Mater Dei Extravaganza: 2021 Standouts (Pt. 1)
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Normally dubbed the Nike Extravaganza, an event that has been around for decades had to scale back on multiple fronts in 2021. Because of the pandemic, the folks at Mater Dei had to take a more regional approach to teams…
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Continue ReadingNormally dubbed the Nike Extravaganza, an event that has been around for decades had to scale back on multiple fronts in 2021. Because of the pandemic, the folks at Mater Dei had to take a more regional approach to teams who participated and limited the number of fans that could be in attendance. Even with those roadblocks, the Extravaganza was still a high level two-day event filled with talent. Here’s a look at the standouts from the class of 2021.
Michael Birkett, Crean Lutheran – Birkett again showed his shooting prowess in helping Crean Lutheran defeat JSerra. The 6-foot-5 senior scored all 14 of his points, including three buckets from deep, to get Crean out to a 34-21 advantage through the first 16 minutes of play. The JSerra defense keyed in on stopping Birkett after the break and he didn’t force the issue and made good passes and decisions when run off of the three-point line.
Isaiah Brickner, St. Augustine – Bricker is an elite athlete who is seems to get better with each and every game he plays in. The 6-foot-3 combo guard is a physical attacker and finisher around the basket with explosive leaping ability in transition and in traffic in the half-court setting. Brickner has made the most of his starters minutes this season and proved that he’s a next-level prospect.
Nick Davidson Nick Davidson 6'8" | PF Mater Dei | 2021 State CA-S , Mater Dei – The Monarchs recorded two wins on the weekend and Davidson’s contributions became more important when fellow Division I forward Wilhelm Breidenbach Wilhelm Breidenbach 6'8" | PF Mater Dei | 2021 State #91 Nation CA-S went out with an injury. The 6-foot-8, Nevada-bound senior had a big time double-double in Friday’s win over Capistrano Valley Christian with 15 points and 14 rebounds and followed that up with a 16-point, 10-rebound effort in a win over St. Augustine.
Addyson GBye, Capistrano Valley Christian – GBye played hard and confident in a loss to Mater Dei even though CVC was overmatched at just about every position. The 6-foot-2 senior scored 12 points in defeat and showed his inside-out scoring ability. GBye leads the Eagles in scoring this season at 14.8 points per game.
Lamaj Lewis Lamaj Lewis 6'4" | PG St. John Bosco | 2021 State #236 Nation CA-S , St. John Bosco – The LMU-bound senior didn’t have an explosive scoring game (12 points) in a win over Long Beach Poly, but his game management, timely passes, high IQ decision-making and strong defensive effort were impactful for the Braves. Lewis controlled pace and tempo of the game with his performance on both ends of the floor.