Francisco’s Finest: WCE HS Invitational (On the radar)
Francisco’s Finest: WCE HS Invitational (On the radar)
GARDEN GROVE, CA—Ryan Silver, director of the West Coast Elite AAU program, gathered a plethora of elite high school teams to do battle at The Map complex. When you have Mater Dei, St. John Bosco, Damien, and Bishop Montgomery and a host of other talented squads coming together to improve their skill, fundamentals, and team chemistry—those are the ingredients for a must-see event. This installment we’ll focus on the prospects who beginning to emerge as college prospects.
Kyle Frelow (Heritage Christian)
2021, PF/WF, 6-foot-6, 195 pounds
Joel’s Take: Frelow has the frame (long arms), motor, and instincts to play beyond high school basketball. He is explosive in transition, shows solid instincts while corraling rebounds, and he has active hands on defense. His perimeter skills are raw, but there is upside here.
Derrick Nettles (Rancho Verde)
2021, PF, 6-foot-6, 220 pounds
Joel’s Take: Nettles is a big-bodied 5/4 who plays hard at both ends of the floor. He knows how to carve out space in the paint and he can finish through contact. In transition he showed the ability to finish and he uses his thick frame to ward off defenders. Going forward he needs to continue to hone his inside-out skill set to reach his potential.
Pierce Sterling (Riverside/Notre Dame)
2019, SG, 6-foot-2, 160 pounds
Joel’s Take: The crafty lefty can put points up in a hurry. Sterling can knock in deep jump shots off the catch or slash his way to the rim for the finish. In addition, he snapped some passes to open teammates off the dribble to create scoring opportunities for others.
Jay-len Carter (Dorsey)
2021, SG, 6-foot-3, 165 pounds
Carter knock in some deep jump shots for Dorsey at this event.
Joel’s Take: Carter’s father was a standout for Manual Arts back in the day and it appears younger Carter (Jay-len) is on his way as well. He possesses a solid looking frame and he can knock in jump shots from deep. His lift on his shot is solid as is his release. He utilized the pump fake to get to the rim and he showed solid finishing skills.
Patrick Roberts (El Cajon/Christian)
2020, PF, 6-foot-9, 200 pounds
Joel’s Take: Roberts is a rangy 4-man with broad shoulders and long arms. He exhibited some face-up skills and a solid touch to the elbow. He needs to play with more assertiveness at both ends, but the upside is evident.
Gabe Quiette (Mater Dei)
2022, SG, 6-foot-3, 165 pounds
Joel’s Take: Quiette is part of an incoming freshmen class—6-foot-5 twins Dane and Austin Persek are also part of this potentially terrific group—that will be hitting the Monarch campus this fall. It’s early, but Quiette has the physical tools to play Division 1 basketball. He has an ideal lengthy frame, a solid looking shot from deep, and he shows good speed and quickness.