Hoop Circuit Cal-Live Showcase report

<p>It was a hot Friday inside of Momentous Sports Center in Irvine -- both in temperature and talent.</p> <p>The Cal-Live Summer Showcase, hosted by the Pacific Northwest-based Hoop Circuit and So-Cal-based A.C.E.S. basketball club, had a great blend of premier sneaker circuit talent looking for a pre-Peach Jam tune up and some of the top independent programs on the West Coast all under one roof. </p> <p>We’re nearly two weeks removed, so I will give my thoughts on the event standouts in a single report. Here we go. </p> [caption id="attachment_1240473" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Bannarbie-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1240473" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Bannarbie-1-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> Photo: 24/7 sports[/caption] <h3>Oakland Soldiers show off talent</h3> <p>The Oakland Soldiers were in full force for this well-organized tune-up before Peach Jam, and as always, came with rosters deep with D1 talent. At the 17u level, their size and interior depth stood out, as 6-11 Duke Brennan, 7-0 Adrame Diongue and 7-0 Elhadji Seck showed flashes of dominance in the paint on both ends. And 6-5 2022 G Ben Shtlolzberg showed flashes of high-level shot making at the point position. </p> <p>The 16u EYBL team got big performances from 6-1 2023 PG Jackson Shelstad, who is as polished a playmaker you will see at this stage; the uber athletic 6-6 2023 F Mookie Cook and the emerging force in the paint, 6-9 2023 F [player_tooltip player_id="994908" first="Jacob" last="Bannarbie"]. </p> <h3>Idaho Select proves its worth</h3> <p>With a lineup that included the Oakland Soldiers and EYBL programs Real Run and Seattle Rotary, it was Idaho Select that came out on top in the 17u division. And while we weren’t there for the championship triumph, we saw plenty of their talent in a close loss to the Soldiers. </p> <p>For me, their MVP was <strong>6-2 2022 PG Titus Yearout</strong>, a lead guard out of Lapwai. In a word, he was relentless. He never stop attacking on offense and didn’t back down from the higher-profile Soldiers guards. When his team fell behind by 14, he played with poise, and knocked down big shots from three levels and created others for teammates. </p> <p>Yearout reportedly received a scholarship offer from Idaho after the tournament, a bit of validation of his efforts. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/IMG_9066.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1240475" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/IMG_9066-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>But the team didn’t stop at Yearout. <strong>6-9 Montana commit Rhett Reynolds</strong> was a force on both ends of the basketball. <strong>6-5 sharpshooter Jack Payne</strong> hit timely baskets and has the broad-shouldered, length and ball skills that translate to a bigger guard at the next level. And <strong>6-7 2022 F Tyler Medaris</strong> (pictured) stood out with his shooting ability for a four man. </p> <h3>FOH vs Prodigy brings out the coaches</h3> <p>A Friday morning game with a standing-room only coaches section? The Prodigy vs Friends of Hoop (WA) game had the feel of a pre-pandemic slug fest, with both teams going on big runs early before the game settled into a tightly contested affair. Prodigy’s team has a number of Inland area stars, but none shone brighter early in the game than 2021 Etiwanda G [player_tooltip player_id="951213" first="Marcus" last="Green"], who turned the game into his own personal dunk contest (arguably the most explosive two-foot leaper in the state), and 6-8 2022 Damien PF Kaleb Smith, whose sweet shooting and movement without the ball gave FOH problems the entire game. 2022 Damien G [player_tooltip player_id="748777" first="RJ" last="Smith"] </p> <p>FOH countered with an electric performance from <strong>6-6 2022 SG Jaxon Nap</strong>, as the lefty knocked down perimeter jumpers and dazzled off the dribble with his playmaking ability and court vision, and an understated performance from <strong>6-6 2022 W Andrew Hommes</strong>, younger brother of former NCAA D2 Player of the Year Daulton Hommes. </p> <h3>Prodigy 15u: A family affair</h3> <p>One of the fun things to see when you’ve been around as long as I have is the younger brothers -- and in some cases, children -- of players you evaluated begin to make their mark.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/IMG_9018-crop-1613x1059-1626743407.