Bosco Winter Classic: Stock Raisers (Part I)
BELLFLOWER — The St. John Bosco Winter Classic was held last week and featured many of Southern California’s top teams and prospects. Long Beach St. Anthony defeated the host Braves on Saturday afternoon in the championship game. The Saints were…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingBELLFLOWER — The St. John Bosco Winter Classic was held last week and featured many of Southern California’s top teams and prospects. Long Beach St. Anthony defeated the host Braves on Saturday afternoon in the championship game. The Saints were led by senior wing Jadon Jones who received tournament MVP honors and a host of underclassmen all of whom are having strong seasons. Below are some of the biggest stock raisers from last week’s event.
Jadon Jones, St. Anthony
The 6-foot-4 swingman, as mentioned above, earned tournament MVP honors for his strong performance throughout the week. The senior dropped an impressive 38 points Friday in the Saints big win over Long Beach Poly in the semifinals and led the team in scoring in three of the four games played. Jones has always been a versatile player on both ends of the floor because of his combination of size, length and athleticism, but his improved perimeter shooting, especially from three-point range, has put him on the radar of multiple Division I programs. Jones earned a scholarship offer from Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson who was in attendance for the semifinal win over the Jackrabbits.
Jalen Reyes, La Mirada
The Matadores needed their point guard to step up with the absence of leading scorer Jorge Ochoa, who was out due to injury, and Reyes did just that. The slippery 6-foot-1 senior dropped 26 points, including a game-winning layup, in a 58-57 win over Warren. On Friday Reyes came up big again scoring 19 points in an overtime win over Hesperia. Reyes sent the game to the extra frame with yet another layup to his strong hand.
Jalen Reyes gets to his left and kisses one off the glass for the game-winning deuce. La Mirada comes away with a 58-57 win over Warren. Reyes finished with 26, Jalen Cole 20. Jahvy Medearis led Warren with 19. pic.twitter.com/6RZss3Tsbd
— Devin Ugland (@Devin_Ugland) December 12, 2019
La Mirada down two after a 1 + 1 split from Stephen Thomas-Welch and it’s Jalen Reyes again. His driving layup sends this one to OT tied at 54. pic.twitter.com/hrv3winaCx
— Devin Ugland (@Devin_Ugland) December 14, 2019
Mike Price, Crespi
Price already had a strong reputation from the middle school ranks as he made the jump to high school ball and he’s backing up all of that hype early in the season. The 6-foot-1 freshman point guard showed his scoring acumen with his ability to knock down perimeter jumpers off the bounce to set up his strong drives and finishes with either hand. Price also showed a high passing IQ and rarely over-handled the basketball. In the two games we saw, Price scored 18 points against La Mirada and 29 against Long Beach Poly.
Christian Watson, Long Beach Poly
The younger brother of highly-touted junior Peyton Watson is starting to make a name for himself. The class of 2022 guard was inserted into the starting lineup for the Jackrabbits and his confidence immediately spiked as he came out aggressive against Warren in the opening game, finishing with 14 points in the win. Watson is on the younger side for his class and if his growth pattern (both physically and from a basketball standpoint) are anything like his older brother’s, he’ll continue to climb rankings and recruiting boards across the country.
Makaih Williams, St. Anthony
Williams got the start on Monday against Hesperia and made the most of that opportunity, scoring 17 points and knocking down three 3-pointers. The 6-foot sophomore has a consistent perimeter jump shot that he can hit from both behind-the-arc and at the mid-range level. Throughout the rest of the week he provided plenty of energy and scoring punch off the bench for the Saints on their championship run.