The LEAGUE: Top Playmakers
The two-day Compton Magic LEAGUE serves as an excellent tune-up event for local Adidas programs in advance of the Adidas Regional Qualifier on Memorial Day Weekend. It also allows scouts to zero in on players and teams, as they play in four showcase games over the weekend at Westminster High.
The host team, the Compton Magic, went undefeated at every level. But standouts abounded from many of the programs on hand. Here, we look at some of the top playmakers.
The LEAGUE: Top Playmakers
Darryl “DJ” Jackson, 6-1 2020 PG, Cajon/Compton Magic 16u
The young 2020 prospect continues to improve with each viewing. Jackson has learned to play with better pace, changing speeds in the halfcourt to keep defenders off balance. He has improved his decision making in the pick-and-roll, making the right call in shoot-pass scenarios. He also finishes plays at the rim, absorbing contact along the way, as he showed scoring the game winner in a tight matchup vs Gamepoint.
2020 Francis Parker PG Kimo FerrariKimo Ferrari, 5-11 2020 PG, Francis Parker/Gamepoint 16u Elite
Ferrari is a prospect who definitely up to his surname. He plays at a relentless pace on both ends, putting pressure on opposing defenses to get back in transition. Unlike some players wired to play fast, Ferrari does an excellent job mixing up speeds and using hesitation dribbles to create separation. The biggest area of growth for Ferrari year over year is his shooting. He’s become a viable threat off the catch and his pull-up jump shot is also on the come. He frequently faced double and sometimes triple teams to get the ball out of his hands, a testament to his high level of play.
Jaron Rillie, 6-0 2019 PG, Dos Pueblos/Dead Presidents 17u
The high-IQ lefty plays the game like a coach’s son should, which is no surprise. The son of UCSB Associate Head Coach John Rillie, Jaron has excellent feel in the halfcourt and in transition. His first option is to create for others, making high level reads out of the pick and roll and setting up shooters off the bounce. Another underrated aspect of his game: he makes the right pass for the right situation. Rillie’s has made marked strides in his shooting, but he still needs work in that category.
Chris Howell, 6-6 2021 PG, San Marcos/Coastal Elite 17u
Playing 17u this weekend, Howell showed that many of the skills that have made him such a high level prospect translate to the highest levels. He’s got elite size, court vision and feel. He manipulates defenses with his eyes (great misdirection), and uses head fakes and hesitation dribbles very astutely. He is also a very good rebounder for a point guard, which allows him to trigger the fast break, where he always has his head up and is an unselfish outlet passer. As he improves his scoring through contact and perimeter shooting, he’ll be a nationally recruited prospect.
Malcolm Little, 6-2 2019 PG, Balboa School/California Select 17u
Little is an underrated combo guard prospect who has solid size, length and athleticism. He has sneaky burst off the dribble and has the strength to finish plays through contact. This weekend, Little impacted the game with his scoring at every level, and proved to be an unselfish passer in the half court, where the Select team used execution to defeat the Compton Magic Select.