#HustleSZNKickoff Notepad: Saturday afternoon
Saturday afternoon gave us several storylines to follow entering the final frame of games at the #HustleSZNKickoff in Thousand Oaks: #HustleSZNKickoff Notepad: Saturday afternoon Los Angeles Elite 17u might be the program’s best ever The Los Angeles Elite program has…
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Continue ReadingSaturday afternoon gave us several storylines to follow entering the final frame of games at the #HustleSZNKickoff in Thousand Oaks:
#HustleSZNKickoff Notepad: Saturday afternoon
Los Angeles Elite 17u might be the program’s best ever
The Los Angeles Elite program has come a long way since its humble beginnings. Last summer, the program had a major breakthrough when it advanced to the Elite 8 of the Adidas Gauntlet Summer Finale.
Building on that momentum, the program appears to have its best 17u team, built from a group of unheralded prospects from top programs.
I left impressed with the athleticism and quickness of Vaughn Flowers, (6-3 2020 G, Rolling Hills Prep), the slashing ability of Joshua Lee (6-5 2020 W, Bishop Montgomery), the interior presence and touch of Christian Bood (6-6 2020 F Bishop Montgomery) and JT Tan (6-8 2020 C, RHP), and the hot shooting of Jake Hlywiak (6-4 2020 G, Valencia).
There are some other solid players too, including St. Bernard combo guard Nick Bowden and Crossroads bruiser Miles Ceballos.
Overall, the program’s trajectory is heading north.
Gamepoint 16u Select gets crucial OT victory
Trailing 33-19 in a pool game against a competitive Team Fuego (WA), a player on the Fuego bench screamed out “the whole team is weak.” Following a timeout and wholesale substitutions, Gamepoint responded in a big way.
Keyed by the teancity of 2021 Ramona G Jay Friend and the defensive energy of 2021s Miles Winfree (Tri-City Christian) and Jacob Finley (Mission Hills), Gamepoint closed the game on a 22-6 run to win the game 41-39.
With the program’s elite teams in Orange County for another event, it was an opportunity for the Select team to showcase its talent. They didn’t disappoint. 2021 G Will Richards (crafty scoring guard), 6-4 forward Christian Littlejohn and 6-5 forward James Behmer also had solid efforts.
West Coast Flight has a pair of impressive wins
The under-the-radar San Diego 16u team scored a pair of dominant wins on Saturday, none more impressive than its 13-point win over a solid Gamepoint Inland Empire squad.
A collection of mostly JV players from North San Diego County, the team has great chemistry: but there are some players as well.
6-3 W Christian Gamboa (La Jolla) was tough to contain off the bounce, and hit some good looking pull-ups and step-backs from midrange. Torrey Pines JV standouts Nate Witte (improving lead guard, shoots it), Conan O’Brien (nice mid-range game), Matias Clotfelter (long, improving wing) and Michael Morse (sharpshooter) all had very good moments as well.
The Truth EYBL continues dominance
While not boasting a big team, The Truth EYBL 16u team gets it done with interchangeable pieces with tons of length. Perhaps the most impressive physical prospect in the entire gym was 6-5 Long Beach Poly W Peyton Watson, who boasts (at the very least) a +6 wingspan, and has underrated court vision and a tremendous motor.
His back court mate, 6-4 Dorsey G Kennedy “Reece” Dixon, lived up to his reputation as one of Southern California’s top prospects. The smooth combo guard has a picturesque shooting stroke and can play both back court positions in a pinch. 6-6 W Damion McDowell continues his upward ascent as a prospect, and his improvement on the perimeter is evident.
Doing the dirty work for the team are 6-6 forwards Kyle Frelow (a high-motor rebounder) and JJ Uphold, who can also shoot it from deep.
And the two prospects with notable bloodlines – 2022 PG Jason Hart, Jr. and 2021 W Shaqir O’Neal (son of Shaq) – showed high levels of upside in flashes.
They will likely face their first real challenge of the weekend tomorrow morning, against…
Powerhouse 16u team has the goods
None other than Powerhouse 16u UAA, which has the makings of a special team out of Arizona.
This squad is stacked with top prospects across the state, headlined by rapidly improving 6-8 F DaRon Holmes. The wiry, athletic wing has improved in every facet of his game, and plays hard on both ends.
He is one of three players over 6-8, including the skilled 6-9 Carter Van Hammond; and 6-10 Matur Dhal, a raw specimen who plays hard and protects the rim.
But as impressive as the front court is, the back court makes this team go.
6-0 PG Justus Jackson had a breakout season, and plays the position with an edge. 6-3 combo guard D’Marco Dunn has all the physical metrics and can slash from the wing with the best of them, and 6-1 sharpshooter Brett Hardt Jr., has underrated feel and vision.
6-6 improving wing JT Elder rounds out the standouts on the day.