Pangos Best of the West: CA Standouts (Pt. 1)

<p>Pangos event operator Dinos Trigonis held his annual Best of the West Showcase event over the weekend at Nets on Fire in St. George, Utah. While we were unable to physically be in attendance, the BallerTV live stream allowed us to get a closer look at the strong amount of California-based prospects who attended the event. Below are some of the players who stood out.</p> <p><strong>DJ Martin</strong>, 2021, St. Anthony - Martin, who previously went by [player_tooltip player_id="747094" first="DJ" last="Allen"], is one of the top 2021 prospects left on the board in California. The 6-foot-8 wing missed his junior season due to injury and perhaps all of his senior season due to COVID-19, but that doesn’t change the face that he has a lot of tools which can help a program at the next level. Martin has long, rangy frame and is stronger and more physical than he looks at first glance. The senior can stretch the floor to the three-point line with consistency off the catch and showed in this event that he has a high motor when attacking the offensive and defensive boards.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="747096" first="Jeremiah" last="Davis"]</strong>, 2021, Fountain Valley - Davis is another 2021 prospect who could be a solid late signee for a program in need of boosting its guard play. The 6-foot-2 combo guard is a strong and crafty finisher when driving to the cup in both transition and half court settings. His strong frame allows him to absorb and finish through contact, as well as stay on balance through initial bumps on drives. Davis is best when stopping and popping a mid-range jumper or facing up at the 15-foot spot, ripping through and getting to the basket where he draws contact and finishes or gets to the free throw line. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994919" first="Justin" last="Daniels"]</strong>, 2023, Mater Dei - The open court speed and aggressiveness when attacking the basket are the two traits that stand out the most when evaluating Daniels’ game. At 6-feet-4, he has great size for the lead guard spot and his initial burst and acceleration at the second level both allow him to get downhill in transition and into the paint where he can finish or draw defenders and kick to a teammate. Daniels also showed the ability to stop on a dime and knock down the pull-up jumper.</p> <p><strong>Scotty Belnap</strong>, 2024, Mater Dei - Belnap is just a current freshman for the Monarchs, but his high basketball IQ, feel for the game and ability to shoot the three-ball with consistency and range make us think he will be a big part of the future back-court in Santa Ana. The wiry 6-foot-4 off-guard moves well without the ball, understands floor spacing and doesn’t need much time or space to get his shot off. Belnap will be an interesting prospect to track as he continues to get older and develop his frame and game.</p>