CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Isaiah Mobley proved quite a prophet Saturday night in the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena.
“I like this team,” the senior-to-be from Rancho Christian High in the Southern California community of Temecula told an acquaintance just after the “76ers”, one of the 10 teams made up from the players in attendance at the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp, had completed their first practice Wednesday morning.
“Watch – we’re going to win the championship.”
And that they did.
The 6-foot-9 Mobley and a deep and talented 76ers crew held off the Warriors, 78-70, in the finale to a cap an 8-1 run over four days, including Saturday morning and afternoon quarterfinal and semifinal decisions.
Mobley (11 points, four rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes) and three of his teammates scored in double figures to help their team overcome a one-point deficit at intermission.
It’s been quite the June for Mobley, as his on-court performances here and during the June 1-3 Pangos All-American Camp in Southern California have done wonders to enhance his resume as an iron-clade candidate for the 2019 McDonald’s All-American squad.
Mobley, the only 76er to start each game for Coach Mo Speights (the Orlando Magic power forward), averaged team-bests of 10.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
He also showed off why he’s one of the most versatile “bigs” in high school, hitting eight of his 19 shots attempts from behind the arc during the week and often pushing the ball in transition and initiating the 76ers’ half-court offense.
It was that kind of multi-dimensional play that propelled him to the camp’s Most Valuable Player honort, adding to the hardware he one after capturing a Most Outstanding Player crystal trophy he was presented with at the conclusion of the Pangos Camp.
For the first time in, maybe, forever, Mobley played in a major hoops event while not teaming or at least accompanied by his “little” – as in just short of 7-foot – brother, Evan, who began workouts in Colorado Springs Friday during the USA 17U trials.
Nicol Mobley was in the stands in John Paul Jones Arena all week watching her oldest son while Eric Mobley (who became an assistant to USC Head Coach Andy Enfield in the spring) is in Colorado Springs with the younger sibling, who might be something approaching the consensus No. 1 player in the national class of 2020 by the end of July.
Here is the complete “All-NBPA Top 100 Camp” team, as chosen by Camp Player Personnel Director John Lucas and his committee (full disclosure: I’m a member of that group):
MVP: Isaiah Mobley
All-Camp:
Precious Achiuwa (Heat/6-8/2019/Newark, NJ, St. Benedict’s)
Greg Brown (76ers/6-9/2020/Austin, TX, Vandegrift)
Cade Cunningham (Heat/6-7/2020/Arlington, TX, Bowie)
Anthony Edwards (Rockets/6-5/2020/Atlanta Holy Spirit Prep)
Walker Kessler (Rockets/6-10/2020/College Park, GA, Woodward Academy)
Scottie Lewis (Lakers/6-5/2019/Tinton Falls, NJ, Ranney)
EJ Liddell (Celtics/6-7/2019/Belleville, IL, West Township)
Justin Moore (76ers/6-foot-4/2019/Hyattsville, MD, DeMatha)
Oscar Tshiebwe (Warriors/6-foot-9/2019/Hermitage, PA, Kennedy Catholic)
Shavir Wheeler (Warriors/5-foot-8/2019/Houston Christian)
Isaiah Wong (Bucks/6-2/2019/Drexel Hill, PA, Monsignor Bonner)
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