Mustangs Gain Valuable Experience From Summer Hoops Circuit

It’s been a busy summer for some of the players on John Muir High’s varsity boys basketball team. Muir boasts five players (Jelani Mitchell, Tevin Polk, Michael Cockrell, Maurice Ballard and Blair-transfer Perris Hicks) playing on various elite AAU teams coached by Ryan Hollins of the Cleveland Cavaliers and ex-NBAers Tracy Murray.

And this past week the Mustangs took their talents to Las Vegas to compete some of the most prestigious summer tournaments in the nation. Mitchell and Ballard participated in the Fab 48 tournament, while Polk, Cockrell and Hicks played in the Adidas 64.

Both tournaments featured the top high school prospects in the nation, including Shabazz Muhammad of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High, in consensus No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2012. That kind of talent attracted coaches and representatives from every major college program in the nation (UCLA’s Ben Howland reportedly was on hand a number of Muhammad’s games). While none of the Muir players come with the same fan-fare of the more heralded players in Las Vegas, these high-profile events are great learning experiences.

“I think the experience was good for them. They’re playing against strong players,” said Muir coach Dr. Gamal Smalley, who was in Las Vegas watching his son compete in the “I’m really optimistic about the experience these guys are getting at this high level.”

Smalley added: “I talked with Ryan Hollins on the way home last night. Ryan said Jelani did really well, had a real good tournament for the whole week. He thought (Ballard) did well also coming off the bench and playing pressure defense and making good assists.”

Perhaps the player to make the biggest splash, though, was Polk on Cam and Tracy Murray’s Team Prodigy “A” squad.

“Robert Murray (Cam and Tracy’s father), he told me that the scouts were really impressed with (Polk),” Smalley said. “That Tevin put on a show this week because he just battles guys.

“ … Tevin, he’s explosive. He’ll go up and he’ll attack the rim real well. He’s a good defender. He can go out and guard a small guard and he can go down and body up with a post player.”

Smalley said Polk has garnered interest from a number of junior colleges outside California, some smaller Division-II programs and just recently received a letter from the University of Arizona, but no serious offers have been made this early in the process. Mitchell, a rising junior, and guard Dion Nelson also have received letters from about 26 schools apiece, Smalley said.

“It’s certainly a change from where Muir was a few years ago when no one was mentioned in scouting at all,” Smalley said. “We’re optimistic because there’s been a change. Not only our we winning, but players are working hard in the offseason.”