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1240481" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/IMG_9018-crop-1613x1059-1626743407-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p>Prodigy’s 15u Elite is a perfect examples, as the roster is dotted with familiar surnames: Pierce, Campbell and Quintana. All three prospects -- Carrington, Amare and Jacob -- are younger brothers of Prodigy players that are on D1 rosters: Carrington (pictured) is the younger brother of Cal Poly SLO PG [player_tooltip player_id="536625" first="Camren" last="Pierce"], Amare’s older brother, [player_tooltip player_id="644893" first="Tyree" last="Campbell"], is a guard for Cal Baptist; and Jacob’s older brother, Joe Quintana, has had a solid career at Loyola Marymount. </p> <p>At this stage, Carrington is the furthest ahead. He’s taller and leaner than his older brother, and shoots it better at the same stage. His brother has the edge in terms of intangibles and leadership, but Carrington shows flashes of being a similar type of leader. Amare at 5-10 is 7 inches shorter than big brother, but is his equal as an aggressive on-ball defender. And Quintana is a solid shooter off the catch. </p> <p>The team’s best prospect, however, is a 2024 prospect that is making his own mark -- 6-5 W <strong>Channing Cade</strong>. The long, wiry prospect gets down hill and can score in the paint or with a nice pull-up jumper from 15 feet, and has the markings of an elite perimeter defender. </p> <h3>A 2023 Sleeper from... Idaho?</h3> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/IMG_9064-crop-1630x1070-1626743480.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1240483" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/IMG_9064-crop-1630x1070-1626743480-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p>In a game between the Oregon Prospects 17u and Team DTermined’s top 17u team, a rising junior stole the show: <strong>6-10 F Andrew Fielder. </strong></p> <p>Fielder, a prospect from Rocky Mountain High in Meridian, Idaho, came out on fire, dribbling into a pair of deep threes, scoring another three off the catch, and attacking the basket for another score. What caught me by surprise was his mobility and lateral quickness, which allowed him to guard on the perimeter in the Prospect’s matchup zone. </p> <p>As the game went on and Fielder got gassed, he did a great job using his size to impose on DTermined’s smaller post players, scoring key baskets over his left shoulder. </p> <p>Fielder has the prerequisite size and length and versatile skill set that high major coaches are looking for in their fours and fives. Expect his recruitment to move beyond the Pacific Northwest and Rockies, as Fielder has a chance to be a household name in Top 150 conversations. </p> <p>Other notes:</p> <ul> <li>Why is 6-2+ 2021 Aquinas PG <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="951230" first="Sheldon" last="Grant"] (Triple Threat Huskies) </strong>still unsigned? The long, willowy point guard probably doesn’t pass the eye test (he’s painfully thin), but his floater/finishing package is borderline elite for a guard. He changes release points and changes his launch foot effectively to keep the interior defenders off balance. He’s a streaky shooter from three, but his jumper is playable. If I am a junior college, I am nabbing him quickly and getting him into a college weightroom. </li> <li>Seattle Rotary 16u EYBL has some really good guard prospects in Cayden McDaniel and Brooklyn Hicks, but the kid that caught my attention was off of their bench, <strong>6-3 2023 PG Mason Williams</strong>. The wiry, long playmaker looks like he hasn’t hit puberty, and once his body catches up to his skill set it’s curtains. </li> <li>Team DTermined’s program has some really good younger prospects. Keep an eye on<strong> 5-11 2023 Santiago PG [player_tooltip player_id="994943" first="Makai" last="Lewis"], 5-10 JSerra G Aidan Fowler, and 6-4 2025 W Brayden Burries</strong>, who was one of the top players on the floor on the program’s 17u team.</li> <li>Train First of Livermore got a scintillating performance from <strong>6-6 2022 SG Kevin Gad</strong>, who was arguably the top shooter on hand at the event. He has a great basketball frame and sprints to spots on the floor, which allowed him to evade defenses that face-guarded him in multiple games. And his release is so quick that he can get his shot off against tight on-ball defense. What makes him intriguing to colleges is he isn’t just a knockdown shooter: he attacks close outs and has a nice runner-floater package to boot. </li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p>