84×50

The Grind Session opening has been nothing short of a talent-filled, intense battleground thus far in the first Arizona Bubble at the PHHacility. The competition has been displayed at such a high level.

Veritas Prep’s 6-foot-4 senior guard Malik Thomas has been at the forefront of that. A strong combo guard that just may be one of the better downhill scorers in the nation. An explosive first step mixed with size and strength and good athleticism makes him such a dangerous offensive weapon. And when that shot from the outside is falling, he is about as unguardable as they come.

He is tough. He welcomes and absorbed contact as good as anyone I have seen. He has a strong handle and a nice little pull-up game that puts the polish on the paint of this muscle-car of an automobile that is Malik Thomas.

Through his first three games on the Grind, he has looked terrific. As good as just about anybody in the first bubble. US Basketball Academy (OR), Bella Vista Prep (AZ) and West Oaks (FL) have all felt the force of Thomas already. They are 2-1 in the bubble thus far, after dropping a narrow 3-point loss to West Oaks last night.

During the middle of the pandemic, Thomas committed to Head Coach Andy Einfield and the University of Southern California. After all, it was a school he dreamt of playing for growing up as a Los Angeles native. And while getting an offer and committing to such a nationally-respected program is nothing short of impressive, it is far from the end of where Malik wasn’t his journey through the game of basketball to end.

Like many young and talented hoopers, his dreams extend to aspiring to play in the NBA. However, if you were ever to sit down and ask this young man why that is his dream, you should get a sense that it goes a little deeper for him. He works hard to push himself to be the best version of himself with this dream in his head every single day, every drill, every practice, every game. He will not “run from the smoke.” He wants to square up against the best guards in the country. The guards that are ranked ahead of him in most of the nationally-recognized networks. It’s the main reason he made the jump to the Grind Session with Veritas.

“I wanted to play on a stage where I was getting pushed and tested every game. I wanted to play in something that was going to get me ready for the PAC-12.”

After all, that may be the biggest asset for most players on this Grind Session circuit. Most players on every roster will play Division-I college basketball within the next couple of years. There are no games where you are playing against someone that will be lucky to still be playing in a men’s league at 22 years old. This level is not for the weak. It is not for players that don’t have some serious ambitions thru this game. It is for players that eat, sleep and breathe basketball. Players like Malik Thomas.

If you ever talk to Malik about something other than the game, the first thing he wishes to talk about is FAMILY! He comes from a tight-knit one that is founded and so reliant on morals, love and faith. A god-fearing family that attends church regularly and instills prayer and the belief in God’s plan for you. A family that usually holds the holiday cookouts. Coach Enfield might want to give a special thanks to both of his parents, Stanley and Niema, for home-cooking that Malik can not imagine spending any extended time without. His mother’s homemade meals were a driving force in his decision to stay close to home for college and it is said that his father’s gumbo could be some of the best in the state of California. (Side note: next time I am in LA, I’m going to need some of that gumbo, Pops).

You get a sense they have a very fulfilling family. One made up of 5 kids in all. His big sister, Niah, attended the University of Arizona for college and now works at Google. So visiting his big sister while she was in school was his first introduction to Arizona, as they family would use the visits to see Niah as a family vacation.

Basketball was not always the path for Malik. Football and the running back position seemed to be his calling at a young age. But a true underlying passion for basketball and his Uncle Jason turned him into one. Malik, like many kids who grow at a young age, usually got put at center and was forced to play out of position a lot. But his Unc put him in the gym and worked hard with him to develop him into a guard. From there it took off for him. Malik played his freshman season of AAU with Earl Watson Elite (better known as West Coast Elite now). For his sophomore season he made the jump to the Adidas Gold Gauntlet to play for the Compton Magic. His stock rose higher and higher. 247 Sports has Malik ranked number 82 in America, and the #18 shooting guard. He held offers to Arizona and Washington, among others.

His jump to Veritas was no coincidence. Thomas had a relationship with Head Coach George Zedan from his younger days with West Coast Elite, where Zedan coached AAU basketball. And he is grateful he made that relationship with his coach. One talk with him and you will get how much he appreciates his coaches, how much he wants to be pushed and how much he loves being around this team they have assembled at Veritas. He knows how hard Coach Zedan can be to play for because he challenges his players at a high level and holds them accountable. But at the end of the day, he senses it is always out of love and because he truly wants you to succeed.

