Top recruits compete in Ballislife All-American Game, prepare for UCLA
Incoming UCLA basketball player Lonzo Ball posted a triple-double and took home the co-MVP award at the 2016 Ballislife All-American Game. Ball set a Ballislife All-American Game record with 15 assists. (Michael Zshornack/Daily Bruin)
By Matt Joye
May 1, 2016 4:26 p.m.
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Saturday afternoon unofficially marked the last time UCLA men’s basketball’s top two 2016 recruits – Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf – would play together before wearing Bruin blue and gold.
The five-star guard – Ball – and the five-star power forward – Leaf – were part of Team Future at the 2016 Ballislife All-American Game. Their team lost to Team Elite 152-134, in a contest that was really more of a glorified layup line than a true scrimmage.
For what it’s worth, Ball posted a triple-double and took home the co-MVP award alongside five-star guard Mustapha Heron, an Auburn signee. Ball set a Ballislife All-American Game record with 15 assists.
Some highlights of Lonzo Ball playing in the @BallisLife All-American game today. #BILAAG pic.twitter.com/z9rldk7Re5
— Matt Joye (@mattjoye) May 1, 2016
Leaf had 14 points, doing all of his work on fast break dunks and uncontested layups. He struggled with outside shooting, air-balling his lone 3-point attempt of the game and going 6-for-20 in the preceding 3-point contest.
Video of T.J. Leaf in the 3-point contest at the @Ballislife All-American game. Leaf went 6/20 overall. pic.twitter.com/Tn427oFPUv
— Matt Joye (@mattjoye) April 30, 2016
Fellow UCLA commit and four-star power forward Ike Anigbogu also participated in the game, playing for Team Elite. Anigbogu didn’t see much action, however, taking a back seat to players like Mitch Lightfoot – a four-star power forward and Kansas commit – who dropped a game-high 32 points.
After the game, both Leaf and Ball said they are planning to move into UCLA on June 19 to get started for the summer session. There will be about 10 practices in the summer, Leaf said, before the team heads to Australia in August.
Being together in the same area will be something new for Leaf and Ball. Although the two are from Southern California, they rarely get to practice with one another. Ball lives in Chino Hills, California, a 114-mile drive from Leaf’s home in El Cajon, California.
“We don’t really work out together. I mean he’s three hours away,” Leaf said. “But I mean whenever we see each other, it’s much love.”
Once at UCLA, Ball plans to get some extra work in with Leaf on the court.
“When we get up there in the summer we’ll be playing,” Ball said.
Right now, UCLA’s quartet of 2016 recruits – Ball, Leaf, Anigbogu and three-star guard Kobe Paras – stay in contact through a group text. Leaf said that Anigbogu and Paras plan to join UCLA this summer as well.
“We all talk a lot,” Leaf said of his fellow recruits. “We just talk a lot about everything. So it’s going to be a lot of fun going into next year with those guys.”
