Post by less1brain on Sept 28, 2021 11:14:45 GMT -8
The Showcase also included some 8th graders who impressed.
Here's a brief rundown on 15 players in So Cal who I think will be very interesting to watch over the next 3-5 years (in accordance with their current classification) (numerical order doesn't indicate player ranking; in fact, I'm going to choose them quite randomly):
1. Tyrone Riley, 6-4 2024 Downey St. Pius X/Matthias Academy: I scouted his dad back when Tyrone SR played at LA Jordan, then at LACC before he became an all-conference player at San Francisco. Dad's now head coach at Jordan and coached several teams in this event. Dad was 6-6 215 when he graduated high school and wound up 6-7 245 as a SR at San Fran. Son is 6-4 165, projected to grow to 6-7, and he has a wingspan at least 6-7 already. Very fast, very quick, terrific hops, can take it end to end and can guard every position on the floor. Working on his shot, nice FT stroke. Excellent work ethic, 3.5 GPA. San Francisco and Southern Utah have offered and he takes an unofficial visit to USC soon. Portland will offer. I think the Trojans will offer and that would be a pretty good fit given USC's projected personnel right now in 2024 (plus, they offer a lot of guys) and the Trojans' penchant under Andy Enfield for virtually every player to dramatically improve their shooting ability. A future NBA player.
2. Isaiah "Slim" Rodgers, 5-9 2026 (8th grader), Corona Boost Academy: 13-year old baby-faced assassin who looks 10. He's listed at 5-11, but he's not that tall. Very quick and fast and very difficult for anyone to defend him. Very poised and he can shoot the 3 off the bounce at his age and size with excellent form, which is very rare. Most guys this small develop a "push" shot even on catch and shoot. He plays hard on d, but I doubt he weighs more than 130 at most at this point. Compton Magic and the folks there are very high on him. Very silly for me to project the future.
3. Kade Bonam, 6-7 2025 Bellflower St. John Bosco: I wrote about him below. mh posted some footage of him and you can see how he has one of those round bodies that belie how agile, fast and well-balanced he is. Has long arms and better hops, quick hops, than the body-shape might suggest (he makes space for himself just by being there). He can hit the 3, has excellent post moves with either hand, high end footwork and basketball IQ and he's relentless on the glass. In the all-star game, he had 4 offensive rebounds on one play before he finally finished. A very good and willing playmaker for teammates. I don't know if UCLA is going to recruit him or get him, but I sure hope they do. Objectivity be damned. Compton Magic AAU program like current Bruins Cody Riley, Jules Bernard, Johnny Juzang and Jaylen Clark and UCLA commit Dylan Andrews.
4. Robert Hinton, 6-4 2024 Studio City Harvard-Westlake: His older brother, Adam, turned into a 6-5 deadly sniper from long range and he's now at the prep school Exeter sorting through college options (a lot of coaches who recruited him think he already made a decision to attend an Ivy League school, but Robert assured me that no final decision has been made). The younger brother will be the better player and might already be better than his brother who's 3 years ahead of him by age. He's listed at 6-5, but I dub that optimistic for now. He's a very good catch and shoot shooter, but he's a far better athlete than his brother and has more scoring moves because he can shoot off the bounce, beat people off the dribble and create for himself and others. Can run a break, might wind up becoming a PG and plays very good d. With the academic profile combined with the ceiling, I imagine we'll see him at a school like Stanford, UCLA, etc.
5. Scotty Belnap, 6-6 2024 Santa Ana Mater Dei: One of the few players who's clearly taller than his listed height and he might be closer to 6-7. A very deadly 3-point shooter who because of his length (both height and wingspan), athleticism, handle and basketball I.Q. is becoming a very nasty offensive player because he can create his own shot and makes a great target for passers. The effort on d might not be there, plus this was a showcase setting and he's growing and might be in that zone where he has to stop growing before you can figure out how to use him best on d. He did a good job of jumping passing lanes and got some rebounds away from some giant bodies because he definitely plays taller than his listed height. Might weigh 180. I get the feeling he's going to grow to 6-8 and will play High D 1 wing. Let's face it: If you've got length and you can shoot the rock from 3, you're going to get recruited at that level. But Belnap can do a lot more than that. I think he'll lead a very deep, but young Mater Dei team in scoring and draw a lot of attention in such a high profile setting.
