On the weekend of October 23rd and 24th, the Sacramento Magic hosted their first Northern California Frosh-Soph Event at Foothill High School in Northeast Sacramento, CA. The event featured some of Northern Cali’s top prospects from the Classes of 2024 and 2025, where players were placed on teams with match-ups in a traditional showcase format on the first day. On Day 2 of the event, teams were slotted in bracket play, as seeds were determined based on results from Day 1. This article takes a look at 15 players that had standout performances, along with 5 notable players who also performed well. Due to weather conditions and travel, I had to leave on Sunday before the quarterfinal round but I was still able to see every player at least twice between Saturday and Sunday. This is an evaluation of each player’s skillset and strengths displayed on the basketball court, and there is no ranked order for the players listed.
2024 6’3 Mikey Lewis (Denver Prep Academy/CO):
Lewis is a true combo guard that is a legitimate scoring threat as soon as he crosses half-court. Lewis is shifty with the handles, has numerous moves to attack off the dribble, makes nice use of his long strides to get by his initial defender, changes directions and uses the hesitation to keep the defense off-balance, and has good court vision and awareness to locate open teammates after forcing the defense to collapse. Lewis is a volume scorer, is efficient from the 3 point line, a stop on a dime pull-up midrange shot, great touch on his floater, solid body control and creativity to finish around the rim, and is a true 3 level scorer. Lewis is active on the glass and uses this to push the tempo in the open court where he is hard to guard. Defensively, Lewis has active hands, reads passing lanes well, and uses his wingspan to generate turnovers that lead to easy points.
2026 6’6 Tyran Stokes (Rancho Medanos MS/Pittsburg):
Stokes has great size and agility with the skill set to play on the perimeter at the guard position or in the post around the basket. Stokes controls the glass on both ends, creates extra possession for his team on offense, solid footwork and moves to score in the post, and nice touch and body control to finish through contact around the cup. The most impressive part of Stokes’ game is his court vision and handles to operate on the perimeter. Stokes does an amazing job of controlling the defense rebounds, instantly turns to survey the floor to find teammates in the open court, pin-point accuracy on length of the court passes for easy transition points, has solid handles to push the ball off the glass, the agility and tight handles to weave through the defense, and the physical build to bully smaller defenders when attacking the basket. Stokes has a nice mid-range jump shot, is becoming more reliable from beyond the arc, and plays the game far beyond his age and grade.
2024 6’5 Tyler Thompson (Vanden HS/Fairfield): Featured in Picture
Thompson is a lengthy and athletic guard/wing that impacts the court on both ends at a high level. Thompson is a knockdown 3 point shooter, has electric handles to break his defender down, the moves to create off the dribble, a long first step to get by his initial defender, and the creativity to score around the basket that puts a lot of pressure on the backline defense. Thompson moves well off the ball, has the size and length to rise up over perimeter defenders, and is just as efficient shooting the 3 ball off the dribble as he is off the catch and shoot. Defensively, Thompson has a massive wingspan and lateral quickness to cause havoc on perimeter players, active hands to disrupt the dribbling space, does a solid job of jumping passing lanes creating turnovers, and alters/blocks shots on the perimeter, as well as around the basket.
2025 6’5 Alec Blair (De La Salle HS/Concord):
Blair is a lengthy and skilled guard/wing that has the skillset and poise to orchestrate the offense at the lead guard position. Blair has a solid handle on the ball, is poised under pressure with the ball in hand, does a nice job of surveying the court, and makes good decisions when running the show on offense. Blair has good wiggle when he is attacking off the dribble to weave through the defense, and has good control of his body with the creativity to finish around or through contact at the rim. Blair has a nice mid-range shot, is active on the boards, looks to push the tempo off the glass, and has the vision to find open teammates in transition. As Blair adds range to his shot and becomes more consistent from the 3 point line, driving lanes will open up and the skills he currently possesses as a playmaker or a scorer will make him a nightmare for defense to contain.
2024 6’3 Ben Roseborough (Sacramento HS):
Roseborough is an elite perimeter scoring combo guard that has limitless range from beyond the arc. Roseborough has a strong handle on the ball, crafty perimeter moves, shifty change of direction to create separation from his defender, a quick release on his shot, and NBA range with the 3 ball. Roseborough uses the hesitation move strategically to get his defender off-balance, which gives him the small window of space needed to fire off his shot. Although Roseborough can fill it up from beyond the arc, he has a solid frame and great body control to finish through contact when attacking the basket. He has improved as a playmaker with the ball in hand, as Rosborough displays solid court vision to find open teammates. Impressive showing given that this was the 1st time Roseborough had played basketball in over a month due to a hand injury.
