West Coast Elite Summer Finale: Day 2 Standouts, Part 1

<p>Day 2 of the West Coast Elite Summer Finale saw me return to Momentous Sports Center for about 7 hours, more than enough time to see prospects at every level. Here is part one of my standouts report:</p> <h2>Star of the Day:</h2> <h3>Mostapha Elmoutaouakkil, 6-5 2022 G, Eaglecrest (CO)/ The Force 17u</h3> <p>It took just two offensive possessions to tab Elmoutaouakkil the star of the day. On his first touch, he did a nifty hesitation dribble into a very explosive finish through two defenders. The next possession, he drove sharply off the wing and attacked his defender’s chest, finishing with an and-1. </p> <p>The long, wiry combo guard is much stronger than his frame suggests, and he plays with an assertiveness that makes him a threat whenever he has the ball. Him perimeter shot is streaky (slow release), and he’s fairly right-hand dominant, but you’re looking at least at a mid-major guard, with upside for higher. </p> <h2>Smooth operator</h2> <h3>Gavin Guinn, 6-1 2025 PG, Saint Augustine/ West Coast Elite San Diego 16u National</h3> <p>A night after [player_tooltip player_id="994915" first="Derrius" last="Carter-Hollinger"] had a strong performance, Saturday it was Guinn who dominated the opening stanza against Developing Scholar Athletes. He plays great composure (doesn’t get sped up) and understands how to create out of the pick and roll or drive and kick. He doesn’t force things, rather, takes what the defense gives him, which makes him super efficient. Defensively, he got several steals playing the passing lanes that he converted into offense for himself (a nice driving layup) or for others (no-look transition pass for a score). </p> <h2>Most exciting</h2> <h3>Tiger Cuff, 6-0 2024 PG, American Fork (UT)/ UBC Elite Cosby</h3> <p>The long, wiry point guard plays the game with a ton of swagger, using his eyes to misdirect defense and throwing no-look passes in the half court to open scorers. Coming off of ball screens, he is a threat to score with the pull-up, drive into traffic and kick to shooters or finish with the runner. And he also spaces the floor well and is a knockdown set shooter. He has a very high upside and doesn’t look like he’s done growing. </p> <h3>Rashaad Williams, 5-8 2024 PG, Cathedral Catholic/ Lark’s </h3> <p>Williams is an electric playmaker whenever the ball is in his hands. He can strike from deep off the catch or off the dribble in screen and roll, he can get into the paint and finish above length and through contact, and he is a thief on the ball with pesky defense. He didn’t have an efficient scoring game vs Elite 24 16s, but every time he touched the ball he looked to make something happen. </p> <h3>Carter Walker, 6-5 2022 W, Mountain View (UT)/ Utah Hype</h3> <p>Walker is an explosive leaper and slasher from the wing. He scores it effectively through contact and did a solid job scoring on the offensive glass. </p> <h3>More than a shooter</h3> <h3>John Lustig, 6-3 2022 G, Colfax HS (WA), Eastern Washington Elite 17u Red</h3> <p>Lusting is an absolute marksman. He sprints to his spots on the floor and if his feet are set, he’s as potent a shooter as we saw all weekend. He also has a nice first step that he uses to get into the lane and finish with floaters or through contact. Like most of his teammates, Lustig’s passing and ball skills are very high, as he will unselfishly pass up shots for better scoring opportunities for teammates. </p> <h2>Diamonds in the rough</h2> <h3>Jet Pokossy, 6-10 2023 C, Orangewood Academy/ Team Eleate</h3> <p>Pokossy is very raw and at times struggles to finish around the hoop, but his defensive instincts, rim protection, rim running and rebounding are all solid. He’s got a ton of upside. </p> <h3>JT Harris, 6-3 2022 G, Point Loma/ West Coast Flight</h3> <p>The smooth right-hand dominant wing’s game is a work in progress, but you see his upside in flashes. He knocks down corner jump shots, slashes effectively to the basket and is a long, athletic defender on the wing. He scored a game-winning driving layup for West Coast Flight in a Saturday afternoon game. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>