Nike Extravaganza Recap
Nike Extravaganza XVII, hosted by Mater Dei High School, was a two-day event that included 11 boy’s basketball games. The following universities were in attendance: UCLA, Arizona, Oregon, UC Irvine, UC Davis, San Francisco, Pacific and more.
Stanley Johnson, 6’6, Mater Dei (2014) – didn’t have the best weekend in terms of scoring but did end up with two double-doubles in two nights. The sophomore already has a grown mans body, scary to think what he is going to look like in a year or two. His offensive game is way ahead of his age, has the ability to put the ball on the floor, finish through contact and stroke the jumper. He’s had tough time against quicker athletes’ as he’s having trouble getting get by defenders and guarding them. All the talent is there but he needs to play within his abilities before he develops bad habits. His rebounding prowess is unbelievable, always finds himself around the basketball. Johnson said that Washington has been recruiting him the hardest with USC and UCLA close behind. He wants to go to a school where it’s the right fit for him as in terms of the location, the team and the coach.
Conor Clifford, 6’10, Ocean View (2012) – was a beast on this day leading to a 26 point outburst on 13/22 shooting with 13 rebounds in a 92-80 victory over Mission Viejo. Clifford is a huge kid whose movement and stamina is vastly improved from what he showed over summer. He has great hands and has developed a go-to right hook that is highly effective. His development will more than likely be determined on the how his movement continues to progress. UC Irvine, who has offered Clifford, was in attendance for his game.
Roschon Prince, 6’5, Long Beach Poly (2013) – had 25 points on 11/18 shooting and 9 rebounds in a 67-45 landslide over Orange Lutheran. His first step is uncanny as he can get inside the lane at will. He is a defensive force as is the whole Poly team as they take pride on the defensive end of the court. To take his game to the next level he does need to work on his perimeter game in terms of his jump shot, making him a threat inside and out. Prince claims offers from SDSU, Arizona, Arizona St., UCLA and USC. Also is hearing from DePaul, Marquette and Georgetown. He said his current leader is SDSU, they have been recruiting him the strongest. When asked what was the most important factor in his recruiting, Prince said, “ Playing style. Feel like the playing style that we have here at Poly is fair. I want to go to school that says if you play defense you can do anything on offense. Defense is the main point.”
Brian Beard, 5’10, La Verne Lutheran (2014) – was the leading force behind the “almost” road upset over Mater Dei (71-66) despite a hobbling Grant Jerrett. He finished the game with 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists. The sophomore PG has an incredible feel for the game; with his high IQ he does a great job always keeping his head up and his dribble alive. His passing ability is impeccable, with numerous ways to feed his teammates in rhythm. He has lost some weight that has helped his game tremendously, giving him an extra gear to get him past his defender causing the defense to collapse and open everything up offensively. He does need to work on limiting his turnovers but I can’t see it being a long term concern. Beard is hearing from Oregon St., UNLV, SDSU, and Marquette.
Shabazz Muhammad, 6’6, Bishop Gorman (2012) – played in his first game since Nerlens Noel reclassifying and taking the number 1 overall spot in ESPN’s 2012 class ranking. Shabazz came out with vengeance by unloading 41 points on 6/6 shooting from downtown, was done for the game with 3:30 left as they were up 21 on Whitney Young. When asked if he had anything to prove with Nerlens Noel reclassifying, Shabazz responded, “I had nothing to prove. I’m trying to prove every time I step on the floor. That’s their decision to do that. I’m going to keep working on my game. It’s a marathon and not a sprint.” He made his statement on the court, proving ESPN that they are making a horrible mistake. The undecided senior said he will make his college decision in April; UCLA, Kentucky, Arizona, UNLV, Kansas and Duke are recruiting him and he doesn’t have a favorite.
Jahlil Okafor, 6’9, Whitney Young (2014) – didn’t have the best game statistically, 17 points and 7 rebounds, but showed off why he’s going to be a program changer. His frame and skill level doesn’t look anything like you would see out of a sophomore in high school. He has fantastic footwork and hands with the ability to finish around the rim at a high level. The young big man displayed a mid-range jumper but not sure if that’s a consistent part of his game, due to this being the first time seeing him live. Okafor listed offers from Arizona, Duke, North Carolina, Ohio St., Michigan St., Georgetown and UConn. When asked what he is looking for in a school, he answered, “History of producing young big men, producing players going to the NBA and a good academic program.”
