I remember watching this dope reverse cradle dunking a couple of years ago by Sierra Canyon’s 6-5 soph guard Cassius Stanley. Fire? It actually sparked the coldest fan reaction, as 4 dudes pretended to shoot a fan in the stands in the name of harmless fun.
They carried the gunned down fan with his faux limp body lifeless, arms covering his face, out of the freaking gym to roars of laughter and applause just so they could let Cassius know how much they appreciated him: That’s tribute. 100.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7jK2UhA5Y
I just watched 6-5 Heritage Christian soph guard Justin Rochelin dismantle Oaks Christian in the playoffs. His fan’s tribute? Bopping their heads and singing in unison to Snoop Dogg’s “Mur, mur, murda was the case that they gave me.”
They appreciated seeing J-Rochelin “smash on hapless defenders, displaying a deft hesi crossover move, separating himself free from opposing guards. Justin’s calling card that game? His obscene, filthy pull-up jumper from 40 feet all night. It just dropped the jaws of all in attendance.
How much do I appreciate Justin? What was E-Woods’s tribute to this upcoming beast among boys?
I asked Justin who his fav baller in college is right now and he said RJ Barrett of Duke. You’re in luck I said, we both happen to wear size 14 and I just happen to have a dope pair of Duke PE sleds in my glass display case. I gave them to Justin and expressed to him that they were better served being worn on his feet instead of collecting dust. 100.
When I want to wish a kid great luck, be it a youngster minutes from a NCAA Final contest or a kid going to a pick up game at a local 24 Hour Fitness contest, I tell them, “Go get me a 187 please,” my lighthearted way to encourage them to do their best.
187 is the criminal code for “murder.” You need to know about me, E-Woods, I was born talking major smack. I remember blocking the heck out of Gary Payton’s lil bro at UCSB and I told him, “Get that ish outta here bro!” He just shook his head, gave me a funny stare and murmured. “This guy talks more trash than my brother Gary.”
So the colorful language used in this story is just an extension of my personality. Justin isn’t out to pump himself up, he’s just a chill dude who is a blessing to watch, pure joy because he has this je ne sais quoi , which in French slang roughly translates , “That cool thing you can’t quite put your finger on.”
All the games I’ve seen Justin ball in lately: Young blood was displaying efficient shooting skills, stop on a dime 40 footer connect. Splash, splash, cleanest release that looks effortless. But then he’d switch it up and mob through the lane to yak out, some exhilarating “Catch a body Dr Funk style dunks.” So be warned, don’t jump with J, lest you want to get caught up in his poster!
Between those 4 lines this past season, Justin upped his game exponentially from 18’-19’. True experts are sensing that he’ll break into the AAU world like Josh Christopher did a couple years back and Ziaire Williams did last year to be that next menacing D1 KILLER.
It’s ironic to call Justin a killer, he’s the most well mannered, kind hearted kid you can imagine, outside of those 4 lines that is. But inside those 4 lines?
LeBron uses chalk in pregames to make an entrance, right? Justin? He doesn’t waste chalk pregame, he lets his game speak for itself, committing 187’s, double homicides when necessary. He only uses chalk to draw outlines of his opponents to denote their exit in the post game.
#Justin doesn’t waste chalk
You sure E-Woods? That the complete truth? Silly rabbit, Justin is now playing for The Truth AAU squad, where he’ll find his own truth on the circuit. He also hopes to play for the Canadian National team, to rep his heritage.
His dad, Charles Rochelin, grew up in Canada and played basketball at UCLA in the late 1980’s. Charles is a dope, dope guy.
DeAnthony Langston runs The Truth AAU for Double P, short for Paul Pierce and is ultra respected in the LA community and hoop scene like few others. I asked DeAnthony about Justin. Want to hear the crazy part? I’ve never heard D-Langston’s voice convey so much energy about a player.
DeAnthony told me, “Justin, I’ve known him since he was born, a great kid, great dad. He’s starting to come into his own physically, he’s real niiiice He’s going to be real niiice for us!”
#D-Langston is a REAL 1
Even Pooh Richardson, former NBA lottery pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves believes in Justin, feels J-Rochelin has the juice. Pooh says, “Justin has tremendous upside. The sky is the limit for him.”
This story isn’t focused on Justin’s incredible personality, or his endearing mannerisms that many appreciate about him, I already detailed that in my part 1 story on him:
Click here for Californiapreps.com prior article on Justin Rochelin
No, this story is about witnessing a force of nature coming into his own. What level might Justin rise to E-Woods?
Let’s put it this way, when I used to run the SLAM AAU Team in 04’ I called my guy Ryan Jones who was an editor for SLAM and tell him these 7th graders DeMar DeRozan and Brandon Jennings who I believed in will be on the front cover of the mag some day.
