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special to the sun / Garrett Valenzuela
Bishop Gorman players gather around the 4A state championship trophy after defeating Northern Nevada’s Hug High 96-51 at Lawlor Events Center in Reno.
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 | 12:01 a.m.
Prep Sports Now
Bishop Gorman, Green Valley headed to Reno
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Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Case Keefer and Ray Brewer come to you from the Las Vegas Sun's podcast studio for one final time this basketball season. They dissect the chances of seeing an all-Las Vegas state championship game between Bishop Gorman and Green Valley.
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RENO — Talk about cementing your legacy.
That’s exactly what Shabazz Muhammad, the nation’s top-ranked high school basketball player, and his Bishop Gorman High teammates did Friday in the 4A state championship against Reno’s Hug High at the Lawlor Events Center.
His highlight-reel-style dunks one after another, a smooth-shooting stroke from the outside and a dominating performance rarely witnessed in Nevada from a high school player will surely be talked about for years to come. The same can be said for Gorman’s star-studded roster.
The senior wing Muhammad put on a show in his finale, scoring 30 points in the first half to finish with 36 points on 15-of-17 shooting to lead the Gaels to a 96-51 victory for their third state championship in four years.
“The first half was quite a display,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said. “Shabazz will be the first to say, he gets the spotlight because of his scoring, his highlight dunks and his rankings, but we don’t win this championship without all these guys. We don’t even come close.”
Muhammad outscored Hug 30-25 in the first half, only missing one shot in a streak of scoring that included a trio of nothing-but-net 3-pointers during a two-minute stretch in the second quarter and several dunks typically reserved for a dunking contest. On consecutive possessions, he converted a windmill and then a 360-degree dunk — which earned him a technical foul for celebrating.
“I got up pretty good on that,” Muhammad said of the 360-degree dunk. “I had four dunks in a row. I usually don’t have celebrations, but I had to that time and got a technical.”
The players on the Hug bench even appeared to be in awe of the scoring display, often smiling in amazement after a Muhammad dunk. Following the game, Muhammad was bombarded with picture and autograph requests from fans and teammates.
He even autographed his game shoes and gave them to a fan — a teenager from Reno whom he had never met. While most of the autograph hounds got Muhammad’s signature on their game ticket, Fernando Rodarte, 13, had his all-white Air Jordans signed.
“They are going to be worth something one day,” he said. Muhammad's autograph on a basketball already sells on eBay for $149.
Muhammad, however, was far from a one-player show. Gorman’s starting lineup has four players who will play at major Division I colleges next year, including forward Ben Carter (Oregon) who finished with six points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three blocked shots.
Add in Rosco Allen (Stanford), Demetris Morant (UNLV), junior Rashad Muhammad (Shabazz’s brother) and some argue this year’s Gorman team ranks as one of the best in state history — if not the best ever.
“I think it is (the best in state history),” Muhammad said. “Our team was really good. We had (players sized at) 6-9, 6-6, 6-7, our team was basically an NBA team with length. It was just a good situation for us. We came out tonight and brought it one last time.”
Gorman, which opened its state semifinal game Thursday against Douglas High on a 24-0 scoring run, led 29-9 after the first quarter against Hug. At halftime, they increased the lead to 59-25 — about 3.6 points per minute.
Bishop Gorman High's Shabazz Muhammad soars to the hoop for an uncontested dunk during the Gaels' 96-51 win over Northern Nevada's Hug High in the state championship game at Lawlor Events Center in Reno.
“This group of seniors, if you go back in history, it will be tough to find a group as talented as this group,” Rice said. “Hopefully a lot of people in the state of Nevada remember this as one of the best high school teams they’ve seen.”
Gorman opened the third quarter on a 17-2 scoring run to put the game more out of reach. Rice, who carried 18 players on his playoff roster, brought in his second string with about three minutes to play in the third quarter. By the end of the game, Muhammad, Allen, Carter, Morant and starting point guard Gio Guzman had already taken the tape off their ankles and were posing for championship photos on the bench.
There is no question that Muhammad, Carter and Allen — often called the “Big 3” — are elite players and top 100 national recruits. They just didn’t act like superstars around teammates.
