I mean, that’s probably the most competitive basketball I’ve been in (was) in the backyard. Fighting, scrapping, falling on concrete, playing hella hard. I mean, parents getting scared when their kids go back there. So it was a whole lot. Something you just had a witness for real.”

Those backyard games clearly were as memorable as they were tough and served as a place where the Ball brothers crafted their skills years before landing in the NBA.

PJ Washington vividly recalls high school game against LaMelo Ball: ‘We definitely won that game’

P.J. Washington vividly recalled his showdown with Chino Hills and LaMelo Ball four years ago and, most specifically, who won the contest.

Four years removed, P.J. Washington’s memory is crystal clear and he certainly has no doubt about that.

In 2016, Washington’s Findlay Prep side squared off with LaMelo’s (and LiAngelo’s) Chino Hills in a preseason showcase. The contest saw Findlay Prep jump out to a big lead and hold off a Chino Hills comeback to earn the unofficial win.

Now, as Washington is set to be teammates with Ball, the topic of that scrimmage was brought up again in Wednesday’s media availability and he was quick to bring up the result once more.

“I think we definitely won that game,” he said with a smile. “When we played Chino Hills, we…got layups the whole game. They were just getting rebounds and trying to throw it down court really fast. They played a fast game. LaMelo was a lot smaller. He was hitting shots but at the end of the day, we won the game.

“It was definitely fun to play against and it’s definitely fun to have him here now. I’m excited to see what he can do for us. I’m excited to play on his team and I’m excited to help guide him through his rookie year.”

There are no official stats from the contest, though it’s not entirely unlikely Washington remembers how many points he scored in the game as well. That version of Ball is vastly different than the one stepping onto the court in Charlotte this year and the 2020 version has Washington excited for the future.

“I think his playmaking ability is extremely remarkable for his age,” he said. “He can pass the ball really well. He can score, he can do a lot of things off the dribble and he’s a lot taller than what I expected. For him, just being that young and being that talented is definitely exciting for our program. I’m excited to have him here and I feel like we got one of the best picks in the draft.”

Both Ball and Washington

LaMelo Ball says he’s proud of former teammate, fellow top pick Onyeka Okongwu: ‘It’s amazing to see’

LaMelo Ball spoke about his close friend and former teammate Onyeka Okongwu, speaking on how proud he is to see him fulfill his dreams.

LaMelo Ball and Onyeka Okongwu’s relationship has been an oft-discussed topic heading into the 2020 NBA Draft. The former Chino Hills teammates remained best friends even after Ball left to play professionally all over the globe.

Their wildly different paths converged on Wednesday as Ball was selected with the third pick by Charlotte and Okongwu with the sixth pick by Atlanta, becoming the second and third members of the 2015-16 Chino Hills side to be top-6 draft picks.

Ball revealed to Fox Sports Southeast’s Ashley Shahahmadi that he and Okongwu had a conversation on draft night and discussed what it was like to see his former teammate be drafted shortly after him.

“I told him I was proud of him, congrats and all that. Had a cool little convo and same with him.”

…

“It’s amazing to see, too, obviously and seeing how hard he works and everything and his goals and dream coming true. It’s amazing to see.”

Okongwu himself spoke about being excited to play the Ball brothers this season. He’ll have many chances to face LaMelo as the Hornets and Hawks are division rivals.

More than that, though, Okongwu has also shared some of the same sentiments of pride and friendship with LaMelo. In his media availability ahead of the draft, Okongwu spoke of being happy for Ball as well.

It’s rare to see a pair of close friends like Ball and Okongwu make the NBA, just as it’s rare to see a pair of brothers as top-five draft picks. All of it makes it a very easy story and a group of kids to root for.

Onyeka Okongwu looking forward to playing Lonzo, LaMelo Ball in rookie season

After playing together at Chino Hills, Onyeka Okongwu is looking forward to facing both Lonzo and LaMelo Ball in the NBA next season.

While the Ball brothers made history on Wednesday in becoming the first brothers selected in the top-5 in the NBA Draft in the league’s history, both are connected to another top-10 draft pick. Onyeka Okongwu was selected No. 6 by the Atlanta Hawks.

