Grind continues for MODE Prep

MODE Prep, a first-year prep school in Liberty Lake, won two of three games last weekend at a Grind Session tournament in Hamilton, Ohio.  

On Friday, MODE Prep beat Tall Pines Prep of Ontario, Canada, 94-85. 

MODE then played its final two games without point guard Matt Cummins, who fell ill. 

With just six players for its final two games, MODE Prep beat Huntington Prep of West Virginia 89-72 on Saturday. 

On Sunday morning, MODE lost to Polaris Prep of Ontario 71-59. 

The games were played some 30 minutes outside Cincinnati at a place called the Spooky Nook, billed as the largest sports facility in America, and second-largest in the world to one in Dubai. 

“Oh my gosh, this place is huge,” said MODE Prep coach Jon Adams, the former Coeur d’Alene High coach, when he saw the facility.

Against Tall Pines Prep, Alassane Doucoure, a 6-foot-10 junior from Africa, had 31 points and 20 rebounds.  

“They did not have anybody to cover him,” Adams said.  

Vuk Zelic, a 6-7 senior wing from Serbia, added 14 points and Zuby Toms, a 6-2 junior guard from Las Vegas and coming off an injury, had 11 points. 

Cummins finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals. 

“He played tremendous,” Adams said. 

With Cummins out, Adams moved Toms to point guard against Huntington Prep, and he responded with 17 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. 

“He played terrific; he adapted very quickly,” Adams said. “Huntington Prep was the best team we played there, and that was the best team basketball we played. 

Doucoure and Zelic added 22 points each. 

Against Polaris, MODE Prep led for three quarters, “but without Matt, we ran out of gas,” Adams said. “But still proud of the kids for battling.” 

Toms finished with 20 points, Doucoure 13 in MODE’s first “regular-season” tournament and first game action since playing the Elite Prep Futures from the Seattle area on Nov. 14 at North Idaho College. 

Another bright spot for MODE, Adams said, was 6-4 sophomore Collin Simon from Coeur d’Alene, who hit 14 of 22 3s in the three games — 4 of 7 in the first game, 6 of 8 in the second and 4 of 7 in the third. 

“Collin was absolutely on fire,” Adams said. “Our national prep players actively made the extra pass to Collin. He was shooting lights out.” 

In addition to being without Cummins, Adams said MODE Prep is shorthanded because two players left the team a month or so ago because it wasn’t working out. Another left to play with his high school team. 

Adams said MODE Prep has added Beau Hansen, a 5-10 senior point guard and Utah Prep transfer, who arrived Sunday and practiced with the team for the first time Monday. 

“We’re still looking to add another kid,” Adams said. 

With not enough time to go home and come back over the Thanksgiving holiday, the international players stayed here in the Big House that most of the team stays in near campus, and had dinner with “host” families. 

“We exposed them to an American holiday where they feed themself into oblivion, and take a group nap,” Adams said. 

MODE Prep leaves Thursday for a three-game Grind Session tournament in Memphis beginning Friday. Then it’s off to Las Vegas for the Tarkanian Classic on Dec. 16-18, where the Liberty Lake squad will play in a bracket for prep schools.