All-West Frosh/Soph Camp: Six Takeaways
The Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph Camp was held Saturday and Sunday at Westminster High, featuring many of the west’s top players from the classes of 2021 and 2022.
Below are my six takeaways from the eye-opening two-day event.
Six Takeaways
There’s a strong crop of young west coast point guards
Mater Dei guard Devin Askew and Jesuit point guard Isael Silva were the clear top two performers of the weekend, but there were a number of other floor generals on their heels. The Las Vegas trio of Richard Isaacs, Jr. (Coronado/2022), Zaon Collins (Bishop Gorman/2021) and Frankie Collins (Clark, 2021) were all impressive in their own right, while Chris Howell of San Marcos did a ton of damage with his vision and IQ and KJ Simpson of Chaminade showed his explosive scoring ability.
Jesuit High point guard Isael Silva was one of the best passers in the gym at the Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph Camp.Waiting your turn isn’t always a bad thing
Look no further than Etiwanda’s Jahmai Mashack and St. John Bosco’s Scotty Washington to prove that sometimes there’s a benefit to not riding the varsity bench as freshmen. Mashack, a 6-foot-3 wing, is one of the most improved players in the entire 2021 class, while Washington is torching opponents with scoring and playmaking ability at 6-feet-3.
Breidenbach further distanced himself from other 2021 forwards
It was no secret that Mater Dei forward Wilhelm Breidenbach was one of the best big men in the country, but the weekend showed that he’s in a class all his own. The 6-foot-8 sophomore had added a consistent face-up 3-point shot to a skill set that already included ambidextrous finishes, sound post footwork and a motor that doesn’t quit.
Keep an eye on a couple of 2022 big men
There are two bigs in the freshman class that are oozing with potential, but still have some work to do. Windward’s Kijani Wright is the more polished of the two, checking in a 6-feet-9 with nice shooting touch out to the 3-point line. Wright still has some work to do with his footwork on the block and his hands. The other is Henri Adiassa, a 6-foot-10 Santa Monica Crossroads product that is still raw in every sense of the term, but showed some good aggressiveness in the paint over the weekend.
Wing scorers to watch
Some players are just wired to score and there were plenty of them in the gym. Dorsey sophomore Kennedy Reese Dixon is as smooth as they come when operating on the perimeter. He has an advanced scoring package complete with 3-pointers off the bounce and pull-up jumpers. John Christofilis out of Seattle O’Dea was another impressive scorer with his ability to knock down triples both of the catch and off the bounce with little need for time or space. Santa Monica’s TJ Wainwright caught fire from distance in the Top 30 game, but those who’ve watched him at length are plenty used to that. San Diego High’s AJ Burgin is one of the better shooters in SoCal, but he continues his transition into a guy who is a threat off the dribble, as well.
Central and Northern California specials
The Central and Northern California areas don’ t get quite as much exposure as its Southern California brethren, but smooth scoring wing Joseph Hunter of San Joaquin Memorial, bouncy and active 6-8 forward Chris Fan of Modesto Christian and slashing, high motor 6-5 wing D’aunte Johnson of Moreau Catholic should see plenty of recruiting interest over the next three years.