Two of Southern California's top players from 2004 to 2007 never went head-to-head, but their numbers and accomplishments were comparable and heads above the rest.
Russell Westbrook grew five inches the summer before his sophomore season of high school at Leuzinger. His stock as a college and pro prospect grew exponentially. He will go head-to-head with his Southern California rival at the time James Harden in an NBA first-round series starting Sunday.
File photo by Dirk Dewachter
With almost 600 schools, California's Southern Section has more high schools than all but four states.
So, considering the population and climate, many of the nation's top basketball players have come from there.
Russell Westbrook averaged more
than 25 points per game as a senior.
File photo by Dirk Dewachter
In fact, 25 players from NBA rosters played on high schools in the Southern Section and two of them — the Thunder's Russell Westbrook (
Leuzinger, Lawndale) and the Rockets' James Harden (
Artesia, Lakewood) — will go head-to-head in a first-round playoff matchup starting Sunday in Oklahoma City.
Westbrook and Harden, in fact, were stars in the Southern Section at the same time, though never played head-to-head in a high school game.
Westbrook, with a massive five-inch growth spurt heading into his sophomore year, turned into one of the region's most lethal scorers and dominating players.
The then 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard averaged 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game for the
25-4 Olympians his senior season in 2005-06 leading his team to a 25-4 season.
He scored at least 30 eight times that season with a career high of 51 in a 81-65 win over Carson. Westbrook was coached by Reggie Morris Jr., the subject of this
MaxPreps feature and who led
Redondo Union (Redondo Beach) to its first state championship in 2012-13.
"I always knew Russell was going to be a good player," Morris Jr. told
Los Angeles Times columnist Eric Sondheimer Westbrook's senior season. "He's one of the hardest-working kids and one of the most coachable. And he's tough."
James Harden (13) was more polished
than Russell Westbrook as a prep.
File photo by Nick Koza
So was Harden. But he was on one of the top teams in the country the following season — 2006-07 — leading Artesia to an easy state championship. The polished 6-5 senior had 22 points and three fourth-quarter dunks leading the Pioneers (33-2) to a
91-64 Division III title over Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland at Arco Arena.
Harden averaged 18.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for the Pioneers his
senior season. He was a model of consistency, scoring at least 20 in 19 games with a high of 31. He shot a remarkable 62 percent from the floor and made 41 3s.
Westbrook and Harden were of course teammates for the Thunder three seasons before trading Harden to the Rockets in the fall. They'll likely guard each other plenty in the series and no doubt, at some point, bring up prep days.
Who was better as a prep? Sondheimer told us in an e-mail Saturday it was Harden. Hands down.
"Harden was better as a high school player," Sondheimer wrote. "(He was) much further along and played on a much better team. He was a star from freshman on. Westbrook was late bloomer oozing with athleticism and potential. I saw Westbrook when he had few offers as a senior but you could tell he might be very good down the road."
James Harden led Artesia to back-to-back state titles, including the 2007 Division III crown over Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland. He celebrated with teammates and friends after that victory here.
File photo by Todd Shurtleff
