The Edison Tigers boys basketball team hosted their 8th Annual Super Saturday MLK Classic at Gaston Middle School in Fresno, CA, this past Saturday, January 15th. Similar to most high school basketball tournaments and showcases that have taken place over the last month, the original schedule of 6 games was modified down to 5 games, as a few teams had to withdraw due to Covid Protocols. Nevertheless, the event did host 5 games, of which I was in attendance for the last 3 games of the showcase. All 3 games were very competitive, rosters were at full strength for all but 1 of the teams, and the top players for all teams played quality basketball. The games I was able to see featured the following match-ups: Roosevelt of Fresno against Hanford West, Sunnyside of Fresno versus Hanford, and Hoover of Fresno against Edison of Fresno. This article takes a look at the top performers from the MLK Classic, how they performed at the event, and a breakdown of their overall skill set as basketball players. Despite the stellar play by some of the older players, I was most impressed by the play of multiple freshmen that are already making huge contributions to their teams. The Class of 2025 is shaping up to be one of the deepest classes in the Central Section in some time, with multiple potential Division 1 prospects. There is no rank order to the list of players in this article, however, the first 10 players discussed below had the most impact on their team’s play. As mentioned above, I did not see the 1st two games of the event so there may have been a few players from those games that performed well but did not make this article. This article begins with Charles Bailey III of the host team Edison, who ended the MLK Classic with a game-winning lay-up in a great battle between the Tigers and the Hoover Patriots.
2022 6’1 Charles Bailey III (Edison Tigers/Fresno): Featured in the Photo
Bailey is a physical and athletic combination guard that keeps relentless pressure on the defense by attacking downhill with the ability to finish in various ways around the basket. Bailey led the Tigers in a big 2nd half comeback against the Hoover Patriots, and scored the game-winning basket with less than 10 seconds on the game clock, as Edison won 80-79 to close out the Edison Boys Basketball 8th Annual Super Saturday MLK Classic. Bailey has solid handles, has a quick first step off the dribble, gets into the teeth of the defense, and has nice touch on his floater and mid-range jump shot. Bailey is effective from the 3 point line, which opens up driving lanes for him to attack the paint, and has the strength to finish through contact at the basket. He is solid on the boards and likes to push the tempo in the open court off the glass. He finished with a game-high 22 points and was player of the game.
2023 6’6 Jaden Haire (Hanford West Huskies): Featured in the Photo
Haire is a physically gifted athlete that has the skillset and versatility to play various positions on both ends of the court. Haire was absolutely dominant on the boards, as the Huskies took down the Roosevelt Rough Riders 71-63 at the Super Saturday MLK Classic. Haire led all players in scoring and rebounding, finishing with 26 points and 12 boards, as he provided multiple second-chance scoring opportunities for the Huskies, which was key in their come-from-behind win. Haire has good footwork in the post, quick leaping ability to control rebounds amongst taller players, a soft touch around the basket for creative finishes, and the strength to muscle through contact and draw fouls, where he is efficient from the free-throw line. Haire also has good handles, sees the court well, is capable of pushing the ball in the open court, and has the size to see over smaller defenders and find open teammates in the half-court setting. Haire is effective from beyond the arc, which opens up driving lanes to get to the basket or his nice pull-up 15-foot jumper.
2025 6’3 Remy Barnes (Hanford West Huskies):
Barnes is a lengthy and crafty perimeter player that has nice moves to create scoring opportunities off the dribble. I had heard the Huskies had an impressive freshman, but this was my first time seeing him in person and Barnes displayed an array of moves to score the ball from all 3 levels. Barnes showed ranged from beyond the arc, the handles to create off the perimeter and attack the defense, and makes good use of his length with a smooth flowing Euro-step move to evade bigger defenders for crafty finishes at the basket. Barnes has a long wingspan, is solid on the boards, has the handle to push the ball in transition, and displayed nice court vision as he dropped some nice dimes to Haire off the pick and roll. Barnes showed increased confidence as the game progressed and finished with 23 points and 5 assists.
