OFTB: Ysleta's Azaiah Thompson Hits 2K
NEWSLETTER: Thompson keeps scoring, 6A girls' basketball is unpredictable, the Chapin boy's streak survives in OT, and more.
I was out of town this past week thanks to a much-needed vacation and break after the Fall semester at UTEP concluded. That said, I still kept up on games, scores, and all the tape I could find available.
Plus, I will be filling in some gaps with observations I forgot to mention last week.
Here are my Observations from the Bleachers.
THOMPSON HITS 2K AND MORE
To no surprise, Ysleta’s Azaiah Thompson is going off. The senior wing came into the season as the best scorer in the Borderland and was expected to do what he has done thus far. Part of that assumption is due to Ysleta dropping down to 2-4A from 2-5A, where they were one of the best teams in their district.
But district play hasn’t even begun, and Thompson is scoring at a blistering pace, averaging 28.3 PPG on 56-35-70 shooting splits through 18 games.
Come district play, you could argue that his scoring numbers might be inflated due to the competition down in 4A, but his performance this past week in San Angelo, TX, at the Doug McCutchen Memorial Tournament pours cold water on that notion. Playing up in competition against 5A and 6A schools, he scored 168 points in five games, surpassing 2,000 career points.
He averaged 33.6 PPG on 60-56-82 shooting splits, which is virtually unstoppable. What I appreciate the most about Thompson’s statistical output so far is his efficiency. This isn’t a matter of a coach letting his star player do whatever he wants but if he is, I don’t blame him.
Thompson is more than a high-volume, low-efficiency scorer. He is averaging 18.6 FGAs and 9.5 FTAs per game. Just a shade under 19 shot attempts a game is more than acceptable for a player of Thompson’s ilk. In my opinion, anywhere from 18 to 22 attempts is more than acceptable.
That said if Thompson is going to score at the clip he did in San Angelo—with that type of efficiency—19 FGAs might actually be low. Additionally, you have to respect the work he is putting in at the line.
If you look at the best individual scoring outputs at any level in a season—mainly professionally—you will find that those players get to the line anywhere from eight to 12 times a game. The ability to score from the line—at volume—is a hallmark sign of high-level scoring efficiency.
Simply put, the best high efficiency scorers get to the line—a lot.
But let’s go deeper and comb over some advanced numbers.
Thompson is scoring 49.8 percent of Ysleta’s points this season, which is up 13.7 percent from last season. There isn’t another male prospect in this area hitting that mark, let alone doing it this efficiently.
Let’s go even deeper!
Thompon is averaging 1.09 points per possesion (PPP). For reference, anything above a 1.0 is considering good and Thompon’s is PPP is climbing! His PPP in San Angelo was a blistering 1.26, which is beyond great. Additionaly, he has a free throw rate (FTR) above a .51, which if you haven’t picked up by now is really good.
Thompson is showing a refined pedigree as a scorer that few have in this area, and the numbers show it. Again, exposure and playing down at the 2-4A level might not help his cause from a recruiting standpoint, but some coach somewhere is going to find a diamond in the rough with this kid.
His best-laid plans might be taking the JUCO route after this season, but I would be surprised if we don’t see Azaiah Thompson playing DI basketball three years from now. The best scorer the Borderland has to offer resides in Far East El Paso.
MONTWOOD PULLS OFF THE UPSET?
The beauty of sports is that we never truly know the outcomes. But I do know that I know little to nothing about what is happening in 6A girls' basketball. This past Friday (Dec. 13), Montwood went on the road and upset the Franklin Cougars.
Maybe I shouldn’t call it an upset, considering the Rams won by 19 while Franklin was without their outstanding freshman, Allison De La O, and a few other key players. Nevertheless, a near 20-point road victory shouldn’t be dismissed.
Moreover, the race to the top four just got a lot more interesting because every game among Eastwood, Pebble Hills, Franklin, Montwood, and Eastlake matters. Needless to say, I will be tracking every game with a fine comb this season.
