San Marcos vs El Camino: What we learned
San Marcos entered the Avocado East League opener with a strong 14-2 record, but questions about their strength of schedule. El Camino (10-7) came into the night on the verge of cracking the San Diego Top 10 rankings, looking for a signature win that has eluded them all year.
By the end of the night, one of those teams got what they were looking for: San Marcos, emphatically.
The Knights opened Avo East play with a 78-56 road win over the Wildcats, in a game that was as emphatic as the final score indicated.
Kody Clouet led all scorers with 29 points for San Marcos.
So what did we learn about both teams from the league opener? Prep Hoops So-Cal has your breakdown.
This is the best defensive San Marcos team in recent memory
San Marcos jumped out to a 21-4 lead, and it didn’t look like the Wildcats were going to be able to score against the Knights zone defense. San Marcos is big and long at every position, and passing lanes disappear as a result. Whenever El Camino was able to get something going to the rim, San Marcos’ bigs were there to meet them and challenged everything. San Marcos has quietly had a solid run of talent in recent years, with Division 1 guards Johnny McWilliams and Ben Perez and Division 2 players Mikey Howell and Jason Simmrin. But this might be the best defensive team the Knights have ever assembled.
The Knights senior group has a number of sleeper prospects
San Marcos has six seniors, none of whom have signed to a college. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t talented. In fact, the three senior starters – spearheaded by 6-4 shooting guard Kody Clouet – are very underrated. Clouet scored a game high 29 points, and was automatic from behind the arc. He’s worked hard to become more athletic and as a result he’s a much better defender than earlier in his career. While he’s not a primary ball handler, Clouet has improved enough to initiate the offense. Division 2 schools looking for a shooting specialist would be hard pressed to find a better one in San Diego.
The Knights senior front court of 6-5 Ryan Hagood and 6-8 Cody Mathis is very intriguing. Hagood, a big-bodied utility forward, has some wiggle off the dribble and can create for himself and others, and plays hard on defense. People throw around the Draymond Green comparison rather liberally these days with undersized big guys, but I think it fits with Hagood.
Mathis might be the best long-term prospect of the three seniors. At 6-8 with a 7-0 wingspan, Mathis is long, fairly bouncy and covers a lot of ground on the floor. He also can face-up and hit shots from 15-to-18 feet. He has improved as a rim protector and finisher through traffic to boot. Mathis might need a JUCO stint to refine his skill set, but he’s got a ton of upside.
Chris Howell has the potential to be the Knights best prospect – ever
At 6-5, 160, Howell doesn’t look like a freshman on the floor. When he handles the ball and sets up the Knights offense, he doesn’t look like a freshman either. Howell has skill, feel and savvy beyond his years, throws crisp passes and gets to his spots in the lane, where he uses his size to score over smaller defenders.
Howell’s perimeter shooting is the biggest flaw in his game at this stage, as his mechanics need refinement. But he has plenty of time to improve in that aspect.
At this stage, Howell is one of the top guard prospects on the West Coast in the 2021 class. He has a chance to be in the national conversation when it’s all over.
El Camino’s Jalen Flanagan is a star – but he needs help
Flanagan, a 6-3 senior combo guard, scored a team-high 26 points for El Camino, including 11-14 from the foul line. Blessed with great length and a smooth slashing game, Flanagan is one of the top unsigned guards in Southern California.
But his supporting cast is undersized and streaky. At their best, fellow guards Antonio Hale and RJ Davis complement Flanagan by spacing the floor and knocking down shots; Brad Yasukochi provides a secondary slasher who can at times create his own offense and 6-3 senior F Deundra McNair battles on the boards.
In order for El Camino to compete with the top teams in the loaded Avo East, they have little margin for error out of the supporting cast.
The Wildcats have two good freshmen of their own
Chris Howell was not the only freshman to impress on Tuesday night. El Camino has a pair of intriguing guard prospects in 2021 Keavie Love and Tyson Robinson.
Love, a 6-2 combo guard, has the size, agility and lateral quickness to be a lockdown perimeter defender. Offensively, his skill set needs polish and he lacks assertiveness.
Robinson, a 5-10 point guard, is Love’s equal on the defensive end. He has super quick feet, active hands and a lockdown mentality. He shot has improved from earlier this year to the point that it is playable. He just needs to get more repetitions. Both players are right hand dominant, so improving their finishing and handle going to their left should be a point of emphasis.