The LEAGUE: Opening day standouts
ORANGE, Ca. – Sunday’s opening-day of The LEAGUE by Compton Magic – the finest league of its sort in the region – was a nifty showcase for some of the region’s best teams and players.
Among those playing a couple of times apiece Sunday at Orange Lutheran High were the host Lancers, Corona Centennial, El Cajon Foothills Christian, L.A. Washington Prep, L.A. Dorsey, Hesperia, Lakewood Mayfair and Hacienda Heights Los Altos.
All things considered, Centennial – with wins over Foothills Christian and Washington Prep – was the team that most impressed me.
Leading the way for Coach Josh Gillies’ Huskies was 6-foot-5 Jaylen Clark, who was also outstanding over the three games his team played during the Sept. 8&9 Ron Massey Memorial Fall Classic at Cerritos College in Norwalk.
His jump shot is falling with more consistency than he did during freshman and sophomore campaigns and his drives are even more difficult contain for one defender alone to check.
Players from the senior class who impressed included 6-4 Jaden Shackelford (Hesperia), 5-11 Trey Anderson (Orange Lutheran), 6-5 Derrick Carter-Hollinger (Foothills Christian) and 6-3 Jarod Lucas (Los Altos).
Lucas, who is committed to Oregon State, is – with Clark – one of the two players who were most impressive (IMO) Sunday.
Shackelford – one of the better jump shooters in all of high school hoops – didn’t knock in jumpers with his usual consistency (vs. Eastvale Roosevelt) when I watched Sunday afternoon but had six or seven eye-catching passes.
Carter-Hollinger (committed to Montana) had a nice head-up battle with Clark Sunday morning and Anderson showed why he will be one of Orange County’s better point guards this season.
Six-five Josh Christopher (PICTURED) of Mayfair – one of the four or five best juniors in the west and Top 20 or so nationally – wasn’t as sharp as normal when I watched him Sunday (mostly in a blowout loss to Orange Lutheran and a bit more in the come-from-behind win over L.A. Cathedral.
But his athletic and basketball skill are without question in the most upper reaches of “upper tier”.