UC Irvine Team Camp: Best Wings
The UC Irvine team camp featured 41 teams from San Diego to Orange County, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire and even up to Bakersfield. The games were split between the Bren Events Center and the Anteater Rec Center with the tournament beginning with pool play on Friday and entering bracket play Saturday and Sunday. Huntington Beach Marina took home the camp championship.
Here are the best wing performers from the event.
Chibuzo Agbo, St. Augustine
Agbo was locked in on the defensive end, showing his ability to not only contain guards on the perimeter, but also battled with forwards and centers in the paint. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound rising junior has that rare combination of a bulky and built frame to go along with fluid lateral speed. Agbo is a tough cover when he gets downhill in transition or half-court situations as he stays on balance through contact and can finish above the rim. The next step is becoming a more consistent 3-point shooter to round-out his offensive game.
Jakob Alamudun, Marina
Alamudun doesn’t get enough credit for being one of the most versatile and high motor guys in his class. The 6-foot-5 rising senior rebounds at a high clip both in and out of his space, can push the break and make good decisions on the ball and is extending his shooting range to the 3-point line. The question mark surrounding his game centers around what position he will play at the next level. Alamudun is not an elite vertical athlete, but knows how to use his strength and footwork to his advantage in the paint.
Judah Brown, Pacifica Christian
Brown has one of the more intriguing combinations of basketball frame and athleticism in all of Southern California. The rising junior is long and bouncy at 6-feet-7 and is always in attack mode in transition, knifing his way into the paint looking for an opportunity to put a defender on one of his poster dunks. Brown showed the ability to knock down the catch-and-shoot 3-pointer with time and space. The next step for him to elevate his game yet again is to attack hard close-outs into a stop-and-pop mid-range jumper when the lane is clogged.
Luke Haupt, St. Augustine
Haupt operates in the prototypical coach’s son fashion. The 6-foot-5 rising junior plays with good pace and a high basketball IQ, both of which afford him the ability to serve as a point-forward of sorts. Haupt practices impressive vision and decision making on transition and half-court settings, but would benefit from a more dependable 3-point shot, especially when a defender is closing out hard in his direction.
St. Anthony forward Frank Staine showed some improved perimeter shooting and ball skills at the UC Irvine team camp.Frank Staine, St. Anthony
Over the last couple of years, Staine has been a guy who liked to work 15-feet and in on the offensive side of the ball, but he’s continued to use the offseason to diversify his game. The 6-foot-5 rising senior was knocking down 3-pointers and mid-range jumpers off the bounce with consistency Friday. He’s also showed improvements to his ball skills, allowing him to beat defenders with the dribble and get into the lane to create for himself or others. Staine doesn’t have the quickest first step out of the triple threat and needs to learn to use his long strides to his advantage when blowing by defenders on the perimeter.
Dylan Thoerner, Beckman
Thoerner doesn’t get a ton of eyes on his game, but the Beckman high senior-to-be is one of the most potent offensive players in Orange County. The 6-foot-4 forward strokes the 3-point and mid-range shots with consistency and showed this weekend that he’s become more confident attacking the basket off the dribble and finishing in the paint. Thoerner doesn’t have the best lateral speed, which limits who he can guard on the defensive end, and that’s one weakness he can address moving forward.