As much as he loves playing the game with his teammates, he appreciates their bond and time off the floor together just as much. Usually they are having NBA 2K battles, where Malik claims to dominate using his favorite player in todays game, Damian Lillard.

I don’t know where Malik’s journey will end up. But I know I will be cheering hard for this outstanding young man and player from afar.

Malik Thomas and Veritas Prep’s next game will be Sunday, November 8th against Eduprize Prep (AZ)

Traditionally, it would be a David vs. Goliath match-up between these two Grind Session squads, Prolific Prep coming into last nights game as the defending Grind Session World Champion and armed with more pro prospects than most Power-Five college programs. PHHoenix Prep is no slouch either, with eight players on their roster already committed to Division-I universities. But nobody would mistaken the caliber of the talent equal. PHHoenix Prep wasn’t hearing none of that.

This PHHoenix Prep team is GUTSY! They are INTENSE! They DEFEND! They are UNIFIED! You will be hard-pressed to find any overwhelming egos or real unselfishness. They play together and in-sync. Players play their roles and shot-makers make shots.

While they would drop this one on an impressive buzzers-beating tip-in by 7-foot Oregon-commit Nathan Bittle, they led for almost the entirety of the game. They scrapped. They battled. They hit big shots and they seemingly somewhat stifled one of the, if not the biggest team in the country.

While PHHoenix Prep already knew what they had in this group, the Grind Session and everybody tuning in got put on notice as well. Grand Canyon-commit Isaiah Shaw can shoot the rock with anyone in the country, Portland State-commit JT Elder is a gamer, DePaul-commit Brett Hardt Jr is not afraid of anyone you put in front of him and 6-foot-4 Uber-athletic senior guard/wing Ky Oliver is a high-major prospect in his own right. Colorado-commit Jovan Ruffin has it all. One of the better 2-way players on the West Coast and really has a knack for putting the ball in the basket. 5-foot-10 senior point guard Ricardo Sarmiento is as tough of a customer as they come and the big-man combo of UC-Poly commit Matur Dhal and Air Force-commit Carter Van-Hammond proved they are going to be just fine at the next level.

They are a team made up solely of Arizona residents. A program that has built a team that can compete with anyone in America. Say what you want. Believe what you want to believe. You can not take ANYTHING away from this program or team. They are representing AZ well and at the highest level! While it may be a little bitter-sweet one day after a tough lost, I have to say congratulations on behalf of The Show Basketball and The Grind Session to program director John Ortega and the PHHoenix Prep coaching staff. You guys are truly doing a hell of a job!

And congratulations to Prolific Prep. The talent you have assembled for this years team is nothing short of impressive and to have that group seem to truly enjoy playing together and being cohesive on the floor. You guys have a hell of a group on your hands.

PHHoenix Prep’s next game will come on Tuesday against West Oaks (FL), as Prolific Prep will have a very tough turn-around against the top-ranked Grind Session team thus far in AZ Compass Prep. That one is set-up to be a DOGFIGHT!

It had it all. The high-level, high-major talent. The in-state rivalry that has come-to-be. The two programs that started and have been built right here in Arizona and have gained well-deserved national recognition. Two of the “faces” of the Grind Session. The two teams have battled it out every time they have met in recent memory, going into overtime just less than 2 weeks ago in the Border League tournament right here in the Valley.

The atmosphere and anticipation in this game was intense! Fans cheering and the house rocking. At times, you could feel the court shaking a bit.

So the table was set for a feast of a game in a rematch and it did not disappoint. Early on the game would go back-and-forth with 6-foot-4 senior point guard Ty Ty Washington leading the way for Compass and 6-foot-6 senior guard/wing Alden Applewhite showing off his offensive toolbox. Dream City came out of the gates with a good, balanced attack. However, it wasn’t long before Compass opened up a gashing 12-point lead and drew the first real blood of the heavyweight bout.

But Dream City answered with a vicious run of their own and clawed themselves right back into the game as their star 6-foot-9 senior forward Arthur Kaluma and 6-foot-4 senior guard Jayden Nunn made play after play and gave them an 8-point lead with a minute left to play, as it looked like it was just about done going into a timeout. Dream City seemed to have stifled the talented weapon that is Ty Ty Washington and Applewhite had went cold as ice from the field. Dream City spent the better part of the 2nd half in the double bonus.

