Recruit Watch: Madison Academy's Joshua Langford battles through poor shooting night (photos, video)

Meet Joshua Langford

6-6, sophomore, combo guard

Ratings

(among class of 2016): 4-star and No. 15 in the country by Rivals; 4-star, No. 1 in Alabama, No. 2 combo guard in nation, No. 15 overall in nation by 247Sports; 5-star, No. 1 in Alabama, No. 4 shooting guard in nation, No. 12 overall in nation by ESPN; 4-star, No. 4 shooting guard in nation, No. 15 overall in nation by Scout.

Offers:

Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Louisville, Memphis, Mississippi State, Missouri, N.C. State, Providence, Tennessee, UAB and Vanderbilt.

Langford on recruiting:

"I'm really not worried about that. I'm trying to focus on my high school career."

2012-13 stat line:

23.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals

2012-13 honors:

Gatorade State Player of the Year, ASWA Class 3A Player of the Year,

, state tournament MVP,  3A first-team All-State, Northwest Regional MVP, selected to the USA Basketball National Development Team camp.

-- Even great players have tough shooting nights. And it's in those rough patches that a solid overall game can be forged.

Madison Academy's Joshua Langford found himself in such a slump Monday night. He and the Class 3A, No. 4-ranked Mustangs were hosting 4A, top-ranked J.O. Johnson in a rubber match. Langford had scored 21 points in a 63-49 road win Nov. 21, and 26 in a 68-58 loss Dec. 28 in the third-place game of the

.

But there would be no 20-point outburst in round three between the hoops heavyweights. Langford went 1-for-7 from the field in the first three quarters for just six points en route to a 12-point night as the

.

But Langford helped Madison Academy in other aspects. He pulled down six rebounds and dished out several assists as he occasionally ran the point in place of Kerryon Johnson.

Langford's last pass nearly turned out to be the biggest of the game. Down by two with 2.5 seconds to go, he took a long inbounds pass just beyond midcourt, turned, dribbled and found a wide-open Johnson, who made a layup that was ruled to have come just after the buzzer.

"It was hard tonight on me," Langford said. "I don't think I've ever shot like that before. But I felt like I contributed defensively and rebounding. Great players have to find a way to get it done. And if it's not going offensively, I have to get it done some type of way. I tried, but fell short."

"Josh is getting so much better at playing without the ball," Mustangs coach Andy Blackston said. "He's a phenomenal passer. For him to see Kerryon at the end was a great read. He's developing into a guy that can do more than score. That's what makes players great; they can beat you in different ways. He's going to keep maturing in that direction."

Langford said that, like the first two meetings, Johnson mixed up its defensive looks, which included a box-and-1, zone and man-to-man.

"You don't prepare for Langford," Jaguars coach Jack Doss said. "He's a great player and he's going to get his points. We just try to limit his touches. I thought our guys did a really good job on him. We changed the defenses we ran at him, but still he made a lot of shots, it seemed like."

LANGFORD GAME NOTES

First quarter

  • Langford won the opening tipoff.
  • Had a nice drive-and-dish to Johnson for a layup at the 3:57 mark.
  • MA tried to get him the ball inside, but three J.O. Johnson defenders quickly converged and deflected the ball away.

Second quarter

  • Was on the bench for the first 51 seconds of the quarter. Upon re-entering, he played the point until Johnson returned.
  • Drove from the right side for a layup and his first points at the 5:30 mark.
  • Committed his first foul with 2:54 left. It came away from the ball and after MA hit a 3-pointer.
  • Drove from the left side and made a layup, despite contact (no foul was called).
  • Ran the point in the final minute.
  • Had a chance for a jumper from the right side of the paint in the closing seconds, but the shot was long and didn't catch the rim.

Third quarter

  • Langford ran point on MA's first two possessions, and again later in the half.
  • The Mustangs again turned the ball over trying to get the it inside to Langford.
  • At the 4:44 mark, hegrabbed a defensive rebound, raced down court and had a nice pass to Sam Briggs for a layup.
  • Kerryon Johnson started a fast break off a Jaguar turnover and passed the ball to Langford, who was fouled on a layup attempt. He made both free throws.
  • With 40 seconds left, he recorded an assist to Zach Bogardus off another J.O. Johnson turnover.

Fourth quarter

  • Had the ball stolen from him near the 3-point line at the 5:15 mark and quickly fouled the Johnson player.
  • An attempted alley-oop pass to Langford was deflected with 3:40 left.
  • Was fouled attempting a 1-hander with 2:51 remaining. He made two free throws to tie the score 43-43.
  • Again grabbed a defensive rebound and started a fast break. This time he cut through two defenders, with a third called for goal tending on an attempted block. This gave MA a 45-43 lead.
  • Took a pass underneath the basked, made a quick spin move and scored for a 47-45 lead with 58 seconds left.

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