SDSU Team Camp: Out of area standouts
San Diego State’s second session of its team camp proved to be a very telling weekend of basketball, both regionally and beyond.
We’ll start with the San Diego storylines, which were plentiful.
Vista proved to be the surprise of the weekend, rolling through big-time opponents after looking lackluster a week earlier in Orange County. The Panthers took a powerful Balboa School to the wire in the championship game before falling 51-49.
There were a number of out-of-area teams with impressive resumes as well, including Atrisco Heritage, New Mexico’s No. 1 team last season, and a Lewis Palmer squad that was the Colorado State 4A runners up last season.
Here were some of the standouts from out of our coverage area.
SDSU Team Camp: Out of area standouts
Lewis Hughes, 2019 G, Tolleson (AZ)
The 5-11 volume scoring guard fills it up from all three levels. Wiry in build and slight of frame, Hughes is fearless attacking the basket, and has a crafty finishing package in traffic. He needs to improve his court vision and shot selection, but he has the potential to put a team on his back, as he did throughout the weekend.
Matt Ragsdale, 2019 SG, Lewis Palmer (CO)
For two weekends, Ragsdale, a 6-4 scoring guard, has put on a scoring clinic against the very best teams in San Diego. Owner of a beautiful shooting stroke, Ragsdale can get his shot off both off the catch and off the bounce.
Joel Scott, 2019 PF, Lewis Palmer (CO)
The younger brother of Colorado standout Josh Scott, Joel is a productive, albeit undersized four man. He plays with great energy, and has the strength and athleticism to finish in the post and off the bounce with authority. Scott is also an excellent rebounder for his size. Northern Colorado has offered, and he would be an excellent get for the Big Sky program.
Obadiah Curtis, 2020 PG, Fresno Edison
The 6-2 rising junior guard has a frame that catches your eye, with his high hips, long arms and strapping frame. He possesses a quick first step off the bounce and gets into the paint when he wants to, and has a solid passing IQ. Curtis needs to improve his shooting from distance to keep defenses honest, but there is a lot of upside here.
Jeremiah Hannah, 2021 PF, Fresno Edison
Undersized at 6-5 or so, Hannah is a hard-working post who has excellent hands and finishes everything around the basket. Hannah’s rebounding on both the offensive and defensive glass also stood out.
Doc Self, 2019 PG, Gilbert (AZ)
I don’t think there was a kid in the gym that played harder than Self, a 5-11 lead guard. He was the catalyst of his team’s stout pack-line defense and never took a play off. He relentlessly hounds ball handlers into turnovers, and on offense, he sets the table for his teammates and scores it efficiently to boot. If there’s one area he can improve, it is playing with better pace on offense.
Brendon Johnson, G, Park (MT)
The 6-2 2020 combo guard was one of the craftier players on hand. Not the best athlete, Johnson keeps defenses off balance by changing speed and pace very effectively. Once by his initial defender, Johnson breaks down the defense with his high passing IQ. There weren’t many better passers in the gym all weekend. And, like most of his teammates, Johnson can shoot it from deep. Improved stamina and lateral quickness will only improve his stock.
Kadar Waller, 2019 PG, Bakersfield Christian
Waller, a 5-10 point guard, is blessed with a tremendous IQ and understanding of spacing, angles and pace. He never gets sped up and almost always makes the right decision in shoot/pass scenarios. For most of the weekend, he picked his spots as a scorer judiciously until the game’s final minutes, where he took over for his team. He has improved as a three-point shooter, but is still streaky at times from distance.
Brycen Long, 2020 G, Gilbert (AZ)
A sniper from deep, Long provided his team with the offense it needed in close games. He has a quick trigger release, and shoots it effectively off the dribble and off the catch. The 6-2 guard also proved to be a crafty scorer off the bounce with a nice floater package once in the paint. Long will be one to monitor in Arizona’s 2020 class.