Findlay versus Westwind -- the battle of the preps

Two powerhouse prep squads met last night, with some Bay Area talents mentioned.

From Anthony Ray, Arizona Preps (Rivals sub required):

"...Westwind Prep did not get much help from a few of their key members of the team, as 5-foot-9 senior point guard Kiwi Gardner would pick up four quick fouls as a result of his out of control play on the basketball floor. 6-foot-9 senior post Keanu Post was a non-factor on both ends of the floor, as the game seemed to move too fast for him.

6-foot-6 prep forward George Matthews (University of Utah signee) and 6-foot-6 prep forward John Green (UC-Santa Barbara signee) did their part in the loss, going for 16 and 17 points respectfully. Both players fought hard whilenot much was going right for their team..."

John Green signing his LOI

It was set and now it's official -- former Castlemont star John Green, now at Westwind Prep in Phoenix, will be residing at UC Santa Barbara next season.

Green made the decision to first go the prep route based on dual purposes: to provide his body more time to mature as he just turned 18 on August 22 and to have more experience playing at the two and three spots.

Why did he choose Westwind? Because the schedule is a challenging one, featuring matchups with national juco power College of Southern Idaho, a bevy of Arizona and elsewhere junior college teams, renowned Findlay Prep, Stoneridge Prep and also a venture back east to take on powers Bridgton Academy and Notre Dame Prep.

What's fascinating is that a Boston College assistant coach expressed regret not signing Green for this season, saying he would have been getting heavy minutes.

As for next year, Gaucho stars Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally will be seniors. Coach Bob Williams' offense run through this duo and Green is being groomed to play a similar role.

One little-noted fact: Green's father, Reggie, won a league championship at Castlemont High in 1973, going 10-0 in Oakland Athletic league play. The younger Green and his Knight teammates did just the same, taking the ring by downing Oakland Tech 88-73, then McClymonds 68-53 and finally Oakland High 67-65. In the latter game, Green scored 25 points (10-10 at the foul line) and grabbed six boards. He put up a double-double of 30/10 against Mack plus 17/8 in the opener.

Cody Hatt again on Kiwi Gardner and John Green

Here's another excerpt from Cody Hatt's latest at the New England Recruiting Report:

"...Gardner led Westwind with 26 points and six assists, but the electric guard shot just 4-16 in a second half that saw his efficiency level drastically decrease..."

"...Kiwi Gardner (Westwind Prep)- Gardner’s 26-point, six-assist effort against Notre Dame may not have been enough to win the game, but it was enough to recognize his ability to dictate the pace of a game to best suit his style of play. Opposing defenders had absolutely no chance of staying in front of Gardner with his quickness and creativity with the ball, and, although his lack of size and inconsistency from the perimeter limits his efficiency at times, his superior athleticism should give him the opportunity to be a dynamic playmaker at the next level..."

"...[John] Green, who had a pair of spectacular dunks in the second half,  recorded a solid double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds..."

Rivals' Eric Bossi evaluates former Castlemont star John Green

Rivals' Eric Bossi is at the National Prep Showcase and zeroes in on John Green with an evaluation:

"John Green, SF, Westwind Prep: UCSB has stolen a nice-looking wing in the 6-foot-5 slasher. He gets to the rim and finishes in traffic, rebounds his position very well and looks like he'll be able to develop into a very capable jump shooter. He went all 40 minutes for Phoenix-based Westwind and was good for 30 points and 11 rebounds"

Cody Hatt on John Green and Kiwi Gardner

Cody Hatt at the New England Recruiting Report (NERR) has an article up on the highlight players so far in the National Prep Showcase back east. Two Bay area talents receive play:

"...Westwind’s Kiwi Gardner was equally impressive pushing the ball in transition off missed or made baskets, as the 5’7” lead guard flashed sensational end-to-end speed resulting in a series of mid-range pull-ups and pin-point passes to teammates running to the rim or spotting up for open shots. Behind strong scoring from Utah-bound George Matthews (15 points) and UC-Santa Barbara recruit John Green, Westwind would take a 45-38 edge into halftime...

...After Bridgton battled back to take the lead, at 57-56, with 10:50 left to play, Gardner would spark his team’s offense with a pair of deep, pull-up threes that would give Westwind a 66-60 advantage with seven minutes remaining...

...Green finished with a game-high 30 points for Westwind, to go along with 11 rebounds and four assists. Gardner followed with a strong 19-point, six-assist performance...

Go here for the full article.

Kiwi Gardner and John Green updates

From T.J. Parry, an assistant coach at Westwind Prep:

"WPI Blue 112 Pima Community College 100. Kiwi Gardner 40 pts 11 assists, 4 boards..."

and

"John Green 18 pts and 8 boards..."

A few highlight videos

Go here to check out a few videos featuring Bay Area kids -- Kiwi Gardner and John Green, plus one on Greg Smith who played with the Soldiers..

John Green to UC Santa Barbara

Currently spending a prep year at Westwind Prep in Phoenix, former Castlemont star John Green has aligned himself with UC Santa Barbara of the Big West Conference, per this Gary Trousdale tweet:

"6-5 Westwind Prep wing John Green committed to UC Santa Barbara today! Congrats.That after a 38pt night in WPI's opening game."

John Green, Castlemont High, getting eyed by BC?

Adam Desautels is an assistant coach at Westwind Prep and recently tweeted this:

"Joe Jones from Boston College is here today! Taking a look at John Green and who else we've got down here in Phx!"

Green is doing a prep season at Westwind.

Who locally/regionally is on the Westwind Prep rosters

Gary Trousdale, Bobby Bossman and staff have decided the roster makeup of the two Westwind Prep squads and there are some local connections, two already known about but one new name.

On the White team roster are Kiwi Gardner (Manteca High)and John Green (Castlemont High).

Residing on the roster of the Blue squad is Jamal Ford (Sacred Heart Cathedral).

Here's the link.

Castlemont goes Green

John Green (left), Travis Souza (right)*

Castlemont surprises Turlock with shooting
Brian VanderBeek
Modesto Bee
March 10, 2010

OAKLAND — After Turlock High found out on Sunday that its first-round regional playoff game would be against Castlemont, the Bulldogs had exactly one practice session to prepare a game plan based on whatever scouting report they could muster.

So Turlock worked Monday on its zone defenses, expecting the usual from tall, athletic teams — an attack based on penetration and power.

On Tuesday, it took a very short time to realize not only that the scouting report was only half-right, but that the Bulldogs weren't physically able to do much about stopping the Knights — the champions of the Oakland Section...

Go here for the remainder.

* John Green and Travis Souza were opponents Tuesday night but teammates during the spring and summer on the Bay Area Hoosiers club basketball team.

John Green shines

John Green's double-double led Castlemont past Mack:

Castlemont's John Green leads Knights past McClymonds
Jimmy Durkin
Oakland Tribune
3/04/2010

It had all the electricity that was expected, and host Castlemont High thrived as the Knights advanced to the Oakland Section boys basketball title game with a 68-53 win over three-time defending section champion McClymonds on Thursday.

There was plenty of buildup to this game after Tuesday's ruling by the section that made former Mack player Gary Williams eligible to suit up for the Knights. Warriors coach Brandon Brooks decided against following through with his threat to pull his team off the court and watched Williams score 16 points in the victory...

Go here for the remainder.