Prep b BB: Top players

By Ed Piper

I've seen the following nine basketball players rated among the top 250 seniors nationally by 247Sports: Rejean "Boogie" Ellis of Mission Bay, the top-rated local at 26th, and Ryan Langborg, the star shooting guard for La Jolla Country Day, in slot number 196.

Also, Cassius Stanley (27), Christian Koloko (83), Kenyon "KJ" Martin (206), and Scotty Pippen Jr. (246) of Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth, which dominated the season-opening San Diego Tip-off Classic at Montgomery High, defeating even St. Augustine--though early in the season--by 45 points.

Then, we have Isaiah Mobley of Rancho Christian, Temecula, ranked 18th.

Onyeka Okongwu, the 6'9" shot blocker and dunker from Chino Hills, stands at number 21.

The ninth player, whom I saw but didn't really observe, because I didn't know I was supposed to, was Isaiah Pope of Orange Lutheran (234).

Now, 247 is a recognized prep rating system. But off what I saw in my brief viewings of these folks, there is no way--nothing personal, I'm sure he's a nice guy--that 7-footer Christian Koloko deserves attention above his spectacular teammate, K.J. Martin, the former NBA star's son.

Four minutes into one of Sierra Canyon's three games in the Montomery tournament last month, Koloko's coach pulled him. Pencil-thin on his two-meter frame, he was completely ineffectual and was only clogging up the court for Pippen, Martin, and Stanley.

As dismal was the night before, when host coach Ed Martin's Aztecs, with no player over 6'2", put two players on Christian, pushed him around, and negated any impact he might have.

What's more, Martin was eye-popping in an individual-talent but team-contributing way, under control and able to work within Coach Andre Chevalier's system. He was the major contributor toward discombobulating the Saints' Chibuzo Agbo, who is a talent but on that night could not establish himself and couldn't shoot an outside shot, which is one of his weapons.

Having only really observed an octet of these nine, in a short spell and with no supplemental videos viewed to broaden my perspective, I would place Martin high, high, high, with NBA great Scottie Pippen's son way up there, too. He was quick, decisive, and lightning-effectual in piling up steals in Sierra Canyon's pressure and converting to quick layups by himself and his teammates.

Cassius Stanley, the tall (6'5") shooting guard for the Trailblazers, looked very good, too.