Classic at Damien: Best Duo’s (Pt. 1)

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">LA VERNE — The 5th annual Classic at Damien post-Christmas tournament is one of the best venues to watch many of the top teams and players in the state. This year’s event was no different, and despite some late and in-tournament drops, we were still able to get a good look at a ton of prospects from SoCal and beyond. In this piece we take a look at the best one-two punches from the tournament. </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Andrej Stojakovic </strong>and<strong> Jayden Teat</strong>, Jesuit - This Northern California duo is kind of a power and finesse combination with Stojakovic being a fluid and smooth floor stretcher from three-point range and Teat, a 6-foot-2 point guard, looking to use his speed and strong frame to get into the lane and create for himself and others. The 6-foot-7 Stojakovic, son of former NBA player Peja Stojakovic, had a bit of a coming out party on a big stage, impressing scouts with his combination of size, length and shooting ability.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748749" first="Benny" last="Gealer"]</strong> and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="994948" first="Kenny" last="Manzi"]</strong>, Rolling Hills Prep - The Gealer and Manzi combo helped lead the Huskies to the Gold Division semifinals as an inside-out scoring duo. All of Southern California knows how electric of a three-level scorer Gealer is but Manzi turned a lot of heads with his productivity. The 6-foot-7 junior forward has great touch around the basket with either hand, can hit face-up jump shots out to 17-feet and rebounds well both in and out of his area.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="972408" first="Chance" last="Stephens"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="972530" first="Payden" last="White"]</strong>, Riverside Poly - Stephens and White are perhaps the most underrated duo in Southern California. Stephens, a 6-foot-2 Rhode Island-signee, is one of the best catch and shoot threats in the region as he boasts deep and consistent range in addition to a shot that rarely touches the rim when it goes in. White is more of the dirty work side of this lethal combination. He slashes and finishes, guards multiple positions, protects the rim and uses his versatility to be effective on both ends.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="992482" first="Darius" last="Carr"]</strong> and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="994964" first="Tyler" last="Rolison"]</strong>, St. Bernard - Carr and Rolison - individually - represent two of the best guards in the region, so you can imagine what that means while they are teamed up on the court. The 6-foot-3 Carr is great at stretching the floor off the ball in either corner and can complete strong drives to the rim by finishing around, over or through contact. Rolison’s ultimate confidence at the point guard position is the engine that makes the Vikings go. The 6-foot point guard is a relentless attacker of the basket who can hit tough floaters and layups in addition to pull-up three’s and mid-range jumpers.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="970280" first="Donovan" last="Dent"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="992480" first="Jared" last="McCain"]</strong>, Corona Centennial - Dent and McCain present and interesting dynamic that is difficult for most high school programs to guard. Dent, the 6-foot-1 senior heading to New Mexico, is as fast and shifty as they come and he gets into the lane whenever he wants where he finishes fearlessly over rim protectors. McCain is one of the best spot-up shooters in the country and can create for himself and others off the bounce with his high basketball IQ.</span></p>