Friday, September 10th, Clutch Clips Hoops and myself hosted our Inaugural Junior/Senior Prospects Showcase at the beautiful Dignity Sports Complex in Bakersfield, CA. The event featured 42 prospects from various cities in the Central Section of California from the Classes of 2022 and 2023. This article takes a look at the remaining 15 top performers at the event as determined by myself, Clutch Clips Hoops, media in attendance, and the team coaches. This is Part 2 of the event player evaluations and there is no rank order to the 15 players in this article. Part 1 and Part 2 look at a total of 25 players from the event that have been recognized as the top performers from the Showcase.
2023 6’3 JayJay Jones (Centennial HS/Bakersfield):
Jones is a strong and athletic wing/guard slasher that is a match-up problem for defenders on the perimeter and in the painted area. He has nice footwork in the post, makes great use of the spin-move to create the separation from his defender needed to score amongst size around the rim, able to finish through contact on the attack, and will raise up on his man. Jones has improved his shot making proficiency from fifteen feet and beyond, which makes him more of a scoring threat for the Golden Hawks. Jones is a quick leaper that gets off the ground fast, relentless energy on the glass to provide put-back baskets on offense, and has the lateral movement and speed to stay in front of his man, as well as the strength to prevent taller players from backing him down. Jones had 18 points in his 1st Showcase game and impacted both ends of the floor.
2022 6’1 Stephon Brooks (West HS/Bakersfield):
Brooks is a heady lead guard that uses his strong frame to put pressure on the defense and control the pace of play. He has a strong handle on the ball, can slice through the defense when getting downhill, good moves to evade defenders for creative finishes at the rim, and can score it from all 3 levels. Good body control when going at the defense and makes nice reads to open teammates off the dribble penetration. Brooks rebounds the ball well, which allows him to initiate the transition offense off the glass. Had a strong showing in his 1st Showcase game, finishing with 13 points and numerous assists and rebounds.
2023 6’5 Dylan Swillis (Central HS/Fresno):
Swillis is a lengthy and athletic wing/forward that displayed major strides in his shooting ability at the Central Cali Junior/Senior Prospects Showcase. He has the length and positioning to control the glass, wingspan to alter shots around the basket, creates second chance points on the offensive boards, and can defend in the paint, as well as on the perimeter at a high level. Offensively, Swillis has improved his ball handling skills, gets downhill when attacking from the perimeter, has a nice touch on the ball around the rim, and was knocking down shots from the 3 point line with confidence. Swillis had a huge game 2 at the Showcase, where he scored 22 points and connected on 4 threes to lead all scorers in that game.
2022 6’ Izaac Martinez (R.O.N. Institute/Inglewood)
Martinez is a creative scoring guard that can fill it up from various spots on the court. He has a shifty scoring package that is very difficult to defend when he is attacking from his left. Martinez has a dynamic handle, able to score from all 3 levels at an effective rate, hits difficult shots routinely, makes great use of the hesitation to get his defender off balance, and flat out knows how to score. Great first step and blow by acceleration for creative finishes at the rim. Martinez had 16 and 14 points in his 2 Showcase games.
2022 5’10 Niko Jones (Clovis North HS):
Jones is a tough and physical lead guard that can score it or make plays to find open teammates. Jones has a relentless motor on both ends, controls the pace of play with the ball in his hands, has a tight handle on the ball allowing him to split defenders when attacking the basket, and is able to convert tough baskets around the rim. He is an efficient 3 point shooter, does a great job of getting to his shot spots for the mid-range jumper, surveys the court well, and makes some great reads in tight windows to find teammates around the basket. A player that leaves it all on the court and is knowledgeable about the game.
2022 6’1 Terik Streets (Central HS/Fresno).
Streets is an athletic and skilled lead guard that impacts the game on both ends at a high level. Defensively, Streets has active hands to disrupt passing lanes, a firm grip to rip the ball from his opponent and turn defense to transition offense, and has the wingspan to alter shots from the perimeter. He has solid handles, keeps pressure on the defense by attacking downhill, strength to take and finish through contact at the basket, and has improved his effectiveness from beyond the 3 point line. Streets had 12 points in his 2nd Showcase game and will be a crucial piece of the Grizzlies backcourt this season.
2023 5’9 Elijah West (Centennial HS/Bakersfield):
West is a crafty lead guard that can shoot it from deep and has become a true floor general. West has shifty handles, makes good use of the hesitation to get his man off balance, has a nice touch on his floater, capable of scoring it from all three levels, and is knockdown from beyond the arc. He has good court vision, keeps his dribble alive while surveying the court, and has improved as a playmaker off the dribble penetration, capable of finding open teammates with accuracy. West had 10 and 15 points in his two Showcase games, hitting 5 threes in those games.
