Del Lago Tip-Off: Top 10 standouts
The Del Lago Tip-Off marks the first tournament of the San Diego high school season, and the first with spectators since the 2020 CIF Playoffs. Inside the gorgeous Firebird gymnasium (seriously, the school and the facilities are amazing), some of…
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Continue ReadingThe Del Lago Tip-Off marks the first tournament of the San Diego high school season, and the first with spectators since the 2020 CIF Playoffs.
Inside the gorgeous Firebird gymnasium (seriously, the school and the facilities are amazing), some of the region’s lower profile teams – and a few up-and-coming ones – sparred in four games to open the tournament.
Here are some of my observations about the standouts.
Best Player:
Brady Burman, 6-5 2022 SG, Pacific Ridge
The Firebirds are one of the small schools with a good chance to win a CIF title this year (Division 4), and Burman is the catalyst. A tall, lanky jack-of-all-trades, Burman is an unselfish passer, solid secondary ball handler, and proficient scorer. He doesn’t have a ton of burst off the dribble, but makes up for it with craftiness and solid footwork. He scored a game-high 25 points in the best game of the day, a 64-51 win over San Pasqual.
Best guard
Cristian Zamora, 6-0 2023 G, San Pasqual
Zamora is a very underrated prospect regionally. Built like a linebacker, the physical lead guard uses change of pace and his strength to get into the paint and make plays for himself and others. If anything, I wish he were more assertive looking for his own buckets.
Best prospect
AJ Fournier, 6-5 2024 F, San Pasqual
It was a quiet effort for Fournier (10 points), but he showed flashes of his fairly high ceiling. At 6-5, he handles the ball on the perimeter and can slash effectively off the wing using his right hand. His biggest areas of improvement will be decision making and shot selection, but if he can shore up those areas, he has a chance to be the best overall prospect the school has had in a while.
Best performance in a losing effort
Miguel Valenzuela, 5-8 2022 G, Guajome Park Academy
The Frogs took their lumps against Mission Vista in the second game of the day, but it was through no fault of Valenzuela. He was downright electric at times, stealing the show with his quickness, uncanny scoring ability (has a solid runner and floater package) and shooting ability from well beyond the college three. He’s really small, and not sure how that would translate to college prospects, but at the high school level, he’s going to have a great senior campaign.
Strongest
Bird McGuire, 6-3 2022 G, Pacific Ridge
A big, physical guard who can impose his will on defenses attacking to his left hand off the wing. He has the strength to absorb contact in the paint and finish plays around the rim. McGuire is also a solid rebounder and on-ball defender.
Biggest project
Stevin Latimer, 6-11 2022 C, Mission Vista
Anytime you’re nearing 7 feet and play basketball, you will command the attention of college coaches. This is the case of Latimer, who had St. Katherine’s Head Coach Kevin Williamson on hand for his game. Latimer is a long-term project, but he does have some positive attributes. He is an improved position defender and lane clogger who makes it difficult for the opposition to score on paint touches.
Best shooter
Jayelon Rogers, 6-2 2023 SG, Mission Vista
The lefty Rogers has an unorthodox looking shot with a low release, but the high-arching ball barely touched the rim all game, connecting on 4-5 threes (all four swishes). He’s an intriguing prospect, possessing good size and length. If he shores up his ball skills and gets stronger physically, he could be a sleeper in a year.
Most intriguing
Jeremiah Ratnadurai, 6-4 2023 W, Mission Vista
Speaking of intriguing, the Timberwolves burly starting 3/4 man started the game with six straight points on strong drives and midrange shots. He’s a load when he gets going downhill and handles the ball surprisingly well for a player of his dimensions.
San Diego Southwest’s standouts
Aaron Rosillo, 6-2 2022 F, Southwest SD and Danny Gutierrez, 6-1 2022 F, Southwest SD
Rosillo and Gutierrez punished the host team in the paint, scoring on short drives through contact. Rosillo has a solid basketball body, and if his skill set develops outside of the paint, he could find his way onto a junior college roster. I was also impressed with their 5-8 point guard Jon Quime, who shot the ball well from deep against the Firebirds.