The Classic at Damien: Francisco Awards (Part 1)
The Classic at Damien: Francisco’s Finest (Part 1)
LA VERNE, CA.— In the final day of The Classic at Damien, there were a highlight reel of plays that caught our attention—beginning with Los Altos’ buzzer-beating win against Roosevelt in the championship of Gold Division. Jarod Lucas, a 6-foot-2 junior launched a 50-footer in the waning seconds to clinch the championship in dramatic fashion. This was one of many plays and prospects that we will be mentioning in our final blog on this loaded tournament.
The MVPs
Elijah Harkless (Etiwanda)
2018, CG, 6-foot-3, 185 pounds
Joel’s Take: One of the fastest rising seniors in Southern California is Harkless. The multi-positional prospect can play one-thru-three due to his athleticism, ball skills and feel. He rebounds well for his size, attacks the rim with a vengeance, and his vision is impeccable in transition. At this stage there are a host of JUCOs on him, but Head Coach David Kleckner says he’ll be a qualifier.
Jarod Lucas (Los Altos)
2019, CG, 6-foot-2, 170 pounds
Joel’s Take: Mr. Clutch hit the biggest shot in the tournament and most likely his entire career as he led his squad to a victory in the Gold Division Championship. Lucas is a high-motor combo-guard who can create for others off the bounce, but is at his best hitting deep jump shots from deep and rebounding in traffic.
Hunter Woods (Muir)
2018, WF, 6-foot-6, 195 pounds
Joel’s Take: The rangy lefty was all over the court in the Silver Division Championship. He was unstoppable converting in the paint showing great body control and he rebounded at a high level. His ball skills are on the come, but in order for him to take his game to another level, his 3-point shot needs to get more consistent.
Mr. Do-it-all
Jules Bernard (Windward)
2018, WF, 6-foot-6, 210 pounds
Joel’s Take: Bernard essentially does everything for his young Windward squad. The UCLA signee snags rebounds in and out of his area and he’s relentless in the open court. He has that Euro-Step move down to a science and his step-in pull-up jump shot has improved. He can force the issue at times, but overall he’s doing an outstanding job leading his team.
Scoring Machine
Bryce Hamilton (Pasadena)
2018, SG, 6-foot-5, 195 pounds
Joel’s Take: UNLV signee Hamilton can flat out score. He showed the audience at Damien this week that possesses a tight mid-range game is important. His outside shot is streaky, but he did hit number of “big” shots throughout the tournament. He has shown the ability to deliver a timely assist here and there, but overall he is a bonafide scorer.
Biggest revelation
Jamaal Barnes (Bonita)
2018, CG, 6-foot-2, 170 pounds
Joel’s Take: This was my first look at Barnes and I came away impressed. The chiseled combo-guard can knock in jump shots, but his savvy and moxie is what stood out to me. He can play both guard positions and his demeanor (plays with good pace) is excellent.
Defensive stopper
David Agba (Eastvale Roosevelt)
2018, WF, 6-foot-4, 195 pounds
Joel’s Take: Although Lucas (Jarod) hit some deep shots, Agba did an exceptional job sliding his feet and making life difficult for Lucas. He is a strong wing-type that is still quite raw of the offensive end, but this glue-type does a lot things (rebounding/motor/etc.) that affect the game.
Diamond in the rough
Fred Odhiambo (Alemany)
2018, C, 6-foot-11, 220 pounds
Joel’s Take: Odhiambo is just scratching the surface of his immense potential. He runs very well in transition, has good hands, and is unbelievably quick off his feet at both ends. His offense is limited to catching lobs well above the square and dunking off of drop off passes. However, defensively he is an exceptional rim protector and rebounder.
Clutch Shooter
Bryant Howing (Los Altos)
2018, SG, 6-foot-2, 165 pounds
Joel’s Take: There were many times throughout the tournament that whenever Los Altos needed a “big” shot, Howling delivered. Lucas (Jarod) and Lopez (Julian) get most of the “pub” from the press, but Howling has a lot of moxie at both ends and he’s a prolific shooter.