Cliff puts Big Bang Theory to impressive practice

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SPRINGFIELD, Ma. – It really wasn’t quite a case of “saving the best for last” during the final day of the Spalding HoopHall Classic/High School Invitational on Monday.

But it was close enough.

During the 16^th of 17 games to be played Saturday-Monday it finally became oh-so-high-def-TV-clear as to the identity of the very best player in a field of a whole lot of exceptional athletes/college prospects.

If you’re reading this, I’m going on the assumption that you’ve read or heard the name “Cliff Alexander” once or twice already.

Get cozy and get ready to read about him a little more and how his extremely forceful performance rallied his squad to a stunning 73-69 victory over previously unbeaten Montverde Academy of Florida.

The Chicago Curie senior seemingly flexed every ample muscle that is layered upon his 6-foot-8 frame Monday afternoon while helping his squad topple the Montverde team that had been sitting atop every national ranking and was on the verge of making its Chicago opponent its 19^th victim 19^th by way of a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.

The jump shooting of Ohio State recruit D’Angelo Russell (11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter) and the either-hand dunking demonstration put on by Australian import Ben Simmons (14 points, about 10 of them on slams, to go with 12 rebounds) seemingly had things under control for the Eagles.

The key word in that paragraph, of course, is “seemingly”.

And then, suddenly with about six minutes to go, it seemed as if Alexander was intent on re-arranging backboards – and any opponent who happened to be in his path – and trying to get both elbows over the rim each time he retrieved a missed shot.

Highlight dunks? Where to begin?

My suggestion, if you weren’t courtside or didn’t watch it via one of those networks in that “ESPN family”, hit up You Tube.

Those imagines will provide a pretty workable definition of the hoops axiom “playing big”.

Alexander finished with 24 of his eventual 30 points and 10 of his 12 rebounds after intermission, tying the score (at 62) with about three minutes to go on a third consecutive dunk.

Joshua Stamps, a left-handed junior guard who added 20 points, put Curie ahead to stay with a nifty mostly uncontested drive with three minutes to go.

And if Alexander’s physical dominance (at both ends; he blocked five shots) wasn’t enough, he didn’t miss a free throw in eight second-half attempts, most of those in the closing minutes.

By the way, I’m ready to surrender any debate I might have continued to argue on the subject:

Alexander, and not another Chicago big man (Jahlil Okafor of Whitney Young), a Dallas Prime Prep point guard Emmanuel Mudiay or one  of two wings, Santa  Ana (CA) Mater Dei’s Stanley Johnson or Henderson (NV) Findlay Prep’s Kelly Oubre, is the No. 1 player in the national class of 2014.

Each of those gentlemen also had the opportunity to make his on-court argument this MLK Weekend.

End of discussion, though, thank you very much.

Alexander is that guy, simple as that.

In the other games played Monday:

 

 *Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei 79, Philadelphia Neumann-Maria Goretti 67: The Monarchs moved to 18-0 despite their best player – and one of the best in the national senior class – enduring a sub-par performance in the final game of the event.

Stanley Johnson picked up his third and fourth fouls barely two minutes into the third quarter and eventually fouled out with 1:11 to go in the fourth quarter after being whistled for his second charge.

Johnson, who signed with Arizona in November, finished with a season-low 12 points – while going just five of 15 from the field, including one of four behind the arch, and missing five of six free throws – and committed 10 turnovers to go with six assists and 11 rebounds.

Yeah, four more dimes and he would have rolled a quadruple double!

But Gary McKnight’s Monarchs, who play host to Chicago Whitney Young, are unbeaten for reasons other than the multiple things provided by Johnson.

Juniors Rex Pflueger and La’Vette Parker combined to hit nine of 14 shots from behind the arc, with Pflueger scoring a career-high 30 points and Parker adding 17.

Sophomore post Michael Cage Jr. snapped down a game-high 12 rebounds to go with 20 points for the Monarchs while senior point guard Ja’Quan Newton (who signed with Miami in November) led Neumann-Goretti with 23 points.

*Chicago Whitney Young 53, Mouth of Wilson (VA) Oak Hill Academy 50: Jahlil Okafor sat out 10 minutes of the second half after picking up his fourth foul.

But Whitney Young fought back into the game with him on the bench, getting to within a point (after trailing by nine) before he returned with three minutes to go.

Georgetown-bound Paul White played well in the lane with Okafor out and finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds while Okafor added 14 and six.

Junior point guard Terrence Phillips had eight points, nine assists, two steals and only two turnovers in 32 minutes for Oak Hill.

*Henderson (NV) Findlay Prep 73, High Point (NC) Wesleyan Christian 43: Theo Pinson had 13 points and two assists to help Wesleyan to an early six-point leader but Findlay Prep’s combination of skill, size and depth broke the thing open in the second half.

Kansas-bound Kelly Oubre Jr. went for 23 points including a mess of dunks for Findlay Prep while Rashad Vaughn, in his first game action in more than a month, added 12 points off the bench.

*Fairfax (VA) Pius VI 62, Jersey City St. Anthony 56: The Friars took a four-point advantage into the fourth quarter before the Panthers pulled away over the final four minutes to win reasonably comfortably (St. Anthony had a 3 near the final buzzer).

Four players, led by sophomore forward Tyler Scanlon, scored from 11 to 15 points for the winners.

Senior guard Tarin Smith led the Friars with 16 points but committed five turnovers.