G.R.I.N.D (December) 2024 Vol.5

G.R.I.N.D (December) 2024

Here we find ourselves at the midway point of the 2024/2025 High School basketball season for all affiliations across Greater Houston. We saw some teams who had hot starts get extinguished quickly. We have seen some teams finally begin to turn that corner and morale builds as they head into the most meaningful part of the high school season: district play. Yes, we find ourselves getting down to the nitty gritty where the rubber meets the road, and all little nuances of the game matter and help in winning.

Coach of the Month:

Our coach of the month for December is Coach Mike Thomas West Brook High School of Beaumont, Texas. The Bruins are on an 18-game-win streak and went 18-0 in December 2024. In December they held a +19.2 margin over their opponents. Their defensive effort and selfless play have been key to their success. They say a team takes on the identity of its head coach. Coach has them rolling as he holds every player accountable for their roles in being successful. We asked Coach Thomas a couple of questions. What is your reason for coaching? “My main reason for coaching is to inspire the next generation of young people to be great. I believe in building strong leaders for our community.” What is your coaching mantra/philosophy? “My philosophy is simple, OUT-WORK your opponent (players out-work the players, and as a coach, I have to out-work the opposing team coach) we have a next-play mentality.” Coach, how do you keep your guys humble to attack the next opponent with the current winning streak that you are on? “We preach 1-0 every day, and that has been our approach since June 1st, 2024. The work never stops! The standard is the standard, no matter what.” We wish Coach Thomas and the Bruins much success throughout the rest of the season.

Best Guard of the Month:

The guard play continues to be outstanding in the second month of the season. But our guard of the month goes to Zac Sells | 5’10” Sr. [ Kountze ]. Zac has set the national record for most career steals in high school with 811 steals and the Lions still have 12 games left on the season, and they will make the playoffs as well. Zac is a tough lead guard who can score the ball, facilitate the rock, and is a lockdown defender. Zac is averaging 21.5 points, 7.3 steals, and 6.8 points on the season this year. He also just landed his first collegiate offer from ASU Newport.

Best Wing of the Month:

The wing of the month is Bryce Jackson | 6’6” Sr. [ Shadow Creek ]. He has shown to be the toughest player to step on the hardwood all season long. He is a terror on the defensive end of the ball as both an on-ball defender and a rim protector. He plays with a super high motor and is a big reason for his team's success on the season The University of Houston signee has been playing at a high level in December. Bryce is averaging 15 points and 6 rebounds on the season.

Best Big of the Month:

Our big of the month is Nigel Walls | 6’10” Sr. [ St. Francis Episcopal ]. Nigel has been playing really good basketball in December. We even got to witness him go for 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a game. He helped the Wolves make it to the Championship game of the Mustang Classic and win the Consolation Championship of the Torrey Pines Holiday Tournament out in San Diego, California. The Southern Methodist University (SMU) signee has been displaying his ability to play on the perimeter and finish well around the rim as well. He is averaging 13.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game on the season. He is shooting 47% from the field, 37% from three-point land with 43 made trey balls, and has recorded 2 double-doubles.

Team of the Month:

Stafford High School. The Spartans went 19-0 in December. They currently sit at 22-0 on the season, and 2-0 in district play. The Spartans had a game in December where they beat a district opponent by 94 points, yes 111-17 victory, and that is not a typo. In December the Spartans averaged a +39.9 victory over opponents. The Spartans have the chance to go undefeated this season heading into the playoffs. They will have a couple of tests down the road within district play. Some standouts for the Spartans this season have been Sr. SF-Skyler Holt, Sr. G-Maxwell Frels, and Jr. PF-Damian Jung.

Freshman of the Month:

There have been a lot of fabulous freshmen so far, but our freshman for November is Madden Hill | 5’10” Fr. [ Clear Springs ]. The poise that this young point guard has is that of a seasoned senior lead guard. He plays both sides of the ball and is always looking to outwork his opponent on the court. He plays with multiple paces and can score the ball on all three levels. His arrival on varsity has been huge from day one. I know that Coach Hairfield is happy to have this prospect on his team. He has had some really big games with his two most memorable performances a 34-point and 10 rebound double-double vs Cypress Creek, and 31 points and 5 assists vs George Ranch. He is averaging

BSH Power Index:

Below we will feature two separate topics from the Ball So Hard Power Index. Let's look at some of the top districts from each classification and the Top 25 by the strength of the schedule.

Top Districts were populated by our computer formula. Non-district W-L, Strength of Schedules, Bonus for each team ranked throughout the first 8 weeks of the high school season, number of Top-ranked prospects from each graduating class via Ball So Hard Player Rankings. All this is calculated into our very own BSH Power Index like the NCAA RPI.

UIL 6A

District 19
District 21
District 24
District 23
District 22
District 16
District 18
District 17
District 13
District 20
District 14
District 15

UIL 5A

District 19
District 17
District 20
District 18
District 22
District 21

UIL 4A

District 19
District 21
District 29
District 18
District 20
District 22

UIL 3A

District 23
District 22
District 25
District 24
District 21

Private School

SPC South
SWAIC
TAPPS 5A - District 5
TAPPS 4A - District 6
TAPPS 5A - District 4
TAPPS 6A - District 4
TAPPS 2A - District 8
TAPPS 2A - District 7
TAPPS 1A - District 7
TAPPS 3A - District 5
TAPPS 1A - District 8

The Strength of the Schedule is taken from our very own Ball So Hard Power Index. Every team schedule plus their opponent's schedule with all their wins and losses (Whew! It’s a lot of work, but by winter break, it gets easy). Each team is awarded additional points for playing ranked teams on Shot30Clock, TABC State Rankings, Fab 50 National Rankings, ESPN National Rankings, and Circuit League National Rankings from week to week.