Here are the top 6A games with huge implications this week:
Franklin at Eastwood (12/17)
Pebble Hills at Montwood (12/17)
Eastlake at Socorro (12/17)
Socorro at Franklin (12/17)
Eastwood at Pebble Hills (12/20)
Socorro came into district play at 10-5, but I don’t see them securing a spot in the top four despite already improving on their 6-win total from last season. If they can beat Eastlake or Franklin this week, I might have to amend my previous sentence.
THE LAND PROFILES PRESENT SAVION JORDAN
This past Friday, I published my second feature from The Land Profiles on Chapin senior Savion Jordan. The Huskies two-guard has been a player I’ve been following since I started doing this work last season.
His story presents an interesting tale of conflict and growth that stands out amongst other prospects in the area. I’m always impressed by prospects who respond to hard coaching and stick with a program that pushes them to be better—not only as players but as human beings.
Savion has done that at Chapin, plus I found some interesting details about his lineage as an athlete from Northeast El Paso. You can find the story down below!
Savion Jordan is a Quiet Kid but His Game is LOUD
When Rodney Lewis stepped down as the head coach of the Chapin boys' basketball team, an era ended. In six years, Lewis transformed the Huskies into a perennial powerhouse within the city of El Paso and a recognized elite program across the state of Texas.
STAT STUFFER OF THE WEEK: KYLIE MARQUEZ (AMERICAS)
I’ll admit, I forgot about this one from a few weeks prior but I am making up for it now. Two weeks ago, the Americas girl’s basketball team was in Fort Worth, TX, for the Cowtown Classic and played some pretty stiff competition.
Two of their matchups came against 5A Bi-District Champions from last season in Fort Worth and Denton, respectively. The Blazers went 2-2 on the road trip, and their top player, Kylie Marquez, was an All-Tournament selection.
In four games, Marquez recorded 28 steals, which is absurd. Not all stat lines are created equally, nor are they always reliable. That said, I wholeheartedly believe in these numbers because:
I’ve seen her do it in person.
I’ve watched it on tape.
I stat-tracked two games this season in which she had a combined 19 steals—10 against Loretto and nine against Riverside.
With that, she is more than capable of racking up 8-plus steals. So, unofficially, with her four games in Fort Worth and the two games I have numbers on, that is 47 steals in six games, which is good for 7.8 SPG.
It’s absurd.
I have not made my mind up, nor have I put much thought into my end-of-season awards or Borderland 50 prospect rankings. But I would be lying if I didn’t say Marquez isn’t in pole position for Defensive Player of the Year.
You could say my awards and rankings are fictitious and do not matter—which is a valid critique— but I would be shocked if she is not recognized on a more official level by media publications and coaching associations.
I have not seen another prospect on the girl’s side who impacts games defensively like Marquez. There is a substantial gap between her and the next best defender in the Borderland. It is not close.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF CHAPIN
Last Tuesday, the Chapin boy’s basketball team had somewhat of a scare against the Franklin Cougars. The Huskies came away with a two-point win in overtime on the road in somewhat of a surprising result.
First, Franklin is not a bad team. In fact, they are one of the better teams in the Borderland, and they have one of the best coaches in the area, Adam Castillo. This program has won 20-plus games in the past three seasons at the 6A level.
That said, when you consider how Chapin ran through Eastwood (twice), Andress, and Eastlake, you wouldn’t expect them to go into overtime with Franklin or any other elite Borderland program, for that matter.
For as good as Chapin has looked, they have had some puzzling results and chunks of play (3rd quarters) this season. Their wins against Coronado, Americas, and now Franklin show that this team does have some chinks in the armor.
Now, is this nitpicking? Absolutely, because even if they were to lose to a Borderland program this season, it would say more about their competition than it would about them. Ultimately, this team will be assessed by what they do in the playoffs.
A close win against a good Franklin team doesn’t change what will happen come district play. Chapin is still in pole position and should remain undefeated against EP schools for the remainder of the season.
