Look: St. Mary's point guard Styles Phipps scores 43 points against Good Counsel
SAN DIEGO — Styles Phipps has loads of substance. But he is cool out on the basketball court.
The St. Mary's-Phoenix 6-foot-1 senior point guard flashed all his cool and game Wednesday, pouring in 43 points during a 69-65 overtime win over Good Counsel (Olney, Md) in a first-round Holiday Classic National Division game at Torrey Pines High School.
No one on the Knights (6-3) scored in double figures so Phipps felt he needed to pick up the slack a tad. Even with the big tally, it wasn't a career high, he said.
"I've scored more," he said.
He doesn't consider scoring big numbers a burden, but it's not always his objective. He showed off some nifty passing skills as well. He'll show it all off next season at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, where he's signed to play.
"I like coming out every game and contributing in all the ways possible," he said. "Today I got it going (scoring) so I just let it loose."
Phipps every bit lives up to his God-given name, which he said he's always liked. Very even-keeled, even during the most tense moments of a sideways game like Wednesday, doesn't rattle the poised senior. Off the court, he's soft spoken, polite and thoughtful.
"I always want to stay calm and collected all the time," he said. "I know what I can do out there so none of it is a surprise to me."
His athletic idol his Michael Jordan, his father Simon grew up in Chicago and played collegiately at Point Loma, so Phipps has been around the game since he can remember.
Watch the entire interview just moments after Wednesday's win. The Knights take on Carlsbad in a quarterfinal tournament game 7 p.m. on Thursday.
