Five Key Questions: St. John Bosco vs. Fairfax (Classic at Damien)

LA VERNE — The Classic at Damien began Thursday with 80 teams competing across five divisions over the course of the four-day event. St. John Bosco defeated Fairfax, 64-47, in a Platinum Division first round game to advance in the championship bracket. Below are five key questions that will be answered by the end of the season.

Who will emerge as another reliable scorer for Fairfax?

One the biggest reasons why Bosco cruised to 17-point victory was the fact that Fairfax guard Keith Dinwiddie didn’t have his normal offensive impact. The San Diego State-bound shooting guard went 1-for-8 from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range while finishing with only two points. The Braves are a very good defensive squad, but it’s rare that Dinwiddie scores under double-figures. DJ Dudley led the Lions with 20 points, but Fairfax needs to find another player, or two, who can consistently hit perimeter jumpers to spread the floor and keep Fairfax in games if Dinwiddie has an off night.

Where has DJ Dudley made the most improvement?

Dudley entered high school with a glowing reputation and has continued to improve on his game over the last two seasons. The 6-foot-3 wing has impressive size, length and athleticism, and while those are great qualities to have, the growth in his overall basketball skill-set is what stood out the most. Dudley looks more confident as a perimeter shooter with time and space, is rebounding in and out of his area and is a defensive catalyst in the Lions’ pressure system.

What college level will Josh Camper end up at?

There’s no doubt the St. John Bosco shooting guard will play somewhere in college because of his shooting ability, basketball IQ and all-around intangibles both on and off the court. There is some debate on whether he can play at the Division II level because of his lack of size for his position, but because of the above-mentioned qualities, Camper possesses the ability to be a Division II shooting specialist at the very least. He’s definitely a guy who will make a major impact at either the Division III or NAIA level. Camper scored a game-high 22 points, hitting six 3-pointers, in the Braves’ win over Fairfax.

Bosco will need a bench scorer at some point, who will it be?

Sixty of the Braves’ 64 points came from the starting unit, and as St. John Bosco inches further into this tournament, and then into Trinity League play, it will need a reserve to step up and contribute in the scoring column off the bench. John Gallegos has shown the ability to knock down catch-and-shoot triples and Hunter Richardson is a strong interior finisher, but that duo has to become more consistent on a game-by-game basis.

Where does Bosco fit in the Open Division picture?

The Braves are definitely in Open Division consideration as noted by the watchlists released by the CIF committee each and every week. Their performance for the remainder of the Damien tournament and how they fare in league play will determine if they are among the eight teams taken to the Open field. With two games against teams like Mater Dei and JSerra, Bosco could play its way in or out of those top eight squads.