Tag: Chino Hills

Did Chino Hills produce the greatest high school basketball team ever?

Onyeka Okongwu is set to join LaMelo and Lonzo Ball in the NBA, furthering the case for Chino Hills being the best high school team ever.

Onyeka Okongwu’s announcement of his intention to enter the 2020 NBA Draft after a standout freshman season at USC sparked an interesting discussion on Wednesday. Okongwu figures to be the third former member of the 2015-16 Chino Hills side to be drafted into the NBA with LaMelo Ball joining him this year and Lonzo preceding the pair by a handful of years.

That trio, though, may not be the only members of that Huskies squad to make the NBA. LiAngelo Ball carved out a role in the G League prior to the cancelation of the developmental league. Eli Scott, the fifth starter of that state championship team, excelled with Loyola Marymount as a junior this season, earning Second Team All-West Coast Conference honors.

Following Okonguw’s announcement, Lonzo’s manager Darren Moore tweeted a question that was quote-tweeted by LaMelo and retweeted by Lonzo and sparked an interesting debate.

It’s always tough to compare any sports teams across generations and decades. Given simply the vast amount of high schools across the country, it’s near impossible to compare the greatest high school teams ever. But the case for Chino Hills and what makes them great can be made.

First, the in-season resume speaks largely for itself. The Huskies finished a perfect 35-0 with a state title. The team averaged an eye-popping 97.9 points per game and eclipsed the century mark a staggering 18 times.

It wasn’t a cupcake schedule they did it again. Chino Hills beat Florida powerhouse Montverde Academy, ranked No. 3, during the holidays. They ran perennial power Mater Dei out of the gym in the state tournament.

Now, the team already will have a majority of its starting lineup in the NBA and could potentially put all five starters in the league. Does that make them the greatest high school team of all-time?

Today In History: Ball brothers, Chino Hills win California state title

Four years ago, Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball led Chino Hills to a perfect season and California state title over De La Salle.

It has been a long four years since the Ball family burst onto the national scene. Then, the trio of brothers made up the majority of the starting lineup of a non-traditional high school basketball team. In the years since, Lonzo has become a bonafide starter in the NBA, LaMelo is primed to join him in the league and LiAngelo worked his way into a G League contract.

On this day four years ago, though, the brothers were simply looking to cap off a magical season with a state title and an undefeated record. In the California state title game on March 26, 2016, Chino Hills did just that, though it wasn’t pretty.

Matched up against De La Salle, a side that entered 31-2 on the year, the Huskies were slowed for the first time on the season. At halftime, Chino Hills trailed 30-28, a far cry from the 97.9 points per game the Huskies averaged on the season.

But Lonzo inspired a second-half rally that started with a 15-2 run and Chino Hills never looked back, outscoring De La Salle 42-20 in the second half to win going away, 70-50.

Lonzo finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals while LiAngelo had 18 points and LaMelo 14.

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LaMelo Ball sits courtside at USC-UCLA game, cheers on former Chino Hills teammate Onyeka Okongwu

LaMelo Ball’s tour around the country attending basketball games returned home on Saturday. as he was in attendance courtside for USC-UCLA.

LaMelo Ball’s tour around the country to take in all sorts of basketball games returned home on Saturday. Ball was in attendance courtside for the thrilling USC-UCLA regular season finale.

The game ended on an exciting game-winner by USC’s Jonah Matthews with a second left on the clock as the Trojans shocked a Bruins side that has been among the best in the Pac 12 this season.

Ball, though, wasn’t there to simply take in the rivalry but to also support and cheer on former Chino Hills teammate Onyeka Okongwu. As a freshman for the Trojans this season, Okongwu has burst onto the scene and looks primed to be a lottery pick in June’s NBA Draft.

On Saturday, Okongwu finished with 16 points and six rebounds for USC. That line nearly matched his per-game production for the season on the nose as the forward is averaging 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.

Ball and Okongwu are both set to earn spots in the NBA and with LiAngelo Ball getting a professional contract on the weekend as well, the 2015-16 Chino Hills team could soon become a high school side that rostered four future NBA players.

Even the fifth starter of that team, Eli Scott, is putting together a strong season for Loyola Marymount by averaging 15.5 points and 6.7 rebounds as a junior.

The best part of it all is it seems like the Ball brothers, Scott and Okongwu all have remained close after developing a bond that can’t be replicated during their season at Chino Hills.

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LaMelo, LiAngelo Ball listed among top high school performances of decade

Both LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball found themselves on the list of highest-scoring high school performances of the decade.

While the Ball family has long become household names across the country and globe, the early days of their rise were as fascinating as they were unexpected. After breaking onto the scene as a set of brothers dominating the competition. LaMelo and LiAngelo were left in the spotlight at Chino Hills with Lonzo taking his skills to the next level at UCLA.

Chino Hills’ style lent itself to wild stat lines and the Ball brothers were willing participants in exploiting that style. The result was eye-popping scoring outputs from each Ball brother.

MaxPreps released the top scoring outputs for both single-game, single-season and career for the last decade. LaMelo topped the list with his 92-point performance while LiAngelo had a spot in the top 10 with his 72-point outburst.

Looking back, the box scores of those performances are just as absurd now as they were then. In LaMelo’s game, he finished 37-of-61 from the field, including game 7-of-22 from three. He scored 41 points in the fourth quarter and did dish out seven assists.

LiAngelo’s 72-point outing, meanwhile, was a school record at the time and came one night after he exploded for 56 points.

Both put up ridiculous numbers in their time at Chino Hills and left indelible marks on the California high school basketball scene, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst.