After two months of Drew League play, the season culminated Sunday in matchups between the Mecca Cheaters and Nationwide Souljas for the men’s side and GAGE and Task Force for the women.
The Cheaters came out on top 114-113 after making a 25-point comeback. DeMar DeRozan scored 54 points, including 13 points in the game’s final two minutes. On the women’s side, GAGE came out with the 50-46 victory, led by Drew League Championship MVP and current member of the USC Trojans, Aliyah “AG” Gayles, who scored 14 points.
DeRozan’s 54 points propels Mecca Cheaters comeback
The Mecca Cheaters’ Drew League championship win marked the first for key members of the team.
DeRozan has played in the Drew League every summer since he was 16. On Sunday, the Los Angeles native secured his first Drew League championship after scoring 54 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the Cheaters’ 114-113 win over the Nationwide Souljas.
Former commissioner of the Drew League, Dino Smiley, has watched almost 40 years of Drew League basketball. He called the Cheaters’ comeback win “a top-two championship game” of all time.
When the final buzzer sounded in a packed gym, fans rushed the court. DeRozan scored 13 points in the game’s last two minutes, including three 3-pointers in a row.
Scenes after DeMar DeRozan knocked down the game-winning free throws in the Mecca Cheaters’ championship win over Nationwide Souljas. pic.twitter.com/wtrRlNXst0
— Matthew Ho (@mho_kj) August 12, 2024
Casper Ware Jr. played all 40 minutes next to DeRozan. He scored 23 points and had six rebounds and four assists. This championship marked the first time Ware Jr. and his coach and father, Casper Ware Sr., have won a Drew League championship together. It was also the first time Ware Jr. and DeRozan have won a championship on the same team.
Ware Jr. and DeRozan grew up together in Los Angeles. While Ware Jr. was a standout point guard at Gahr High School, DeRozan was one of the best players in the country at Compton High School. On Ware Jr.’s graduation day, DeRozan picked him up and drove him to the ceremony at Long Beach State, according to Ware Sr.
When asked where this championship stacks up in terms of Drew League games, Ware Jr. said this was “his favorite.”
Ware Jr. shared the win with his long-time friend DeRozan and father. He was also joined by Van Girard, whom he’s played with since high school.
The Nationwide Souljas had a deep team of their own. The Souljas made 20 shots from 3-point range on 43 attempts. Cameron Smith, a former player at Cal State Bakersfield, scored 28 points and knocked down seven 3-pointers. Dominque Johnson, a current player in the Big3 league and decorated overseas pro, added 28 points on seven 3-pointers.
The Souljas also featured former NBA player Daniel Hamilton and former NBA G-League player Dakari Tucker, who added 19 and 18 points.
But the veteran Cheaters squad willed their way to a win.
With two minutes left in the game, Tucker drained a 3-pointer to give the Souljas a 111-105 lead. Immediately, DeRozan dribbled down the court. With a hand in his face, he stopped behind the 3-point line and sank the jump shot. He hit two more contested 3-pointers on following possessions and made the game-winning free throws to give the Cheaters the win.
“To have playmakers like DeMar DeRozan, the game is never over,” Ware Jr. said. “Out here, he kept telling us, ‘Relax, we got it. Just keep chipping away.’”
Ware Sr. is one of the most decorated figures in the Drew League. He’s the only person to have won a championship as a coach and player, but the last time he won a Drew League title was nearly 20 years ago.
“We always get to the point where we are in the playoffs, but key players aren’t there,” Ware Sr. said.
Last season, the Cheaters were undefeated in the regular season, but by the end of the season, players weren’t available due to professional obligations.
“It just leaves a nasty taste in your mouth when you know you can win a ballgame, but you don’t,” Ware Sr. said. “But it was so beautiful this one right here.”
GAGE wins first Drew League championship
GAGE’s head coach, Earl Ramsey, is a relative newcomer to the Drew League. The team is in its fifth year in the league and hasn’t won a championship until this season.
One season, the team lost in the championship on a buzzer-beating shot from Essence Carson. Another season weather delayed the championship game, but the one-week delay forced players on GAGE to leave for their college and professional teams.
“Every year there’s always something,” Ramsey said.
GAGE fell to Task Force in their first matchup on July 21, 57-48. Task Force doesn’t have the same size as GAGE but utilizes quick guards including Etiwanda senior guard Puff Morris and former LSU player Ryann Payne. The two players combined for 26 of Task Force’s 46 points.
Scenes following GAGE’s Drew League Championship win over Task Force on Sunday pic.twitter.com/Fp8x3IMNBc
— Matthew Ho (@mho_kj) August 12, 2024
But GAGE has its own standout guard.
Aaliyah Gayles earned championship MVP honors after scoring 13 points. The quick guard from USC knifed her way to the basket to open up shots for herself and her teammates.
Gayles was ranked the No. 8 player coming out of high school, but in the summer heading into her freshman year of high school, she was shot at a party after an all-star event in Las Vegas.
According to Ramsey, she was told “she may never be able to play again,” but she returned to the court this past season for USC.
Ramsey said Gayles was able to reacclimate to playing by participating in the Drew League this summer. In the semifinal matchup against Redemption, Gayles scored 17 points and secured 14 rebounds.
Gayles played a huge role in breaking Task Force’s zone fullcourt press, which caused a few turnovers for GAGE. Gayles stayed composed against Task Force’s aggressive defense in halfcourt settings and used her size advantage to get to the paint.
“She’s the reason we are champions,” Ramsey said. “It’s a redemption story like no other.”
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