Video: Highlights of Onyeka Okongwu
The high-flying 6-9 post dominated for Chino Hills as a freshman and sophomore.
It's not quite the post-Ball era at
Chino Hills (Calif.). There is one more Ball —
Andre Ball a 6-foot-7 senior who is the cousin of the famous Ball brothers, Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo.
According to Eric Sondheimer of the
Los Angeles Times, Andre Ball showed a lot of flash, hops and shooting range while scoring 19 points in a season-opening 83-48 win over Temescal Canyon in the opening round of the Centennial (Corona) tournament.
But this night, and likely most nights this season, had less to do with any lad named Ball, but instead about 6-9 junior post
Onyeka Okongwu, who scored a career-high 38 points in the win.
Okongwu, with a long reach and great jumping ability, is ranked the No 25 recruit in the country for the 2019 class. He was a key player in the middle the last two seasons when Chino Hills went a combined 65-3 and won a 2015-16 national title while going 35-0.
With all the Ball brothers now gone — LaMelo, ranked the 17th best junior in the nation and third best point guard, is being home schooled this season — and a new coach (Dennis Latimore), the Huskies clearly have a new look and identity. It's largely about Okongwu.
"The kid is an absolute monster," Latimore told Sondheimer.
Onyeka Okongwu (21) will be Chino Hills' largest scoring threat in 2017-18. He proved that with a 38-point outburst to start the season on Monday.
File photo by Louis Lopez