Quick Shots
-Katin Reinhardt, 6’4, Mater Dei (2012) – led the way for Mater Dei at Nike Extravaganza with 18 and 17 point performances in their two victories. The UNLV signee has been shooting lights out as he continues to build a case for being a McDonalds All-American and California Mr. Basketball, both honors would be well deserved.
-Jamal Aytes, 6’6, JSerra (2013) – had one of the most surprising performances of the day by scoring 26 points on 12/19 shooting and 15 rebounds in a 76-73 win over Colony. Formerly of Foothills Christian High School, Aytes has a 6’6 heavy frame with soft hands and superb footwork. He needs to work on his conditioning but looks to be developing into a mid/high major prospect.
-Marvell Harris, 6’3, Eisenhower (2012) – the unsigned senior had 25 points by hitting from outside and getting to the line. Harris is hearing from Fresno St., Wyoming, UC Davis and UC Riverside. Fresno St., who has offered, is his leader. He would like to many a decision as soon as possible.
-Anthony January, 6’7, Taft (2012) – was able to do whatever he wanted, that resulted in 26 points and a blowout victory over Loyola. After the win he claimed that he picked up an offer from Memphis, but UNLV and SDSU are the frontrunners for his services.
-Kris Yanku, 6’3, Taft (2013) – is a basketball player; he’s gritty, instinctive, and a team player. The Turkish Mamba makes an impact without scoring, had 11 points and 5 assists in the win. Yanku currently holds no offers but is hearing from Drake, UC Irvine, SDSU, Virginia Tech and Portland. He plans to take an official visit to Portland.
-Thomas Hamilton, 6’8, Whitney Young (2013) – who was out against Bishop Gorman with a knee injury, said after the game that he should be back for Illinois state playoffs.
Recruiting Tidbits
-Max Redfield, 6’2, Mission Viejo (2013) – the gridiron star has football offers from Colorado, UCLA, USC, and Notre Dame; said he would like to play both football and basketball in college. Redfield had 21 points on 8/14 shooting and 11 rebounds in the loss.
-Brendyn Taylor, 6’3, Fairfax (2012) – shot wasn’t on but ended up getting to the free throw line, making all 10 attempts leading to 22 points in a 73-67 win over Eisenhower. Taylor said he is being recruited from Wyoming, Penn, UC Davis, Colorado, and St. Mary’s. Plans to take official visits to Wyoming and St. Mary’s. He holds offers from Colorado, Penn and Wyoming.
-Keywhon Powns, 6’2, Westchester (2012) – is hearing from Cal State Northridge, LMU, and Sam Houston. Only holds an offer from Northridge and has taken an unofficial visit there.
-Jordan Bell, 6’7, Long Beach Poly (2013) – holds offers from Texas, St. Johns, Alabama, Virginia Tech and the entire PAC-12 except for UCLA, Stanford and Utah. UConn is showing strong interest but have yet to offer.
Fairfax State Preview Classic Recap
Fairfax High School hosted a full day of games for the Fairfax State Preview Classic. The following universities were in attendance: UCLA, California, Utah, Oregon St., Portland, Princeton and Pepperdine
Marqueze Coleman, 6’4, Alemany (2012) – The Nevada Wolf Pack got an absolute steal in Marqueze Coleman by closing the deal in the early signing period. The senior had a game high 36 points, including seven three pointers, in a 80-69 Alemany victory over Santa Monica. Coleman looks like he has put on some muscle since summer that is paying off in a big way. The senior demonstrates high athletic ability that he showed off in a pair of dunks. He has demonstrated before that he can be a lockdown defender, nothing was different against Santa Monica. If he can improve his half court offense inside of the arc he’s going to be a monster in the MWC for the next four years.
