2021 SoCal Recruiting Update

<p>It seems like class of 2021 players across the country are pulling the trigger on commitments early than they would in a normal year. As we all know this certainly isn’t a normal year as the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the number of events and participants across the country.</p> <p>In the Southern California recruiting landscape, 11 of the top 30 players in the upcoming senior class have made a pledge to play at the next level. Some notable commitments which we covered earlier on in the summer are St. John Bosco guard [player_tooltip player_id="747085" first="Lamaj" last="Lewis"] (Loyola Marymount), Birmingham guards [player_tooltip player_id="943437" first="David" last="Elliot, IV"] and [player_tooltip player_id="944345" first="James" last="Nobles"] (Loyola Marymount), Damien guard [player_tooltip player_id="747080" first="Malik" last="Thomas"] (USC), St. Bernard guard [player_tooltip player_id="680198" first="Reese" last="Dixon-Waters"] (USC), Pacifica Christian guard [player_tooltip player_id="680210" first="Houston" last="Mallette"] (Penn State) and Sonora guard [player_tooltip player_id="943443" first="Daniel" last="Esparza"] (Cal Poly SLO).</p> <p>In this piece we take a closer look at the three latest players to come off the SoCal recruiting board in the class of 2021, starting with the top prospect in the state, [player_tooltip player_id="680212" first="Peyton" last="Watson"].</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="680212" first="Peyton" last="Watson"]</strong>, Long Beach Poly, committed to UCLA - Watson announced his decision on Monday and it’s no surprise he stayed close to home by picking the Bruins. What can UCLA fans expect out of Watson? Let’s dig deeper than the "size, length and athleticism" he possesses as those traits are obvious. The first word that comes to mind when thinking about Watson’s game is versatility. The 6-foot-8 wing played basically every position for the Jackrabbits during his junior season and excelled when forced to carry a heavy offensive load. Watson has impressive ball skills and shot creating ability off the bounce, can knock down the step-back and catch-and-shoot three-point shots, and has shown the basketball IQ and passing ability to served a point-forward role when needed.</p> <p>Watson is great in transition where he uses his long strides to cover ground quickly and glide to the rim for fast break buckets. What I’m most interested in seeing is what kind of defensive player Watson becomes under Bruins’ head coach Mick Cronin. With his size, length, lateral mobility and anticipation and timing as a shot blocker and rim protector, Watson has the makings of a lock down defender who can guard multiple spots at the next level.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="680218" first="Keith" last="Higgins"]</strong>, Chaminade, committed to Lehigh - This could be another SoCal steal for the Patriot-league based Mountain Hawks. The last time Lehigh dipped into the area for a 6-foot-2 guard, Campbell Hall’s Jordan Cohen, it turned out pretty well for them as Cohen developed into a 14-point per game scorer during his senior year. Higgins is one of the best pure shooters in Southern California, but still didn’t catch the eye of local programs as much as we thought he should. The 6-foot-2 off-guard moves well without the ball, knows how to set up and come off of screens to create space and hits catch-and-shoot triples at an impressive rate. His balance, fundamental shooting mechanics and lift on his shot help him to get off good looks even with a defender draped on him. Higgins is a capable pull-up mid-rage shooter off a shot fake and it will be interesting to track his development as a true combo guard at the next level. Higgins must improve his overall creating ability in isolation, and attacking to his left, to be a guy who can be moved freely on or off the ball.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="943444" first="Wayne" last="McKinney"]</strong>, Coronado, committed to the University of San Diego - USD head coach Sam Scholl and his staff did a nice job of keeping one of the area’s top talents at home for college. The 5-foot-10 point guard, who is ranked No. 22 in our most recent 2021 rankings, is one of the more dynamic scorers in SoCal high school hoops. McKinney is a tough cover in transition as his speed, ability to change direction and use his strength to absorb and finish through contact make him a a guy who can push the tempo, get paint touches and score around the basket efficiently. In the half-court setting, McKinney does a nice job of operating out of high ball-screen action where he can make a defender pay for going under the screen with a smooth three-point shot, but can also turn the corner with good explosiveness and second-level speed to get into the painted area. McKinney’s all-around scoring feel and savvy as a ball-handler should translate well to the West Coast Conference style of play. </p>