A Scout’s Take: Maranatha Block Party (Biggest Sleepers)
A Scout’s Take: Maranatha Block Party (Biggest Sleepers)
PASADENA, CA— The month of June is always one of the more exciting times of the basketball evaluation process as players leap from one team to another and new freshman arise out of the horizon. Some of those 2022s include Benny Gealer (Rolling Hills Prep), Cameron Thrower (Harvard Westlake) and Christian Moore (Brentwood). In this installment fill look at some of the better prospects. In this installment we’ll look at the Biggest Sleepers
Damian Guest Jr. (Highland)
2019, 6-foot-4, 175 pounds
Joel’s Take: Guest is part of a talented trio at Highland. The lengthy wing-type has long arms, a strong shoulder base, and he exhibited some ball skills too. He attacks in transition and can finish in traffic. His shot is a bit flat and he needs to implement a jump stop while attacking the paint, but overall he is talented.
Carey Page (Fremont)
2019, SG, 6-foot-4, 170 pounds
Joel’s Take: When it comes to willowy wing-types, Page fits this description to a tee. He has long arms, broad shoulders, and he can score from all three levels. His jump shot needs more arc, but he does possess a quick 1st step and he has a knack to score.
Julian Williams (Highland)
2019, CG, 6-foot-1, 160 pounds
Joel’s Take: Williams is a combo-guard who has the speed, skill, and feel to play both guard spots. He has a nice burst off the dribble, can get into the lane and finish, and his passing was solid—especially after penetrating the paint. If his jump shot gets more consistent, his stock will rise.
Riles Neff (Alemany)
2020, PG, 5-foot-10, 145 pounds
Joel’s Take: Neff likes to pound it too much, but this youngster has good length and solid a solid skill set. He can shoot it from deep, break down his defender, and he can be an astute passer. But overall, he gets into trouble dribbling too much versus pressure.
Blake Bingham (Cleveland)
2020, WF, 6-foot-6, 180 pounds
Joel’s Take: Raw is the first description that immediately comes to mind when describing Bingham. The Granada Hills transfer has extraordinary length with good feet and solid hands. He needs to work on his fundamentals (playing wide on the post and keeping the ball high) and his face-up skills (triple threat game), but he’s intriguing.