I feel the same way about Justin and that’s why I gave J some of our old SLAM AAU gear, a jersey from our old squad in 2004. The color of the jersey, blood red, seems to be the appropriate color for a future D1 KILLER.
Proof E-Woods? UNLV came at Justin hard to commit his freshman year, many D1s, including half the Pac-12 have called asking Justin’s coaches about him, transcripts and all.
What’s J-Rochelin’s recruitment criteria? Justin sees himself committing to play anywhere in the US, anywhere that will help him be a pro. He’s a humble, humble kid who wants to be a business major in college.
What should be known about J? He appreciates all the fans that come to see him and he appreciates Skyy Clark in the backcourt. He’s an unselfish pass-first teammate who loves his whole Heritage Christian team with all his heart. He also appreciates all the fans that might come out to see his The Truth AAU team.
I’ll just let Justin explain his goals and mentality, “I will morph my game to help whichever future college I’m on, to help our team win, anything to get that ‘W‘. I want to work on my ball handling skills and continue to mold my long distance game, just my overall game. I want to play defense in a tenacious way, increase my intensity, channel my aggression to expand my game.
“I hope to soon play at the awesome and competitive Air West open runs in LA, the first chance I get, to play in the Drew League as well, just step up my game to honor all those who’ve believed in me, those who have walked beside me on this journey.”
Check out J’s highlight vid, it doesn’t disappoint fosho.
They say that bullets don’t have names but when you watch J-Rochelin rise up to shoot jumper after jumper all game long, you see the metal cartridges ejecting, smell the burnt gun powder pouring out of his shooting sleeve.
You feel the centrifugal force that spins the leather ball perfectly off his fingertips, hear the metal casings thump onto the wooden floor.
I get the same “Killin it feeling” around Devin Askew of Mater Dei, the way both these guys carry themselves. Players that commit double homicide in games? Their names are spoken by elite D1 coaches that need hollow-point tip projectiles to reach the sweet 16, great 8, that final 4 of job security.
That’s why I’m secure in the knowledge that Justin will be a house hold name soon enough.
Who else believes in Justin? His highly respected trainer Todd Wilson of Core Prep Academy, who helped shape the dope skill sets of top SoCal players such as Johnny Juzang and Skyy Clark.
Todd says, “Justin is now realizing the mental aspect of rising to elite play. All the countless hours of perfecting skills and shot repetition since age 5 are kicking in for him, letting him start to dominate games. Now his 16 year old body is kicking in to combine with this mentality; once they all work in unison, watch out.”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WFrc5B4Peno
How can I convey to the reader just how impressed I am with Justin? My guy Pooh Jeter is a hoop legend from Serra High, Portland St, the Drew League and the NBA. I respect Pooh like no other because he’s a true mentor to youngsters coming up. He just sent me this cartoon, it shows dope, dope ballers from his generation of the early 2000’s, a brotherhood to be sure.
Which guy do I see Justin ending up like? Look at the top row of the cartoon. That cold piece of work in a UCLA Jersey second from right is Trevor Ariza. I was proud to write Trevor’s first pro story when he was with the Knicks. Justin and Trev both have this easy confidence, yet a distinct hunger that manifests into a voracious nature.
It shows up in their eyes and body language. Both take pride in disrupting the passing lanes, all up in your grill D, setting a tempo. You can tell Justin is striving to be more of a vocal leader like Trev is, trying to shoot the 3 ball like Trev does.
Do you want to say you saw the emergence of a straight up D1 killer? Then go check Justin Rochelin out for yourself. I appreciate that J-Rochelin has good people in his inner circle. Like Travis Nichols, that former St Francis baller that played with NYC legends. Travis trains with Todd Wilson who I mentioned before.
Travis gave Justin this epic advice, “I told Justin he should say sorry to his friends that he won’t be able to spend much time with them in high school, and train like crazy because this thing you seek, it consumes you, it takes all of you, and if you give yourself to it fully? I see great potential in Justin, he can be so special.”
Who’s your fav D1 killer? Growing up mine was Larry Johnson, a UNLV legend. Justin just might grow to be my all time fav college baller, he might not. But for now, I’ll just go watch and enjoy his prep years, proud to know him, witness his meteoric rise, excited to sit in the stands with fellow fans bopping our heads going, “mur, mur, murda was the case that they gave me.”
People will undoubtedly see this story and lament me, E-Woods, gassing up a kid like that. Is that all you live for? Aren’t you setting expectations too high for Justin? The fellow talent evaluator critics will surely kill you for this.
I’ll tell them, yeah, like the time I wrote a story projecting Boston College’s Jerome Robinson would be be an NBA draft lottery pick in a year’s time. Ha!
Click here for Erik's article that Yahoo Sports picked up from Californiapreps.com
It’s like Tupac’s mama told him, “If you can't find somethin' to live for, you best find somethin' to die for.”
