Mission Prep basketball finishes fourth at Christmas Classic after 8-0 season start
Mission Prep’s boys basketball team finished fourth at its Christmas Classic tournament — holding its own against strong teams from the Los Angeles area in their two defeats.
The Royals (8-2) lost 56-39 to Rancho Verde (8-4) of Moreno Valley in the San Bernardino area Wednesday after falling to California Top 5 state powerhouse Bishop Montgomery, of Torrance, 54-40 on Tuesday.
But Mission Prep, which won its first eight games of the season, topped Salesian College Preparatory of Richmond 56-43 on Monday and beat Indio on Saturday 64-55.
Royals star J.J. Howard scored more than 30 points in each of the first three tournament contests, pouring in 31 against Bishop Montgomery (12-0), which beat St. Joseph 62-60 in a title thriller on Wednesday.
Howard, a 6-foot-5 forward, is committed to play at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
“I thought it was super cool,” Howard said. “Just like being able to play against Bishop Montgomery was amazing to see what I could really do. I kind of proved myself pretty good.”
Howard said so far the only two teams that have been able to “take us down are two really good teams” in the state.
Complementing the Royals’ attack, Jayden Nozil logged nine points against Rancho Verde, showing improvement as a sophomore guard.
“He’s a gamer,” said Royals Coach Terrance Harris. “He is a young man who’s got huge upside. He loves the game. He understands the game. He plays hard and he’s a gift for us. It’s a gift for me to coach. I really enjoy him. He’s grown.”
Junior Wyatt Maulhardt, a Royals forward, said he is focusing on his defense and providing an outside shooting threat when the defense collapses on Howard and Nozil.
“I’m trying to expand my game and get more inside and out,” Maulhardt said. I’m just trying to focus on kind of hitting threes and be there for J.J. when he’s driving or Jayden. ... Coach Harris is all about effort. You have to want it and want to compete.”
Harris said the tournament has risen to become one of the top winter events in California high school basketball and this year didn’t disappoint.
“It’s a treat this community gets to host one of the best tournaments on the West Coast, and the coaches have all been incredibly complimentary,” Harris said. “What they love most is the community, the hospitality and the competition. And honestly, that’s what we build.”
Harris said that after going 0-4 in last year’s tourney, this year was a marked improvement.
“The first two wins were huge and we we would loved to walk out of here with one more win, but the guys know that they competed hard, and it’s building blocks for us,” Harris said. “So, I’m proud of the way we competed.”
Harris added that Howard demonstrated his talent throughout the tournament.
“What we know, other people got to see,” Harris said. “J.J. is a very special player, and I’m proud of the way he performed. We know that he could stand up against any competition, and he showed that again this week.”
Mission Prep football player signs officially
After the Royals’ basketball game, Mission Prep football star R.J. Esmon inked his commitment to University of Nevada, where he’ll play offensive guard.
Esmon was a force for the Royals, logging more than 40 pancake blocks over the course of the season.
The 6-foot-7, 286-pound lineman said that he was deciding between San Jose State and Nevada.
“When it all came down to it and different locations, I love Reno,” Esmon said. “I love the city and that was the biggest factor.”
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Esmon said he’ll be working to get stronger and more powerful to compete at the college level.
“You have to work out multiple times a day,” Esmon said. “That’s all I’ve been doing twice a day, just getting quicker and more explosive, stronger.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 10:42 PM.
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