Hoops By Ugland Fall HS Showcase: Five Takeaways
ONTARIO — The inaugural Hoops By Ugland Fall High School showcase brought together 20 of Southern California’s well-known programs, in addition to some looking to get their school on the map, and a prep school program from Arizona. The one…
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Continue ReadingONTARIO — The inaugural Hoops By Ugland Fall High School showcase brought together 20 of Southern California’s well-known programs, in addition to some looking to get their school on the map, and a prep school program from Arizona.
The one day event featured 18 games inside the Colony high school gymnasium with highly recruited and under-the-radar players showing out in their respective games. Below you will find Devin’s five takeaways from the event.
Is Rancho Christian better than last season?
It’s an interesting question that certainly deserves a look. The Eagles lost one of its best players, Isaiah Mobley, now a freshman at USC, from a team that won 26 games and qualified for the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs. But the 2019-20 edition of Rancho Christian will do something this year that it couldn’t last year: Play with speed and pace. Evan Mobley is now the lone true post presence on the team, which opens up driving lanes for the Eagles’ explosive guards in Dominick Harris, Jaden Byers and Bryson Stephens. The increased floor spacing should open up more clean looks for 6-foot-7 wing Luke Turner and the addition of Jayce Catchings, who transferred in from the St. Louis area, brings some added toughness on the defensive end.
Can Santa Clarita Christian make an Open Division push?
Maybe. The Cardinals don’t have a ton of star power, but they have a group of players who fit together seamlessly. Seniors Caden Starr, Kaleb Lowery and Kyjuan Cannady, along with junior Josh O’Garro, each have defined roles which they’ve bought in to and executed nicely in two games at the event. Santa Clarita Christian is slotted by the CIF-SS as a Division 2AA participant and, if they remain in that spot, could be considered the favorites in that division. The Cardinals scored a 73-70 win over Damien, a team many believe will challenge for one of eight Open Division spots.
Birmingham will challenge for City Section Open Division title
There are only a handful of L.A. City Section teams that can legitimately say they have a chance to take home the Open crown. Fairfax and Westchester are the staples. Taft will be solid with a handful of new additions. But its the Patriots of Birmingham who might have the most intriguing roster. The squad returns its top three scorers from last season in Corey Cofield, David Elliot and Elisha Cofield, along with high flying junior James Nobles from a team which was the No. 3 seed in last year’s Open bracket.
Best public school team in Orange County?
There were two teams challenging for that honor in attendance in Anaheim Canyon and Sonora. Canyon is always in the mix with coach Nate Harrison at the helm. The Comanches push the pace with quick guards, have a handful of knock down shooters and have added two capable 7-footers to the mix to shore up the defensive side of the floor. Sonora has two of the most dynamic scorers in the area in Daniel Esparza and Marqui Worthy. Combine that with a hard-nosed approach and plenty of complimentary pieces and you have a team poised to win a lot of games.
Riverside Poly enters Open Division conversation
News broke recently of the Bears adding D.J. Davis, one of the state’s most prolific 3-point shooters, to a roster already filled with talented offensive players and high level glue guys. Poly, led by San Diego State-commit Lamont Butler and sharpshooting senior Evan Oliver, had impressive wins over Sonora and Santa Clarita Christian at the Fall Showcase and adding a player the caliber of Davis to that mix could propel the Bears into that eight team conversation.