No. 6 Russell Westbrook vs. No. 1 Tyson Chandler: Vote for the best SoCal high school boys basketball player of the 21st Century (Final Four)
Who is the best high school boys basketball player in Southern California over the past 20 years? Over the next few days we’ll give you a chance to decide.
Our 32-player bracket tipped off last week with first-round matchups in all four regions: the Ed Azzam region, the Gary McKnight region, the Harvey Kitani region and the NBA region. Sweet 16 voting wrapped up on Tuesday and the Elite Eight finished on Wednesday.
We now move into the Final Four.
Leuzinger's Russell Westbrook, a six seed, has upset his three opponents so far and looks to continue his winning ways in the Final Four against the overall number one seed Tyson Chandler from Dominguez.
(6) Russell Westbrook, Leuzinger
Westbrook played at Leuzinger High in Lawndale. He was a two-time MVP of the Bay League. As a senior at Leuzinger, he led his team to a 25-4 overall record and a CIF Southern Section Division I-AA quarterfinal playoff appearance. Westbrook averaged 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.3 assists per game that season. He made 57 three-point shots and shot 76.0 percent from the free throw line as a senior. He totaled 14 double-doubles scoring 30 or more points eight times. His career high came against Carson when he put in 51 points in January of 2006.
Westbrook played college basketball at UCLA before being drafted fourth overall by the Seattle SuperSonics, the team that later became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008. He now plays for the Houston Rockets. He’s a nine time All-Star and was named League MVP in 2017.
(1) Tyson Chandler, Dominguez HS
In his junior year at Compton Dominguez, Chandler averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three blocks per game. In his senior year, Chandler led Dominguez to a state championship and a 31–4 record, averaging 26 points, 15 rebounds, and eight blocks a game. He was a two time state player of the year award winner in 2000 and 2001. Chandler entered the 2001 NBA Draft straight from high school and was picked second overall by the Chicago Bulls. He won an NBA title in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks. Chandler now plays for the Houston Rockets.
(Photos from Les Schwab Invitational)
Russell Westbrook advanced winning 72-30.
