The country's #1-ranked recruit sits out Rancho Christian's opening round win at the CCC; ruled "day-to-day"
SALEM, OR - Fans packed Cone Fieldhouse at Willamette University excited to see Evan Mobley, the 7'0 #1-ranked prospect in the country, play for Rancho Christian in their opener at the 2019 Capitol City Classic.
Instead, they saw Mobley on the sidelines in a sweatsuit and beanie, cheering on his teammates who performed very well without him on their way to a 90-50 win over Thurston.
Mobley sprained his ankle in a recent game and is improving daily and could return at any day. His status for the Eagles quarterfinal game against Sherwood at 4:30pm on Friday is uncertain.
While everyone is eager for Mobley to play, when you are talking about a future possible #1 pick in the NBA draft, caution is certainly understandable.
So, Oregon basketball fans are left hoping for a speedy recovery and the opportunity to see Mobley in action up close and personal, live on Gordie James Court at Willamette University.
"We of course are excited to have him here and we can't wait to see him play," said CCC Assistant Tournament Director Ben Collier. 'Our fingers and toes and whatever else is physically possible are crossed. But we also know he has to be healthy. We don't know them all that well yet, but we are big fans of Rancho, Coach Barefield and Evan. We are thrilled to have them in town. It's awesome. Everybody wants to do the right thing, and they know we all are hopeful Evan can play. All is good.
"Now, we just hope for the best and wait."
The silver lining is clear: Even without Mobley the Eagles were impressive in their victory over Thurston, playing a brand of fast-paced, pressure basketball that features explosive athletes everywhere on the floor. In Gonzaga commit Dominick Harris, high-scoring Jayce Catchings, athletic Bryson Stephens, sharp-shooter Luke Turner, Jaden Byers and more, the Eagles have a bevy of talented athletes who are talented, play hard and play together.
"They attack you," said Collier. "I can't imagine a much more fun style of play to watch."