Halloween Hoopfest 10/30 Pt. 3

<p>This past weekend, Fairfax High School played host to the Halloween Hoopfest presented by SoCal Academy, Team WhyNot, Harvard-Westlake High School, and St. Monica’s High School. The event featured some of the top talent in SoCal and served as a warmup to the regular season. The event was held from Oct. 29-31. I was able to attend the event on Oct. 30, and here’s a look at some of the top standouts I saw.</p> <p><strong>1. [player_tooltip player_id="970273" first="Dahnte" last="Russell"] - Harvard Westlake 2022</strong></p> <p>Russell is a player I’ve watched for the past couple of years since he was a freshman coming off the bench. He’s developed into a legit starting point guard now. He is the perfect floor leader. He keeps the ball moving offensively and he finds he openings in the defense to get the ball to open teammates. He doesn’t try to do too much; takes scoring opportunities when they come. Good defender too. </p> <p><strong>2. Angel Navarro - Simi Valley 2022</strong></p> <p>Navarro was one of the better scoring/shooting wings that I saw. He has deep range that extends past the high school three-point line. In the game I saw, he hit some big threes to keep Simi Valley in the game late. He steps into his shot well. He can hit pull-up jumpers in transition or he can put the ball on the floor and make a move off the dribble. Able to get to the rim. He’s a good ball-handler and can initiate the offense at times. </p> <p><strong>3. [player_tooltip player_id="974067" first="Jacob" last="Forster"] - Bishop Montgomery 2022</strong></p> <p>Forster is also a player I’ve watched play for a while now and he too is a legit starting caliber point guard. He isn’t going to do too much; he’ll run the team’s offense and do it effectively. He pushes the pace well and he’s a pass first guard; does a good job finding open teammates in halfcourt sets. He’s got a good catch and shoot game spotting up at the three-point line. He does a good job moving without the ball and floating to the arc to get open. Good ball-handler who handles defensive pressure well.</p> <p><strong>4. [player_tooltip player_id="1222428" first="AJ" last="Johnson"] - Taft 2023</strong></p> <p>Johnson was one of the most athletic players I saw. He’s able to switch between both guard positions; he’s a good ball-handler that is comfortable making plays for himself or for teammates. He can shoot off the dribble and hit step back jumpers over the defense. He’s very quick in transition and is a good finisher at the rim. He has consistent shooting range out to the three-point line.</p>