Modesto Christian boosted by the return of the king, Jordan Hollins-Buckner

Jordan Hollins-Buckner stood stoically at midcourt as the applause rained down like confetti.

He shed a fleeting smile as he left the gym through the foyer, acknowledging the bank of cameras and parents near the entrance.

The sharpshooter was named homecoming king during halftime of Modesto Christian’s 69-35 victory over Enochs on Feb. 5. Yet the crown and robe were but a small consolation that night.

Wearing a bow tie and a layer of bravado, Hollins-Buckner didn’t suit up for Modesto Christian (28-1), the sixth-ranked team in the state.

A knee injury reduced the 6-foot-2 senior guard to a spectator, and at the time, there was a fear the Crusaders would be without their top three-point shooter for the rest of the season.

With 15 encouraging minutes and a buzzer-beating three-pointer Friday against Oak Ridge, those fears have been put to rest.

“He’s one of our leaders, one of our captains,” senior point guard Christian Ellis said. “He means a lot to us on the court.”

Hollins-Buckner missed four games after injuring his left knee during an 84-34 victory at Gregori on Feb. 3. He said he heard a pop after landing awkwardly beneath the basket on the offensive end.

“The way he reacted, you could just see he was in a lot of pain,” coach Richard Midgley said in a Feb. 5 interview with The Modesto Bee.

Hollins-Buckner returned in a limited role against Johansen on Feb. 16 in the Crusaders’ Modesto Metro Conference finale, wearing a light brace. Midgley also budgeted his minutes against West of Tracy in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I tournament, monitoring his side-to-side mobility and wind.

On Friday, he turned the shooter loose against seventh-seeded Oak Ridge, a scrappy bunch from the Sierra Foothill League.

Hollins-Buckner beat the first-quarter buzzer with a three-pointer and logged his most minutes since the injury as Modesto Christian won 55-47.

The victory vaulted the Crusaders into the semifinals Wednesday at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. Second-seeded Modesto Christian will take on No. 3 Sheldon (22-4) at 5:30 p.m.

The winner will play No. 1 Folsom (26-3) or No. 4 Jesuit (25-4) on Saturday at Sleep Train Arena at 8:30 p.m. All four teams have qualified for the CIF State regional tournament.

Step No. 1, however, was getting Hollins-Buckner back into the fold. Though he finished with just three points and shot 20 percent (1 for 5) against the Trojans, Midgley was pleased with Hollins-Buckner’s performance.

Hollins-Buckner moved with ease, showed bursts of explosion and picked up a steal when the Crusaders went to their press.

“We’ve slowly been working him back,” Midgley said. “He’s played three games now, but these are the most minutes he’s played tonight. He’s doing better. To me, it’s about how he’s moving; his lateral slide. If you would have seen him last week, he’s looking much better now. He’s got another few days to do his exercises and recover a little more. We’re going to need him (Wednesday).”

Hollins-Buckner didn’t start against Oak Ridge, checking in late in the first quarter.

It didn’t take long for Ellis (21 points, five assists) to find him, either. With about five seconds left in the quarter, Ellis flipped a pass to Hollins-Buckner, who launched over 6-foot-7 Jared Casey.

His shot was pure, touching only net as it traveled through the cylinder.

Ellis celebrated the make, congratulating Hollins-Buckner as they transitioned to defense.

Despite missing four games, Hollins-Buckner leads the team in three-pointers (35) and ranks fourth in scoring (7.8).

“It’s always good to have him in the game. He brings a lot of energy,” Ellis said. “He’s coming off the knee injury and he’s not 100 percent yet, and I know he didn’t have his best shooting game tonight, but I’m sure he’s going to come back and do better next game. That’s when we’ll really need him.”

Hollins-Buckner missed his final four shots Friday, all three-point attempts. He finished with one rebound, one turnover and two fouls in 15 minutes.

Midgley isn’t concerned about Hollins-Buckner’s shot, noting he didn’t miss just four games – he also sat out sunrise shootarounds and practices.

“I don’t think it’s a confidence thing,” Midgley said. “It’s about getting back into a rhythm. He missed a lot of practices and games. I’m confident in him. I know his teammates are confident in him. He’s one of those guys that when you need a big shot, he’ll knock it down.”

This story was originally published February 29, 2016 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Modesto Christian boosted by the return of the king, Jordan Hollins-Buckner."