2022 6’6 Anthony Swillis (Hoover HS/Fresno):
Swillis is a lengthy and high energy stretch four that impacts the game in a variety of ways. He is a high level rebounder, creates numerous second chance points on the offensive end, great timing and length to block shots in the post, as well as on the perimeter, and is a versatile defender. Offensively, Swillis can stretch the floor from the 3 point line, has good hands and keeps the ball high for finishes at the rim, and has an effective mid-range shot. He was blocking everything around the rim at the Central Cali Junior/Senior Prospects Showcase and had 11 points in his 2nd Showcase game.
2022 5’10 Arnold Ochoa (Bakersfield HS):
Ochoa is a tough minded lead guard that has the skill and understanding of the game to run an offense effectively. He has solid handles, keeps pressure on the defense by attacking the paint, has a nice pull-up jumpshot, and makes good reads to find open teammates. Ochoa has great leadership qualities and plays with controlled ferocity. He is a lock-up defender that creates steals and turnover that lead to easy transition points. Ochoa had 16 points in each of his 2 Showcase games and was a spark everytime he got on the court.
2023 6’5 Charlie Stump (Bakersfield Christian HS):
Stump is a high energy physical forward that makes his presence felt when he asserts himself in the post. He controls the boards with good technique and strong hands, has nice timing to block and alter shots around the rim, and has nice touch around the basket. Stump is effective from the 3 point line, and he can create off the dribble when his man over pursues on the perimeter. Stump had double digit rebounds in both of his Showcase games and blocked numerous shots.
2023 6’4 Jonathan Wisnoff (Bakersfield Christian HS):
Wisnoff is a lengthy wing/guard that can stretch the floor and open up the defense. He is very efficient from the 3 point line, has a solid handle and shifty moves to create scoring opportunities off the perimeter, a long first step to get by his initial defender and into the teeth of the defense, and good touch for finishes around the rim. Wisnoff has the wingspan to be effective on the glass and was one of my top surprise standout players. He could be a key piece for the Eagles this season as they will look to add some depth to the roster.
2022 6’1 Kenneth Eggleston (Ridgeview HS/Bakersfield):
Eggleston is a lengthy wing/guard slasher that puts pressure on the defense by attacking the basket. He has decent handles, loves to go at his man, he uses his long strides to get by his initial defender, and is able to finish in a variety of ways at the rim. Eggleston uses his wingspan to disrupt passing lanes, can alter shots on the wing or at the rim, and is a solid rebounder. He had 14 points in his 2nd Showcase game.
2023 6’5 Tyron Tyler Jr. (Independence HS/Bakersfield):
Tyler is a lengthy wing/guard prospect that has a nice mid-range shot and has versatility on the defensive end to match-up against the 1-3 positions. Tyler has solid handles, can create off the perimeter, and is effective as a 3 level scorer. Tyler has a smooth stroke on his jumper and is at his best when he minimizes the dribble and gets to the mid-range shot. Defensively, Tyler has the wingspan to alter shots around the rim or on the perimeter, and disrupts passing planes with his ragne. He had 12 and 8 points in his two Showcase games, along with some nice dimes and was active on the glass.
2023 5’10 Nicholas Esparza (Selma HS):
Esparza is a solid lead guard that can run the offense or look to create his own scoring opportunities. Esparza has a good handle on the ball, nice moves to create off the perimeter, capable of knocking down the 3 ball, and is a creative finisher at the rim with a nice floater. He is a tough defender that stays in his opponents space and has quick hands to cause turnovers. Esparza had 12 points in his first Showcase game, connecting on 2 threes in the process.
2023 5’10 Noah Brown (Kingsburg HS):
Brown is a solid lead guard that has good control of the ball and is a player that definitely used this event to get his name outside of his area of residence. Brown has good handles, confidence on his shot, able to connect from beyond the arc, and keeps his poise when pressured with the ball in hand. Brown will see his role expanded this season, as the Vikings look to fill a roster that saw 4 starters graduate this last year.
Notable Players:
2022 Jlen Slaughter (Golden Valley HS/Bakersfield)
2023 Jayden Abuyen (Liberty HS/Bakersfield)
2022 Fernando Uribe (Ridgeview HS/Bakersfield)
2023 Fred Millsap (Ridgeview HS/Bakersfield)
