Left To Right: Bryan HS 2012 J. Mychal Reese, 2009 Terrance Wilbert, 2009 Jonathan Allen
Tonight TexasBasketballinc.com and TexasRecruit.com are in the house to catch the Pflugerville Hendrickson v. Bryan matchup. All games are important to it's participants and fans, but this one bears particular watching as it is the long awaited high school debut of J. Mychal Reese, long considered the #1 player in the country in the Class of 2012.
Before the game gets underway it's I wanted to thank Coach jim Reid for allowing me courtside to report on the game, and even more important to say thank you for all the prayers that were directed to Bryan Head Coach John Reese who underwent heart surgery just a couple of weeks ago. He'll be on the sideline in a more subdued role, but still offering leadership to the Vikings and his son. This has been a heck of a ride for the family as all the hoopla over Young Reese has continued to grow. I've personally been around for a lot of it and it's amazing how composed this youngster has remained and how much of a nice "ordinary" kid he continues to be. It's a testament to him and his family.
Hendrickson is an athletic bunch but they'll be shorthanded tonight as Coach Jim Reid is missing starters Marquisse Dunn and Jordan Harris as the Hawks are still in the football playoffs. As Coach Reese likes to say, they'll get off the bus pressing. But Bryan is also a mystery as they'll have a smaller enrollment than ever because of the opening of Bryan Rudder HS which has bled off some of the talent. Look for Senior F 6'5" Terrance Wilbert , and 2009 Cory Burleson to have a big game for the Vikings.
Starters
Hendrickson Hawks
2009 #0 Adam Nwazo
2011 #3 Jalen Washington
2011 #12 Fernando Rivera
2010 #23 Tony Thompson
2009 #44 Dwayne Coleman
Bryan Vikings
2009 #3 Josh Ford
2012 #11 J. Mychal Reese
2009 #12 Jonathan Allen
2009 #23 Cory Burleson
2009 #32 Terrance Wilbert
1st Quarter Bryan 28 Hendrickson 7
Bryan has raced out to a 15-3 lead halfway through the quarter on 3 triples and a rim rattling dunk by Wilbert. Reese is looking composed and hit his first shot as a high school player, knocking down the three ball and hitting two free throws. Timeout Hendrickson as the Vikings lead 21-5. Young Reese had a near perfect quarter. 2-2 from the 3 point line. 3-3 from the charity stripe and 1-2 from short range, including an and one.
Bryan: Reese 11 pts Wilbert 7 pts
Hendrickson: Nwazo 2 pts
2nd Quarter Bryan 55 Hendrickson 23
Terrance "Tall T" Wilbert is playing like a man possessed. He has two big dunks, this time freaking the oop off a sweet pass from Reese and then denying a dunk at the other end by Nwazo. No doubt Hendrickson will be solid when their footballers come back, but they are getting outworked in their own house. The Hawks coaches are noticably ticked off at the mediocre effort. Nwazo seems like the only one who's playing with an attitude and isn't intimidated by the Vikings frenetic style of play.
Reese 21 points on 5-6 shooting and 8-9 from the free throw line.
Jonathan Allen 17 points 3 triples
Wilbert 9 pts with 2 dunks.
Nwazo 7 pts
3rd Quarter Bryan 77 Hendrickson 46
2011 Jalen Harris is starting to compete for the Hawks. He has knocked down three straight three balls. Wilbert is in foul trouble with 4. Bryan is not the same team without his presence on the boards as they have a bunch of cookie cutter 5'10"-6'1" guys.
Reese 26 pts
Allen 23 pts
Nwazo 12 pts
Harris 7 pts
4th Quarter (Final) Bryan 96 Hendrickson 54
Reese 30 pts
Allen 25 pts
Nwazo 12 pts
Harris 10 pts
Reese went 9-12 from the field and 9-11 from the free throw line in his debut. What has always impressed me about J. Mike is he never seems to break a sweat or get out of control. His shot selection was always in the flow of the game, looking to run the offense and get team mates their looks. If Jonathan Allen can shoot the ball anywhere near his accuracy shown tonight the Vikes are going to be mega-tough again this year. Some things never change. I encourage any of you Cen Tex fans to get out and watch young Reese as he plays his 120 nor so games over the next four seasons.
