Trevor Arizona Tourney: Some observations
LOS ANGELES – I caught the Tuesday and Wednesday action of the Trevor Ariza Tournament at Westchester High.
Here are some thoughts after watching eight games (and seeing each of the 16 teams in the event):
*Westchester and Bishop Montgomery appeared headed for a Saturday night championship showdown: The host Comets (who rolled to the Ryse Williams/Pac Shores championship last week) didn’t have much of a test against vastly overmanned North Torrance Tuesday night.
But Bishop Montgomery, faced a very good Narbonne club Wednesday night in a quarterfinal.
The Gauchos are likely one of the five best squads in the L.A. City this season.
But they were no match for the Knights – even with the 2017 State Open Champions missing standout junior guard Gianni Hunt (broken leg).
Barring any Thursday (quarterfinals pitting Culver City vs. St. Bernard and Westchester vs. Long Beach Poly) or Friday (semifinals of Bishop Montgomery vs. Harvard-Westlake and the winners of Thursday’s quarters) upsets, a title showdown between the Comets and Knights should be a dandy – and a preview of a possible State Southern Open Regional clash in March.
*Harvard-Westlake shakes off personnel losses: The Wolverines lost Cassius Stanley and Terran Frank to transfers to Sierra Canyon.
But there is still quite the gifted squad in place, as was evidenced by the second-round defeat of Santa Monica (led by Rice-bound Payton Moore) Wednesday night.
There isn’t a better sophomore class in the state than the one at HW that includes Johnny Juzang (pictured), Mason Hooks, Braise Dottin and Spencer Hubbard – each of which starts.
*Long Beach Poly has a terrific senior point guard: Look for the left-handed Darryl Polk to be among the more heavily pursued senior playmakers this winter and spring.
Few have the 5-foot-10 Polk’s speed and ability to govern all of that speed in a positive manner. And his jump shot is much improved.
*Culver City on the rise: The Centaurs showed off a lot of promise Tuesday night in their first game under Reggie Morris Jr. – even if they had difficulty at times in pulling away from Rancho Dominguez.
But transfers Tevian Jones and Cyrus Johnson figure to have strong senior seasons and this is a club that will no doubt be much improved come mid-February and CIF Southern Section playoff time.
They play a somewhat young but quite gifted St. Bernard squad (led by juniors Romelle Mansel and Mook Harris and freshman Tyler Powell) in a Thursday night quarterfinal.