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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — On Saturday at the Hoophall Classic, Arizona assistant Book Richardson had a front-row seat for a view of the future of his program.
Three Class of 2017 Arizona signees — DeAndre Ayton, Brandon Randolph and Ira Lee — all played, and played well, at Blake Arena. Brian Bowen, an Arizona target who is considering five schools, also was effective, scoring 18 points in Monday’s loss to Marvin Bagley and Sierra Canyon (CA).
In the showcase game of the day on Saturday, the 6-foot-5 Randolph went off for 30 points en route to game MVP honors as Westtown (PA) beat Ayton and Hillcrest Prep (AZ), 66-54, on ESPN. Ayton, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, scored 19 points while battling Westtown big man Mohamed Bamba.
“He’s definitely a force, so I’m definitely looking forward to playing with him, Ira and [Alex] Barcello],” Randolph told me in reference to Arizona’s 2017 class, ranked No. 3 behind Kentucky and UCLA by Scout.com. “They’re all great players and great guys.”
Go ahead and circle Jan. 14 on your calendar because the two 7-footers will go head-to-head for the second time in a year when Ayton and Hillcrest Prep (AZ) face Bamba and Westtown School (PA) in the Spalding Hoophall Classic. (The game will likely be televised on the ESPN networks.)
When they first met last April at the Nike EYBL stop in Brooklyn, Bamba went for 13 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks to lead his PSA Cardinals (N.Y.) to a 69-68 win over Ayton’s Cal Supreme (Calif.) squad. Ayton, who was battling a leg injury and has since committed to Arizona, tallied seven points and nine rebounds.
The 2018 Mock NBA Draft is up on DraftExpress.com and Arizona-bound 7-footer DeAndre Ayton is the projected No. 1 pick, followed by uncommitted 7-footer Mohamed Bamba of the PSA Cardinals and the Westtown (PA) School.
Ayton, a native of the Bahamas who’s a senior at Hillcrest Prep (AZ), would be the first No. 1 overall pick out of Arizona. And head coach Sean Miller and his staff explicitly made that pitch to Ayton before he committed in September.
One veteran NBA scout said then that Ayton needed to improve his work ethic going forward.
“Right now going into 2018 he will be in the discussion for a Top 5 selection but his game and approach have to drastically improve,” the scout said. “He is very immature and his game currently reflects that. He is a talent but he needs to grow up physically, emotionally and mentally with his overall game.”
