5 Rising Nor Cal Prospects from Las Vegas
When I travel to Las Vegas in July my goal is to evaluate Nor Cal Players. The Fab48,The Bigfoot Classic, and The Rebound Hoops had players from Nor Cal playing in one of these tournaments. The 5 Nor Cal prospects I’m writing about played in The Fab48 and The Bigfoot Classic. These players may not be considered the top prospects on their team, but they made big contributions with their play, and to the success of their team this week in Las Vegas, and thus, earning the right to be my Nor Cal Rising Prospects.
Geronimo Rubio 2021 6’4 SG. This prospect helped Team Lillard 15 Elite win The Fab48 Invite Division Championship with his play. Geronimo likes to play fast and in the open court. When he has the ball in his hands he decides quickly whether he’s going to take his man off the dribble or use his quick shot release for his mid-range shot, either way he was effective. When he didn’t have the ball he would get to the corners and spot up for a 3 point shot. In the half court he moves well without the ball, and is great at receiving passes as he slashes to the basket.
Earvin Knox 2019 6’0 PG. This prospect helped lead The Truth 17u EYBL to the Championship game in the Invite Division at The Fab48. He started at point-guard and demonstrated his ability to facilitate the offense in a manner in which they were able to execute the offense proficiently in a half-court setting. He’s a pass-first point-guard who looks to get the ball to the shooters and does a good job of making the entry pass to the post. In transition he made long and strong passes to the corner for open shooters. He’s got a strong body and good foot speed to stay in front of other point guards.
Ezra Manjon 2019 5’11 PG. Oakland Soldiers 17u EYBL. This prospect comes off the bench for the Soldiers’ Scotty Pippen Jr., the starting point-guard, which might explain why Manjon isn’t being talked about much. In the semi-final game at The Bigfoot Classic against Mac Irvin, Manjon got an opportunity to start. Manjon is fast and his ball-handling skills are as good as any top point-guard. His speed and quickness with the ball is what really separates him from others. He’s able to use his quickness to get to the basket from the wings or the top of the key anytime he sees and opening. And with his speed, he gets the defender moving back wards as he shoots a mid-range shot. Manjon can spot up in the corner and hit 3 point shots,and in transition he zips past defenders. He’s a pesky on-ball defender with quick hands and forces turnovers. I think he’s going to rise sooner rather than later.
Josh Williams 2020 6’2 Guard. Lakeshow Elite 16’s. For this good team, Josh has been a steady performer all summer. His ball handling skills allow him to play either guard position. He shows patience on offense, and often found team-mates cutting to the basket for the score. He likes to attack the rim from the wings, successfully posts smaller guards, and he’s always moving and setting screens for team-mates. At 6’2 Josh is strong enough to defend bigger players in the post.
Carter Mahaney 2020 6’2 PG. WCE NorCal 16U. It was good to see Carter play point-guard against quality competition. He was often under pressure bringing the ball up the court because defenders think they can take the ball from him. They didn’t. He would clear everyone out, face up, use his arm and body, and speed-dribble to go by the defenders. He did an excellent job running the half court offense and passing the ball to the top scorers on his team. I’ve seen Carter play before so I know he’s also a good shooter from mid-range and the 3-point area. Give him credit for working on these other areas of his game.
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