Wheeler, the top-ranked boys’ team in the state at Class AAAAAA, was unable to protect its No. 3 national ranking on Monday at the Spalding HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Mass., and fell 79-70 to Bishop O’Dowd (Calif.), the No. 10 team in the country.
The annual high school showcase tipped off on Thursday and featured 28 boys and girls games that paired the best teams in the nation against each other with several games telecast on ESPN.
Within the out-of-state matchup were two of the top recruits in the country going head-to-head and Kentucky coach John Calipari, George Mason’s Paul Hewitt and Virginia Tech’s Buzz Williams were among the many college coaches sitting front row. Wheeler’s Jaylen Brown, a 6-foot-7 forward and the No. 2 prospect in the country, took the court with O’Dowd’s headliner Ivan Rabb, at 6-10 the No. 5 prospect in the nation. Brown scored a game-high 31 points and had 12 rebounds before fouling out with 55 seconds remaining.
“Jaylen came out on a mission today,” Wheeler coach Doug Lipscomb said. “He set the tone and I thought we played really well for most of the first three quarters.”
Brown scored 13 of Wheeler’s first 18 points and lifted the Wildcats to a 38-37 halftime lead 17 points (7-of-12 shooting) and six rebounds. Rabb scored eight points in the first half before really making his mark in the second half as he knocked down his first eight shot attempts. Rabb finished with 24 points to go with 11 rebounds and five blocks.
Wheeler’s Shembari Phillips, a Tennessee commit, scored 10 and added four rebounds and four assists. Wheeler returns home to face Lassiter on Wednesday.
— Craig Sager II
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