By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor If you’re a Pasadena area prep basketball fan, there is no better place to be this week than Maranatha High School. The 16th Annual Rose City Roundball Classic begins Monday and the tournament’s championship game is scheduled for Saturday evening at 8. Pasadena, Muir, Maranatha and Blair all highlight the […]
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
If you’re a Pasadena area prep basketball fan, there is no better place to be this week than Maranatha High School.
The 16th Annual Rose City Roundball Classic begins Monday and the tournament’s championship game is scheduled for Saturday evening at 8.
Pasadena, Muir, Maranatha and Blair all highlight the 16-team field.
All four teams are primed for stellar play throughout, but no program enters the 2017-18 season with more talent or higher expectations than Pasadena.
The Bulldogs are led by 6-foot-5 senior Bryce Hamilton.
The UNLV commit averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds last year.
PHS also features the area’s most talented and complete point guard in Darius Brown II.
DBII scored 18 points a night, dished out 7 assists and brought down 5 rebounds per game in 2016-17.
Darius Mason is expected to have a breakout season after a sophomore year in which he scored 12 points a night.
But the two names that make PHS even more difficult a match up than even last year are the additions of transfers Tavian Percy from Florida and Omari Moore from St. Francis.
The Bulldogs open Tuesday night at 6:30 against Eagle Rock.
Coach Tony Brooks is one of the section’s best leaders for PHS.
Muir is led by 6-foot-5 forward Hunter Woods, who will be one of the area’s premiere players.
Woods averaged 14 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists last year for the Mustangs.
Point guard Tiyon Martin is back after a 2016-17 season in which he averaged 12 points and 5 assists.
Simaine Stewart Junior, son of Muir’s head coach will also be in action, and the senior scored 7 points a game last season.
Muir will face Blair Tuesday night at 8 in the first area vs area showdown of the season.
Dez Washington, the CIF-SS Division 4 Player of the Year is back from for the Vikings.
The 6-foot-7 forward led Blair to last season’s title game and a CIF State tournament victory over Pasilades in the first round.
He averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds each night.
Blair also welcomes back Dallas Murray (8 points per night), and Gabriel Snow (11 points).
Maranatha opens play Monday night when they host Dorsey at 8.
The Minutemen return leading scorer Chris Austin.
Austin averaged 17 points per night, and 6 rebounds.
The senior has committed to Fordham.
Maranatha graduated heavy numbers, but coach Tim Tucker always gets the best out of his players.
Quotable:
Pasadena coach Tony Brooks: “For over ten years we have began the season at the Rose City Classic, because it always offered some of the top basketball programs in Southern California, and this year is no different. We know that there are high expectations for the season and the team has prepared hard in the offseason to meet all of the challenges. Arguably, we have the toughest preseason in the last 20 years and we are fully aware what lies ahead. This week, our goal is to be at our best for all of the games and compete at the highest level. Our leaders must lead and each player has to look forward to executing their roles. In each game, we have to show an attention to details on offense and defense and play with high energy. Our team togetherness has to be our most powerful trait. This week, We will not be as good of a team as we will in February but we will work to improve as a team every time we play. It’s great to be a Bulldog.”
PHS point guard Darius Brown II: “This first tournament is a great test for us, and to see if we’ve been preparing the way we need to. There are expectations for us to do well, but right now we are focused on winning and doing what we need to do.”
First Round Games Monday:
Carnegie vs Loyola at 3:30
Roseville of Australia vs Oak Park at 5
King-Drew vs Cajon at 6:30
Dorsey vs Maranatha at 8
First Round Tuesday’s Games:
Renaissance vs Cantwell-Sacred Heart at 3:30
Palisades vs Alemany at 5
Pasadena vs Eagle Rock at 6:30
Blair vs Muir at 8
