Francisco’s Finest: Prephoops 250 (Top Playmakers)
Fountain Valley, CA-In my second installment of Francisco’s Finest I will be focusing on the Top Playmaking standouts. These were players that exhibited the type of skill set that impacts the game in the areas of scoring and facilitating.
Top Playmakers
Jayden Shackelford (Hemet/Oak Hills)
2019, PG, 6-foot-1, 170 pounds
Joel’s Take: Simply put, the game comes easy to Shackelford. The smooth left-hander always has his finger on the pulse of the game and his decision-making is excellent. He advances the ball well in transition and can delver passes with either hand. However, his go-to move is pushing the ball in transition and letting fly his potent jump shot. He has a smooth release and he is always on balance. 2018 Cameron Shelton was the best player at the camp, but it could be argued that Shackleford was the best prospect in the event.
Jarod Lucas (Hacienda Heights/Los Altos)
2019, CG, 6-foot-2, 170 pounds
Joel’s Take: It was quite the enticing match-up when two of the best guards (Shackelford and Lucas) in the 2019 class faced off on Court 1 at Fountain Valley High School. Lucas is a bonafide scorer who hurts opponents with his lethal jump shot. However, he also showed his savvy for the game as he handed off a number of high-level assists in the half-court set, especially off the dribble in traffic. He needs to continue to work on his initial burst off the dribble and finishing at the rim, but overall his progress has been solid.
DJ Davis (Corona/Centennial)
2020, CG, 5-foot-11, 145 pounds
Joel’s Take: Davis is a pure scorer at this stage, but he does find teammates when the situation presents itself. He has deep range on his jump shot and his mechanics are solid. In transition he can come to a jump stop, rise up, and let it fly while remaining on balance. He has the quickness to blow by defenders and his In-the-key finishing skills are quite potent. He thinks score first at this stage, but going forward he needs to continue to add point guard elements (advancing the ball/pick-and-roll/etc.) to his game to elevate his stock.