HIGH SCHOOLS
Freshman Fatheree turning heads; area All-Americans named
Some things to watch for in the Houston high school basketball ranks this week.
Fatheree shines in two sports 1
Reuben Fatheree is quickly making a name for himself — and he’s only a freshman. After starting 13 games at offensive tackle on Foster’s football team, the rising star is dominating the hardwood under coach and father Reuben Fatheree Sr., helping the Falcons reach 4-1 in District 27-5A last week. So, is he a football or basketball player? “I think he’s a better football player, but I’m biased,” coach Shaun McDowell said. Baylor says he’s both. They took the rare step of offering Fatheree — who holds offers from Texas and Texas A&M, too — in both sports last week. “That’s the first I ever heard of that, as a freshman, too,” McDowell said. “That’s what’s crazy.” Fatheree is listed at 6-7, 285 pounds, but McDowell said he’s closer to 6-8, 300, and he’s not just a big body in basketball. He registered nine double-doubles in his first 11 games. He triple-doubled (11 points, 13 rebounds, 11 blocks) against Conroe, and erupted for 15 points, 17 rebounds, nine assists and six blocks in last week’s 77-74 win over rival Angleton. “He’s not sloppy out there,” McDowell said. “He’s lean, and he’s got some girth to him, but he’s also got supremely athletic talent. He’s just special.”
Coldspring heats up 2
La Marque is the Houston area’s only state-ranked Class 3A squad, but Coldspring is coming on, improving to 4-0 in District 21-3A play last week with wins over defending district champion Hempstead (71-54) and Anderson-Shiro (85-45), which was undefeated in district going in. Sophomore Jacoby Bishop is leading the way, averaging 24.2 points per game for the much-improved Trojans, who are 15-6 after going 10-22 last season. The 6-1 shooting guard scored 31 points against Hempstead, giving him eight games of at least 30. “He can score from everywhere,” coach Greg Devers said. “He shoots the 3, he shoots the 2. The other day he had a dunk that brought the crowd to their feet. We were down by 10 against Hempstead, he had that good dunk, and the next thing you know we go on a 17-2 run. So he’s an all-around player.”
Deer Park doing it in district play 3
Deer Park, which suffered through five straight losing seasons from 2012 to 2016, is on the rise, too. The Deer went 21-13 last season, falling to Atascocita in the area playoffs, and they’re already at 21 wins this year (21-4 overall) after winning two tournaments and defeating Dobie 74-55 to reach 5-0 in 22-6A action last week. Tristan Ikpe, a 6-5 forward who’s maybe the best unsigned senior left in Houston, is leading the charge. He supplied 17 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks against Dobie, and 25 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in a 73-46 win over rival La Porte.
Grimes goes off 4
College Park is a pedestrian 12-11 this season, but it was undefeated in district after a 75-60 win over Lufkin to open 12-6A play in a game that featured another eyebrow-raising outing by recently named McDonald’s All-American Quentin Grimes. The 6-5 Kansas signee exploded for 41 points on 17-of-29 shooting (4-of-7 3s) with 11 rebounds and four assists, giving him two 40-point doubledoubles. He had 44 and 10 against St. Edward (Ohio) and a season-high 47 points against Humble. Grimes, who boasts two triple-doubles, is averaging 29.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
Four area players are All-Americans 5
Quentin Grimes wasn’t the only Houston-area standout reveling in a McDonald’s All-American selection this week. The 13th-ranked player in the ESPN 100 was the only boys
player, landing on the West team for the premiere March 28 showcase, but a record three girls were selected, with Travis’ Queen Egbo (Baylor), Cypress Woods’ Cate Reese (Arizona) and Barbers Hill’s Charli Collier (Texas) making the prestigious list. “It means a lot to me,” Collier told the Chronicle. “I’ve been dreaming of it since I was young. It makes me only want to go harder.”
Gladney, Springs charge ahead 6
Somehow, the Clear Springs girls basketball team isn’t state-ranked, but they’re chasing another 30-win campaign, which, if successful, would be the elite program’s seventh in eight seasons. The Chargers reached 20-7, 7-0 in 24-6A, with a 62-58 win over Clear Brook led by Dymond Gladney, who supplied 18 points, seven steals, five rebounds and five assists. The Houston signee is averaging 19.2 points and 4.0 steals, and she had 1,774 points, 414 steals, 410 assists and 361 rebounds through 128 varsity games.
Local teams in state rankings 7
Cypress Falls stayed at No. 3 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches 6A boys rankings after downing Cy-Fair and Cy Creek. Dekaney reamined fourth, and Klein Forest and Sam Houston slipped slightly, to ninth and 12th respectively. On the girls side, No. 8 Cy Creek, No. 9 Cy Ranch and No. 10 Jersey Village are bunched up in the 6A rankings, and Barbers Hill is No. 3 in 5A.
Morton Ranch vs. Tompkins boys 7 p.m. Friday, Tompkins 8
The loaded Falcons (196, 5-0) put their perfect 19-6A record – and their hopes for the program’s first district title – on the line against standout sophomore L.J. Cryer (21.2 ppg) and the Mavericks (16-7, 4-1).
Deer Park vs. Beaumont West Brook boys 7 p.m. Friday, West Brook 9
Tristan Ikpe and the Deer are rolling, with an 18-game winning streak since their 3-4 start, but the Bruins (20-4, 5-0), who are led by Colorado signee Elijah Parquet, present a challenge.
Tomball Memorial vs. Magnolia West girls 7 p.m. Friday, Magnolia West 10
The Mustangs (14-8, 6-1) are cruising, winning seven straight games, including two in OT, to head into the second round of 20-5A play in first. But their only first-round loss was to the Wildcats (15-8, 5-2).