Francisco’s Finest: WCE 32 King of Kings (Part 1)
BURBANK, CA—Grassroots gurus Ryan Silver and Julius Von Hanzlik accumulated an outstanding group of prospects for the West Coast Elite 32 King of Kings. The camp had a talented group from the Northern California region to go along with some of the better players from their Southern California counterparts. We were not able to make the trek to John Burroughs High School on Sunday, thus we missed out on a few kids like 2022 Skyy Clark.
Francisco-ism: “It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.” In other words, you may be one of the better players now, but it means nothing going forward unless you continue to improve on and off the court.
Francisco’s Finest: WCE 32 King of Kings (Part 1)
Most Versatile
Christian Moore (John Burroughs)
2022, WF, 6-foot-5, 175 pounds
Joel’s Take: Christian’s older sibling (Payton) is hoop’n at Santa Monica High School and is headed to Rice next fall. Well looks as if the younger Moore may be on that same path. Blessed with solid perimeter skills, a soft shooting touch, and a high motor, Moore (Christian) was definitely one of the better players in attendance.
Jeremiah Dargan (El Dorado)
2022, 6-foot-4, 165 pounds
Joel’s Take: The game comes easy to Dragan due his rangy frame and smooth scoring skills. He can slither his way to the rim and has excellent body control. His shooting touch is impressive as well has ball skills in he open court. Going forward I would like him to play with a much high motor at both ends.
Best Slashers
Kristian Jemerson (St. Hedwig)
2022, SG, 6-foot, 150 pounds
Joel’s Take: This long and willowy slasher maneuvers around defenders and has a knack of finding ways to score. Jemerson had a number of impressive finishes with both hands and he displayed a solid feel for this game with his passing.
Pejan Slater (Armagosa)
2022, WF, 6-foot-3, 165 pounds
Joel’s Take: Slater is a lengthy wing-type that can score in bunches. The smooth lefty pursues the ball at both ends and has active hands. He can toss in a runner, maneuver his way around defenders for the finish, or drop in a mid-range jump shot.
Mr. Savvy
Quinton Webb (Loma Linda)
2022, PF, 6-foot-3, 175 pounds
Joel’s Take: Webb plays with a great pace and very rarely forces the issue. He operates the offense from the elbow with aplomb. He makes savvy decisions and is an astute passer. He can face up and take his defender off the dribble and he has knack for rebounding due to his good hands and instincts.
Christopher Bunch (San Ramon Christian)
2022, WF, 6-foot-3, 160 pounds
Joel’s Take: Bunch has that prototypical long frame with broad shoulders and a nice dose of athleticism. He excelled in this camp setting with his ability to attack in transition and finish with either hand. He played hard at both ends of the floor and impacted the game in the areas of rebounding and playing in the passing lanes.
Biggest Burst
Akoye Hudson (Hard Knocks)
2022, PG, 6-foot-1, 155 pounds
Joel’s Take: Hudson was arguably the most difficult player to stop in transition. He got to the rim at will due to his bust and overall speed. For him to take his game to another level he needs to play with more pace (change speeds) and not force the issue. There were many times he could have come to a jump stop in the paint and deliver timely passes to open teammates.
Jeremy Dent-Smith (Richard Dana Smith)
2022, PG, 5-foot-9, 155 pounds
Joel’s Take: Tight handle and an innate ability to finish in transition and through traffic are a couple of attributes of Dent-Smith. He changes speeds well, exhibited a solid burst off the dribble and could finish through contact. One of the more polished point guard types in camp.
Inside-and-out
Jaxon Kohler (Lone Peak, UT)
2022, 6-foot-3, 165 pounds
Joel’s Take: Kohler may have had the most polished foot work and overall fundamentally sound game of all the post players in camp. He keeps the ball high, pivots well, and his skill set was advanced for a player his age. Not too mention he can step out and convert mid-range jump shots as well.
Best Shooter
Adrian Wells (Heritage Christian)
2022, SG, 5-foot-11, 150 pounds
Joel’s Take: Looking for a lefty that can shoot it from deep, then look no further than Mr. Wells. In addition to his shooting prowess, he plays with a great pace (under control) and despite not being a blaze, he changes speeds very well to keep defenders off balance.