6. Tee Campbell, 6-9 2024 Santa Mater Dei: As I said, Belnap has help. Campbell likely weighs 250+. Playing out here against some guys who are 13 or 14, he definitely fills the eye. He's got some pretty good skills, both face up and post up, can handle it some and has good hands and can make quick decisions, both big keys for a 5. Like almost everyone, he will take time outs on d, but real high school competition will cure that. He runs the floor pretty well. I don't know if he's going to grow, but frankly he doesn't have to if he wants Pac-12 offers down the road. He just needs to keep working on his game, maybe developing a jump hook and adding more range.
7. Seven Bahati, 6-5 2024 Hacienda Heights Los Altos: OM... Goodness. 7-0 2023 Jazz Gardner will enjoy himself this year unless Seven decides to dub himself "Nine" and hog the ball like he did in the all-star game (and in some other games as well). He competes with Elzie Harrington for top PG from So Cal at the Showcase despite the selfish ways he showed off here. Right now, he's the more explosive athlete and he's the better shooter from range off the bounce. I would guess he might weigh 165; he has one of those lean bodies that likely will fill out and make him very scary. He can definitely create for others and himself at a very high level and I have to think he's one of the top 40 players in his class nationally. Long wingspan and he can guard people when he tries though he needs to focus more on positioning, getting into a lower stance against guards with a lower center of gravity and recognizing what other players can and can't do and not just rely on height, length and basketball I.Q. to ad lib it like 99% of players do at this age. He and Harrington got torched in the all-star game by Adam Njie, 6-2 2024 Gilbert Eduprize Academy, and a team with these two, Riley, Campbell, Bonam, Mercy Miller (last son of Percy Miller FKA Master P, committed to Houston out of class of 2024), 6-9 Malick Diallo (more on out of state guys later) got whipped by a team with far less eye candy on it because one team played as a team and the one with more individual talent played like a bunch of individuals.
8. James Evans, 6-6 2024 Santa Clarita West Hills: He might weigh 225 easy, maybe more, with serious muscle who knows how to dribble it fast and low. For a SO with that powerful body, he has very good skills, with a J, handle, passing ability, very good athleticism and he worked hard and effectively at both ends (he missed the all-star game), too much to handle for some of the 6-9 beasts here. Sometimes a guy like this can look great in a disorganized camp setting because he can just overpower people with that combination of size, speed, skill and effort, but then not look so great in a team setting against an organized defense (and chained to an organized offense that might not work to show off all the talent). But I think he's legit. It's too early to tell if he's a Power 6 conference level of player, but he's going to be a starter for someone in college, I have to watch him play more in a variety of settings. I like the fact that a lot of the guys I'm mentioning here have good to great academics. The first thing college coaches ask me about a player is grades, not basketball talent. The better a student a player is, the more opportunities they have to get recruited. It's pretty simple in an era where more guys aren't going to go to college or will leave early.
9. Elzie Harrington, 6-4 2025 Bellflower St. John Bosco: I wrote him about him in a previous post. It's way too early to make assumptions about pro ball or UCLA, but you have to think UCLA at least has a great shot at him. mh posted footage in the previous thread so you can see that he's on the slender side, which is to be expected for the majority of guys who are legit in their grade and he's 14. If UCLA can keep Dylan Andrews until his JR year, UCLA might see a Campbell-Andrews-Harrington chain over the next 5 years. Way too early to say one and done, but if anyone's in line to fit that category among these players, it's Bonham and Harrington with Bahati possibly in the mix for now.
10. Gavin Hightower, 6-0 2025 Los Angeles Windward School: Speaking of Dylan Andrews, Hightower looked good enough to be ready to step right into Andrews' shoes now that the latter has pointed himself to Compass Prep. Very fast, poised, plays d, can hit the 3 or beat you off 4 speeds and take you into the lane, can run a fast break, very willing passer. What's not to like? I don't know if he will grow and I don't care.
