LJ b BB: Two 7-footers

Scotty Pippen Jr., a 6'1" guard for Sierra Canyon,
is the son of the former Chicago Bull great.
Pippen and other NBA stars' sons will be playing
in the Aztec Tipoff Classic Nov. 15-17.
 

By Ed Piper

If La Jolla gets past Santa Fe Christian, its first-round opponent in the Aztec Tipoff Classic Thurs., Nov. 15, Coach Paul Baranowski's 2018-2019 edition will have the supreme honor of facing Sierra Canyon, a Southern California superpower, in the second round the next day (assuming Sierra Canyon wins its first-round match).

The Trailblazers, whose school is in Chatsworth, feature two seven-footers on their new roster: senior center Christian Koloko, who is listed at 7-feet even, and sophomore center Jia-Hao (Harold) Yu, who is listed at 7'2".

That isn't all. Coach Andre Chevalier's squad also enlists three 6'7" players, a 6'5" player, and a 6'4" player. Both the latter are identified as guards under "Positions".

The Vikings' tallest player is senior guard Nick Hulquist, who stands 6'4", but he was still growing, at last report. Some other players measure 6'2", including Evan Brown (who is presently recuperating), freshman Max Raulston, sophomore Christian Gamboa, and others.

La Jolla's back court returning mainstay is Behzad Hashemi, who at 5'10" would be dwarfed by the 6'5" Cassius Stanley and 6'4" Amari Bailey of Sierra Canyon, though the Viking has a lot of quickness he employs. It would be interesting to see him get off his long-range shot, which he is streaky-good in shooting, against some of the giants from Chatsworth.

Kenyon Martin Jr., whose dad played in the NBA,
will also be pounding the hardwood for
Sierra Canyon against tournament host
Montgomery High Thurs., Nov. 15.
K.J. is a 6'7" senior forward.

Sierra Canyon opens the tournament (and season) against host Montgomery High, whose coach had the option to schedule his team against the elite Trailblazers, who annually finish among the top teams in the CIF Southern Section in the greater Los Angeles/Orange County area.

The school is described in a USA Today article as "an uber-swanky private school" that has enrolled sons and daughters of celebrities and sports stars, including those of Kevin Hart, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Kris Jenner, Jamie Foxx, and Berry Gordy.

In addition to the seven-footers, Chevalier has managed to enroll Scotty Pippen Jr., a 6'1" guard and son of the former Chicago Bull sidekick of Michael Jordan, and Kenyon Martin Jr., whose dad is the former NBA star of the same name.

Stay tuned for more basketball fireworks in the Aztec Tipoff Classic.

Scotty Pippen Jr. wears number 2 in this Sierra Canyon
team photo. KJ Martin is number 4. Seven-footer
Christian Koloko wears 35. Harold Yu, 7'2", is 11.

In August, Kenyon Martin Jr. posted this montage
of himself in each of the basketball jerseys of the
eight colleges he has whittled his choices
down to for basketball next year.