SoCalHoops CIF State Tournament News

D-II Boys Finals: Dominguez
Beats Newark Memorial--(Mar. 20,  2000)

Dominguez 53, Newark Memorial 41--Led by junior Tyson Chandler's 19 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots, Dominguez of Compton dominated Newark Memorial of Newark, 53-41, to win the Northern California Division II boys basketball championship Friday.  Chandler's spectacular dunks and blocked shots helped Dominguez control the game. Newark (32-1) trailed by 25 in the fourth quarter, and never had a serious shot at winning.  Dominguez  virtually locked up its No. 1-ranking with USA Today, and captured the mythical national championship, losing only to Oak Hill and to Clovis West. The Dons used their depth and suffocating amoeba defense to beat Newark, the last undefeated team in the state.  Marquez Chandler led Newark with 20 points, including five of eight from beyond the arc. Matt Rassmussen added 13, but the rest of the Cougar roster could muster just eight points, most against Dominguez's bench after the starters were pulled out. With Micah McKinney on the bench because of a broken wrist suffered against Bakersfield Foothill, Dominguez Coach Russell Otis started Larry Johnson at point guard.

Newark Memorial spread its offense and tried to defeat the Dons from the perimeter.  It looked like a decent strategy in the first few minutes, but Dominguez launched a 16-0 run to end the first quarter that turned an early four-point deficit into a 20-8 lead. There were chances for Newark to fold throughout the game, none greater than when Dominguez opened a 48-23 lead midway through the fourth quarter.   But the Cougars rallied, at one point closing the gap to 10 points. 

Dominguez coach Russell Otis took out starters Tyson Chandler and Keith Brooks with four minutes left and the Dons holding a big lead.    Dominguez was ahead, 27-14, at halftime and increased the margin to 17 points by the end of the third quarter even with Chandler on the bench for the final 4:30 and forward Keith Brooks out for the last 3:13, both because of foul trouble.  But some of the Newark players viewed Otis' pulling out Chandler and Brooks as a slap in the face, and it clearly inspired Newark to keep pushing, so much so that even though the game was really out of reach, Otis put the two back into the game with less than a minute left in order to protect a 10 point lead, which had been as many as 24 just minutes before.   The Dons were not exactly lighting it up offensively, and Newarks defense was effective as Dominguez led by just 10, 27-14 at the half.   Newark Memorial was trying to become the first team in three years to finish the season undefeated.   Dominguez guard Steve Moore had 10 points and six rebounds.

Even though Newark managed to make the score somewhat respectable, the game was never in doubt.  The difference in the teams prompted Joe Davidson of the Sacramento Bee to write that  "It was billed as a high school state championship, but really, it looked more like your best Los Angeles junior college team taking on the nice neighborhood kids. Dominguez, the top-ranked prep boys team in the country, looked as if it could dearly use some competition -- the NCAA Tournament, anyone? -- as it toyed with . . . ."    Davidson continued: "The Dons are thick-bodied sorts with tattoos, facial hair and some serious scowls. They play with attitude. Newark consists mostly of lads with cropped blond hair and acne, and when they tried the stare-down bit, Dominguez players laughed." 

The rest of Davidson's account of the game is also worth a read, if only because, for those of us who have grown somewhat used to the Dominguez team and their style of play, it's a kind of reminder of how the rest of the world (i.e, everyone outside of SoCal) sees these guys:

Then again, Dominguez is the epitome of what high school basketball has become. Sponsored by Nike with a roster chock full of transfers or athletes who don't live anywhere near the Compton campus, the state finals have almost become a bore, secondary when one considers the national schedule the Dons dabble in.

And what makes this Dons group especially nasty is Chandler, who has already dropped hints that he's far more interested in trying out the NBA draft next year than he is about filling out college paperwork. Marc Q. Jones, the Natomas coach who also works for the Orlando Magic as a scout, kept tabs on Chandler and said he is legit. Chandler certainly has some NBA ingredients. He towers above the competition. He runs the floor like a guard. He blocks shots. He slaps the backboard after dunks and rebounds, and he talks constantly.

Chandler scored 19 points, had 12 rebounds and blocked three shots. His friends were equally as lean and mean, including 6-5, 250-pound forward Larry Johnson, who grabbed Matt Rasmussen by the neck during a scramble for the ball and promptly threw him to the floor, resulting in a technical foul.

Other Dominguez players wagged their fingers at Newark players after hard fouls or blocked shots. "We're just playing hard," Johnson said.

So, Dominguez picks up it's fourth title in five years, and they did it again in convincing style.  Here's the official box score from the game:

Dominguez Dons (53)                

Newark Memorial (41)

Technical Fouls: Dominguez Dons--Keith Brooks (1)

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