2024 6’6 Zion Wilburn (Pinole Valley HS):
Wilburn is a lengthy and athletic wing/forward that is a force around the basket on both ends of the court. Wilburn has good hands and nice touch to finish at or over the rim, quick leaper to control the offensive glass, allowing for second chance points, is confident shooting the ball from the mid-post, and is efficient from the 3 point line. Wilburn pulls rim protectors away from the post as a 3 point threat, which opens up driving lanes, where he can use his quickness and handles to get by bigger defenders and attack the rim. Defensively, Wilburn has good footwork and agility to guard perimeter players, as well as the length and toughness to battle in the post against bigger players. Wilburn is dominant on the glass and protects the rim.
2024 6’5 Marcellas Jackson (Capital Christian HS/Sacramento):
Jackson is a forward/wing that uses his wingspan and strength to control the paint on offense and defense. Jackson rebounds the ball at a high level, shows great timing and positioning as a shot-blocker in the paint and on the perimeter, and can defend multiple positions on the court. He has good touch for finishes around the rim, can space the floor from the 3 point line, and has enough handle to push the ball off the glass in the open court. Jackson has a great motor and continues to make strides as he heads into his sophomore season.
2024 6’2 Amani Johnson (Salesian College Prep HS/Richmond):
Johnson is a wing/guard that is tough to defend when he gets it going from beyond the 3 point line. Johnson moves well without the ball to get open and create space, he has good footwork to square up on catch and shoot opportunities, solid handles to create his own offense off the dribble, can score from all 3 levels, and has the physical build to finish through contact at the basket. Johnson rebounds the ball well and has the handle and court vision to push the pace in the open court.
2024 Quentin Bundage (Archbishop Riordan HS/San Francisco):
Bundage is a physical lead guard that has the frame to play bully ball and the skill to get in his bag and mix his defender. Bundage is shifty with the ball in his hand, has the frame and demeanor to attack and finish at the basket through contact, has nice touch to get shots off over bigger players, is accurate with the 3 ball, and displays solid court vision to make the right plays in the open court.
2024 6’7 Amari Davis (Spanish Springs/NV):
Davis has great length, height and athleticism at the wing position that puts pressure on the opponent when slashing off the ball to slice through the defense. Davis is effective from the 3 point line to space the floor, which pulls rim protectors away from the key and opens up driving lanes. Davis has improved his ball-handling skills, the moves to create off the perimeter attacking the defense, and is a crafty finisher around the rim. Davis does a great job on the glass, nice touch around the basket for putbacks, the wingspan to alter shots and disrupt passing lanes, and has the handle and enough control to push the tempo off the glass.
2024 Caden Pinnick (Del Oro HS/Loomis):
Pinnick is a strong and physical lead guard that understands when to create his own offense and when to be the facilitator to get others involved. Pinnick has a tight handle on the ball, strong build to finish at the basket, very poised under pressure while surveying the floor, capable of scoring it at 3 levels, rebounds well for his size, and a true floor general. Impressive style of play and currently a 3 sport athlete.
2024 6’3 Ryan Pettis (Junipero Serra HS/San Mateo):
Pettis is a crafty and athletic lead guard that orchestrates the offense and keeps relentless pressure on the defense when the ball is in his hands. Pettis has fluid movement and great body control when he is attacking the defense off the dribble, has impressive court vision and the confidence to make difficult passes to find teammates in tight windows and keeps the ball on a string to keep surveying the floor when defenders put on the pressure. Pettis has shifty moves to create the separation for his own scoring opportunities, nice use of the hard pound dribble to get his defender off-balance, creative finisher at the rim, is gaining efficiency from the 3 point line, and has great bounce to rise up over the rim.
2024 6’ Joshua Bonney (Rio Americano HS/Sacramento):
Bonney is a true shooting guard that has a smooth stroke from beyond the arc. Bonney is a lights out 3 point shooter, has great range and confidence when letting it go from deep, moves very well off the ball to get to his shot spots, has the handle and moves to create off the dribble where he is able to use his smooth floater oversize, and scores it in volumes.
2024 6’6 Marcel Pierre-Louis (Head-Royce HS/Oakland):
Pierre-Louis is a forward that has great size and can space the floor making him a tough match-up for opponents. He is effective with the 3 ball, able to control the glass, has nice touch around the basket, good footwork to operate in the post and separate from defenders, and runs the floor well to receive transition passes for easy baskets at the rim.
2024 5’10 Elijah Holmes (Lincoln HS/Stockton):
Holmes is a quick lead guard that has the shift and range from deep that allow him to impact the game in various ways. Holmes is a shifty ball handler, makes nice use of the hesitation move to separate from his defender, quick burst of speed to get by his initial defender, has a nice floater to get his shot off over height at the rim, and Holmes is knocked down from the 3 point line.
Notable Players:
2024 Ja’len Flenory (Cosumnes Oaks/Elk Grove)
2026 Nicholas Norrah (Chinook MS/WA)
2024 James Moore III (Clayton Valley/Concord)
2025 Alexander Zenn-Dash (Liberty/Brentwood)
2024 Dereon Jenkins (Natomas/Sacramento)