When each Gorman player was called to center court to pick up their championship medals, Carter made sure to be the first to offer congratulations. Muhammad spent time joking around with his teammates’ younger siblings.
Several affiliated with the program have memories of Muhammad that have nothing to do with the rare feat of completing a 360-degree dunk in a game — which Muhammad had done twice before.
“He is a great teammate. Just a phenomenal guy,” said Nick Gianakoulias, a senior guard. “He always looks out for us and is a great leader. In practice, he (plays) like this all of the time. This is nothing new.”
While the Gaels were hardly challenged in winning the title — they were victorious in 22 of their last 23 games and won their five playoff games by an average of 33 points — that might not be the case next winter with the graduation of several veteran players.
All five of the Gaels’ starters were seniors, including Guzman who finished with eight assists. Sixth-man Ronnie Stanley recorded eight rebounds.
Rashad Muhammad, who had 14 first-half points, is also a major Division I prospect and will be Gorman’s main scoring threat next year. Sophomore Noah Robotham has been a contributor his first two years and will also see added responsibility.
“The thing about Gorman people don’t understand is that we buy into the system,” Robotham said. “That is why we had the success we’ve had. We are already itching to get back into the gym.”
Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or ray.brewer@lasvegassun.com. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.
Nice to see the game on TV- oops it wasn't.
Nice to remember when the State Games were on radio - now they are not.
What could be the best High School team in Nevada History (not considering Findlay Prep) this game deserved better media exposure than it got. Channel 8 does a story on Prep Swimming not on basketball? The Rebel station can not bother getting anyone to Reno?
Disappointing and the NIAA just does not care.
All I can say is Shabazz wow! It might have been more fair to play 5 on 1 in the Championship game last night. Shabazz can do it all and it was special to watch. I would really like to see the teams that beat Gorman this year....were they college teams? Seriously, were they?
I watched the entire game online at gustinsports.com. High school sports in Nevada just doesn't generate enough interest to have it on TV. I was happy they had it online.
Congratulations Gaels! Great job, you deserve to be State Champs!
Bravo, Congratulations, and other celebratory adjectives. The Gormanites easily swept through the state basketball season and tournament. Bishop Gorman Administration should be very proud of their accomplishments in recruiting or financially assisting a very talented team, while depleting all the local high schools of talent. What ever happened to fair competition. I's that what Catholicism is all about? May God Bless Bishop Gorman administration. Please go to church on Sunday, you have all lost a sense of what is right and what is right for the Las Vegas community as a whole. You should all be very proud of yourselves.
Congratulations to the kids. They work hard and deserve whatever accolades that come their way. However, BG's administration and the NIAA should be embarrassed. Is this what high school athletics is supposed to be about? The school with all of the money, resources and the ability to pick and choose the best high school talent should compete on the same court and field for state and regional titles against teams that have virtually no chance at fair competition. Shouldn't high school sports, beyond anything else, be about FAIRNESS??? Shame on Gorman and the NIAA!
Contact the NIAA and DEMAND that BG is removed from the public leagues. IT'S NOT FAIR!
The headline says it all..."Gorman, star player Shabazz Muhammad make statement in winning state championship" and that statement is they don't belong playing basketball with public high schools that can't infuse the team with money nor recruit! Time for Gorman to move on...
The anti-Gorman comments crack me up....makes the Gaels' victories even sweeter.
@Sinatra, spoken like a true Gorman alum.
Congrats to Gorman for another hard bought State Title. Shame on the Sun for promoting the advantages of private school money and playing by a completely different standard. Ray I understand you have to report on sports in this town but every once in a while talk about the enormous competitive advantages Gorman has and how poorly it reflects on sports in this town. This has to end! Every school in town is playing for 2nd place in the three major sports.
Hey Guru and others: For whatever it is worth, I don't know if the Gorman domination in basketball is going to continue next year. They will be extremely inexperienced on the inside and will be relying on several kids not used to the spotlight. Palo Verde and Centennial could be evenly matched. It's going to be fun seeing which teams get better during the spring and summer.