Khambrel Roach, Alonzo Mourning III leads their school to greatness
Khambrel “Kham” Roach and Alonzo “Trey” Mourning III come from opposite ends of the socioeconomic and geographic spectrum. Roach stems from Perrine and has moved five times between there and Liberty City and will soon be one of the first in his family to attend college. Mourning — on the other hand — has grown up with the comforts and privileges that come with having a father who is an NBA great. Their division between neighborhoods and backgrounds, however, pale in comparison to the union that has been built on the hardwood at Ransom Everglades.
Both transferred from Gulliver Academy, Ransom’s rival school, and have been significant to the strength of this year’s state-contending boys’ basketball team.
“The program at Gulliver wasn’t going in the direction I wanted it to . . . and I knew at Ransom the program was going in the direction I could prosper in and look toward getting me into college,” Roach said.
“It’s been a life changing experience. I wouldn’t be the player I am if I would’ve stayed at Gulliver or went to any other school,” Mourning added.
The Ransom Raiders (19-2) rely heavily on Mourning’s size and Roach’s offensive prowess. Mourning a 6’9” junior is a developing talent who averages a double-double with 12 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. His height gives him a strong defensive presence and gives him the innate ability to block shots averaging 7.7 blocks per game.
“His potential is out the roof,” Roach said of his teammate. “He has what you want in a star player.”
Trey still has one more year, but feels that this year is still Ransom’s year.
“[I’m working on] bringing in the same intensity all of the time,” said Mourning. “We have all of the pieces in place to [win state] this year.
Roach, a senior guard, is key in that. He is one of the team’s leading guards, next to Sam Singer, a UC-Berkeley commit, and is shooting 50 percent from behind the three. Even though he averages 16.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game Roach believes his strength lies in his versatility.
“I’m just another piece in the unit and I can be moved around a lot,” said Kham, who has not committed to any college yet. “[My teammates] are going to play at a high level and it inspires me to play at the same level.”
Ransom’s head coach, Claude Grubair, commends both players for their drive and believe in their potential.
“[Both] are players of high character on and off the court,” he said. “They are the heart and soul of our team.”
By Akilah Laster
Miami Times staff writer
Akilahlaster3@aol.com
Kevin & Nadine Roach
February 12, 2013 at 9:50 pm
This is a good article but the quote “Roach stems from Perrine and has moved five times between there and Liberty City and will soon be one of the first in his family to attend college” is totally inaccurate. Those of you who know the family know that we come from a family of educators, on both sides of the family.
-Khambrel grew up in his home in Perrine, we moved a couple of times since his 9th grade year, but through God’s grace we moved back into OUR HOME, in Perrine, for his Senior year.
-Khambrel has been accepted at several prestigious universities. He plans to make a decision about which school to attend after the season. We are praying the team goes all the way and wins the state championship. They are really that good, and Khambrel is a key component to the success of the team. Go Raiders!