CdM Beach Bash: Top Playmakers

<p>NEWPORT BEACH — The Corona del Mar Beach Bash stepped up its overall competition level by adding a handful of SoCal powerhouse programs to its bracket. The outcome was business as usual, however, as Mater Dei took home the tournament championship with a win over Etiwanda.</p> <p>We weren’t able to see a true finish of the tournament due to Crean Lutheran being forced to drop out after its first game because of COVID-19 protocols, and Mater Dei and JSerra unable to play a "true" championship game due to being in the same league, but there was still plenty of talent to evaluate in the gym. Below are the best playmakers we saw during this event.</p> <p><strong>Aidan Fowler</strong>, 2024, JSerra - It was a productive weekend for the sophomore point guard who has burst onto the scene as a prospect to watch in Southern California’s 2024 class. The quick, 5-foot-11 playmaker scored a team-high 22 points in a semifinal win over Etiwanda as he carved up a normally stout backcourt defensive duo to get anywhere he wanted on the court. In addition to his scoring acumen, Fowler showed heady and high IQ decision-making both in transition and the half-court setting.</p> <p><strong>Blake Manning</strong>, 2023, Tesoro -  Manning is your prototypical game-managing point guard who plays the game with great pace and feel. The 6-footer doesn’t get sped up by pressure defense, always has his eyes up looking to advance the ball in transition and did a nice job of taking the temperature of his team and the situation to identify how he could help make winning plays.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748771" first="Gabriel" last="Quiette"]</strong>, 2022, Mater Dei - Quiette has shifted off the ball a little bit, but that move hasn’t taken away from his ability to set teammates up for good looks. The 6-foot-4 senior helps run the Monarchs’ intricate offense by knowing basically each position on the floor. Quiette is a versatile wing/guard who can probe the lane off the bounce and find an open teammate or find his own shot within the flow of the offense.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="996386" first="Jimmy" last="Baker"]</strong>, 2023, Etiwanda - Baker is one of the fastest guards - end to end - with the ball in his hands and his ability to blow-by defenders in transition and the half-court setting is crucial for the Eagles’ offense. The 6-foot junior is an elite athlete in the open court, an unselfish passer and a guy who can make things happen on the defensive end, as well.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="954242" first="Koat" last="Keat"]</strong>, 2022, Crean Lutheran - While Keat played only one game before Crean had to drop out of the event due to COVID-19 protocols, the 6-foot-8 wing proved in that Saints’ win that he was one of the better passers in the event. The UC Santa Barbara-commit has a combination of size, athleticism and ball skills that is difficult for most defenders to keep up with. He gets into the paint at-will and is sometimes unselfish to a fault when finding teammates for an open shot.</p>