Looking back at the greatest high school basketball season ever

Driving along Interstate 71 toward the Inland Empire, you pass Chino Hills High and immediately think of the Ball brothers and the greatest season of excellence in high school basketball.

And it led to “‘SNL Weekend Update’ skits about their father, LaVar, Who was a fortune teller telling everyone his kids were going to be stars while doing all the interviews with the media and fans alike. No high school team in Southern California has generated such interest and excitement. You had to line up hours before tip off to get to the gyms. Then the fun began — dunks, shot attempts from far beyond NBA three-point range, and fans begging for autographs from teenagers at a public school.

They were the Harlem Globetrotters during the 2015-16 season.

“It was crazy, something we never thought would happen,” said Steve Pike, who coached Chino Hills during the 2015-16 season. “We were learning on the fly, getting more security, managing ticket sales, creating guest lists. It was a storybook situation.”

The team would go 35-0 and win the Southern Section and state championships. Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball have become social media sensations. Anyone with a camera sought to maximize the moment. However, despite the enormity of the circus atmosphere, the focus has never changed. They wanted to go undefeated and prove they were the No. 1 team in the country.

This is the 10th anniversary season that makes people smile as they remember all the characters involved, all the pictures they saw, and all the greatness that was on display. Three of the starters will become first-round NBA draft picks – Lonzo, LaMelo and Onyeka Okongwu. Lonzo became a Laker. LaMelo has grown into the tallest brother on the ball at 6-foot-7 and perhaps the best. LiAngelo became a rapper. Eli Scott, the fifth starter, became a star at Loyola Marymount. Okongwu went to USC before becoming a first-round pick of the Atlanta Hawks.

“I felt like all year we were playing against teams that wanted to give us their best,” Pike said. “It was a real challenge. When I look back, it’s remarkable how many games we could have lost. If we had been 34-1, we would have considered the season a loss.”

Eighteen times, Chino Hills scored 100 or more points, starting with 131 in the opening win over San Bernardino. There were two wins over Foothills Christian, led by future first-round draft pick TJ Leaf. There was an 83-82 win over Montverde National Energy Academy in the Palm City Tournament in Florida. There was a four-point win over Bishop Montgomery in a game during which Lonzo was injured and others fell ill. This team inflicted the worst defeat ever for Mater Dei and legendary coach Gary McKnight, 102-54, in the Southern Section playoffs.

The only time the Huskies trailed in the first half was against De La Salle in the state championship game in Sacramento. They trailed by two points and ended up winning 70-50 to complete their unbeaten season.

As someone who witnessed many Chino Hills games that season, one of the main questions from the beginning was whether LaMelo would start as a freshman. This was the big debate in the summer of 2015.

“It wasn’t a matter of knowing whether to start it or not,” Pike said. “We had some practices and he was special. There aren’t a lot of point guards who are elite passers. I grew up admiring Jason Kidd and Jack Vaughn. And now he was on the same team as Lonzo.”

When LaMelo scored 27 points in his high school summer debut as a 13-year-old, the momentum of making a once-in-a-lifetime team with three brothers leading the way was unstoppable.

During the season, reporters watched the highlights after the games. The Paul brothers were taken to a classroom in Chino Hills for the interview. LaVar is nowhere to be found. He intentionally let his children sink or swim on their own. Lonzo was the quiet, reserved brother. LiAngelo was always smiling. LaMelo was LaVar’s twin, and you never knew what might come out of his mouth. There were no agents or public relations specialists monitoring them. Their parents trusted them to be good people. And they were.

Lonzo has always been the leader and ready to step in when needed. His passing was amazing, his selflessness legendary, and the old basketball players recognized a teenager mature beyond his years.

“I knew they were really good kids, different from other stars,” Pike said. “They were really attached to the team. Lonzo led the charge as the most selfless player. I had to beg him sometimes to shoot. They were focused on their goal. Their parents prepared them. They were focused on becoming professionals at a young age.”

LaVar and his wife, Tina, were always available and looked up to as proud parents. Naturally, LaVar was a little more vocal. But he was so friendly and approachable that even opposing fans enjoyed participating in the banter and discussions. Once they saw the entertainment the boys were providing, they became fans too.

Pike resigned at the end of the season amid speculation that LaVar forced him to quit. Pike said this is not true. He had his ups and downs with LaVar but was planning to leave coaching after the birth of his second child.

“Part of me wishes I could continue coaching LaMelo all the way,” he said.

Pike ended up accepting a job at Fairfax after the sudden retirement of long-time coach Harvey Keitany. Pike spent three seasons there, winning the City title in 2019 before leaving high school coaching. He has moved to Tennessee and helps run clinics and coach youth basketball.

LaVar would become even more controversial, as he pulled LaMelo from Chino Hills during his junior season to coach him and then sent him overseas. He started his own shoe company, Big Baller Brand. His sayings, “Stay in your lane” and “Speak it into existence,” became national fodder. His wife suffered a stroke in 2017 and he dedicated himself to helping her recover. Recently, he had a health crisis of his own, having his right leg amputated after complications from diabetes. He said he wanted to alert others with diabetes to take care of themselves.

LaMelo is an NBA star who plays for the Charlotte Hornets, earning a spot in the 2022 All-Star Game. Lonzo has struggled with a series of injuries. He left the Lakers in a trade to the New Orleans Pelicans that helped bring Anthony Davis to Los Angeles, then joined the Chicago Bulls and now plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. LiAngelo has enjoyed success as a rap creator. Okongwu is the center for the Atlanta Hawks. Scott played briefly overseas.

Their legacy was to put Chino Hills on the map during a five-month basketball run that entertained fans on a level no school has reached since.