Post by less1brain on Sept 29, 2021 12:01:31 GMT -8
I'll cover some interesting prospects from the rest of the state of California outside of the So Cal area (basically, I'm putting Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County and Santa Barbara County here; San Diego and Imperial Counties must do with Low Cal designation):
1. Dallas Washington, 6-7 2025 Mountain View St. Francis: He's the son of former Bay Area Baller program head and coach Nelson Washington. He's grown from 5-11 to 6-7 since April of last year and it shows in him needing to badly "grow into his body." He's very thin and runs and often moves on the balls of his feet and that hinders his quickness. He has a very high, slow dribble and he got picked a lot in this event by much shorter players. Why is he being guarded by much shorter players? Because at 6-7 and projected to possibly grow as tall as 7-0 before his high school career is finished, he's a PG. Of course, there are a lot of 6-2 to 6-4 shooting guards in High D 1 and most teams play 3 guards at a time or even 4 (Baylor and Gonzaga both used 4 guard lineups in the NCAA Tournament and UCLA claims it did too). He missed all but one 3 (he shot 14) (but he has good form; his shot selection left a lot to be desired) and had trouble guarding people. He usually responded to a miss or getting picked by standing there rather than hustling back on d or following his own shot. He hasn't played much on the AAU circuit and I imagine this might be a rude awakening that he needs to get a lot more intense if he's going to be effective against this level of players. My understanding is that he'll attend his FR year in the land of Google and then his family will relocate to So Cal. Several local high schools seem interested. He clearly has a lot of potential, but is a long way from realizing it. Excellent academics.
2. Ryan Pettis, 6-3 2024 San Mateo Junipero Serra: Very good athlete who showed an ability to score off penetration, hit some Js, played good d at times. Very good size for a backcourt player. Not enough views to say more.
3. SirMarius Jones, 6-2 2025 Oroville Las Plumas: Pretty much the same comments as Pettis, except he can break people down in the half court better and he's a class younger. Might have PG potential, but showed some good stuff. Not enough views to say more.
4. Tyran Stokes, 6-5 (looks taller) 2026 (8th grade) Pittsburgh Rancho Medanos: The only 8th grader to play in the top 30 all-star game and he deserved it. He's got one of those round, live Talen Horton-Tucker bodies and might weigh 225, but he has a very good handle and high basketball IQ. Mostly, he scores around the rim, sometimes by getting a defensive board and taking it coast to coast, and he did that to 6-9 250 Tee Campbell and 6-9 235 Malick Diallo in the all-star game. He played a key role in his team going undefeated where they had to play each game against teams with much more publicized players. He's got very good footwork inside and can finish with either hand, knows how to use head fakes, up and under moves, how to protect the ball with the rim, etc. Has a very nice stroke out to about 15 feet face up and about 8 feet turnaround and shoots very well from the FT line. If this young man, who has the face of a 12-year old (he's a legit 13), grows to 6-8 (size 18 shoes), he could very well wind up as a High Major recruit. Right now, not a high level athlete in terms of leaping ability, but he might grow into that and with the combination of body type, skills and excellent fundamentals to go with a strong, low center of gravity and a terrific feel for the game, he's someone definitely worth keeping an eye on over the next 5 years.
5. Andrei Tovar, 6-8 2024 San Ysidro High: Listed at 6-9, but clearly shorter than Campbell and Diallo (who is sometimes listed by scouts as 6-8): Strong young man who fights around the basket and runs the floor, but right now lacks polished post moves and he'll need them or a J to overcome what right now is average athleticism and wingspan (players' bodies change a lot when they're growing up).
6. Julius Olanrewaju, 6-4 2025 Coalinga High School: Very intriguing FR who is definitely a pretty big PG. Did a very strong job of running fast breaks, penetrating and scoring or finding teammates and playing good d against some very quick opponents who sometimes had trouble getting past him even in the backcourt. Very definitely someone to watch. He didn't shoot much from the outside, but was one of the few players here not forcing up bad shots either.
7. Rashad Cotton, 5-11 2026 (8th grade) Tracy Bethany Middle School: Showed off afterburners and an ability to score in the lane and sometimes off the bounce from inside the arc. Hit a 3 off the bounce with very good form, very impressive for an 8th grader. Not enough viewing to say more right now.
8. Marcellus Jackson, 6-4 2024 Fair Oaks Del Campo: Matt Barnes' old high school, slender but showed real length (must have a 6-7 wingspan or longer) and quick hops so he blocked or bothered shots taken by some of the top bigs here. Can dribble in the open floor, needs to develop his J.
9. Kellen Hampton, 6-5 2025 Hayward Moreau Christian: Another guy with big shoes (that usually means more height in the future). Very good athlete with some real strength for such a young player, not overwhelming but still might be a legit 205 already and most guys his size like Marcellus Jackson this age area are more likely to weigh less than 175. High motor, ready to compete with bigger, older players and made a lot of good things happen. Good footwork and terrific hands. Can already take it and play from end to end and back again. If he develops perimeter scoring skills or grows and learns back to the basket moves in the lane could be a highly-recruited prospect.
10. Marcel Pierre-Louis, 6-5 2024 Oakland Head Royce: A bit slender, but with long arms, he showed potential as a low post player, having some good moments scoring over people with quick over the shoulder moves and getting some blocks, alterations and steals in the paint. Need to see him more to give a better analysis.