Bear Henderson, 6’5, Alemany (2014) – Henderson at 6’5 seems to project to be an undersized big at the next level. His strengths are his motor as he never gives up on a play which equates to why he’s such a relentless rebounder, as well as he has the ability to step out to about 20 feet and hit the open jumper at a high rate. He does lack the lateral and close out quickness to be able to guard anyone on the perimeter or get past any guards offensively, giving me a lot doubt of him possibly playing a wing. He is only sophomore so his body still has a lot of time to go through physical changes. Henderson told me he holds offers from Colorado & Nevada, and is hearing from most of the PAC-12
Zena Edosomwan, 6’8, Harvard-Westlake (2012) - Edosomwan always had the motor, will and work ethic to become a force to be reckoned with on the low block, that time has finally come. He is relentless on the boards and fighting for post position, gets wide with his strong base with hands up to give his guards a target down low. At times Torrey Pines had all five guys on defense in the paint, just daring Harvard-Westlake to beat them with the outside shot. As a defender he will make you work, in pick and roll defense he does a great job at hedging the screen then staying step for step with guards forcing them farther away from the basket giving them no passing angles. He will only will continue to get better, you can see the improvement every week, and his work ethic proves that. His effort will be felt the first day he steps on campus. Out of his top six schools of Cal, Harvard, Texas, USC, UCLA and Washington one is starting to grow on him, to find out check here: (http://californiapreps.rivals.com/barrier_noentry.asp?ReturnTo=&sid=&script=content.asp&cid=1320183&fid=&tid=&mid=&rid=)
Garrett Galvin, 6’4, Torrey Pines (2012) – Torrey Pines, without Joe Rahon who was out with a head injury, almost pulled off the upset over Harvard-Westlake. Galvin had a game high of 33 points as he continues to be a scoring machine. He might not do anything flashy but he knows how to play basketball and plays it at 110%. The kid has a high basketball IQ, he’s fundamentally sound and has a craftiness that gets him to the basket and the free throw line at will. He does need work on his left hand but has shown flashes he has the ability to use it. The unsigned senior told me he currently has zero D-1 offers but is hearing from UC Davis, Columbia, Cornell and Denver.
Parker Jackson-Cartwright, 5’11, Loyola (2014) – Jackson-Cartwright has the feel and skill to become the top point guard in 2014. His court vision is uncanny, both in the open and half court, as he is a facilitator but can be a scorer by using his craftiness, deadly hesitation move, to create his shot. His passes are extremely crisp as he leads shooters into their shots. He also has a knack for being around the ball whenever a steal, a tip or an offensive rebound occurs. Jackson-Cartwright is continuing to grow as he now stands at 5’11 and will only get better when he is able to add some muscle. After his 15 point performance in the win I asked what do you consider a good game for yourself he said, “Did I find everybody well. How many assists did I have. How many turnovers. Did I manage the game well. Did I play a balanced game: scoring, assists and rebounding.” He sounds, acts and plays like a team first point guard as he tries to mimic his game after Steve Nash. While he considers his leadership as his largest weakness, I’ve only seen him demonstrate senior like leadership qualities that are extremely rare to see in a sophomore.The young point guard already holds offers from UCLA, USC, Washington, Arizona St., UNLV, and Marquette. Georgetown and Florida St. are the latest schools to offer him.
Payton Banks, 6’6, Orange Lutheran (2013) – During the summer Banks had a terrible case of blinders but for the past month or so he has started to put all the pieces together. At 6’6 he’s a wing who moves very well for his size that can put it on floor, attack, pull up with a deadly midrange game or finish at the rim. He constantly moves without the ball on offense, looking to get the ball in space where he can attack to score or dump it to an open teammate when the double team comes. Banks finished with 18 points in the high scoring affair against Loyola including one windmill dunk that i didn’t know he had in his arsenal. Banks has elevated his game to the next level and I wouldn’t be surprised if he begins to receive PAC-12 interest.
Quick Shots
-Utah signee Josh Hearlihy of Harvard-Westlake played in his first game since being out from a pair of knee injuries. In limited action he was clearly hesitant as he never put the ball on the floor and was mainly a jump shooter, ended up with three made threes.
-Unsigned Loyola senior Jacob Hazzard had 23 points, including five triples, in the win over Orange Lutheran. Hazzard could possibly be the best spot up shooter on the west coast. The knock on him is that he doesn’t put the ball on floor and at only 6’1 is that jumper along with the ability to guard point guards enough to earn him a D-1 scholarship.
