By Dinos Trigonis, Nothing But Net Magazine Editor-in-Chief
The 2018 Pangos Best of SoCal Fall Showcase was held last month (Saturday September 15th) at Santiago High School (Garden Grove CA) and featured 140-plus top prospects from Southern California
Media and scouts on hand included camp co-director Dinos Trigonis (Fullcourt Press, Pangos & Nothing But Net Magazine), Frank Burlison (BurlisononBasketball.com/McDonald’s All-American Game voter/NBPA Camp Selection Committee), Ronnie Flores (GrassrootsHoops.net & BallisLife.com/Fab 50 National HS Team Rankings), Devin Ugland (HoopsbyUgland.com & PrepHoopsSoCal), Aaron Burgin (PrepHoopsSoCal & Fulltime Hoops), Dave Keefer (California Preps), Richard Whiteside (Ballervisions) and Nick Koza (SportsAmp.com)
Baller.tv live-streamed all the games (with play-by-play by Patrick Pratt) and those games are archived and currently still available on their website.
Listed below are several of the event’s standouts by class:
2019
Giordan Williams 6’2” 2019 Poly (Long Beach CA)
Very good scoring off-guard has excellent shooting touch and as well underrated athleticism. Williams had 22 points in Top 20 Senior Game including this great slam off a lob pass by John Clausell: https://twitter.com/JuliusVElite/status He is slated to visit Boston University, UC-Riverside and Santa Clara later this month.
Ethan Anderson 6’2” 2019 Fairfax (Los Angeles CA)
Strong and confident UNLV-bound PG has very nice perimeter range on shot and can explode to the rim. Scored 18 points in Top 20 Senior game here.
Jordan Brinson 6’3” 2019 Westchester (Los Angeles CA)
Scoring combo-guard has nice ability to “stop and pop” from the perimeter. Just committed to Missouri State.
Christian James 6’3” 2019 St. John Bosco (Bellflower CA)
Under the radar combo-guard has nice ball skills as well as scoring ability both from the perimeter and driving to the cup. James had a game-high 25 points in Top 20 Senior Game. Poised for a big senior season
Kaveon Batiste 6’7” 2019 Westchester (Los Angeles CA)
Athletic and active forward runs floor very well and is a regular visitor to the glass.
John Clausell 5’5” 2019 Leuzinger (Lawndale CA)
Ultra-quick but small PG is a blur with the ball in his hands and a very pesky on-ball defender. Played great here (14 points and 15 assists including a great lob to Giordan Williams).
Other senior players worth noting include (in alphabetical order):
Kevin Bethel, 6’0”, 2019, Westchester (Los Angeles CA)
Roy Clarke, 6’3”, 2019, Fremont (Los Angeles CA)
Kobe Craig, 6’7”, 2019, Fremont (Los Angeles CA)
Cameron Denson, 6’4”, 2019, Compton (Compton CA)
Owen Fromm, 6’6”, 2019, East Valley (Redlands CA)
Justin Hill, 6’2”, 2019, Highland (Lancaster CA)
Joshua Jones, 6’6”, 2019, Lynwood (Lynwood CA)
Justin Rene, 6’3”, 2019, Poly (Long Beach CA)
Malik Salahuddin, 6’2”, 2019, Poly (Long Beach CA)
2020
Judah Brown 6’6” 2020 Pacifica Christian (Newport Beach CA)
Ultra-athletic swingman with rapidly improving range on jump shot had 30 points in Top 20 Junior Game here, turning heads with his high-flying slams and high-octane scoring ability. Very good student (3.7 GPA) is on the verge of a break-out junior season and skyrocketing in the national rankings. Brown has offers from Nevada, Rice, UTEP, Long Beach State and UTEP and is getting interest from UCLA, Oregon State, Western Kentucky, Wake Forest, Florida State, TCU, Texas and Georgetown.