1. Dallas Washington, 6-7 2025 Mountain View St. Francis: He's the son of former Bay Area Baller program head and coach Nelson Washington. He's grown from 5-11 to 6-7 since April of last year and it shows in him needing to badly "grow into his body." He's very thin and runs and often moves on the balls of his feet and that hinders his quickness. He has a very high, slow dribble and he got picked a lot in this event by much shorter players. Why is he being guarded by much shorter players? Because at 6-7 and projected to possibly grow as tall as 7-0 before his high school career is finished, he's a PG. Of course, there are a lot of 6-2 to 6-4 shooting guards in High D 1 and most teams play 3 guards at a time or even 4 (Baylor and Gonzaga both used 4 guard lineups in the NCAA Tournament and UCLA claims it did too). He missed all but one 3 (he shot 14) (but he has good form; his shot selection left a lot to be desired) and had trouble guarding people. He usually responded to a miss or getting picked by standing there rather than hustling back on d or following his own shot. He hasn't played much on the AAU circuit and I imagine this might be a rude awakening that he needs to get a lot more intense if he's going to be effective against this level of players. My understanding is that he'll attend his FR year in the land of Google and then his family will relocate to So Cal. Several local high schools seem interested. He clearly has a lot of potential, but is a long way from realizing it. Excellent academics.
2. Ryan Pettis, 6-3 2024 San Mateo Junipero Serra: Very good athlete who showed an ability to score off penetration, hit some Js, played good d at times. Very good size for a backcourt player. Not enough views to say more.
3. SirMarius Jones, 6-2 2025 Oroville Las Plumas: Pretty much the same comments as Pettis, except he can break people down in the half court better and he's a class younger. Might have PG potential, but showed some good stuff. Not enough views to say more.
4. Tyran Stokes, 6-5 (looks taller) 2026 (8th grade) Pittsburgh Rancho Medanos: The only 8th grader to play in the top 30 all-star game and he deserved it. He's got one of those round, live Talen Horton-Tucker bodies and might weigh 225, but he has a very good handle and high basketball IQ. Mostly, he scores around the rim, sometimes by getting a defensive board and taking it coast to coast, and he did that to 6-9 250 Tee Campbell and 6-9 235 Malick Diallo in the all-star game. He played a key role in his team going undefeated where they had to play each game against teams with much more publicized players. He's got very good footwork inside and can finish with either hand, knows how to use head fakes, up and under moves, how to protect the ball with the rim, etc. Has a very nice stroke out to about 15 feet face up and about 8 feet turnaround and shoots very well from the FT line. If this young man, who has the face of a 12-year old (he's a legit 13), grows to 6-8 (size 18 shoes), he could very well wind up as a High Major recruit. Right now, not a high level athlete in terms of leaping ability, but he might grow into that and with the combination of body type, skills and excellent fundamentals to go with a strong, low center of gravity and a terrific feel for the game, he's someone definitely worth keeping an eye on over the next 5 years.
5. Andrei Tovar, 6-8 2024 San Ysidro High: Listed at 6-9, but clearly shorter than Campbell and Diallo (who is sometimes listed by scouts as 6-8): Strong young man who fights around the basket and runs the floor, but right now lacks polished post moves and he'll need them or a J to overcome what right now is average athleticism and wingspan (players' bodies change a lot when they're growing up).
6. Julius Olanrewaju, 6-4 2025 Coalinga High School: Very intriguing FR who is definitely a pretty big PG. Did a very strong job of running fast breaks, penetrating and scoring or finding teammates and playing good d against some very quick opponents who sometimes had trouble getting past him even in the backcourt. Very definitely someone to watch. He didn't shoot much from the outside, but was one of the few players here not forcing up bad shots either.
7. Rashad Cotton, 5-11 2026 (8th grade) Tracy Bethany Middle School: Showed off afterburners and an ability to score in the lane and sometimes off the bounce from inside the arc. Hit a 3 off the bounce with very good form, very impressive for an 8th grader. Not enough viewing to say more right now.
8. Marcellus Jackson, 6-4 2024 Fair Oaks Del Campo: Matt Barnes' old high school, slender but showed real length (must have a 6-7 wingspan or longer) and quick hops so he blocked or bothered shots taken by some of the top bigs here. Can dribble in the open floor, needs to develop his J.
9. Kellen Hampton, 6-5 2025 Hayward Moreau Christian: Another guy with big shoes (that usually means more height in the future). Very good athlete with some real strength for such a young player, not overwhelming but still might be a legit 205 already and most guys his size like Marcellus Jackson this age area are more likely to weigh less than 175. High motor, ready to compete with bigger, older players and made a lot of good things happen. Good footwork and terrific hands. Can already take it and play from end to end and back again. If he develops perimeter scoring skills or grows and learns back to the basket moves in the lane could be a highly-recruited prospect.
10. Marcel Pierre-Louis, 6-5 2024 Oakland Head Royce: A bit slender, but with long arms, he showed potential as a low post player, having some good moments scoring over people with quick over the shoulder moves and getting some blocks, alterations and steals in the paint. Need to see him more to give a better analysis.