Fall College Showcase – Honorable Mention, Best Bigs

<p>This month’s Fall College Showcase featured about 90 individual players, who came from as far as Las Vegas, in the Gamepoint Facility in San Marcos. </p> <p>Co-hosted by Coastal Elite, Gamepoint and the Cali Rebels travel basketball organizations, many of the players were affiliated with those programs, while some came for additional exposure. </p> <p>At the end of the event, about 60 kids were selected for the Top 20, 40 and 60 games. </p> <p>We start the event breakdown with the first, second and third all-showcase teams, followed by reports looking at other standouts by position.</p> <h2>Fall College Showcase - Honorable Mention, Best Bigs </h2> <h3>Marley Gonzalez, 6-8 2022 F, Escondido Charter</h3> <p>Gonzalez’s game is unorthodox, but there are some things that college coaches will like. He has magnetic hands and soft touch around the basket, and the big-bodied post can step out and hit shots from the college three. He is nimble enough to beat bigs off the bounce in the halfcourt. He must get quicker laterally and improve his explosiveness to unlock more of his potential, but the intriguing thing about him is that he doesn’t turn 17 until this fall. </p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="970253" first="Vincent" last="Berlucchi"], 6-7 2022 F, La Costa Canyon</h3> <p>An athletic, rangy combo forward, Berlucchi is a decent slasher who impacts multiple facets of the game with his versatility. He’s at his best attacking closeouts and finishing off of one to two dribbles, which usually gets him at the rim. A streaky shooter, Berlucchi will hit the occasional corner three to keep defenses honest, but he needs to be more consistent. Additionally, he needs to have a more assertive approach on offense. </p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="971258" first="Braedyn" last="Benhard"], 6-7 2022 F, Santa Ana Foothill</h3> <p>Benhard made a splash in the top 60 game, throwing down a pair of vicious dunks in the half court. He’s a relentless, big-bodied forward who gets down hill and punishes defenders with his combination of strength and motor. He runs the floor with purpose, moves well without the ball and finishes very well around the hoop. </p> <h3>Prince Adjei, 6-8 2022 F, St. Augustine</h3> <p>Adjei, entering his final HS season, is still a player who is an unfinished product, but has some great building blocks. He’s got nice length, runs hard from rim to rim, and competes on the boards, especially on the offensive glass, where he can finish above the rim. I could see a junior college polishing him up and being a coveted prospect in a couple of years. </p> <h3>Lucas Gordon, 6-7 2022 F, San Marcos</h3> <p>Floor spacing forwards are the rage at the collegiate level, and Gordon fits that bill. A face-up four man who can stretch the floor off the catch, Gordon can also finish above the rim in transition and attack closeouts for baseline layups. Still growing into his body (was 5-10 as a freshman), Gordon’s lateral quickness and lack of strength are areas where he needs to improve. </p> <h3>Steve Latimer, 6-11 2022 C, Mission Vista</h3> <p>Latimer continues to steadily improve, and while he’s still got a ways to go, he plays hard, has nice touch on his hook shot and communicates on defense. He’s limited athletically (slow footed), but he does have upside for a D3 willing to work with him. </p>