But how do we make sense of these somewhat surprising close-call wins? Moreover, is there something opposing teams can take advantage of?
With the first half of the season behind us, I think it’s fair to say this team can improve by playing a focused 32 minutes of basketball. They’ve had uneven quarters and halves that you wouldn’t normally expect, which seems to be more present this season.
Additionally, is the officiating. Jayden Leverett is no secret at 6-11, and his ability to stay on the floor makes a difference. When we think of players who have gravity—attracting more eyes and bodies into their orbit—Leverett has more than any prospect in this area.
He might not be a floor spacer, but he consistently has an additional defender or two shading him on the weak side. That gravitational pull of defenders opens driving lanes and scoring opportunities for others, and that is just on offense.
This past Friday, Leverett had an 11-block triple-double against Da Vinci.
When he is off the floor, Chapin is still mightily dangerous, but it makes guarding them easier without their star center. Thus, if there is a lack of focus and foul trouble with their big man and respective starters, a game could be had against this team.
And by that I mean, another close call like we saw last week against the Cougars.
Maybe the Franklin result will be the last of this, or not, but it will be something to keep an eye on for the remainder of the season.
MATCHUPS OF THE WEEK
BHSBB: Canutillo Eagles at Ysleta Indians
District: 1-5A vs. 2-4A
Date: Tuesday 12/17
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: 8600 Alameda Ave, El Paso, TX 79907
Although this matchup won’t have seeding implications since both teams play in different districts, it should be a fun game to close out non-district play. Also, both teams have two of my favorite players to watch in this game.
Canutillo is one of the top 5A schools with an egalitarian approach to scoring the ball. Their leading scores can be any player on any given night, whether that be Jovanni Ortiz, Donovan Mozer, Diego Castillo, or Austin Bonilla.
The latter of which—Bonilla—is the engine that runs Canutillo offensive. He’s also one of the best pure point guards the Borderland has to offer. Keeping him in check and stopping him from getting dribble drive penetration will be key for Ysleta.
For the Indians, it’s not all about Azaiah Thompson but he has a lot to do with this team’s success. I’ve already poored over what he can do as a scorer so it’s needless to say he needs to have a big night. Last season Canutillo beat Ysleta by 27 points at home inspite of a fairly efficient 26 points on 18 shots for Thompson.
Simply put, Ysleta will need to defend better this time around—limit second chance points and stop the Eagles from running out in transition. Ysleta’s Jayden Herrera will be crucial in this game, his scoring and rebounding can make the difference.
That said, the matchup to look for is Thompson against the Canutillo guards/wings whether that be Ortiz or Mozer. If the combination of those two or a Diego Castillo can keep Thompson out of the paint or off the free throw line, we might see a similar scoreline to last season’s game.
GHSBB: Eastwood Troopers at Pebble Hills Spartans
District: 6A vs. 6A
Date: Friday (12/20)
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: 14400 Pebble Hills Blvd, El Paso, TX 79938
On paper, these are the two best teams in girl’s 6A basketball coming into this season. Eastwood has looked as expected—a notch above the rest of their Borderland compeition (minus Americas)—while Pebble Hills is somewhat of a mixed bag.
The Spartans have been without their top player Jordan Sapien for early parts of the season, but when she is on the floor, they are lethal. At their best, Pebble Hills is a run-and-gun team that excutes at a high level in transition.
The crux of this game comes down to pace—assuming Sapien is playing—and if Eastwood can slow down Pebble Hills. The Troopers play with grit and excellent defensive effort. They can guard multiple possesions in the halfcourt and have the players/athletes to run with Pebble Hills.
The player matchup to watch is Olivia White (PHHS) vs. Ineysiah Johnson (EHS). The respective starting centers bring a much needed inside presence and interior scoring. Whoever wins that battle in terms of offensive rebounding, points in the paint, and limiting fouls might determine this game and potential seeding come playoff time.
Last season both teams split their head-to-head matchup.