2024 Rankings: Players To Watch

<p>As we work our way through the 2024 class rankings. This group of players were key contributors to their varsity teams, or  top  players for their club teams this past summer.</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1119255" first="Amari" last="Davis"] 6’7 Wing of Grant Union HS</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Davis</strong> </em>is a long player who’s developing his skill set away from the basket. He has good mobility, he runs to open spots behind the 3 pt line, he sets his feet and looks to shoot it, in rhythm he had some success. His handles and shooting will have to improve on the perimeter, but he’s determined. He does cause match up problems and can shoot over the defense. He has some post presence and will help on the boards. He’s on the Watch List</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1119254" first="Brandon" last="Gibson"] Jr 6’1 Guard of Monterey Trail HS.</strong></em></p> <p>A solid body, with a long wingspan plays with good energy, has a decent set of handles, and a good first step to get by defenders on his way to strong finishes through contact at the basket. When he’s locked in he can contribute on both ends of the court.</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1119275" first="Thurmond" last="Thorpe"] 6’1 Guard of Mountain House HS.</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Thorpe</strong> </em>is one of the more physical players on the court with the ball in his hands. He has good upper body strength, and uses it to get into the paint for a jumper, or kick out on the drive. He’s an aggressive on ball defender, at 6'1 he helps on the boards. He was a starter, with 10 pts a game on the varsity. He’s on the watch List.</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1137233" first="Dante" last="Walls"] 6’3 Guard from Sacramento.</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Walls</strong> </em>put himself on the radar at a West Coast Showcase event last February. He’s a big guard, moves well, and showed himself to be a quality player in the 2024 class. He has a good set of skills, and plays with confidence on the court. He plays under control and uses his body to attack from different angles off the dribble. He has range out to the 3pt line on his shot. He’s on the Watch List.</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1124080" first="Tyler" last="Jones"] 6’0 PG of Archbishop Mitty HS.</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Jones</strong> </em>an improving player at the PG position. He has good voice command running the offense, along with a good set of physical tools to operate up top, he does a good job of using his body on the dribble. He has good vision often looking to feed the post or deliver a solid pass to shooters on the perimeter. His mid-range jumper is improving. He’ll be a key contributor for the Monarchs.</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1119258" first="Tyron" last="Jackson"] 6’1 Guard of Oakland Tech HS.</strong></em></p> <p>Every once in a while we stumble upon a player who makes a good contribution on the court, but it doesn’t show up in the stat sheet. <em><strong>Jackson</strong> </em>playing 15U falls into this category. Over time his offensive skill set will improve, for now he’s a tough competitor who worked as hard as any player while on the court defending, filling the lanes in transition, and rebounding against taller players. </p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1119280" first="Jamari" last="Widemon"] 6’5 PF of Berkeley HS</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Wideman</strong> </em>is strong, with good presence on the defensive side of the ball. He has good activity going after rebounds on both ends, and defending his position in the post. He’s still a bit raw in his overall game, but with continued development he has the body, and the strength to be an effective post player.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>