Bosco Winter Classic: Best Playmakers

<p>The 2021 Bosco Winter Classic hosted by St. John Bosco high school brought together some of Southern California’s top prep basketball programs. Damien, a projected CIF Southern Section Open Division playoff team, defeated the host Braves in the championship game to take home this year’s crown. We spent a couple of days checking out the action at SJB and here are the best playmakers we saw.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748773" first="Ben" last="Shtolzberg"]</strong>, 2022, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame - Shtolzberg’s size, strength and physicality, combined with his high motor and basketball IQ, make him a tough cover at the high school level. The 6-foot-4 Creighton-bound guard continues to show he’s more than a shooter and scorer with his passing ability in both transition and half-court settings.</p> <p><strong>Brandon Releford</strong>, 2022, Compton - Releford is a versatile guard who controls the action over at Compton High. The 6-foot-1 senior has a pass-first mentality and is always looking to set the table for his teammates. Releford can knock down open jumpers and drive to the rim for paint finishes, but his best trait is seeing the floor and making the right reads and plays.</p> <p><strong>Elzie Harrington</strong>, 2025, St. John Bosco - Harrington continues to trend as one of the top 2025 guards on the west coast and his starters minutes as a first-year player on a good team solidify that point. The 6-foot-4 signal caller plays with elite pace and the ability to change speeds and direction to avoid being sped up by defensive pressure. Harrington has that true point guard feel where he can see the game a few steps ahead of the defense and make the high IQ play.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748743" first="Jaayden" last="Bush"]</strong>, 2022, St. Anthony - Bush, who recently committed to play at Division II Dominican University, is one of the most steady and smart point guards in Southern California. The lefty limits turnovers, knows when to take advantage of transition opportunities and is a willing passer to shooters and his big man, [player_tooltip player_id="954255" first="Elijah" last="Price"], when those options are open. Bush has stepped up his scoring prowess so far this season which has only added to his positive on-court impact.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748747" first="Jeremy" last="Dent-Smith"]</strong>, 2022, Serra - We’ve always loved the way Dent-Smith can control the pace and tempo of a game and the poised senior point guard hasn’t changed that aspect of his game since his freshman season. The 6-footer isn’t the quickest or fastest player on the court, but his craftiness, ability to use his body to create space and keep defenders on his hip, and change of speeds allow him to get to his spots to score or set up a teammate.</p> <p><strong>Myles Che</strong>, 2022, Fairmont Prep - We’ve seen Che excel in a number of events this season and the Bosco Winter Classic was no different. Few Orange County guards can take the temperature of a team like Che does for Fairmont as he diagnoses when he needs to hit a big shot or when to find the hot hand of a teammate. Che runs the show well for the Huskies both when they are pushing the pace and when they are running half-court offense.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748777" first="RJ" last="Smith"]</strong>, 2022, Damien - While many are guilty of assuming the term "playmaker" means point guard or primary ball handler, Smith is the definition of a playmaker on the wing. The Colorado-bound senior is an elite transition scorer with his size, strength and athleticism, but he’s also a big time offensive rebounder who gets extra possessions for his team - and if you’ve seen Damien’s offense you know what it can do with extra possessions.</p>