When one of the top big man prospects in the country bucked all trends to abandon Las Vegas (Nev.) Findlay Prep and return home to Oregon, the Portland basketball region got pretty excited about welcoming back one of its own. Now Landen Lucas is showing just what they were excited about.
Lucas, a versatile and ridiculously athletic power forward who has signed to play for Kansas, flashed his skills during the Les Schwab Invitational, most notably with two plays, both of which sit at the No. 1 slot in the videos above and below.
At the 1:22 mark of the clip above, Lucas swatted away a potential bucket with a massive, massive rejection.
It was the kind of play which changes the momentum of big games, even if Westview couldn't keep up with one of the nation's best teams in Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy, eventually falling 80-43 in a disappointingly one-sided rout. Westview would rally to earn third place at the LSI tournament an evening later with a 58-52 victory against Portland (Ore.) Central Catholic High, improving to 7-2 on the season in the process.
Yet defense wasn't the only aspect of Lucas' game on show at the tournament, as a variety of other highlights from that single tournament highlight reel shows. The forward also showcased how he can use his strength on offense, bringing in a neat pass from a teammate in the key, pivoting and throwing down a huge slam between the arms of two defenders.
Add to that an almost indefensible fadeaway against Oak Hill, and you've got yourself a heck of a tournament performance.
As talented and dominant as he has proven to be so far in his senior season, Lucas still couldn't lead Westview to a tournament victory at the LSI. Still, the forward showcased just why Jayhawks fans are excited about his future arrival, and why followers of Oregon prep hoops are thrilled to have him around for one final season.
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