DeRozan single-handedly attacked and scored 32 points, while Zhang Yang contributed 25 points through shooting and fast breaks. Along with Tatum’s 7 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, Keith’s 15 points, and Miller’s 9 points... 104 to 92, Compton High School easily defeated Lynwood High School, securing their 22nd consecutive win!
After Lynwood High School’s weaknesses had been exploited by other teams, their performance significantly dipped. But with a solid foundation, they still managed to remain within the top eight of District 3. Moreover, Harden was improving quickly and there was a possibility for them to climb in rankings by the end of the season.
Unfortunately for Daven Jefferson, the transfer student who was originally ranked 50th nationwide in the ’05 class, his ranking had fallen by more than a dozen places due to the team’s performance.
Meanwhile, at the same time, the leading team of District 2, Mater Dei High School, lost to Berkeley Inland Sea High School, ending their 21-win streak. Compton High School became the only undefeated team left in the CIF Division I league, attracting even more attention. Zhang Yang and DeRozan received increased media coverage.
Tatum, Keith, and Miller, the three players with NCAA-level potential, also caught the attention of some colleges. With so many colleges across the nation vying for them, even Compton High School’s ’friendly cooperative university,’ USC, led by Coach Bibby, was not confident they could secure the two players; other universities could only wait for the right time to try their luck. However, these three players with decent talent could be snatched up if the moves were made swiftly.
As a result, the junior varsity team of Compton High School, including several talented players, also garnered some attention. Gordon and Aboya, the twin towers duo, showcased performances at the Los Angeles County tournament that were on par with Zhang Yang and DeRozan. Though the league level was lower, both players were only in 9th and 10th grade, respectively, and with them both being in the frontcourt, their talent was inherently more valued.
Compton High School, under the guidance of the coaching trio of Thomas, Johnson, and Burke, rose swiftly. They had been receiving considerable attention in recent years. If it weren’t for their location in the tough area of Compton, this coaching trio would definitely attract more talented players. This season, after the coaches’ years of accumulation and development, they finally experienced a breakthrough. Encountering a good coach during one’s school years is incredibly rare; hence, after the surge in attention for Compton High School, numerous talented middle schoolers started considering it as a potential option.
Time moved to March 5th, a Saturday, on the 34th match day of the CIF Division I league.
Today, Zhang Yang took leave to sit the SAT exams, missing the game.
With only three league matches left, Inglewood High School of District 3 held a record of 28 wins and 5 losses. The undefeated Compton High School, with 33 consecutive victories, had already secured the top spot in District 3 ahead of time, and Thomas readily granted leave.
Thomas actually wanted Zhang Yang to take the exam in May. Whilst the top spot in District 3 was already secured, the first place in the league was not, as Mater Dei High School had only lost one game, and Oakland High School lost two. It wasn’t that these two schools were stronger, but the competition within their third district was extremely intense; it had been years since they last achieved league first place. A full-victory season was even harder to come by.
Their third district was the toughest to achieve a perfect league phase, even for powerhouses like Southern California High School and Inglewood High School, which had been dominant for decades; full-victory records were few and far between, and only those two schools had ever achieved it... Thomas wanted to take the league’s first place and also yearned for an undefeated season; both opportunities were right before his eyes, yet Jack had been preparing for the exam for two months...
However, Thomas’s concerns proved to be unnecessary. The game that started at 4 PM, with DeRozan leading the team alone, was like a dragon diving into the sea. He made 16 out of 28 shots, including 2 out of 5 three-point attempts, and scored 12 out of 14 free throws, amassing an astounding 46 points and 6 rebounds. He led Compton High School to a 109 to 98 victory over the visiting West Hollywood High School, securing their 34th consecutive win!
This was the first time in two years that Thomas had seen DeRozan lead the team without Zhang Yang, and he knew that both of their personal performances had begun to affect each other since mid-season. But it wasn’t until this game that he realized just how severe their mutual hindrance was!
If each of them had to lead the team alone for a 34-win streak, it would be quite difficult, especially against teams like Inglewood High School and Southern California High School, where full effort from both was required to win. After all, they only had five capable players; the remaining five would just be holding them back.
But based on DeRozan’s performance today, he alone could possibly take the top spot in the district, or at least the top three!
Zhang Yang needed to be even stronger. If he were to lead the team, the chances of taking the first place were quite substantial!
Their talent was simply too astonishing; beyond what Thomas could have imagined... Was this what it felt like to coach historical talents like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James?
Thomas suddenly felt that it wasn’t a good choice for Zhang Yang and DeRozan to continue playing together in the CIF Division I league the following season.
He imagined what it would be like to place an 11th grader averaging 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists per game, Farmar, and a 12th grader averaging 31 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals per game, James, on the same high school team... They might as well just give the championship trophy to these two.
Nevertheless, Thomas had recently started to get the feeling that the two talents wanted to make a change. Lately, Zhang Yang had been looking at NCAA college data and consulting him for advice. With the 11th-grade season almost over, this seemed normal. But Zhang Yang was also investigating the rosters of those schools, and the college intentions of the ’05 class’s high school standouts...
DeRozan had been inquiring about the Moore League and the AAU summer league. The AAU summer league was fine as it took place during the summer break, but the Moore League, a competition organized jointly by California and Arizona in Los Angeles, overlapped with both the CIF Division I league and the Arizona 5A league schedule.