LIVERMORE, CA -- The first Prep2Prep California Classic was Sunday at Las Positas College, giving many fans their first glimpse of rising senior Jordan Ford of Folsom.
He didn’t disappoint.
The 6-foot guard dazzled the more than 1,000 fans with his effort. He led all scorers with 28 points on 8-of-11 shooting, to go along with four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Despite the stellar play by Ford, the Southern California 2016 team led by game MVP Devearl Ramsey of Sierra Canyon (20 points) beat NorCal 137-134.
“It was definitely a lot of fun going up against all of these SoCal guys,” Ford said. “We play against them a lot. So it was fun to go up against them, especially for the crowd.”
Ford for the uninitiated Ford was a revelation. He maneuvered through defenders in his royal blue Nikes for floaters that cleanly dropped through the net, drained 3-pointers (5 of 6) and harassed on defense. It’s no wonder a gang of four-year colleges are after him, with his final three reportedly set at UC-Santa Barbara, St. Mary’s and Oregon State.
Tweeted @coachrobhoops of “The NorCal Report”: “The NorCal Report is the only service we’re aware of that has had @jordan_ford_ ranked as high as No. 2 in Northern Ca. #BeatingYouToThePunch.”
Said SoCal opponent Ramsey: "Jordan Ford is a great player. I’ve been playing against his since seventh grade – he used to play for the Yellow Jackets. He’s always been a shooter-type guy who can difficult finishes. He’s just a great shooter.”
NorCal trailed by double figures with less than four miinutes left, but whittled away at the deficit. Finally, Ford’s late 3-pointer brought the North to within three points.
SoCal missed a free throw and NorCal scrambled for the rebound and called a time out with 11 seconds left.
Ford figured to be closely guarded, so North coach Lou Richie decided to put the game in the hands of De La Salle standout Jordan Ratinho, who had already scored 20 points, including making 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. Ratinho got the shot off, but it banged off the back rim and the game ended.
“They wanted me to get the ball and dribble over,” Ford said. “They were trying to set an elevated screen for Jordan Ratinho to come up and shoot it. We got an OK look, but I feel like the screens could have been better. But without any practice and stuff, we executed it pretty well.”
Even though NorCal dropped both ends of the doubleheader – the 2017 team also lost, 135-114 – nobody seemed too crestfallen at the end as players posed for pictures together, hugged and seemed to go away happy.