11. Justyce Lucero, 6-0 2025 Riverside Poly: One of the best (with a very quick release) 3-point shooters at this event, he's got good PG skills and I think he has a shot to be a very high end level guard. Compton Magic player. Another guy who shows remarkable poise for his age, rarely playing out of control or making mental mistakes. He went after people on defense.
12. Mika Baba, 6-7 2024 San Gabriel San Gabriel Academy: I would guess he weighs around 225, maybe more. From Mali originally, as was SGA alum Boubicar Coulibaly who is now at USC. A little raw, but great hands and a non-stop motor with big hands and a big body. Looks like a long wingspan to me. Showing an ability to rebound or block a shot, grab it and go end to end. Pretty good athlete with good footwork and has a base as he polishes his skills and could very well develop into a Power 6 player. Maybe he's a notch lower, but right now I think a lot of colleges should keep tabs on him.
13. DeShawn Gory, 6-7 2024 Riverside Hillcrest: 7-1 2023 Dennis Evans now has help. Slender and very athletic, he's starting to get skills. Has a big impact at both ends at this level in this setting because he has a high motor. Very long. Still raw on perimeter and too skinny to get a lot done inside, but he has 3 years to improve.
14. Darrell Morris, 5-9 2024 Irvine Crean Lutheran: Little, but very fast guard with a J and lots of playmaking talent. One of the fastest players I've seen in a long time. Too early, but maybe Tyus Edney fast and definitely fearless. Very tough defender despite lack of size.
15. Alex Stewart, 6-6 2024 Newport Beach Pacific Christian: Skilled wing who needs to improve either his athleticism or the quickness and reliability of his 3 to play at a high level, but he had a nice series of games. It will be interesting to see if he gets taller (indications say no, but that might be based on faulty info) and how his body changes over the next 3 years. Might weigh about 185, runs very upright and that lessens explosiveness and speed. Not sure if he can guard one on one at a really high level, so might wind up at the mid to low D 1. Very good student and his younger bro is 6-4 2025 at the same school. He was very productive here. I never dismiss actual accomplishment due to a lack of raised eyebrows.
I'll cover other guys in California next and then out of state players.
Here's a brief rundown on 15 players in So Cal who I think will be very interesting to watch over the next 3-5 years (in accordance with their current classification) (numerical order doesn't indicate player ranking; in fact, I'm going to choose them quite randomly):
1. Tyrone Riley, 6-4 2024 Downey St. Pius X/Matthias Academy: I scouted his dad back when Tyrone SR played at LA Jordan, then at LACC before he became an all-conference player at San Francisco. Dad's now head coach at Jordan and coached several teams in this event. Dad was 6-6 215 when he graduated high school and wound up 6-7 245 as a SR at San Fran. Son is 6-4 165, projected to grow to 6-7, and he has a wingspan at least 6-7 already. Very fast, very quick, terrific hops, can take it end to end and can guard every position on the floor. Working on his shot, nice FT stroke. Excellent work ethic, 3.5 GPA. San Francisco and Southern Utah have offered and he takes an unofficial visit to USC soon. Portland will offer. I think the Trojans will offer and that would be a pretty good fit given USC's projected personnel right now in 2024 (plus, they offer a lot of guys) and the Trojans' penchant under Andy Enfield for virtually every player to dramatically improve their shooting ability. A future NBA player.
2. Isaiah "Slim" Rodgers, 5-9 2026 (8th grader), Corona Boost Academy: 13-year old baby-faced assassin who looks 10. He's listed at 5-11, but he's not that tall. Very quick and fast and very difficult for anyone to defend him. Very poised and he can shoot the 3 off the bounce at his age and size with excellent form, which is very rare. Most guys this small develop a "push" shot even on catch and shoot. He plays hard on d, but I doubt he weighs more than 130 at most at this point. Compton Magic and the folks there are very high on him. Very silly for me to project the future.
