Arizona Fall Shootout – Best storylines
Gerry Freitas put together a very good weekend of competition at Williams Field High School for his two-day Arizona Fall Showcase. Each team had four games to showcase their wares in front of several regional scouts, as well as college…
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Continue ReadingGerry Freitas put together a very good weekend of competition at Williams Field High School for his two-day Arizona Fall Showcase. Each team had four games to showcase their wares in front of several regional scouts, as well as college coaches in attendance.
This report highlights some of the interesting storylines from the weekend.
The return of Miles Wingfield
6-1 2021 Poway G Miles Wingfield entered HS with a well-established reputation on the youth circuit, but a series of injuries sidelined him the first two years of his high school career. After an up-and-down return to the court last year, Wingfield appears back to his explosive self. The speedy combo guard attacked the basket relentlessly and scored from midrange and in the paint with regularity for the Coastal Elite Slayers. Defensively, Wingfield plays the passing lanes, creating steals and transition scoring opportunities. He has one year left to showcase his skills, but if this weekend is any indication, Wingfield’s senior campaign will be memorable.
New body, same Melo
Melo Sanchez Melo Sanchez 6'4" | CG Mater Dei Catholic | 2021 State CA-S (6-5 2021 W, Mater Dei Catholic) spent this quarantine period transforming his body. Down 25 pounds, Sanchez was ever impressive the entire weekend for Gamepoint 17u Elite. A legit 3-level scorer with a great passing and playmaking IQ, Sanchez saved his best for the grudge match against Coastal Elite, nearly notching a triple double in Gamepoint’s 62-54 win. Fresno Pacific, which has offered, was on hand the entire weekend and has made Sanchez a priority. The point forward would be a devastating player at the D2 level, but I believe he could have the same impact at a lower-level Division 1 program.
California and Idaho “Twins” do battle
Coastal Elite’s matchup against Idaho Premier pitted two prospects against each other that look like they could be related – and their games are are eerily similar. 6-7 Alexander Crawford (Coastal) and 6-7 Jaylen Alexander (Idaho) are both long, lean athletes whose bodies and athleticism scream wing, but whose skillset are better suited at the face-up four position. Both are solid shooters off the catch, electric in transition and have the potential to be lockdown defenders at multiple positions. Alexander was flat-out dominant in the Coastal game, scoring 20 of his team’s first 26 points and stroking threes from the wing. Crawford’s contributed to his team’s victory with a pair of devastating dunks and a knockdown three from the wing, but he showed the whole repertoire in a 25-point, 8-rebound performance against Prime 17u.
Norwegian “Doncic” makes splash
Supreme Court, a collection of players from San Diego Balboa School, ran through its competition en route to a 4-0 weekend. While the transformation of 6-10 LJ Glover’s body, the defense and transition play of 6-3 G Solomon Little and the physical play of wings Lenz Dupont and Alton Dubois were all very good, the story was Balboa’s newest addition — 6-6 Norwegian wing Jorgen Odfjell. The sharphshooting wing is also an excellent playmaker, who dominated stretches of the game with his passing in the halfcourt and transition. Odfjell’s body type had some on hand comparing him to Luka Doncic, who’s doughy frame belies his otherworldly talents. While I won’t go as far as to make that leap, it’s clear that pro ball in his native Norway has prepared Odfjell for a big season stateside.
Who is Lejuan Watts?
Stanco Stampede was down it’s best playmaker, underrated 2021 PG Cameron Walker Cameron Walker 5'11" | PG Turlock | 2021 State CA-N , after he sprained his ankle in the first half of his first game. Watts, a 6-5 bruiser from Fresno Bullard, was asked to pick up the slack – and did he ever. In an era where any bigger-bodied undersized four is compared to Draymond Green, Watts really did show a lot of Green in his game. The physical, yet skilled forward attacked the basket with abandon, scored through and around bigger rim protectors and made nice plays off the drive and kick. Additionally, he’s a capable rebounder, despite giving up 3-4 inches in his matchups. His assertiveness kept Stanco Stampede in several of their games.
Arlington, Dent, make case for Top 2022 lead guard
You could make the argument that the best talent on hand this weekend was in the 2022 class. Players like Alpha Chibambe Alpha Chibambe 6'4" | SF JSerra | 2022 CA-S , Ramsey Huff Ramsey Huff 6'1" | CG Corona Centennial | 2022 State CA-S , Otto Landrum Otto Landrum 6'8" | PF Torrey Pines | 2022 State CA-S , Lejuan Watts and LJ Glover were very good. But it was the savvy Devon Arlington Devon Arlington 6'3" | PG San Marcos | 2022 State CA-S and the scorer deluxe Donovan Dent Donovan Dent 6'1" | PG Corona Centennial | 2022 State CA-S who made the biggest impression in that class. Arlington, the No. 12 ranked prospect in So-Cal’s 2022 class, showed big improvement in the two areas we’ve wanted to see — passing in the halfcourt and shooting from three. He’s looking more and more like a legitimate three-level scorer and a solid creator out of the pick-and-roll.
Dent, who was overshadowed by his higher profile teammates at Centennial, took advantage of the spotlight to showcase a complete scoring arsenal and savvy passing in transition. Both guards are looking like they could crack the top 10 of the rankings at some point in their careers, and warrant the attention they’ve received on the recruiting trail. In Dent’s case, he deserves a lot more than he’s gotten to this point.