SoCal Recruiting Update

<p>College commitments are coming as fast as they ever have in SoCal as the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the exposure of many prospects in the region to college coaches.</p> <p>We’ve seen 19 of our top 25 ranked players in the 2021 class pull the trigger on which college they will be attending with San Diego high school guard [player_tooltip player_id="680217" first="AJ" last="Burgin"] (Idaho State), Rancho Christian point guard [player_tooltip player_id="680250" first="Jaden" last="Byers"] (Pacific) and Long Beach Poly wing [player_tooltip player_id="943436" first="Jalen" last="Pitre"] (Pepperdine) the latest to commit to Division I programs.</p> <p>Let’s take a quick look at what each school is getting in these three players.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="680217" first="AJ" last="Burgin"]</strong>, San Diego, committed to Idaho State - Burgin is well known in SoCal basketball circles as one of the best perimeter shooters in the region. The 6-foot-3 senior has deep range on his three-point shot and can pull and hit consistently from multiple spots behind the arc. What goes unnoticed about Burgin at times is his all-around feel for the game and basketball IQ. The three-time CIF San Diego Section champion has shown on numerous occasions that he’s capable of initiating offense due to his vision, passing abilities, and willingness to be a guy who gets teammates involved. The area Burgin has most improved over the course of his high school career is with his shot creating ability in the half-court setting, especially with his pull-up jumper.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="680250" first="Jaden" last="Byers"]</strong>, Rancho Christian, committed to Pacific - There’s no better coach Byers could have chosen to play for than one who has played his position at the highest of levels. Damon Stoudamire should be the perfect mentor for Byers, who is one of the more explosive, fast and dynamic athletes we have at the point guard position in SoCal. The 6-foot-2 senior is always in attack mode when he gets downhill in transition and uses his speed and explosive leaping ability to explode to the rim for dunk finishes. Late in the playoffs last season Byers showed an improved confidence from three-point range as a retooling of his mechanics helped with the consistency of his deep jumper. He still needs to learn the ins’ and outs’ of the point guard position, especially in the half-court setting, but has a chance to be a productive player at UOP.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="943436" first="Jalen" last="Pitre"]</strong>, Long Beach Poly, committed to Pepperdine - The 6-foot-8 wing decided to reclassify to the 2022 class earlier this summer, but, with a strong final year in CIF competition, he could decide to skip his planned prep year and head to Pepperdine next summer. Pitre is a high upside prospect whose size, length, fluidity and athleticism make him the perfect wing to mold in the West Coast Conference. What we like most about Pitre at this point in his development is his willingness to be a high-rate rebounder. Pitre competes on the offensive and defensive boards and has the ball skills to push the pace and score off of transition opportunities. The next step for Pitre is to continue to refine his jumper out to the three-point line and his middle game off the bounce.</p>