3. Kade Bonam, 6-7 2025 Bellflower St. John Bosco: I wrote about him below. mh posted some footage of him and you can see how he has one of those round bodies that belie how agile, fast and well-balanced he is. Has long arms and better hops, quick hops, than the body-shape might suggest (he makes space for himself just by being there). He can hit the 3, has excellent post moves with either hand, high end footwork and basketball IQ and he's relentless on the glass. In the all-star game, he had 4 offensive rebounds on one play before he finally finished. A very good and willing playmaker for teammates. I don't know if UCLA is going to recruit him or get him, but I sure hope they do. Objectivity be damned. Compton Magic AAU program like current Bruins Cody Riley, Jules Bernard, Johnny Juzang and Jaylen Clark and UCLA commit Dylan Andrews.
4. Robert Hinton, 6-4 2024 Studio City Harvard-Westlake: His older brother, Adam, turned into a 6-5 deadly sniper from long range and he's now at the prep school Exeter sorting through college options (a lot of coaches who recruited him think he already made a decision to attend an Ivy League school, but Robert assured me that no final decision has been made). The younger brother will be the better player and might already be better than his brother who's 3 years ahead of him by age. He's listed at 6-5, but I dub that optimistic for now. He's a very good catch and shoot shooter, but he's a far better athlete than his brother and has more scoring moves because he can shoot off the bounce, beat people off the dribble and create for himself and others. Can run a break, might wind up becoming a PG and plays very good d. With the academic profile combined with the ceiling, I imagine we'll see him at a school like Stanford, UCLA, etc.
5. Scotty Belnap, 6-6 2024 Santa Ana Mater Dei: One of the few players who's clearly taller than his listed height and he might be closer to 6-7. A very deadly 3-point shooter who because of his length (both height and wingspan), athleticism, handle and basketball I.Q. is becoming a very nasty offensive player because he can create his own shot and makes a great target for passers. The effort on d might not be there, plus this was a showcase setting and he's growing and might be in that zone where he has to stop growing before you can figure out how to use him best on d. He did a good job of jumping passing lanes and got some rebounds away from some giant bodies because he definitely plays taller than his listed height. Might weigh 180. I get the feeling he's going to grow to 6-8 and will play High D 1 wing. Let's face it: If you've got length and you can shoot the rock from 3, you're going to get recruited at that level. But Belnap can do a lot more than that. I think he'll lead a very deep, but young Mater Dei team in scoring and draw a lot of attention in such a high profile setting.
6. Tee Campbell, 6-9 2024 Santa Mater Dei: As I said, Belnap has help. Campbell likely weighs 250+. Playing out here against some guys who are 13 or 14, he definitely fills the eye. He's got some pretty good skills, both face up and post up, can handle it some and has good hands and can make quick decisions, both big keys for a 5. Like almost everyone, he will take time outs on d, but real high school competition will cure that. He runs the floor pretty well. I don't know if he's going to grow, but frankly he doesn't have to if he wants Pac-12 offers down the road. He just needs to keep working on his game, maybe developing a jump hook and adding more range.
7. Seven Bahati, 6-5 2024 Hacienda Heights Los Altos: OM... Goodness. 7-0 2023 Jazz Gardner will enjoy himself this year unless Seven decides to dub himself "Nine" and hog the ball like he did in the all-star game (and in some other games as well). He competes with Elzie Harrington for top PG from So Cal at the Showcase despite the selfish ways he showed off here. Right now, he's the more explosive athlete and he's the better shooter from range off the bounce. I would guess he might weigh 165; he has one of those lean bodies that likely will fill out and make him very scary. He can definitely create for others and himself at a very high level and I have to think he's one of the top 40 players in his class nationally. Long wingspan and he can guard people when he tries though he needs to focus more on positioning, getting into a lower stance against guards with a lower center of gravity and recognizing what other players can and can't do and not just rely on height, length and basketball I.Q. to ad lib it like 99% of players do at this age. He and Harrington got torched in the all-star game by Adam Njie, 6-2 2024 Gilbert Eduprize Academy, and a team with these two, Riley, Campbell, Bonam, Mercy Miller (last son of Percy Miller FKA Master P, committed to Houston out of class of 2024), 6-9 Malick Diallo (more on out of state guys later) got whipped by a team with far less eye candy on it because one team played as a team and the one with more individual talent played like a bunch of individuals.
