Tarkanian Classic Wrap Up: Top Las Vegas Stockrisers
The Tarkanian Classic dominated the high-school basketball landscape this past week. This legendary tournament brings together hundreds of the top prep programs in the nation. This weekend a lot of Las Vegas’ own made a name for themselves and protected…
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Continue ReadingThe Tarkanian Classic dominated the high-school basketball landscape this past week. This legendary tournament brings together hundreds of the top prep programs in the nation. This weekend a lot of Las Vegas’ own made a name for themselves and protected their house so to speak. Let’s talk about a few young men from Vegas who really had strong performances and led the way for their team with some outstanding performances.
Valton Mesic 6’0 G Sierra Vista (2020)- From a win lost prospective Sierra Vista had a solid weekend. These tournaments are never easy because you’re playing schools not just from the state in which you live but other states. So any team can have a mixed bag, when you are in a tournament like this the most important thing a coach can ask for is consistent leadership and for his players to bring there A game that’s exactly what Mesic did for Sierra Vista. Mesic had some very solid performances this weekend including two 25 point performances. He really showed up as the team’s go to scorer. I would consider Mesic a very rythmatic player he’s very comfortable making mid range jump shots he was well within the 80% range all weekend. Very high volume player. He’s a pretty strong rebounder for his height on Friday against Democracy Prep he led the game with 9 rebounds. I would certainly say it was a strong tournament weekend for him. He was a young man that made the most of his chances to play solid competition.
De’Mauree Godfrey 5’10 G Sierra Vista (2020)- I put a pair of backcourt mates on this list because I really enjoyed the way these two young men played off each other. Saturday’s game Godfrey scored 31 in a high scoring affair.against Citrus Valley. Godfrey was a sniper from long range knocking down 7 three’s. He also set his teammates up with great looks and contributed with some high assist totals. The signs of an unselfish guard is that they know when to defer and take over. Godfrey turned on that switch a number of times this tournament. This was a huge weekend for this bunch I think they learned they can play with anybody. Sierra Vista also has senior leaders like Godfrey that can do it all on the court.
Dayshawn Wiley 6’4 G Desert Pines (2021)- By no means was it an easy weekend for Desert Pines. As one of the top teams in all of the state they will always be battle tested. This weekend DP played against some tough Northern California competition one young man who was really up for the challenge was Wiley. All tournament Wiley got better. It seemed like early on in the tournament he was really trying to find his shot as the week wore on Wiley just got more and more comfortable. His best game of the tournament was against Sacramento’s Capital Christian. Wiley scored 20 points with 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Wiley was a bulldog on the defensive end all weekend. He showed that he may be one of the better two-way players in all the state. Wednesday against Mayfair he was an absolute animal on the boards he had 14 rebounds 10 of those came on the defensive end. Desert Pines is arguably one of the most talent rich teams in all the state. With the weekend Wiley had it will only add onto that threat.
Jaylen Berry 6’2 G Basic (2021)- For my money’s worth Berry might be one of my favorite guards in all the state. Basic thus far is off to an impressive 8-3 start and Berry is the catalyst for that averaging 19 points 5 rebounds and 3 steals per game. Basic had a great weekend they won 4 tournament games. Berry was consistent in each game he led his team in scoring. The area that really impressed me was his defense. He had a few 5 steal games he was locking his man down forcing easy buckets with bad turnovers. Berry is the type of defender that is stingy and will follow you everywhere until the game is over. He has a very consistent offensive game. Berry will get his, he is also the type that his defense creates his offense. So far he has one of my favorite games of the season a game before the tournament he dropped 34 points 8 rebounds and 5 steals against Canyon Springs. When you talk about complete players and some of the best two-way players in the state look no further than Berry..
Katrell Wallace 6’1 G Las Vegas (2020)- Las Vegas had a solid tournament weekend as they had a number of dominating wins. Las Vegas had a few guys that really stood out to me and Wallace was one of them. Wallace displayed a lot of key attributes. Las Vegas’s attention to detail on the defensive end was spectacular. However, Wallace’s individual defense led to some big opportunities he had a game high 5 steals against Ambridge. He sent them back to Pennsylvania with something to think about. He also led his team in scoring too this weekend with a efficient 20 point game. He has sneaky athleticism and can finish well with either hand at the rim. In his 20 point game his mid range game was on point he went 8-11 from the field. Overall Wallace had a strong and consistent weekend leading his team to some lopsided victories.
Taviontae Jackson 6’0 G Las Vegas (2022)- For anyone that has ever read one of my articles should know that I love two-way players. In the class of 2022 I think Jackson has the potential to be the best two-way player in the class. This weekend he proved that assumption to be correct. I would say one of the most stand out performances of all the weekend was Jackson’s game against Utah’s Layton Christian Academy. Johnson as Ice Cube once said “Messed around and got a triple-double” Johnson had 12 points 11 rebounds 10 assists 7 steals. He is a magnet when it comes to the ball. He reads passing lanes well and also does a good job moving laterally and staying in front of his man. Jackson is a true leader on the court. He is a real Swiss army knife with a clever ball handle. He gets buckets in a ton of ways.