Bradley Ezewiro 6’8” 2020 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance CA)
Bradley, an St. Anthony/Long Beach CA transfer, is a well-built southpaw with soft hands that allow him to catch and score in traffic and has very good ability to spot-up from the perimeter. Rugged rebounder and physical defender too. Currently sits in the #113 spot in 247Sports.com’s 2020 national rankings. Ezewiro is getting strong looks from the likes of Oregon State, UCLA, Cal, Kansas State, Colorado State, Cal State Fullerton (offer), UC-Santa Barbara, UC-Davis (has unofficially visited), Eastern Washington, Montana and Seattle. Played very well recently at the John Lucas Elite Invitational Camp in Houston.
Isaiah Johnson 6’7” 2020 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance CA)
Johnson was the CIF-3AA Player of the Year last year at Crean Lutheran (Irvine CA), leading the Saints to the 2018 CIF 3AA championship. Isaiah has transferred to Bishop Montgomery for his junior season and is quickly being recognized as one of the fastest rising junior prospects in the West as well as one of the top 2-way players in all of Southern California. Strong and athletic, Johnson can score on sweeping drives to the hoop as well as via an improved mid-range jump shot. On the defensive end, he is an excellent positional defender and an impressive rebounder and shot-blocker. Johnson is quickly getting on the radar of schools like Cal, UCLA, Oregon State, UNLV, Rutgers (offer) and UC-Irvine. Played very well recently at the John Lucas Elite Invitational Camp in Houston.
Sam Dudley 6’2” 2020 Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach CA)
Silky-smooth jump shooter found nothing but the bottom of the net here as he connected for 25 points (including 5 threes). Underrated ballhandler and creator off the bounce is the son of former Yale and NBA center Chris Dudley. Very good student (3.4 GPA).
Keith Dinwiddie 6’3” 2020 Fairfax (Los Angeles CA)
High-scoring combo-guard is a bona-fide bucket-getter. Has been offered by UC-Santa Barbara and Montana and is getting long looks from Arizona, UCLA, USC, Texas, Rutgers, Utah, San Diego State, Pepperdine, UC-Irvine, Grand Canyon and Santa Clara.
Quincy McGriff 6’5” 2020 Santa Monica (CA)
Very improved multi-positional perimeter player is both an effective scorer and facilitator. “Crime Dogg” has offers from Long Beach State, San Francisco, UC-Riverside, Cal State Fullerton, Montana, Texas-San Antonio and Towson as well as interest from Utah, USC, UCLA, Kansas State, St. Mary’s, Pepperdine, New Mexico, UC-Irvine, Hawaii, Utah State, Seattle, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara, UC-Irvine, Missouri State and Pacific.
DJ Davis 6’0” 2020 Centennial (Corona CA)
Hot-shooting combo-guard does not hesitate to pull trigger when he gets a good perimeter look. Real West Coast sleeper has NBA range!
Demetrius Calip II 6’4” 2020 Taft (Woodland Hills CA)
Athletic lefty scoring combo with range on his shot and the quickness and bounce to get to the rim and finish.
Christian Oliver 6’10” 2020 Santa Clara (Oxnard CA)
Wide-body center with improving skills is an emerging prospect in the West Coast junior class and has attracted offers from TCU, Ole Miss, San Francisco and Texas Tech.
Michael Ofoegbu 6’7” 2020 Mayfair (Lakewood CA)
Long and quick swingman attacks the rim well and has the length to be very good defender. Originally a member of the 2019 class, Ofoegbu intends to spend a post-grad year in 2019-20.
