Take Flight Challenge (Day 1 Standouts/Part 2)
REDONDO BEACH, CA—The Take Flight Challenge, hosted by Redondo Union High School, is chock full of outstanding teams and individual talent. The day started off with 2020 stud Julian Strawther showing off his elite shooting while the night ended with UCLA-bound Jaime Jaquez Jr. taking on Santa Margarita’s tandem of Jake Kyman (UCLA) and Max Agbonkpolo (USC).
Justin Rene (Long Beach Poly)
2019, SG, 6-foot-2, 175 pounds
Joel’s Take: Rene had his scoring package rolling against Mission Bay. Pull-up 3s, finishing through contact, and playing physical defense were part of the exhibition at both ends of the floor.
Xan Wesley (Redondo Union)
2019, CG, 6-foot-2, 160 pounds
Joel’s Take: After a strong outing at The Classic at Damien, Wesley continued his strong play at this event. He has a nice frame with broad shoulders and he possesses good quickness and speed. He converted a number of 3s and his release is quick.
Boogie Ellis (Mission Bay)
2019, SG, 6-foot-2, 165 pounds
Joel’s Take: Boogie had a “Kobe-esque” 43-points. Although his 3-point shot (1-of-5) was not flowing, he did a nice job of attacking the basket to a count of 20-of-23 from the free throw stripe. His ball handling is quite nifty in the open court, but he’ll need to get stronger playing in the ACC next season.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Camarillo)
2019, SG, 6-foot-5, 180 pounds
Joel’s Take: Jaquez who is bound for UCLA in the fall, is one of the better scorers in the West. He can score from all three levels and is quite efficient with the ball in his hands. He creates off the bounce with his crafty handle and knows how to get into the teeth of the defense for the conversion. Despite the scoring prowess of Jaquez his passing—advances the ball very well—was high-level as well.
Jake Kyman (Santa Margarita)
2019, WF, 6-foot-7, 215 pounds
Joel’s Take: Kyman’s feathery shooting touch is well known, but he is so much more than just a shooter. His passing in the half court set was spot-on, and he even tossed a full court pass that would reminded some of us of Lonzo Ball. Finishing in the lane through traffic is an area that needs to improve going forward when he arrives at UCLA.
