DRAPER, UT — The best of what Utah and Idaho have to offer in boys’ high school basketball programs — and that’s a whole lot of quality teams, players, and coaches — has been on display, via the Great Western Summer Classic, for the past two days at Juan Diego High in this suburb of Salt Lake City.
Even in knowing some teams were missing key players (injuries; or what-not) and transitions are being made from “what they were last season” to “what they will be in 2023-24”, the event produced some terrific games during the Wednesday and Thursday sessions I was courtside for.
Among those, was Thursday night’s clash between 2022-23 state champions from Idaho and Utah.
Despite trailing by as many as eight points late in the first half, Hillcrest (Idaho Falls) was able to edge Draper’s Corner Canyon in double overtime, 51-50, by way of an Isaac Davis free throw that wrapped things up since it was his team’s third point in the “first-team to three points bags it” after the first two-minute OT ended when the teams deadlocked.
The Knights, who also got dynamic guard play from Ike Sutton Thursday night, were 25-1 last season while knocking off Pocatello in the 4A championship.
The 6-foot-7, 250-pound (give or take) Davis, who is sculped like an NFL defensive end and is committed to signing with BYU next November, was often going head-up against his Utah Prospects 17s teammate Brody Kozlowski Thursday night.
The 6-8 Kozlowski, who has exhibited his exceptional jump shooting range over the two days here, helped Corner Canyon finish 25-2 while knocking off American Fork in the 6A championship finale.
There was another scintillating “Utah vs. Idaho” matchup earlier Thursday between Lehi and Meridian (ID) Owyhee.
Lehi led by as many as 12 points early and trailed by eight in the second half.
But it was end-to-end competitiveness in the final five minutes.
Six-five Liam Campbell (one of the top-Class of 2024 college prospects anywhere in the west), drilled a 3 with less than a minute to go to put Owyhee up a point.
But 6-2 Cooper Lewis (the son of Lehi Coach Quincy Lewis) answered Campbell’s 3-pointer with his own, getting the ball just over the outstretched right hand of Campbell from the left corner and thru the rim to regain the edge, at 62-60, with 25 seconds to go.
No one played better Thursday than did Lewis (pictured), a high academic achiever who is being recruited by multiple Ivy League programs.
Lehi (which knocked off Cherry Creek of Colorado eight hours later Thursday night) made a nice defensive stand following Lewis’ 3-pointer and Owyhee Coach Andy Harrington called a timeout with 11 seconds to go.
When play resumed, Campbell caught a pass near the lane and was immediately fouled.
Campbell made his first free throw attempt but missed the second and, after 6-6 Grayson Brousseau snatched the rebound, he was fouled with seven seconds to go.
Brousseau — whose offensive skill was difficult for the Owyhee defense to check inside the lane throughout most of the game — pushed the score to 63-61 by sinking the first of the 1-and-1 opportunity.
Campbell rebounded and immediately pushed his dribble up the right side of the floor in a measured attempt to get up a potential tying — or winning — shot before the buzzer.
The Lehi defense funneled him away from the lane and toward the right corner, resulting in Campbell forcing an off-balance, turning-in-the-air attempt at a 3.
And, barely out of Campbell’s right hand, the ball was deflected by Brousseau as the buzzer sounded.
Campbell, who will lead his team in nifty matchups with two other Utah programs Friday, Corner Canyon, and Timpview of Provo, is among the most versatile scorers anywhere on the high school level.
That was again on display later Thursday when he scored from pretty much anywhere beyond or inside the 3-point arc — including in the low post — as his team cruised against Desert Pines of Las Vegas.
Also turning in impressive efforts Thursday were two other programs that are among Utah’s best.
American Fork, led by one of the west’s most respected coaches (Ryan Cuff), overwhelmed Ironwood (Glendale, AZ) and Bingham (South Jordan, UT) on Wednesday’s first day of the event and did the same thing to Cherry Creek Thursday night.
Cuff has a squad that suffered significant graduation losses after losing to Corner Canyon in the state title game.
But the Cavemen remain among those that will pose the most serious threat to Corner Canyon in its attempt to win another title.
Leading Cuff’s team is his son, Tiger, now about 6-4 and almost fully evolved into one of the top guards in the western Class of 2024.
His command of his jump shot and handle; his ability to score with either hand over or around defenders on crafty drives; and his vision and knack for delivering on-target and on-time passes have been impeccable here.
The Cavemen are in one of the two most loaded divisions in the stacked Section 7 in Phoenix (June 23-25) with the likes of California powers St. John Bosco, Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), Sierra Canyon, St. Joseph (Santa Maria) and Roosevelt (Eastvale), as well as two-time, Arizona champion Perry (Gilbert) also in the field.
But Tiger and his buddies should hold up quite in each of the four games they’ll play in that bracket in front of 100s of college coaches in State Farm Stadium.
In fact, all the teams mentioned in this story will be in Phoenix that weekend.
Another of those is Dixie (St. George, UT) which, led by 6-9 senior-to-be Kyle Lemke and 6-3 junior-to-be John Southwick, knocked off quality opponents in Ironwood and Alta (Sandy, UT) Thursday.
The event continues with games on a multitude of levels (boys and girls varsity, junior varsity, etc.) Friday and concludes Saturday.
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