Players of the Gorman High basketball team, from left James Freeman, Darrion Williams and Ryan Abelman, take a portrait during the Las Vegas Sun’s High School Basketball Media Day at the Red Rock Resort and Casino, Nov. 1, 2021.
Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 | 9:36 p.m.
The Bishop Gorman High basketball team is undefeated on the season through nine games. With each win, it seems as if a different player leads the way.
On Monday in the semifinals of the Tarkanian Classic at the Orleans Arena, that player was sophomore Jace Richardson, who scored Gorman’s initial five points and finished with a team-best 14 points in a 71-59 victory over Durango.
And on Saturday in the classic, it was another sophomore, John Mobley, Jr., who heated up from the perimeter in helping Gorman stay undefeated on the season.
“We have six or seven guys who can step up on any night and score the basketball,” Gorman coach Grant Rice said.
After last season was shelved because of the pandemic, teams are using the initial weeks of this season to regain their stamina. It’s one thing to practice or play in a club tournament, it’s another to attend school all day and then play in a crowded gym.
Rice knew he had something special in Richardson and Mobley, who already have scholarship offers from major college programs. A few games into the season and his suspicions were confirmed.
“This is teaching us how go play while we are tired,” said Richardson, the son of former NBA player Jason Richardson. “We have to fight through it, which is what you saw today.”
While Gorman’s underclassmen are making a splash, it’s the Gaels’ seniors who are providing steady leadership, the coach said.
At a tournament in Reno to open the season, senior sharpshooter Ryan Abelman was named the Most Valuable Player to help Gorman start 3-0. Abelman tallied 11 points on Monday, including a corner 3-pointer with about five minutes remaining to give Gorman its largest lead at 18 points.
Seniors James Freeman, who scored 10 points, and 6-foot-6 forward Darrion Williams physically dominated on the interior in the win. Freeman had three second-half dunks as Gorman pulled away.
Gorman plays Liberty at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the tournament’s championship game. Liberty convincingly won the other semifinal, 79-62, against Faith Family of Texas.
Some will say the Gorman-Liberty showdown could be a preview of the Nevada state championship game in February. But both teams aren’t thinking that far ahead, as it’s still December and gaining experience is most important.
“All Vegas teams, not just Bishop Gorman, are getting good experience before league starts,” said Rice, who helps host the Tarkanian event.
