DUNCANVILLE — No, this is not the same Kimball team that stormed to the 5A state semifinals in San Antonio last season with the likes of McDonald’s All American Arterio Morris (now at Texas), four-star guard Chauncey Gibson (now at Clemson) or forward Trae Clayton (now at Navarro).
But if one thing proved true in Kimball’s win at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest over Vashon (Mo.) on Saturday at Sandra Meadows Arena — in which senior DeCannon Wickware marched off the court lauding his team’s toughness — it’s that this year’s team isn’t afraid to battle.
Kimball (3-1), the state’s top-ranked 5A team, beat Voshon 45-41 behind 15 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals from senior guard T’Johnn Brown. Wickware scored 7 points, had 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.
“We’re not as talented as last year’s team, or the year before,” Kimball coach Nick Smith said. “But we’ve just got some good guys. They work hard, they show up on time, they’re always trying to get into the weight room — they ask. If we run sprints, they ask, ‘coach, three more.’”
Brown, who holds a scholarship offer from Murray State, scored a game-sealing dunk with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Kimball’s coach since 2014, Smith had missed back-to-back wins against R.W. Goines Stem Academy and Fort Bend Marshall. After he felt ill during an overtime loss to Carter on Nov. 18, Smith checked into the hospital and was tested for what doctors feared was a cardio blockage. He was finally released on Tuesday and returned to Kimball’s bench on Saturday.
“It just felt good being over there,” Smith said. “I was just excited, man.”
Brown visited Smith in the hospital.
“I think he just wanted to put his eyes on me,” Smith said. “I hated for him to see me like that ... I know he has my back, and you can’t ask for more.”
A three-star recruit per 247Sports.com, Brown may epitomize Kimball’s toughness. At 5-11, he may not match up physically with DFW’s top recruits. But he excels on defense, plays with aggression and has turned into Kimball’s lead ballhandler with the graduation of Morris and Gibson.
Smith said that a college coach came to Kimball’s practice two months ago to recruit Wickware, who has since signed with Incarnate Word. Smith missed the practice due to a meeting, but the college coach later said that Brown impressed him the most because he, in Smith’s absence, kept his teammates in line and focused.
“That’s what we’ve been missing on our teams,” Smith said. “All these years, I haven’t had that type of leadership.”
Young Denton Guyer team shows promise
If Denton Guyer looks a bit small on the court (compared to its competition, at least), that’s because it is. Guyer, the area’s 6th-ranked 6A team, runs out a guard-heavy lineup. It specifically runs a young guard-heavy lineup, one with a bright future.
In a 71-63 loss to Harvard Westlake (Calif.) on Saturday at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest, four-star sophomore guard Jeremiah Green and classmate Jordan Lowery (offers from Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Saint Louis) each scored in double figures, 15 points and 13 points respectively, while freshman Silas Rodriguez scored a team-high 16 for Guyer (4-2).
“We’re growing through a lot of things early,” Guyer coach Grant Long said. “This is where we want to be, in this environment. We have a ton of freshmen, sophomores, and a ton of them are getting a ton of minutes.”
Green, who holds scholarship offers from Oklahoma, Texas, Houston and others, pulled down eight rebounds and had three assists, too.
“I thought he orchestrated the game really well, I thought he played a great game,” Long said. “Got to his spots, played off two feet. He gives us great energy, length and athleticism.”
Guyer is ranked 24th in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches statewide 6A poll. Westlake, which played without three-star forward Brady Dunlap (Notre Dame pledge) is ranked second in the Los Angeles Times’ boys basketball rankings.
“We love these type of events,” Long said. “We’re excited about those type of games, we want to be in those type of games.”
DFW teams struggle versus out-of-state powerhouses: Thanksgiving Hoopfest brings some of the nation’s top basketball teams to the Dallas area.
With that, sometimes, come lopsided scores.
Corona Centennial (Calif.) — the nation’s fifth-ranked team, per ESPN — beat Arlington Martin 77-58. Martin, the area’s third-ranked 6A team and the state’s second-ranked 6A team, played without four-star guard Kordelius Jefferson, a Houston signee. Dallas Baptist signee Cody Stevens scored a team-high 16 points, but it wasn’t enough to catch five-star Duke pledge Jared McCain (12 points, 13 rebounds) and four-star UCLA pledge Devin Williams (15 points, 8 rebounds). Centennial hasn’t lost since it played Duncanville at last year’s Hoopfest.
Pinkston (3-4) lost to Cardinal Hayes (N.Y.) — the nation’s 23rd-ranked team — 85-51 later that night. Four-star Pinkston junior Dink Pate, who holds offers from Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech and others, scored 14 points, pulled down 7 rebounds and totaled 4 steals. The Cardinal Hayes duo of four-star junior Elijah Moore (32 points on 8-of-12 3-point shooting) and five-star junior Ian Jackson (15 points and 8 assists) was electric, as the Bronx powerhouse turned a one-point deficit after the first quarter into a 34-point win.
South Grand Prairie’s girls basketball team had the nation’s fifth-ranked team on the ropes, but Montverde Academy (Fla.) escaped night one of its Texas swing with a 45-42 win. South Grand Prairie (6-3), the state’s top-ranked 6A team, led 26-21 at halftime but allowed a 24-5 Montverde third-quarter run.
Montverde (6-0) will play reigning 6A state champion at Hoopfest on Saturday.
Denton’s Thomas posts ridiculous stat line: In a 61-59 win over Arlington Sam Houston on Saturday, Denton (3-1) senior MJ Thomas scored a team-high 22 points, pulled down 19 rebounds, blocked 3 shots and made 2 steals. He made 14 of his 21 attempts at the free throw line.
Thomas, a 6-7 power forward, holds scholarship offers from Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt and Sacramento State
On Twitter: @McFarland_Shawn
