By DORIAN ALERTE
SOMERSET, N.J. — Naas Cunningham’s homecoming was everything he could have expected and
more. In front of a nearly sold-out crowd at Franklin High School on Saturday night, the 6-foot-7 Cunningham, a West Orange, N.J. native and Alabama commit, lit up the Metro Classic, shooting 6-for-11 from 3, scoring 26 points in total in Southern California’s 77-69 victory over Phelps (PA). “It was very good to see him do that at home in front of his friends and family,” Erik
Cunningham, his father, said. “He was looking forward to this trip and he came through and
executed.” So Cal led from start to finish, leading 40-28 at the half. A third-quarter surge from Phelps,
brought the game to within 4 points with 5:37 left in the third quarter, but every time Phelps
would pull closer, Cunningham stayed calm and So Cal had an answer. “I wouldn’t say pressure,” Cunningham said. “But I knew I was coming home, in front of my
family I friends, I had to put on a show and I was able to do that tonight. The Alabama commit tied for the team lead in points with Larry Johnson, who scored 26 points.
Cunningham also added 5 rebounds to his total. Dominick Stewart finished second on the team
with 17 points. For Phelps, Onyx Nyani, and Will Riley combined for 43 points. So Cal won their one and only game of the Metro Classic and Cunningham knew that he wanted
to put on a game for his home state. “It felt good to be back home, see all my people,” Cunningham said. “Playing with my new
teammates, my new team and show everyone what we’ve been working on. Yeah, it just felt
great.” Cunningham will lace up for the Alabama Crimson Tide next year and is excited to get to work
with them. “They was able to lay out a plan and show me what they could do for me in the future and how I
could help them,” he said. “I feel like I really fit their play style. I know they like to get up and
down, shoot a lot of threes, that’s how they like to play, play fast. And they were real welcoming
on the visit, great coaching staff and everything just worked out perfectly.” Follow Dorian on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on Facebook
more. In front of a nearly sold-out crowd at Franklin High School on Saturday night, the 6-foot-7 Cunningham, a West Orange, N.J. native and Alabama commit, lit up the Metro Classic, shooting 6-for-11 from 3, scoring 26 points in total in Southern California’s 77-69 victory over Phelps (PA). “It was very good to see him do that at home in front of his friends and family,” Erik
Cunningham, his father, said. “He was looking forward to this trip and he came through and
executed.” So Cal led from start to finish, leading 40-28 at the half. A third-quarter surge from Phelps,
brought the game to within 4 points with 5:37 left in the third quarter, but every time Phelps
would pull closer, Cunningham stayed calm and So Cal had an answer. “I wouldn’t say pressure,” Cunningham said. “But I knew I was coming home, in front of my
family I friends, I had to put on a show and I was able to do that tonight. The Alabama commit tied for the team lead in points with Larry Johnson, who scored 26 points.
Cunningham also added 5 rebounds to his total. Dominick Stewart finished second on the team
with 17 points. For Phelps, Onyx Nyani, and Will Riley combined for 43 points. So Cal won their one and only game of the Metro Classic and Cunningham knew that he wanted
to put on a game for his home state. “It felt good to be back home, see all my people,” Cunningham said. “Playing with my new
teammates, my new team and show everyone what we’ve been working on. Yeah, it just felt
great.” Cunningham will lace up for the Alabama Crimson Tide next year and is excited to get to work
with them. “They was able to lay out a plan and show me what they could do for me in the future and how I
could help them,” he said. “I feel like I really fit their play style. I know they like to get up and
down, shoot a lot of threes, that’s how they like to play, play fast. And they were real welcoming
on the visit, great coaching staff and everything just worked out perfectly.” Follow Dorian on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on Facebook