Okongwu played alongside the Ball brothers at Chino Hills, spending one year with Lonzo when the Huskies won the state title and two years with LaMelo before he withdrew from school. Okongwu and LaMelo stayed in touch in the years after Ball left Chino Hills and the group as a whole that won a state title kept in contact. The Ball brothers have been supportive of both Okongwu and the fifth starter on that team Eli Scott, who is entering his senior year at Loyola Marymount.

After being drafted to Atlanta, Okongwu discussed the players he was most looking to face at the next level and his previous teammates’ names came up.

Okongwu will have his chance to play both brothers this season. The NBA’s restricted schedule of just 72 games means that the Hawks will play the Pelicans just once next season. However, Okongwu will have four match-ups against Charlotte, who is a Southeast Division rival.

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Onyeka Okongwu on relationship with LaMelo Ball: ‘I’m just happy for him’

The 2020 NBA Draft will serve not just as a banner moment for LaMelo Ball but for former Chino Hills teammate Onyeka Okongwu as well.

Wednesday’s NBA Draft will not just be a banner moment for LaMelo Ball, who appears to be establishing himself as the No. 1 pick, but for Chino Hills as well. Known now as the hometown of the Ball family, Chino Hills also serves as the hometown of another likely top-ten pick in Onyeka Okongwu.

Okongwu served not just as a teammate with the Ball brothers on the famous undefeated Chino Hills side that won a state title in Lonzo’s senior year, he’s also served as a lifelong friend to the family. While the Ball brothers took the lion’s share of the praise and attention from that 2015-16 team that finished 35-0, a freshman Okongwu averaged 7.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.1 blocks.

“It was fun,” Okongwu said of playing with the Ball brothers in his media availability ahead of the draft on Friday. “I’ve known the Ball brothers since I was 10 years old. I remember me and ‘Melo used to watch Chino Hills play all of the time. Definitely playing with them my first two years of high school was fun. Playing with them, I learned how to rebound the ball a lot, block a lot of shots, rim-run. All of the things I learned from my first two years of high school really translated to the rest of my life playing basketball.

Okongwu eventually took a much different, far more traditional route to the 2020 NBA Draft than LaMelo, though anyone’s path would be more conventional than the youngest Ball brothers. While LaMelo made stops in Lithuania, the JBA, SPIRE and the NBL, Okongwu stayed at Chino Hills and won another state title before staying in southern California and attending USC.

As a Trojan, Okongwu forced his way into the conversation for the 2020 draft by averaging 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and shooting 61.6% from the field. Most telling of the relationship the two childhood friends built was that Ball sat courtside to watch Okongwu take on UCLA after his NBL season was cut short.

The pair never lost contact with one another and now the two friends are set to fulfill their lifelong dreams.

“I’m just happy for LaMelo to be where he is at right now,” Okongwu said. “LaMelo is a good kid. He has been to so many different places in life, he’s only 19 years old. I’m just happy he was able to live out his dream just like me and be an NBA player.”

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Chino Hills teammates talk about historic 2015-16 with Ball brothers

The 2015-16 Chino Hills season remains a memorable and magical one that is only aging better as time passes.

Only recently has the 2015-16 Chino Hills team started to receive more recognition for what was a truly historic season. While the team certainly received plaudits in the moment and the immediate aftermath of their season, the season has aged tremendously as more and more members of that starting lineup near the NBA.

The Ball brothers were the surest candidates to earn spots in the NBA and two of three will fulfill that in Lonzo and LaMelo Ball. The only of the trio not to appear in an NBA game, LiAngelo, latched onto a G League team just prior to the season being canceled.

Onyeka Okongwu is set to join LaMelo as incoming rookies from the 2020 NBA Draft class. Eli Scott, the oft-forgotten fifth member of that starting lineup, has carved out a role at Loyola Marymount, has an outside shot at an NBA job if he can finish his senior season strong.

NOLA.com’s Christian Clark recently profiled the team with some voices not often heard from. While the likes of Lonzo, LaMelo, LaVar and Okongwu have all talked about that season in some regard in the past, Clark spoke with Scott, head coach Steve Baik and Eric Sondheimer, who covered the team and the high school basketball landscape in Los Angeles for the LA Times.

The story as a whole provided one of the longest looks behind the curtain of the team that season and is a must-read. One of the most memorable quotes, though, came from Baik when describing what made the team and season so special.

“Nobody knew about Chino Hills. Now it’s like an international phenomenon. We were so proud that we were able to do that. So proud that we were neighborhood kids. So proud that we were a public school and came from a no-name town. There were so many stories within. It’s just really, really cool. It should be a movie one day.”

