West Coast Elite High School Invitational: Biggest Sleepers
Ryan Silver, founder of the West Coast Elite basketball dynasty, along with California Stars club director Julius von Hanzlik, pulled together more than 40 of the top high school basketball teams in Southern California for his High School Invitational Fall League.
The three-day event featured defending CIF Open Division state champion Bishop Montgomery, Open Division regional runners up Mater Dei, and Open Division regulars Damien, Santa Margarita and Redondo Union.
In addition to those teams who are established as year-in and year-out competitors, squads like Culver City, Long Beach St. Anthony, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and St. John Bosco showed that they’re on the rise.
Prep Hoops So-Cal was in attendance at MAP Sports Facility in Garden Grove all day Saturday and put together a list of the day’s biggest sleeper prospects.
Biggest Sleepers
B.J. Askew, 2018, Mater Dei
It’s rare a player from a program the stature of Mater Dei can be considered a sleeper, but Askew is one. The 6-foot-2 combo guard was a starter last season at La Mirada, averaging 9.1 points and nearly four rebounds a contest. Askew will back-up Spencer Freedman on the biggest stage this season and will do very well in that role due to his high basketball IQ, playmaking ability and solid perimeter defense. The consistency of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointer will determine how effective he is at the next level.
Nick Colosi, 2018, La Mirada
File Colosi under the “jack of all trades” category. The 6-foot-2 guard/forward is an elite leaper and vertical athlete who uses that to his advantage when finishing in transition or snatching an offensive or defensive rebound. The senior is also a versatile defensive player at the high school level as he can guard 1-3. Colosi needs to shore up his ball skills and become a more consistent jump shooter to reach his full potential.
Lavele Johnson, 2019, Riverside Poly
Johnson is a super active and high motor power forward at 6-feet-6. He has a knack for the ball on both ends of the floor, but especially when crashing the offensive glass to create second chance opportunities. The junior is a good athlete with a nice frame and good length and changes ends of the floor with ease. Johnson will become an even more intriguing prospect with continued work with his back to the basket.
2019 Riverside Poly forward Lavele Johnson was one of the more active players on both ends of the floor Saturday.Isaiah Johnson, 2020, Crean Lutheran
Johnson is an interesting case because he plays at a smaller high school and doesn’t play any high level or exposure club basketball. All that aside, Johnson is a bonafide Division I prospect in the 2020 class. He showed an improved approach to the game as far as aggressiveness goes. The 6-foot-6 forward was dunking with authority on back-door lob plays and displayed touch out to 17-feet. Though he did knock in a few set shots, stretching the floor on a consistent basis will dictate what level Johnson can play at.
Matthew Schmidt, 2018, Long Beach Wilson
Schmidt is a burly 6-foot-6 center who understands his role and relishes in it. The 200-pounder uses his size and strength to clear out space in the paint and uses his soft hands and touch around the basket to provide an interior scoring presence. Schmidt runs the floor well for his size and does so with purpose, his rim runs result in deep post position and he establishes a wide base on his post-ups. The senior is an undersized five-man at this point, so improving his effectiveness on pick-and-pop action will be key for him.