If a McDonald’s All-American leads a perennial power to a state title, but no one is there to see it happen, did it really?
That’s a question that can currently be asked of Orlando Christian Prep (OCP) and superstar senior forward Nassir Little. After finishing a challenging regular season schedule at 20-9, OCP has cruised through the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 3A state tournament, reaching the championship game without truly breaking a sweat; their first three victories came by 43, 17 and 47 points, respectively. The latest was a 79-32 victory against Tallahassee Florida A&M, as noted by the Orlando Sentinel.
The Warriors are almost certain to be heavy favorites in the title game tussle against Canterbury, but that isn’t the point. With a team as deep and talented as OCP’s current squad, why isn’t anyone showing up to watch it?
Seriously, check out the crowd in the highlights you see above and below. That’s a state semifinal and almost no one is in the crowd to see it.
It’s not like the crowd just feels small because the game is being played in an oversized arena; that’s the RP Funding Center, which is home to the Orlando Magic’s G League team, the Lakeland Magic. It seats a maximum of just more than 8,000 seats, though it appeared as if roughly 100 were being used Monday night.
The scary thing for OCP is that this is hardly an unusual development for this point in the season; the Warriors are headed to their ninth state final in 11 seasons. Still, no one seems to notice.
That will be a far cry from the crowds that flock to see Little’s slams in Chapel Hill. For now, Little and co. will have to be happy dazzling in front of the crowds that happen to trickle their way, fair or not.