Pangos Premier 80: San Diego standouts
LYNWOOD, CA– For a second year in a row, So-Cal basketball guru Dinos Trigonis assembled a talented group of prospects under one roof for the Pangos Premier 80. The event, which kicked off the first July live period, featured dozens of high-level prospects from 14 states.
And yes, San Diego was well represented on the two courts at Firebaugh High.
Which San Diego prospects turned in top performances? We have your answers.
Pangos Premier 80: San Diego Standouts
Fallou Cisse, 6-7 2021 F, Balboa School
Cisse is a prospect who understands his strengths and plays to them. He runs the floor hard and transitions from end to end assertively, pursues rebounds out of the area and uses his length to protect the rim. Offensively, he rarely forces the issue, scoring on close-range jump hooks and put-backs, or finishing above the rim in transition. With so many “bigs” in the camp trying to show off their guard skills, it was refreshing to see a young prospect embrace the paint.
Michael Pope, 6-3, 2019 G, Torrey Pines
Pope, as my colleague Devin Ugland summarized in an earlier report, has a throwback approach to the game. Rather than settling for voluminous threes, Pope used shot fakes to set up his patented pull-up jumper, which he hit with regularity. Although sometimes overlooked in this setting, Pope did a solid job defending smaller, quicker guards with improved lateral quickness and understanding of angles.
2021 San Marcos PG Chris Howell elevates his teammates with his passing, playmaking.Chris Howell, 6-5 2021 PG, San Marcos
Howell stands out in this setting despite not being flashy due to his unselfishness and pinpoint passing. The wiry lead guard advances the ball in transition with crisp outlets, and is efficient with his handle in the halfcourt. His passes rarely stray from shooter’s shooting pocket, and he makes the correct pass for the situation. While his perimeter shooting has been often discussed, Howell showed flashes of improvement, especially at the top of the key, where he hit several jump shots. Defensively, he is as tough of an on-ball defender as was on display.
Graham Cook, 6-4 2019 G, La Costa Canyon
Wired to score, Cook took advantage of the setting to display his diverse scoring package. He is a better shooter off the catch than off the bounce, but made good on his catch-and-shoot opportunities, knocking down threes from both sides of the floor. He also showed flashes of playmaking for others, dropping off a couple of nifty assists. An area where he’ll need to improve his finishing through contact. Overall, though, a number of schools have expressed interest in the combo guard, including most recently UC Riverside.