Francisco’s Finest: Class of 2023 December Standouts
Francisco’s Finest: Class of 2023 December Standouts PLAYA DEL REY, CA—I’ve been to a number of Trevor Ariza Tip Off Classics, but this year’s version of it was the deepest in many years. The semi-finals were scintillating as Heritage Christian…
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Continue ReadingFrancisco’s Finest: Class of 2023 December Standouts
PLAYA DEL REY, CA—I’ve been to a number of Trevor Ariza Tip Off Classics, but this year’s version of it was the deepest in many years. The semi-finals were scintillating as Heritage Christian defeated Etiwanda in overtime while St. Bernard survived the backyard tilt against neighboring Westchester. At the end of the day or Saturday night for that matter, Nick Bowden would hoist the MVP trophy as he lead St. Bernard against upstart Heritage Christian.
Darius Carr (St. Bernard)
SG, 6-foot-2, 165 pounds
Joel’s Take: Carr is blessed with a sturdy frame with good length and he’s a quality athlete. In transition he showed the ability to finish over and through contact. In addition to his skill and bounce, his poise and confidence is what really stood out to me. He handled the pressure well while being tightly covered and was able to break pressure. His first step is potent and he showed the ability to knock in the deep 3. One of the best early on out of the Class of 2023.
Tyler Rolison (St. Bernard)
PG, 5-foot-11, 155 pounds
Joel’s Take: While Carr is a scorer, Rolison is an impressive point guard prospect. He is blessed with long arms, big hands, and an all-around solid skill set. He is a fearless attacker who changes speeds well, has a knack in to get into the lane and he can finish with a nice combinaiton of creativity and dexterity. He showed some youth (turnovers/forcing the issue) sagainst Westchester’s relentess “D”, but overall he showed that he has all the tools and feel for the game to be a Division 1 point guard someday.
Angel Corona (Westchester)
C, 6-foot-6, 215 pounds
Joel’s Take: Corona is a big-bodied 5-man with long arms, soft hands, and solid feet. He is still growing into his body as his mobility and bounce are on the rise. He shows good timing and instincts in the paint area and he showed the ability to rebound and finish in traffic. He isn’t overly bouncy, but he knows how to carve out space and his motor is solid.
Brady Dunlap (Hart)
SG, 6-foot-5, 165 pounds
Dunlap has that prototypical frame with a terrific looking jump shotJoel’s Take: It’s early on but the most impressive freshman I’ve seen thus far is Dunlap. The rangy wing-type has a terrific frame with long arms. The most impressive traits of his game are his abilty to square up for his jump shot and his release is tight and quick. He is always on balance and his confidence is sky high. Due to his feel for the game he located open teammates and snapped passes to open shooters. Once he physically matures he is going to be a handful to deal with for opponents.
Xavier Edmonds (Bishop Montgomery)
PF, 6-foot-8, 195 pounds
Joel’s Take: Edmond’s frame has really leaned out since the summer and it’s enhanced his mobilty. He has very long arms, magnetic hands, and feet are nimble. He runs well in transitoin and can finish due to his evolving coordination. He is active in the paint area and shows excellent timing while rebounding in and out of his area. His skill set is on the rise on the block and he has the touch to be a formidable 5/4 down the road.