Other junior players worth noting include (in alphabetical order): Dylan Cabs, 6’6”, 2020, Mayfair (Lakewood CA)
Malachi Jones, 6’4”, 2020, Santa Monica (Santa Monica CA)
Cheik Kone, 5’11”, 2020, Redondo Union (Redondo Beach CA)
Ian McCloskey, 6’4”, 2020, San Gabriel Academy (San Gabriel CA)
Malvin Payero, 6’1”, 2020, Valley Christian (Cerritos CA)
Marcus Reedy, 6’7”, 2020, Ribet Academy (Los Angeles CA)
Luis Riascos, 6’5”, 2020, San Gabriel Academy (San Gabriel CA)
Jabari Steward, 6’7”, 2020, Compton (Compton CA)
Brandon Whitney, 6’1”, 2020, Alemany (Mission Hills CA) Justin Williams, 6’2”, 2020, JSerra (San Juan Capistrano CA)
2021
Tyler Powell 6’5” 2021 Ribet Academy (Los Angeles CA)
Strong and athletic WF can finish with authority at the rim and is quickly improving his scoring skills. St. Bernard/Playa del Rey CA transfer is already on the radar of Pac-12 programs.
Malik Thomas 6’3” 2021 Damien (La Verne CA)
Powerful and assertive lead guard with very refined perimeter shot. Excellent defender too.
TJ Wainwright 6’2” 2021 Santa Monica (Santa Monica CA)
Dangerous lefty shooter with great trust in the accuracy and range of his jump shot. Quickly picking up mid-high major interest after an impressive performance at the recent Pangos All-West Fr/So Camp. Culver City/CA transfer is a very good student (3.5 GPA).
Jahmai Mashack 6’3” 2021 Etiwanda (Etiwanda CA)
Mashack was denoted by long-time scout and McDonald’s All-American Game voter Frank Burlison as “the best defender on display in any of the games on any grade level” here and his quickly improving offensive skills weren’t too shabby either (15 points). The next major prospect out of Dave Kleckner’s Etiwanda program. High-end student too (3.5 GPA).
KJ Simpson 6’2” 2021 Chaminade (West Hills CA)
Bouncy WG with real scoring ability and an excellent GPA (3.7 GPA).
Christopher Washington 6’3” 2021 St. John Bosco (Bellflower CA)
Slithering combo-guard has the quickness to beat defenders off the dribble as well the long-arms to be a harassing defender.
Luke Turner 6’6” 2021 Rancho Christian (Temecula CA)
Turner already has a reputation for being an excellent shooter. Underrated rebounder is a very good student (3.7 GPA).
Christian Bento 6’11” 2021 Great Oak (Temecula CA)
Rapidly developing young center with the length and size worthy of high-major looks.
Nick Davidson 6’8” 2021 Santa Margarita (CA)
Skilled PF with nice ability to stretch defenses with his potent outside shot. Terrific student (4.1 GPA).
Derrick Nettles 6’6” 2021 Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley CA)
Burly PF uses body well to score inside and has soft shooting touch.
Paxton Burzell 6’7” 2021 JSerra (San Juan Capistrano CA)
Agile and active combo-forward with ability to score in a variety of ways. Should benefit being under the tutelage of new JSerra coach Keith Wilkinson (former UC-Riverside assistant and USC forward).
AJ Burgin 6’2” 2021 San Diego (San Diego CA)
Fresh off an impressive performance at the Crème of the County Showcase in San Diego during Labor Day weekend, Burgin continued to serve notice that he is a young SoCal prospect on the rise. Jump shot was falling often here (15 points). Excellent student too (4.0 GPA)
Jeremiah Paul 6’4” 2021 St. John Bosco (Bellflower CA)
Strong and assertive wing can get to the cup off the bounce and finish despite contact.
David Elliott 5’11” 2021 Birmingham (Lake Balboa CA)
Quick and crafty scorer with elusive ball skills.
Devin Walker Lewis 6’4” 2021 Los Altos (Hacienda Heights CA)
Excellent shooter was on fire in Top 40 Junior Game with an event-high 33 points. That impressive performance earned him a promotion to the Top 20 Game where he once again was in double figures (14 points).