Honestly, it’s more than a little surprising LaVar hasn’t proposed a movie of the season to Hollywood execs. Maybe the demand of playing himself in the movie, something he almost assuredly has in any contract, is not something directors want to sea with.

Nonetheless, both Clark’s story and that of the Chino Hills team as a whole is a fascinating one that is only going to look better and better with time.

Report: NBA scouts, teams not concerned about LaMelo Ball’s maturity

While some have had concerns about LaMelo Ball off the court, not all scouts are bothered by maturity concerns for the 2020 Draft prospect.

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One of the main concerns for NBA scouts regarding LaMelo Ball has not been an on-court matter but instead of the court. Based largely on preconceived notions, some NBA scouts have raised concerns on Ball’s maturity.

Along with those concerns of his maturity, the presence of LaVar has also worried some scouts and executives in and around NBA teams. Both matters were recently addressed by The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski, a beat writer for the Minnesota Timberwolves. And not surprisingly, neither issue has seemed to amount to much.

“Scouts I talk to have been encouraged by LaMelo’s maturity. He still has a lot of developing to do as a player, but I haven’t heard teams express the kind of concern about inviting the circus to town with him that many did when Lonzo was coming in.”

Concerns of Ball’s maturity likely boil down how he first came onto the scene with Chino Hills. Once seen as a cocky teenager pulling up from half-court for Chino Hills when not cherry-picking for his 92-point game, Ball has come a long way.

All the reports from his season with Illawarra indicate the Ball was a hard worker that kept his nose to the pavement and didn’t create any sort of issues. However, first impressions are mighty hard to overcome.

Likewise with LaVar, there is now a track record of what to expect from him that should ease concerns. At his worst with Lonzo, LaVar did little more than jump on TV shows and yell for a few days before fading back into the background.

It all should add up to few concerns, if any, of LaMelo off the court when looking at him as a 2020 NBA Draft prospect.

WATCH: LaMelo, Lonzo, LiAngelo Ball take part in peaceful protest in Chino Hills

On Sunday, Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball took part in a peaceful protest in their Chino Hills neighborhood in support of George Floyd.

On Sunday, Lonzo, LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball took part in a peaceful protest in their Chino Hills neighborhood in support of George Floyd. The trio posted to Instagram their all-black outfits and the signs brought with them as they were the latest among a growing list of athletes to speak out either through either words on social media or actions in participating in the protests.

LaMelo shared the trios experience at the roadside rally on his Instagram Story on Sunday. The protesting group chanted Floyd’s name and carried on chants of “No justice, no peace” as well before departing while still showcasing the signs.

After returning from the rally, the brothers used their large Instagram platforms – the two have a combined 13.4 million followers – to continue spreading the message. Both Ball siblings posted a message, along with the Los Angeles Lakers and various other NBA players, stating “If YOU ain’t wit US, WE ain’t wit Y’ALL” on a black background.

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WATCH: Lonzo, LaMelo Ball featured in MaxPreps top high school plays of decade

Chino Hills established itself as one of the best high school teams of the last decade highlighted by top plays from Lonzo and LaMelo Ball.

Lonzo and LaMelo Ball and Chino Hills may have had a short apex as a high school program but it was an incredibly exciting time. At its highest, the Huskies fielded five Division I players and at least four future professional basketball players.

Naturally, their success featured many memorable moments and plays over the years. With all the leagues and sports having come to a halt due to COVID-19, MaxPreps took the chance to compile the best high school plays of the last decade and featured a heavy dose of Chino Hills.

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Lonzo features first in the countdown at number 10 with his iconic crossover. The most memorable part of the play, though, is not the crossover but the face he helps his defender up after embarrassing him.

But LaMelo takes the show the rest of the way in this list. First, his memorable halfcourt shot finds its way onto the countdown. The clip shows a very young Ball walking the ball upcourt, pointing at the midcourt line and pulling up before finding nothing but net.

He also takes the No. 2 spot on the list with a highlight of his 92-point game. While the play shown is relatively impressive – a quick-release three-pointer after eluding a trio of defenders – the play was likely included more as a symbol of one of the most memorable feats in high school basketball in the last decade.

Lonzo’s current teammate Zion Williamson also finds his way on this list with an incredible 360 windmill dunk.

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