8. James Evans, 6-6 2024 Santa Clarita West Hills: He might weigh 225 easy, maybe more, with serious muscle who knows how to dribble it fast and low. For a SO with that powerful body, he has very good skills, with a J, handle, passing ability, very good athleticism and he worked hard and effectively at both ends (he missed the all-star game), too much to handle for some of the 6-9 beasts here. Sometimes a guy like this can look great in a disorganized camp setting because he can just overpower people with that combination of size, speed, skill and effort, but then not look so great in a team setting against an organized defense (and chained to an organized offense that might not work to show off all the talent). But I think he's legit. It's too early to tell if he's a Power 6 conference level of player, but he's going to be a starter for someone in college, I have to watch him play more in a variety of settings. I like the fact that a lot of the guys I'm mentioning here have good to great academics. The first thing college coaches ask me about a player is grades, not basketball talent. The better a student a player is, the more opportunities they have to get recruited. It's pretty simple in an era where more guys aren't going to go to college or will leave early.
9. Elzie Harrington, 6-4 2025 Bellflower St. John Bosco: I wrote him about him in a previous post. It's way too early to make assumptions about pro ball or UCLA, but you have to think UCLA at least has a great shot at him. mh posted footage in the previous thread so you can see that he's on the slender side, which is to be expected for the majority of guys who are legit in their grade and he's 14. If UCLA can keep Dylan Andrews until his JR year, UCLA might see a Campbell-Andrews-Harrington chain over the next 5 years. Way too early to say one and done, but if anyone's in line to fit that category among these players, it's Bonham and Harrington with Bahati possibly in the mix for now.
10. Gavin Hightower, 6-0 2025 Los Angeles Windward School: Speaking of Dylan Andrews, Hightower looked good enough to be ready to step right into Andrews' shoes now that the latter has pointed himself to Compass Prep. Very fast, poised, plays d, can hit the 3 or beat you off 4 speeds and take you into the lane, can run a fast break, very willing passer. What's not to like? I don't know if he will grow and I don't care.
11. Justyce Lucero, 6-0 2025 Riverside Poly: One of the best (with a very quick release) 3-point shooters at this event, he's got good PG skills and I think he has a shot to be a very high end level guard. Compton Magic player. Another guy who shows remarkable poise for his age, rarely playing out of control or making mental mistakes. He went after people on defense.
12. Mika Baba, 6-7 2024 San Gabriel San Gabriel Academy: I would guess he weighs around 225, maybe more. From Mali originally, as was SGA alum Boubicar Coulibaly who is now at USC. A little raw, but great hands and a non-stop motor with big hands and a big body. Looks like a long wingspan to me. Showing an ability to rebound or block a shot, grab it and go end to end. Pretty good athlete with good footwork and has a base as he polishes his skills and could very well develop into a Power 6 player. Maybe he's a notch lower, but right now I think a lot of colleges should keep tabs on him.
13. DeShawn Gory, 6-7 2024 Riverside Hillcrest: 7-1 2023 Dennis Evans now has help. Slender and very athletic, he's starting to get skills. Has a big impact at both ends at this level in this setting because he has a high motor. Very long. Still raw on perimeter and too skinny to get a lot done inside, but he has 3 years to improve.
14. Darrell Morris, 5-9 2024 Irvine Crean Lutheran: Little, but very fast guard with a J and lots of playmaking talent. One of the fastest players I've seen in a long time. Too early, but maybe Tyus Edney fast and definitely fearless. Very tough defender despite lack of size.
15. Alex Stewart, 6-6 2024 Newport Beach Pacific Christian: Skilled wing who needs to improve either his athleticism or the quickness and reliability of his 3 to play at a high level, but he had a nice series of games. It will be interesting to see if he gets taller (indications say no, but that might be based on faulty info) and how his body changes over the next 3 years. Might weigh about 185, runs very upright and that lessens explosiveness and speed. Not sure if he can guard one on one at a really high level, so might wind up at the mid to low D 1. Very good student and his younger bro is 6-4 2025 at the same school. He was very productive here. I never dismiss actual accomplishment due to a lack of raised eyebrows.
I'll cover other guys in California next and then out of state players.