Francisco’s Finest: Beverly Hills vs Mayfair (Awards)

<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;color: #ff0000"><b>Francisco's Finest: Beverly Hills vs Mayfair (Awards)</b></span></p> <p>LAKEWOOD, CA—It was just your typical CIF Southern Section nutcutter as Mayfair hung on by a thread as they defeated a resilient Beverly Hills squad 66-65. That thread being two missed freethrows by available Division 1 prospect <b>Ben Ramirez </b>of Beverly Hills. In fact both teams has their miscues from missed freethrows by stalwarts <b>Dior Johnson</b> and <b>Josh Christopher</b> of Mayfair as well as turnovers. However, the game overall was an entertaining<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000"><b><i>(Best Prospect)</i></b></span></p> <p><b><i>Josh Christopher (Mayfair)</i></b></p> <p><b><i>2020, SG, 6-foot-5, 200 pounds</i></b></p> [caption id="attachment_733155" align="alignleft" width="150"] <span style="color: #0000ff"><em><strong>Christopher is a scoring machine who played efficiently against Beverly Hills. </strong></em></span>[/caption] <p><b>Joel's Take</b>: Christopher, a McDonald's All American, started the game off slow—at least to his standards. However, despite the suffocating zone exhibited by Beverly Hills, he found ways to display his talent. He gets great lift on his jump shot ala former Cleveland Cavalier JR Smith and he utilizes his strength and bounce to bully his way to the rim for a variety of finishes. Overall, it was one of the most efficient performances that I've witnessed from him.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000"><b><i>(Mr. Fundamental)</i></b></span></p> <p><b><i>Blake Lander (Beverly Hills)</i></b></p> <p><b><i>2021, PF, 6-foot-4, 180 pounds</i></b></p> <p><b>Joel's Take:</b> Lander was the biggest surprise of the night for these eyes. The efficient 4-man nailed shots from all three levels and his touch from the elbow is impeccable. He exhibits excellent footwork in the paint area and he showed nice savvy around the basket as well. One of the more intriguing prospects heading into the spring. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000"><b><i>(Mr. Speedy)</i></b></span></p> <p><b>Aaron Liberty (Beverly Hills)</b></p> <p><b>2021, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds</b></p> <p><b>Joel's Take</b>: Liberty has a terrific frame with long arms and his athleticism is quite good. In transition he was a blur as the Monsoons had a difficult time keeping him in front of them. His burst off the dribble was high-level and he finished with a consistency in traffic.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000"><b><i>(Most Dynamic)</i></b></span></p> <p><b><i>Dior Johnson (Mayfair)</i></b></p> <p><b><i>2022, PG, 6-foot-2, 160 pounds</i></b></p> [caption id="attachment_792096" align="alignleft" width="150"] <span style="color: #0000ff"><em><strong>Johnson is a talented point guard with a flair for the spectacular.</strong></em></span>[/caption] <p><b>Joel's Take:</b> There is no question Johnson is a talented point guard prospect. He has a great burst in the open court, impressive ball handling skills, and his passing is extraordinary. His flair for the spectacular is exciting, but it can be problematic as well. The question going forward with Johnson is can his game mature in terms of decision making. The areas of time and score and efficiency will need attention as he heads into his junior campaign.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000"><b><i>(Most Underrated)</i></b></span></p> <p><b>Ben Ramirez (Mayfair)</b></p> <p><b>2020, PG, 6-foot, 170 pounds</b></p> <p><b>Joel's Take:</b> One of the better unsigned point guard prospects in Southern California is Ramirez. The quick-on-quick point guard can get into the lane at will and he is a clever finisher in the paint. He dropped in a number of jump shots from deep and dropped off some nifty assists as well.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #ff0000"><b><i>(No Fear)</i></b></span></p> <p><b>Roy Freedman (Beverly Hills)</b></p> <p><b>2020, PG, 5-foot-7, 160 pounds</b></p> <p><b>Joel's Take</b>: Freedman is a quick point guard who is a fearless competitor. He knocked in a couple of jump shots, but it was his full court menacing defense that caught our eye—as he was a bit of a pest to the Monsoon's talented sophomore guard Dior Johnson. Freedman slides his feet well, has active hands, and isn't afraid to get a little dirty as he was Johnson's grill from the opening tip.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>