But Compass was far from done. The full-court defensive pressure the Dragons put on Dream City busted a couple pipes and created some turnovers that led to transition buckets and free-thrown, giving Compass a chance to put points on the board with the clock stopped. Then it all came together, one of the more clutch shots you’ll see at this level. Down 3, less than 10-seconds to go and Washington had the ball coming up the court, got a great screen from Applewhite and knocked down the 3-pointer to tie the game with just 5 seconds remaining. Dream City had a chance to win it at the end that came up short and the game was sent into overtime.

In overtime, Compass drew first blood early but Dream City answered to tie the game back up. The usual sharp-shooting Applewhite could seem to throw the ball in the ocean for a nice stretch of the second half but that all changed when he found himself at the top of the key open and nailed a huge 3-point shot to give Compass a 3-point lead. Dream City had some chances but the game was sealed when Washington got put at the line with a chance to put the nail in the coffin and you know the cold-blooded, clutch killa had his hammer ready, giving his squad a 5-point lead and complete one of the more impressive come-from-behind victories you will see all season long.

This is what the Grind Session is all about! Intensity! Talent! The Platform! It was represented so well on both ends.

PHHoenix Prep looked impressive on Monday night against the newly-formed United States Basketball Academy in both teams first game of the Grind Session AZ Bubble. The Fire from PHH Prep were led by 6-foot-6 GCU-commit Isaiah Shaw in the 2nd half and 6-foot-5 Colorado-commit Jovan Ruffin. Both were incredible in this contest, however, the entire team had a hand in the win. They play with a real intensity on the defensive end and should outplay just about anyone they go up against. Shaw ended up with 17 points, while Ruffin led all scores with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in a very efficient game.

6-foot-9 sophomore wing/forward Jalen Lewis finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in a great game for one of the most talented young prospects in the country. United States Basketball Academy certainly looks the part, since this was their first game as a collective group.

PHHoenix Prep will get ready to play Eduprize at 4pm on Thursday. USBA will get ready to play Veritas Prep tomorrow at 4pm.

It was a tail of two-halves in this high-level contest with so much high-level talent on the floor between Prolific Prep and Dream City Christian. The first half saw Dream City knocking down big shots, particularly fro 6-foot-4 Harvard-commit Tyler Simon, who led all scores at the break with 14. One of the top prospects in the country, 6-foot-8 senior wing/forward Arthur Kaluma looked like every bit of the future pro that many consider him to be. However, Prolific stayed within striking distance, only down by 3 at the half.

The second half saw Prolific start it on a 11-0 run, killing the smaller Dream City team inside with post buckets and the ball swinging outside of double teams when they came that gave Prolific’s guards open shots. Prolific brought some different intensity in the 2nd half and their star 7-foot senior forward Nathan Bittle and 6-foot-8 junior wing Kamari Lands turned it up some in the 2nd half, as Dream City’s shooters cooled down. Lands would finish with 14 points, Bittle with 12 and Stanford-commit Isa Silva finished with 11 points. 6-foot-3 senior guard Jayden Nunn finished with a team-high 19-points and Kaluma finished with 17.

Prolific Prep will gear up to play PHHoenix Prep Blue tomorrow at 8pm, as Dream City will rest tomorrow before a big rematch showdown with AZ Compass prep on Wednesday at 8pm.

West Oaks (Orlando, FL) had a battle in the first official game of the Grind Session Arizona Bubble, escaping the Bears from Bella Vista 82-78 behind a great all-around performance from 6-foot-5 senior wing Justin Neely, who finished with 27 points and 15 rebounds and defended at a high level and all 5 positions. This kid has “Blow-up Season” written all over him with his versatility and strength. Add a clip and a high IQ to that recipe and you have a hell of a dish cooking. 6-foot-6 senior guard Wesley Cardet Jr and 6’3” senior guard J.J Harris both finished with a strong 24 points.

Bella Vista Prep’s (Scottsdale, AZ) 6-foot-5 junior wing Cameron Harris had some really bright spots in this game, finishing with 14 points and hitting (4) 3-pointers. 5-foot-9 senior point guard Simon Wheeler had some plays in this one that made it fun to watch.

West Oaks will take on AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, AZ) at 6pm tomorrow night. Bella Vista Prep’s next contest will be against Veritas Prep (Santa Fe Springs, CA) at 6pm on Wednesday night.