On December 26, 2016, Ball made national headlines for making a half-court shot two seconds into a game.[11][12][13] On February 4, 2017, he suffered his first high school loss despite scoring a game-high 36 points, with Oak Hill Academy ending Chino Hills' 60-game win streak.[14][15] In his next game, on February 7, Ball scored 92 points in a win over Los Osos High School, the second-most single-game points in California high school history.[16][17] He was criticized by analysts for cherry picking, as he often waited near half court to get an open shot on his next possession instead of defending.[18] Ball finished the season averaging 26.7 points and almost 10 assists per game, earning MaxPreps Sophomore All-American first team recognition.[19] On July 27, he featured in an AAU game against five-star recruit Zion Williamson that was featured in national sports media.[20]