-6’7 Darien Williams of Orange Lutheran (2013) continued his terrific play since the start of league play with 22 points in the loss. He was a force down low but didn’t get enough post feeds as he deserved, Loyola had no answer for him.
Other Games
-Price was too long and athletic for the grind it out style Windward team in a 65-41 shellacking. Chance Murray, who holds offers from most of the PAC-12, lead Price with 14 points.
-Serra had a impressive win over Fairfax, tournament host, 50-40. Unsigned senior Kajon Mack lead the way with 16. Brendyn Taylor had many eyes on him, including UCLA and Cal, but was kept under wraps for the most part.
MLK Day Hoops Showdown at Price
Price High School hosted a day full of games on Martin Luther King Day. The following schools were in attendance: San Diego St., UCLA, USC, Washington, Gonzaga, UC Irvine, UC Davis, Pepperdine, CSU Northridge, Boise St., Idaho & Duquesne.
Tyler Dorsey, 6’3, Ribet Academy (2015) – Dorsey is the total package as he’s listed at 6’3 and has the ability to take his defender off the dribble, pull up or take it to the rim. He has length for his size which gives him the ability to guard any guard. In his win on MLK he finished with 21 points and the most surprising part was he showed off playmaking skills that I haven’t from him before. Dorsey made pass after pass for easy buckets, sucking in the defense and dumping off to one of his bigs.
Idrissa Diallo, 6’9, Ribet Academy (2014) – Diallo is a physical specimen as he already has the build of an upperclassman and a motor to back it up. He showed off his activity with 18 rebounds in his lone game. While saying all that the sophomore is extremely raw with no developed skills outside of his athletically ability. High/mid major programs need to have him on his radar and how much work he puts into his game over the next year or two will determine what level he will be playing.
Marcus LoVett Jr., 5’11, Providence (2015) – This was my first look at LoVett since “The Run” put on by Ball is Life. This kid still lives up to the hype as he is going to be a star in Los Angeles for the next four years. He has the chance to follow in the footsteps of the amazing PG’s to come out of southern California (Baron Davis, Brandon Jennings, etc). He finished the game with 30 points with numerous moves that made your jaw drop, had a chance to win the game but front rimmed a step back three. LoVett does play on a team with limited talent around him as you can see from the amount of shots he takes, but he must trust his teammates when he has double and triples teams coming his way.
Skylar Spencer, 6’9, Price (2012) – The SDSU signee continues to grow physically and is developing into a monster. Spencer now stands at 6’9 with the hope he will reach 7 feet tall. His offensive game is still a work in progress but looks much more comfortable than in previous outings. When he steps on the SDSU campus his presence will be felt instantly on the defensive end as he will be an absolute force as the last line of defense. In the Price victory, Spencer finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Chance Murray, 6’3, Price (2013) – Murray’s jumper was off in this one but it didn’t stop him from having a solid performance. He has the tools to be an absolute stud with all the physical tools, the talent and a great feel for the game. When asked what he needs to work on to take his game to the next level, Chance said “Be more vocal, more of a leader and more aggressive.” Also shared with me that he holds offers from Arizona St., Cal, Washington, USC, UCLA & Washington St, with no timetable on when he would like to come to a decision.
La Verne Lutheran at Orange Lutheran – in a game where Grant Jerrett was in foul trouble all game it was Eric Cooper and Brian Beard who picked up the slack for the big man in a big way. Beard was the leading force getting into the lane at will and Cooper in the final seconds had a offensive rebound put back to give La Verne the road victory over Orange Lutheran 61-58. Arizona Commit Gabe York was still missing in action as he was not cleared by doctors. Things got worse for York as he was suspended Wednesday for two games as he played in an adult league game which is against CIF rules.
Quick Shots
-Aaron Holiday, 5’10, Campbell Hall (2015) – Aaron, younger brother of Jrue, had 31 points in a blowout loss to Ribet Academy. All high majors in attendance had their eyes on him.
-Donald Muepo Jr., 6’7, Dorsey (2012) – The senior had 19 points and 13 rebounds in a 53-50 victory over Dominguez.
-Dion Wright, 6’7, Mayfair (2012) – With no D-1 offer, Wright continues to ball out as he finished with 21 points and 9 rebounds in 69-57 win.