High School Top 25 team preview: No. 15 Chino Hills

Video: Breaking down the High School Top 25
Huskies under new management but still have a couple of Ball brothers in the lineup.

15. Chino Hills (Calif.)

Head coach: Stephan Gilling (First year)

2015-16 record: 35-0, CIF Open Division state champions, No. 1 final national ranking

PLAYERS TO WATCH



Andre Ball (6-7, Jr., G/F) … Injured during December last season

LaMelo Ball (6-2, So., G) … Committed to UCLA

LiAngelo Ball (6-5, Sr., G) … Committed to UCLA

Onyeka Okongwu (6-9, So., F/C) … One of the top young bigs on the West Coast

Elizjah Scott (6-4, Sr., G/F) … Committed to Loyola Marymount STORYLINES

* The Huskies ran the table last year and were crowned MaxPreps national champs in early April. The 2015-16 Chino Hills team will go down as an all-timer. Gone are National Player of the Year Lonzo Ball and head coach Steve Baik. But Lonzo's younger brothers LiAngelo (27.4 points per game in 2015-16) and LaMelo (16.4) are scoring machines and should keep the entertainment value high. It would be insulting to call Scott and Okongwu just supporting players – they would be stars at most schools.



* What do we know about Gilling? The 30-year old is a native of Chino Hills but attended nearby Ayala High School (he's young enough to have had his own MaxPreps player page). He played at Colorado State and Long Beach State before spending the last two seasons as an assistant under Baik. Don't expect the Chino Hills approach to change much, meaning a lot of trapping and gambling defensively and a bright green light for the Ball brothers to orchestrate their magical brand of offensive basketball.

KEY DATES

Dec. 9 – vs. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) @ Hoophall West

Dec. 13 – vs. Crespi (Encino, Calif.)

Dec. 16-20 – Tarkanian Classic

Dec. 26-30 – Rancho Mirage Holiday Invitational



Jan. 28 – vs. Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) @ Rolling Hills State Preview

Jan. 4 – vs. Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) @ Nike Extravanganza