2022 6’2 Dae’Shaun Bias (Sunnyside Wildcats/Fresno): Featured in the Photo
Bias is an athletic and lengthy wing/slasher that gets great lift on his shot and is disruptive on the defensive end of the court. Bias provided a needed spark in the 2nd quarter connecting on 2 of his 3 threes to help the Wildcats erase an early 15 point deficit to Hanford. Bias ended the game with a team-high 22 points, 11 of those coming in the 2nd half and key free throws down the stretch to seal the comeback win. Bias uses his elite athleticism to control the boards, has the handles to push the ball in the open court, has great lift on his jump shot to raise up over taller defenders, and does a nice job of knifing through the defense and finding openings to get shots off the catch and shoot. Bias has active hands on the defensive end, is disruptive in the passing lanes creating turnovers and easy transition points, and is effective at altering shots on the perimeter. Bias has a great motor and keeps that energy on both ends, making him a solid two-way player.
2025 6’1 James Miller IV (Roosevelt Rough Riders/Fresno):
Miller is a true lead guard that has a solid frame with shifty handles to keep the defense on their heels, capable of making plays for himself, as well as for his teammates. Miller had a team-high 20 points for the Rough Riders, knocking down 4 threes in the process. Miller also made some jaw-dropping passes that failed to translate into assists. This was my third time seeing Miller live and he has impressed in each game, despite being doubled and even triple-teamed at times at the MLK Classic. Miller has elite handles, keeps the ball on a string while surveying the defense, is very shifty with the ball keeping his defender off-balance, changes direction with the ball quickly, he uses his solid frame to attack the paint and get his defender on his hip, and has the body control and shot-making ability to finish amongst taller players. Miller has a smooth stroke from the 3 point line, has great court vision to find open teammates all over the place when he is on the attack, and has a solid mid-range jump shot, making him a scoring threat from all 3 levels. Impressive offensive skill set and having a great start to his high school career.
2022 6’5 Nathan Jaureguizar (Hanford Bullpups):
Jaureguizar is a lengthy wing/guard that can fill it up from various spots on the court and is active on the boards. Jaureguizar got off to a hot start, as the entire Bullpup squad did, and was attacking the basket and getting to the foul line for easy buckets and points. He was a key reason Hanford built over a 15 point lead in the 1st quarter against Sunnyside. However, Jaureguizar was in foul trouble throughout the game and his minutes were not near what they have been the previous times I have seen Hanford. Nevertheless, he finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds and showed the ability to score it from all 3 levels. Jaureguizar is a solid rebounder, has good court vision to find open teammates when cutting off screens, has a decent handle to create off the dribble, and attacks the defense, using his length to get by his defender and finish amongst bigs at the rim. He is a good leader on the court and has a nice feel for the game.
2023 6’ Yaj Vance (Edison Tigers/Fresno):
Vance is a strong and poised lead guard that controls the pace of play and is capable of creating his own scoring opportunities. Similar to Bailey, Vance really got going in the 2nd half, as he relentlessly attacked the interior of the defense, and had some tough, creative finishes around the basket. Vance has a strong handle on the ball, a great burst of speed off the crossover dribble, good use of hesitation move to get his defender on his hip, and has nice body control to score it in traffic around the basket. Vance has good court vision, keeps his eyes up when attacking to find open teammates, and has solid footwork to stay in front of opponents on the defensive end. Vance had a good showing at the MLK Classic and finished with 13 points and 5 assists en route to a victory over the Hoover Patriots.
2025 5’11 Malachi Barnes (Sunnyside Wildcats/Fresno):
Barnes is a solid lead guard that shows poise and confidence beyond his grade level when running the offense and can light it up from deep. Barnes was one of a handful of freshmen that had very impressive showings at the Super Saturday MLK Classic, and was instrumental in the Tigers come from behind win against Hanford, as he connected on 3 threes in a span of 4 minutes. Barnes sharpshooting from beyond the arc in the 2nd quarter got the offense rolling, as well as turning up the defense and creating turnovers, leading to easy buckets. Barnes is confident with the ball in hand, controls the flow of the offense, keeps pressure on the defense by attacking downhill, very effective between the legs crossover to create separation or get a step on his defender, and has a nice touch on finishes amongst the bigs. Barnes is effective from the 3 point line, uses the 3 ball to create and attack openings in the defense from over pursuit, and has good vision to find open teammates when the defense collapses. Barnes finished the game with 18 points and seems much more comfortable in his role at the point compared to when I saw him play about a month ago.
