Magic Memorial Day Festival (Best 2021s)
Magic Memorial Day Festival (Best 2021s)
ORANGE, CA—The Magic Memorial Day Festival, hosted by Compton Magic, was the place to be in Southern California as there was a bevy of quality teams and players—most of which were from the So-Cal region. However, there were a few quality programs out of the region—most notably Nor Cal based Team Lillard as well as the Las Vegas Knicks.
After four grueling days Compton Magic (17u), Dream Vision (16u), and Team Lillard (15u) took home the hardware in their respective divisions.
Wilhelm Breidenbach-Dorsz (Mater Dei) Club: Compton Magic
PF, 6-foot-8, 220 pounds
Joel’s Take: Scouts will be hard-pressed to find a more polished 4-man than this guy. Long arms, good length, and a true blue-collar mentality describe this young prospect. He can snap passes with either hand in the half court set, run the high screen and roll with aplomb, and his outside touch is smooth.
Chris Howell (San Marcos) Club: Coastal Elite Slayers 16U
PG, 6-foot-6, 175 pounds
Joel’s Take: Howell is well beyond his years in terms of his overall feel for the game. He is a rangy point guard prospect with long arms and his passing is high-level, both in transition as well as in the half court set. He did hit a couple of 3s, but overall his scoring package—inside and out—needs to improve if he is reach his potential.
Barry Wilds (Fairfax) Club: Pump-N-Run Elite 15
CG, 5-foot-10, 150 pounds
Joel’s Take: There are not too many rising sophomores who play with the relentless passion as Wilds. He is always in attack mode and can convert at the rim due to his quickness and knack to score. He can knock in the jump shot, but he is much more efficient scorer with in 10-feet of the basket. Defensively, he slides his feet well and he has active hands.
Ty Ty Washington (Cesar Chavez/AZ) Club: Team Harden 16u
PG, 6-foot-1, 170 pounds
Joel’s Take: Washington will not “wow” you with electrifying speed or quickness, but he gets to where he needs to go and that is what is important in this game. He has a solid frame with good length and he changes speeds well. His maturity in terms of running the half court offense is impressive and he always has his head up.
Brenton Knapper (Colony) Club: Pump-N-Run
CG, 5-foot-9, 145 pounds
Joel’s Take: After unveiling his blossoming talents in the NIKE Extravaganza, Knapper continued his scoring prowess at this event. He has a nifty mid-range game, especially in the key where he converts many baskets via the runner. He can knock in elbow jump shots as well. He plays with a solid motor at both ends and it will be interesting to see his development as a point guard going forward.
Tyler Powell (St. Bernard) Club: Cal Supreme
WF, 6-foot-5, 190 pounds
Joel’s Take: Big, strong, and explosive describes this young thoroughbred. Mix in a nice dose of moxie and you have one of the better looking wing-types in So-Cal. He can explode to the rim off the bounce and finish with either hand. His passing and rebounding are impressive as well and he is a capable shooter off the catch. His shooting touch needs to improve off the dribble (getting on balance and smoothing out his release), but overall his progress has been quite good.