Boys basketball: Tokay Tigers’s L.J. Reed takes Tri-City Athletic League first-team honors
L.J. Reed of the Tokay Tigers drives to the basket in front of a St. Mary’s Rams defender during a varsity boys basketball game at Tokay High School in Lodi on Friday, Jan. 16, 2015. Reed led the Tigers to a playoff spot and was rewarded with first-team all-Tri-City Athletic League honors.
The Tri-City Athletic League released its all-league varsity boys basketball team on Tuesday, with three Tokay Tigers players and four Lodi Flames players earning honors.
Only one from Lodi made the first team, though, in Tokay’s L.J. Reed, a guard in a forward’s body. The other Tigers on the team were senior forward Kashif Afzal (second team and all-defensive team) and senior guard Nico Brusa (second team).
Lodi junior guard Jared Wall and junior forward Brody Nutting made second-team, junior forward Matt Meehleis earned honorable mention and junior guard Jackson DeAndries was named to the all-defensive team.
Reed topped the league in assists and steals, according to Tokay coach Travis Okamoto.
“I think the statistics speak for themselves. It’s pretty undeniable he’s able to score,” Okamoto said. “Just statistically, it was pretty tough not to put him in that first group, and the coaches seem to agree.”
Through the entire season, Reed averaged 13.2 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.2 steals to help the Tigers finish third in the TCAL.
Often this season, Reed found himself playing a position that was unfamiliar to him.
“We asked him to play point guard, but he’s not a natural point guard,” Okamoto said. “We said we could play him at point guard when we needed it, and there were stretches where we needed it. We asked for a lot out of him, and he changed his game a lot.
“He just draws a lot of attention when he drives, and that was invaluable to us.”
Afzal’s defensive numbers weren’t anything outstanding, according to Okamoto, but he made the all-defensive team because his presence in the paint forced teams to change how they approached the Tigers. He led the team with 8.7 rebounds per game.
“Kashif made us a different team in conference. When we got the ball to him, we were winning,” Okamoto said. “When teams took that away or he had an off night, that’s when we struggled. He’s a true post, and you don’t see that a lot in high school.”
Brusa gave the team a dangerous outside shot with his ability to drain 3-points or drive and pull up for a jump shot. He was second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game.
Lodi finished fourth in the league standings, just outside of an automatic playoff spot, but was well-represented in the all-league voting. The Flames only graduate one senior in Jacob Coons.
Wall led the Flames with 15.3 points per game, and added 3.7 boards and 2.3 steals per game. Lodi coach David Nutting called him the team’s best athlete.
“He was the one guy that could create his own shot at any time,” Nutting said. “He’d come down and if we needed a shot, he’d get it.”
Nutting averaged six points and 3.7 boards. He was second on the team in scoring, assists, rebounds and free throw percentage. He’s also Dave Nutting’s son.
“He’s just all around a good player,” Dave Nutting said. “Being my son, he’s been around basketball his whole life. His basketball IQ is off the charts.”
Meehleis contributed 7.3 points, four boards and 2.3 assists per contest, and Jackson DeAndries was second in scoring at 12 points per game, while adding 1.3 steals per game.
“I think he took 14 charges the whole year, and probably should have gotten 25-30 if he’d gotten calls,” Nutting said. “He just had an uncanny knack. If you’re willing to sacrifice your body for the team, that’s got to give you an edge.”