Pangos Best of SoCal Spring Showcase: 2020 Standouts
Long Beach, Ca. — Pangos founder Dinos Trigonis held his annual Best of SoCal Spring Showcase Saturday, bringing together some of the area’s top talent for a head-to-head feature game atmosphere at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church.
The participants ranged from the classes of 2019 to 2022 with four showcase games played on the afternoon, below are the standouts from the class of 2020.
Nick Bowden, St. Bernard
Bowden spends a lot of time off the ball with his high school team, but a showcase setting allows him to show his playmaking chops. The 5-foot-10 combo guard is known for his shooting prowess, and he displayed plenty of that Saturday, but his vision and float game are two underrated aspects of his skill set.
Josh Camper, St. John Bosco
Camper doesn’t stray much from what he does best and that’s set others up for scoring opportunities. The 5-foot-10 point guard isn’t a player who seeks out the flashy finish or pass, but he’s always making the right reads, providing energy on defense and playing with a high motor and basketball IQ.
Yuuki Okubo, Crossroads
Okubo is equal parts quick and controlled. He has impressive burst in transition and changes direction without losing speed. The 5-foot-7 point guard has the basketball on string which allows him to weave his way through traffic and into the paint where he can create for himself or others.
Compton High F/C Jabari Steward showed some major improvements Saturday at the Pangos Best of SoCal Spring Showcase. Photo Credit: Devin UglandEvan Oliver, Citrus Valley
Oliver is an ultra-competitive guard who is a bit on the underrated side because he’s undersized for the two-guard position at 5-feet-11. But Oliver is an offensive savant. He’s a knock down catch-and-shooter from 3-point range, he has an effective shot fake and one to two dribble pull-up jump shot, and can get into the paint and finish off those drives with soft-touched floaters.
Jabari Steward, Compton
Steward was the biggest surprise of the event, mainly due to the improvements he’s made to his body since we saw him at the Corona del Mar Beach Bash tournament back in December. The 6-foot-8 forward/center prospect has dropped a significant amount of weight and that’s helped give him more bounce off the floor. Steward also showed a handful of good moves on the block and soft touch around the basket.