Jim Harris Classic: Five Things We Learned
The Jim Harris Classic, honoring late, legendary Ocean View high school coach, doesn’t have quite the same level as its Jim Harris Tournament of Champions predecessor.
But while the overall caliber of teams involved in the event is down from years past, there was still plenty of eye-opening performances, both individually and from a team perspective.
Five Things We Learned
Marina’s Jakob Alamudun is a Division I prospect
The 6-foot-5, 210 pound forward is an absolute gym rat. Coach Nick Racklin said he’s in working before school, at lunch and after practice is over and it’s showing. Alamudun had a monster 30-point, 25 rebound performance in a win over Troy on Monday and followed that up with 25 and seven boards against JSerra on Tuesday. One thing Alamudun has that you can’t teach is a relentless motor.
DJ Rodman should be fine in the Trinity League
The 6-foot-4 wing, who transferred to JSerra from Corona del Mar after the school year began, played in his first regular season game with the Lions, leading the team in scoring with 23 points. Rodman averaged better than 20 points last season as a sophomore for the Sea Kings and his offensive game should translate well to the higher level of competition. The junior can score from all three levels and uses his body well to create space and driving lanes.
Mehkel Harvey continues to improve
Ocean View’s 6-foot-9 power forward is improving at a steady rate and is one of the premier shot blocke
Diamond Ranch PG Coree Joseph reports no college interest yet, but that should change.rs in all of Southern California, but his recruitment is still very much in limbo. Harvey recently took an official visit to Portland and his coach, Roger Holmes, reports interest from Pepperdine, UC Riverside, UC Irvine and Hawaii, though those schools have yet to pull the trigger on an offer.
Coree Joseph is the best kept secret in SoCal
Diamond Ranch point guard Coree Joseph went off for 28 points in a win over Pacifica Christian Tuesday, but putting the ball in the basket isn’t his best trait. The 5-foot-10 junior has elite vision and feel for the point guard position. He controls pace, doesn’t force action and makes the right pass more often than not. Joseph told Prep Hoops SoCal he has no college interest at this time.
Wony’a Singleton is one of the most underrated guards in SoCal
The Peninsula High junior doesn’t play much high level club basketball which means college coaches need to catch the high school team at a smaller tournament or league game to see one of the better scoring guards in the area. Singleton might not look the part at 6-feet with not a whole lot of explosiveness or leaping ability, but he’s crafty as they come with the ball, uses the dribble and change of speed and direction to attack the basket, and can knockdown contested 3-point shots.