2022 6’ Jaylan Walton (Hoover Patriots/Fresno):
Walton is a dynamic lead guard with elite handles and shifty movement that puts immense pressure on any defense with range from deep. Walton struggled from the field in the 1st half, but still impacted the game by finding teammates off the dribble penetration for easy layups from some amazing passes. Walton warmed up in the 2nd half and finished with 16 points and 8 assists, even though the Patriots fell to the Tigers on a buzzer-beater to wrap up the Super Saturday MLK Classic. Walton is special with the ball in his hands, has a deadly crossover that has the shift and movement to rock any defender off balance, a great burst of speed once he gets to his crossover to blow by his initial defender, has the court vision to see all his options and make the right read or finish at the rim, as he is very creative on the finish at the rim. Walton can hit from the 3 point line effectively, he is sensational at attacking driving lanes, has a smooth pull-up jump shot, and scores it well from all 3 levels. Walton continues to be one of the most skilled offensive players in the Central Section.
2022 5’11 Noah Noyola (Hanford Bullpups):
Noyola is a tough lead guard that makes quality decisions with the ball in his hand and has range from deep. Similar to teammate Jaureguizar, Noyola got off to a great start and had 12 in the 1st half, and was running the offense at a high level, picking the Tigers apart. After a slower start and less time on the court in the 3rd quarter, Noyola got it going in the 4th quarter and overtime. Despite the loss, Noyola led all scorers with 23 points and knocked down 3 threes. Noyola has good handles, shifty moves to create separation from his defender, capable of hitting the 3 ball off the dribble, and keeps pressure on the interior defense with the court vision to find open teammates off the drive and kick out pass. Noyola has been impressive at the point guard and plays with a lot of confidence in both games I have seen him this season.
2025 6’3 C.J. Young (Sunnyside Wildcats/Fresno):
Young is a strong and athletic wing/forward that rebounds at a high level and can defend multiple positions with a long wingspan and great lateral quickness. Young was dominant on the glass and is very effective at drawing fouls and is efficient from the free-throw line. Young finished with 13 points (7 of those off free throws) and 10 rebounds despite fouling out in the 4th quarter. Great upside and gaining confidence quickly, as Young started the season late due to playing varsity football.
2023 6’4 Josh Nicholson (Roosevelt Rough Riders/Fresno):
Nicholson is a high-energy player that is active on the glass, has the size to finish through contact at the rim, can hit shots from the mid-range with effectiveness, and is a good passer out of the post finding guys cutting to the basket. Impressive prospect that has the physical attributes to have a bigger presence on the offensive end for the Rough Riders. He finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds in a loss to Hanford West.
2023 5’11 Elijah Johnson (Hoover Patriots/Fresno):
Johnson is a player that fills up the stat sheet with rebounds, assists, steals, and points. Had a team-high 19 points and shot the ball well from the free-throw area.
2024 6’ Ray Brown (Edison Tigers/Fresno):
Brown was big for the Tigers in the 1st half, as the Tigers got down by double digits before Brown went on his own little scoring run. He finished with 14 points and has a solid game for a sophomore. Good upside and physical style of play with touch on his shot.
2023 5’10 Nate Moua (Hoover Patriots/Fresno):
Moua is a lights-out shooter from beyond the arc, moves well off the ball to get open for shot opportunities, and had a big 1st half and 2 minutes of the 3rd quarter for the Patriots, as Moua hit 5 threes during that timespan. Moua is key in spacing the defense and creating easy baskets for teammates.
2022 6’ Maishon Thepphakaysone (Sunnyside Wildcats/Fresno):
High energy player that scores without any plays designed for him. Great on-court energy on the glass and finished with 19 points.
2022 5’11 Marlon Haggard (Hoover Patriots/Fresno):
Haggard is an impact player that fills up the stat sheet and can score the ball from various spaces on the court. Haggard finished with 15 points and hit a few threes. Haggard rebounds well for his size.
2023 6’5 Mykayle McCoy (Roosevelt Rough Riders/Fresno):
McCoy is a force on the boards, has good touch around the rim, decent handle to create off the dribble, and gets to the line where he is efficient. McCoy finished with 11 points and 9 rebounds and can impact the game on both ends.
