Ron Massey Fall Hoops Classic: 5 Takeaways

<p>LONG BEACH, Calif. — Last weekend’s Ron Massey Memorial Fall Hoops Classic brought together many of Southern California’s top high school basketball programs, in addition to two of the best teams Nevada has to offer in Bishop Gorman and Liberty. The event featured a "Challenge of Champions" bracket which ran Saturday and Sunday and individual showcase games which took place on Saturday only. Bishop Gorman defeated Mater Dei in the Challenge of Champions title game. Below are our five takeaways from the event.</p> <p><strong>Bishop Gorman looks poised for another state title</strong></p> <p>The Gaels cruised to the Ron Massey FHC Challenge of Champions title behind a disciplined and well-balanced attack that will give in-state teams problems in the upcoming season. Gorman has a duo of talented young guards in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="986956" first="Jase" last="Richardson"]</strong> and <strong>John Mobley, Jr.</strong> and solid wing and front court pieces in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1041560" first="Darrion" last="Williams"]</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="859642" first="Ryan" last="Abelman"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="766852" first="James" last="Freeman"]</strong>. Richardson, the son of former NBA player Jason Richardson, is a smooth left-handed combo guard who is great at slashing his way to the rim for easy paint buckets. The sophomore showcased his high basketball IQ and really did a nice job of letting the game come to him. Mobley is more of a score-first guard who is a lethal shooter from three-point range. Him, alongside Abelman, a sharpshooting 6-foot-4 wing, will make the Gaels difficult to guard. The 6-foot-7 Williams paired with fellow senior and 6-foot-6 forward [player_tooltip player_id="766852" first="James" last="Freeman"] gives Gorman an undersized - relative to what we’re used to from it - front-court that features a bouncy, dirty work player in Freeman and a tough, physical and skilled player in Williams.</p> <p><strong>No marquee player, but Mater Dei is still a team to beat</strong></p> <p>For as long as we can remember, the Monarchs are always in the conversation as a team vying for Southern Section and state titles and that usually comes with one, two or three marquee type players that make them so difficult to beat. The 2021-22 season will be a little different in the fact that Mater Dei doesn’t have that one "alpha" type of guy on its roster. Instead, the Monarchs have a variety of players who will contribute to its winning ways this year. Six-foot-6 senior wing <strong>Kaden Minter</strong> is emerging as a capable scoring threat with his ability to stroke the three-ball at a high percentage clip. Sophomore forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994920" first="Zack" last="Davidson"]</strong> is an inside-out scoring threat whose size and versatility screams  match-up nightmare on most nights. Senior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748761" first="Jack" last="McCloskey"]</strong>, a transfer from Trinity League rival Santa Margarita, brings positional size and playmaking and shot-making ability to the front-court. Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748771" first="Gabriel" last="Quiette"]</strong> is a solid decision-maker and really good on-ball and team defender. Sophomore guard <strong>Brady Karich</strong> rounded out the Monarchs’ starting lineup over the weekend and played under control while running the Mater Dei offense.</p> <p><strong>Bishop Montgomery is good now; will be even better next season</strong></p> <p>One of the most well-coached programs in the state has a ridiculous amount of 2023 talent on its roster. The Knights will be vying for an Open Division spot this season and are led by senior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748781" first="Jalen" last="Vazquez"]</strong> and senior shooting guard <strong>Kris Krause</strong>, but look for their success to roll over into the 2022-2023 season, as well. Juniors<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="994924" first="Xavier" last="Edmonds"]</strong>, <strong>Will Smith</strong>, <strong>Will Brenner</strong>, <strong>Christian Jones</strong> and <strong>Kelcy Phipps</strong> will all see major playing time this season and return the following year with a ton of high level experience under their belts.</p> <p><strong>St. John Bosco loaded up on freshman talent</strong></p> <p>Bosco coach Matt Dunn has plenty of talented upperclassmen to rely on this year, but it’s clear the Braves were looking toward the future with the three very good freshmen who enrolled at the Bellflower-based school this year. It all starts with 6-foot-4 point guard <strong>Elzie Harrington</strong>, whose gifted feel for the game, high basketball IQ and command for the position at such a young age will make him a highly-recruited player very soon if he isn’t already. <strong>Kade Bonam</strong> is the second member of the touted 2025 class at SJB and the 6-foot-7 forward is a skilled low block prospect with fundamental footwork, great hands, and is showing early signs of being a good positional and team defender. <strong>Jaison Joyce</strong> might not get as much playing time as Harrington and Bonam this season, but his wiry 6-foot-7 frame, combined with his fluid athleticism and activity on both ends of the floor make him a prospect to watch over the next four years.</p> <p><strong>Liberty’s Jefferson a major stock raiser out west</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="787643" first="Joshua" last="Jefferson"]</strong> has always been a Division I caliber recruit because of his vast offensive skill-set at his size, but the improvements he’s made to his body have bolstered his case for being a top big man on the west coast. The 6-foot-9 power forward has back-to-the-basket skill with touch with either hand, can step out and knock down the face-up 15 footer and three-point shot, knocks down free throws at a high percentage and, probably most impressively, is a great passer out of the low and high posts. Jefferson did a great job of drawing double teams and then found cutters and shooters for open shots. The senior is being recruited heavily by UNLV, Utah State and St. Mary’s, but should see more college suitors coming his way this season.</p>