Findlay Prep guard rises to occasion

At 15 years old, Nigel Williams-Goss could have played in one of the lower divisions of the adidas Super 64 basketball tournament.

But the Findlay Prep guard enjoys a challenge, so he joined a 17-and-under Super Pools team in the top division. He proved it to be a smart choice Monday.

Williams-Goss scored 18 points to help Double Pump Elite 2011 (Calif.) to an 82-73 upset of defending champion Memphis (Tenn.) Magic Elite in the Championship Bracket title game at Rancho High School.

“I could have played 15s or 16s (brackets) and it would have been fun,” said Williams-Goss, who will be a sophomore next season. “But I go to Findlay Prep, which is a top-five team in the country. To get ready for that level, I just thought playing at the highest level in the summer would prepare me best.”

Williams-Goss shined as the only player from the class of 2013 in the game. He shot 10-for-11 from the foul line, and finished strong with 15 points after halftime.

The 6-foot-2-inch guard said he has scholarship offers from Arizona, Hawaii, Oregon, Oregon State, UNLV and Washington. UNLV's Lon Kruger, Washington's Lorenzo Romar and Memphis' Josh Pastner were among the coaches who watched his performance.

Tournament Most Valuable Player went to Double Pump’s Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored 10 points.

Teammate Xavier Johnson scored 20, and Ryan Watkins supplied 10 points and eight rebounds for Double Pump.

Double Pump unseated the Magic despite playing with seven players.

“We only have seven guys, but all seven contributed,” Williams-Goss said. “When you have seven like this, you can get it done.”

Adonis Thomas, widely considered one of the top uncommitted seniors in the nation, led Memphis with 20 points.

In the 17s Silver Bracket title game, Las Vegas Dynasty Select lost 60-57 to GNB Academy (Ga.) despite 21 points from recent Arbor View graduate Darington Banks.