Ryse Williams Pac Shores: Next Five
The six-day Ryse Williams Pac Shores Tournament brought together many of the Southland’s top teams and players for an impressive season-opening field.
Fairfax took home the title with a 64-56 victory over a Bishop Montgomery team littered with injuries, while Washington Prep took home third with a win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Santa Margarita finished fifth with a victory over host Redondo Union. Rolling Hills Prep beat Birmingham for the consolation championship.
Here are the Next Five performers from the tournament:
Xan Wesley, G, Redondo Union
Redondo Union guard Xan Wesley turned in a handful of impressive scoring efforts during the Ryse Williams Pac Shores Tournament.Wesley is a guy who can be categorized under “wired to score.” The 6-foot-3 junior is crafty on the ball, his use of ball handling and hesitations helping him get to his spots and create shots off the bounce. Wesley was in double-figure scoring throughout the week, including an 18-point effort in a loss to Santa Margarita in the fifth-place game.
Hassan Hughey, G, Washington Prep
The Washington Prep senior did a nice job of keeping the Generals in order on offense. He doesn’t make many bad decisions with the ball in his hands and understands that sometimes the easy play is the best option. Hughey also made a handful of catch-and-shoot 3-pointers that helped keep opposing defenses honest.
Frank Staine, F, St. Anthony
Staine continues to become more comfortable operating on the perimeter which has opened up yet another layer of offense for the high-octane St. Anthony attack. One of the more underrated parts of Staine’s game, however, is the fact that he can expose mismatches by working out of the mid and low-post levels.
Will Crawford, F, Bishop Montgomery
Crawford is one of those glue-guy types that you can’t live without. The bulky 6-foot-6 forward uses his strength to rebound well on the defensive glass and is a versatile defender for his size when hedging and recovering on screens or switching onto guards for brief moments. Crawford is hitting the pick-and-pop 3-pointer with more regularity.
J.T. Tan, F, Rolling Hills Prep
Tan closed out his weekend with an impressive 23-point, 21-rebound effort in a consolation championship win over Birmingham. The 6-foot-7 forward is one of the most skilled back-to-the-basket players in all of Southern California and has scoring touch with either hand. It was good to see him up his activity on both the offensive and defensive glass.