Francisco’s Finest: Cali BattleZone (On the Rise)
Francisco’s Finest: Cali BattleZone (On the Rise) CORONA, CA.—It’s quite the trek out to Centennial High School, the BattleZone is worth every ounce of petroleum. Etop Udo-Ema and his BattleZone staff do a marvelous job of acquiring the best talent…
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Continue ReadingFrancisco’s Finest: Cali BattleZone (On the Rise)
CORONA, CA.—It’s quite the trek out to Centennial High School, the BattleZone is worth every ounce of petroleum. Etop Udo-Ema and his BattleZone staff do a marvelous job of acquiring the best talent as well as the best “grub” for the starving taste-buds. At the end of the knight it would be USC signee Isaiah Mobley that would nail two clutch freethrows with 1.5 seconds to go to capture the BattleZone over a talented and well-coached Centennial squad.
Camren Pierce (Etiwanda)
2020, PG, 5-foot-11, 165 pounds
Joel’s Take: Etiwanda has produced their fair share of talented guards (Darren Collison, Jordan McLaughlin, and Elijah Harkless) over the years under Dave Kleckner and Pierce appears to be the next one in line. He is tough in transition with his ability to knock in pull-up jump shots or finish in the lane. He plays on balance, sets up his teammates in the half court, and he plays stout defense.
Garrett Schaefer (Temecula Valley)
2020, PG, 6-foot-4, 185 pounds
Joel’s Take: Schaefer is a guard who is just scratching the surface of his impressive upside. He is so smooth despite being very explosive in the open court. His point guard skills are evolving as there were a number of plays where he advanced the ball in transition, set up shooters in the half court set, and finished over length due to his size and athleticism. To take his game to new level, he needs to improve the consistency of his jump shot.
Yassine Gharram (Foothills Christian)
2020, PG, 6-foot-1, 160 pounds
Joel’s Take: Gharram is yet another point guard prospect that is chock full of moxie. He defends at a high level, rebounds in traffic, and he is relentless in the open court. He can knock in the 3-ball, finish with either hand, or exhibit outstanding leadership skills for a young guard.
Noah Veluzat (Santa Clarita Christian)
2021, PG, 6-foot-1, 175 pounds
Joel’s Take: The biggest revelation of the event was the play of up-and-coming point guard Mr. Veluzat. The slick lefty does a great job changing speeds and keeping defenders off balance. He is at his best attacking in transition and nailing pull-up jump shots or attacking the rim. In the half court set he changes speeds, snaps passes to open shooters, and plays on balance.
Paris Dawson (Centennial/Corona)
2020, SG, 6-foot, 155 pounds
Joel’s Take: This kid is a true “gamer.” No matter the competition, Dawson is going to give it his all at both ends of the floor. He affects the game in the areas of scoring, facilitating, and defensive prowess. He loves to attack in transition and has a knack of manuevering around defenders for the score. Defensively, he gets in the passing lanes is a tough on-ball defender with active hands.