Boug Binder Oregonlive.com
HILLSBORO -- Mike Moser has been stamped as "UCLA-bound" and has been discovering what that means ever since signing his letter of intent last month.
On Saturday at the Les Schwab Invitational, it meant facing Fairfax High School of Los Angeles, ranked No. 9 nationally by USA Today and eager to see what the Grant standout was all about.
And an even bigger name was also waiting.
Renardo Sidney Jr., at 6-foot-11, 259 pounds, is the biggest attraction in the tournament, literally and figuratively. And he took it to Grant with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for a 70-59 victory in a quarterfinal game.
Sidney has not signed yet, but UCLA is on his short list, and many believe he is a one-and-done talent who could potentially be considered the No. 1 pick of the 2010 NBA draft.
Sidney hadn't heard of Moser before Saturday's game.
"When (coaches) told me, I was like, 'OK, let's see what 'UCLA-bound' can do,' " Sidney said.
Moser, a slender 6-8 forward, is still coming to grips with what being a future Bruin means in the here and now. Should he try to carry his team? Should he trust his teammates?
Against Fairfax, the pressure to perform was palpable. Moser made 6 of 19 shots and finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Too often, Moser's desire to bring his team a big victory came at the expense of the Generals running sound offense.
"Not enough ball movement, not enough running our sets to create better shot opportunities," Grant coach Tony Broadous said.
Broadous likes Moser's desire. But he also knew that in order to pull off a shocker, Grant needed a perfect team game.
The Generals, reigning Class 6A champions, did a lot of things right. And an electric minute, which included two steals and Moser dunks, drew Grant within 50-45 with 1:20 left in the third quarter.
Sidney ended Grant's 9-0 run with a thunderous dunk of his own.
"I knew if we were up heading into the fourth (quarter) that's when we'd start taking over," Sidney said. "That's when they start giving me the ball more, so I knew we'd come out with the victory."
Grant needed a few more Fairfax misses, but the Lions made 12 of 17 field goals in the second half (70.6) percent.
The Generals needed to make free throws but made just 11 of 20.
"They were a good team but they're beatable," Grant point guard Kenneth Acker said. "We have to come out with more intensity because we didn't play that good in the beginning, missed a couple shots, went down by eight and (Fairfax) kept that lead the whole game."
The most impressive part of Sidney's game might have been his seven assists -- two more than Grant had as a team.
He also bowled over Moser in the lane on one possession. The hard fall to the floor aggravated a sore back that Moser has been dealing with.
"I'd love to play with (Sidney)," said Moser when asked about the possibility of becoming teammates at UCLA. "It's easier playing with him than against him."
Fairfax has two more players being recruited by Pacific-10 Conference schools.
Solomon Hill, a strong 6-6 forward, took over briefly in the second quarter and finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Lance Bailey scored 13 points and had three assists before leaving the game with a cut finger.
As for Moser, he met briefly with a UCLA assistant coach, donned a UCLA ballcap and spoke briefly about taking other players' best shots.
"Definitely, that's how it's going to be," he said. "I'm getting used to it."
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