Other soph players worth tracking (in alphabetical order): Cory Curtis Jr., 6’3”, 2021, View Park (Los Angeles CA)
Yahsani Humphrey, 6’1”, 2021, East Valley (North Hollywood CA)
Solomon Jones, 6’6”, 2021, Poly (Long Beach CA) Brandon Richard, 6’6”, 2021, Windward (Los Angeles CA)
Brendan Terry, 6’5”, 2021, Crossroads (Santa Monica CA)
Barry Wilds Jr., 5’11”, 2021, Fairfax (Los Angeles CA)
Xavier Williams, 6’4”, 2021, Ribet Academy (Los Angeles CA)
2022
Skyy Clark 6’2” 2022 Oaks Christian (Westlake Village CA)
Silky smooth lead guard has polished jump shot as well as ability to finish above the rim. Will be one of the elite playmakers in his class both regionally and nationally.
Jorge Ochoa 6’7” 2022 Orange Lutheran (Orange CA)
Strong hybrid-forward with a scorer’s mentality and touch as well as nice footwork on the block.
Randi Ovalle 6’7” 2022 San Gabriel Academy (San Gabriel CA)
Talented young swingman is oozing with HM potential.
Christian Moore 6’4” 2022 Brentwood (Los Angeles CA)
Very promising WG with all the physical tools to be a priority HM recruit.
Brandon Perez 6’2” 2022 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks CA)
Assertive off-guard with deep perimeter range. Top-notch student (4.0 GPA) as well.
Nir Shtolzberg 6’1” 2022 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks CA)
Heady SG with a confident and accurate outside stroke. Excellent student too.
Barrington Hargress 6’0” 2022 Ribet Academy (Los Angeles CA)
Quick lead guard with ability to beat defenders off the bounce.
Gabriel Quiette 6’4” 2022 Mater Dei (Santa Ana CA)
Athletic swingman is a very good defender and capable scorer.
Other frosh players worth noting include (in alphabetical order):
DJ Henry, 5’10”, 2022, Mater Dei (Santa Ana CA) Pablo Magallanes, 6’4”, 2022, Orangewood Academy (Garden Grove CA) Nicholas Payne, 6’2”, 2022, Escondido (Escondido CA)
Anthony Scott, 6’4”, 2022, Mission Bay (San Diego CA)
Kamaury Washington, 6’2”, 2022, Rancho Dominguez (Long Beach CA) Adrian Weills, 5’10”, 2022, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village CA)
2023
Orlando Greenlow 6’5” 2023 Santa Monica CA
Athletic and powerful forward with great physique has ability to dominate games at his grade level. HM name for the future.
Brady Dunlap 6’4” 2023 Santa Clarita CA
Son of Cal State Northridge assistant Jeff Dunlap has excellent court instincts and a very impressive 3-point shot. High-major WG in the making.
Ashton Hardaway 6’2” 2023 Bethany Christian (Carson CA)
Son of former NBA All-Star point guard and current Memphis coach Penny Hardaway has high basketball IQ and nice scoring skills. Looks like Mater Dei or Bishop Montgomery are likely high school destinations.
Dusty Stromer 6’2” 2023 Heritage Christian (Northridge CA)
Active swingman with a high motor and playmaking abilities on both ends of the floor.
Presley Bruskotter 5’11” 2023 Calvin Christian (San Diego CA) Terrific young shooter with deep range.
Other frosh players keeping an eye on include (in alphabetical order):
Isaiah Chappell, 6’3”, 2023, Los Angeles CA
LaQwon Cole, 5’10”, 2023, Los Angeles CA
Jontue Cooper, 5’6”, 2023, Lakewood CA
Devin Curtis, 6’6”, 2023, Santa Monica CA
James Davis, 5’10”, 2023, Nelson Academy (Signal Hill CA)
Drey Fox, 5’9”, 2023, Carmel Valley MS (San Diego CA)
Ethan McCloskey, 5’8”, 2023, San Gabriel Academy (CA)
Jack Turner, 5’10”, 2023, Rancho Christian (Temecula CA)
Tommy “TJ” Waters Jr, 5’8”, 2023, Cerritos CA
Maurice Wright, 6’1”, 2023, Palmdale (CA)
*** Action photos courtesy of Nick Koza (Sports Amp)
