Tustin Classic: Stock Raisers
With so many tournaments post-holiday tournaments firing off all around Southern California, the Tustin Classic flew under-the-radar for many scouts, media and college coaches.
Prep Hoops So-Cal made sure to stop in to Tustin High to get a glimpse of the Orange County-centric action.
In the championship game, the upstart Northwood Timberwolves defeated Los Osos, 69-47, jumping in to the county top 10 conversation in the process.
In this piece, we take a look at seven players who raised their stock at the Tustin Classic:
Jakob Alamudun, Marina
The 6-foot-4 forward continues to produce at a high clip, turning in yet another double-double effort in a loss to San Clemente in the third-place game. The junior is relied upon to do a little big of everything for the Vikings — score inside and out, serve as an offensive initiator, rebound everything that comes off the glass and defend multiple positions. The versatility he’s developing now will certainly benefit him in the long-run.
Chase Anderson, Trabuco Hills
Anderson is one of the best 3-point shooters in Southern California and he lived up to that status again when the Mustangs beat California of San Ramon in the consolation championship. Anderson needs to add some strength to his frame, but if you leave him with any sort of time and space, he will punish you with a made jumper. Anderson is beginning to attack more off the bounce and added strength will help him finish better through contact.
Trenton Harper, Northwood
The 6-foot-4 sophomore has an interesting skill set, to say the least. He’s super bouncy off of two feet, which lends to his rebounding, shot blocking and shot contest abilities. Harper does a really nice job of staying vertical and not fouling when contesting shots at the rim. His offensive game is of the throwback variety. He likes to play with his back to the basket and has a couple of crafty post moves in his arsenal.
Northwood senior Jacob Huynh is one of the premier scorers in Orange County.Jacob Huynh, Northwood
The 6-foot senior is one of the premier scorers in Orange County this year and is an extremely fun player to watch. Huynh thrives in Tim O’Brien’s uptempo, free-flowing style. He’s super quick and shifty with the ball in his hands, is a knock down 3-point shooter, can stop and pop on a dime at the mid-range level, and is stronger than he looks when getting to the basket and drawing contact.
Dean Keeler, Marina
Keeler is one of the more intriguing big men prospects in the area. At 6-feet-9 with length and a soft set of hands, the junior has a lot of the “upside” that enamors scouts and college coaches. Keeler is a good passer out of the post and can knock down an open 15-foot set shot, but his transition trail dunk through traffic against San Clemente displayed an uptick in aggressiveness that he will need at the next level.
Jacob Nemeth, San Clemente
San Clemente seems to always have solid guard play year-in and year-out under coach Marc Popovich and Nemeth is this year’s guy. The 6-foot senior is a high IQ guy who runs the Tritons offense to a T. He has a strong frame, can knock down an open 3-point shot, but best of all, Nemeth is a lockdown perimeter defender.
Travion Williams, Los Osos
The 6-foot-6 sophomore is still as raw as raw gets, but he has a lot of physical tools to be a guy to keep an eye on. He’s long and wiry, gobbles up defensive rebounds, changes ends of the floor quickly, and doesn’t try to do anything outside of his comfort zone.