Classic at Damien: Freshmen Standouts (Pt. 2)
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…
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Continue ReadingLA 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 a few freshmen who are guys to watch now and to keep track of in the future.
Gerald Perry, Jr., San Joaquin Memorial – Perry doesn’t have as big of a role as some of the other great first-year high schoolers on this list, but he showed some flashes of upside in the minutes we saw him play over the course of this event. The 6-foot-2 off-guard has intriguing length and fluid but bouncy athleticism for a young prospect and showed good feel for the game when slashing off the ball for interior baskets.
Isaac Williamson, Riverside Poly – Williamson looks to be a premier up-and-coming shooter in the 2025 class. We’ve seen him multiple times this season and each time he’s hit multiple three-pointers with fluid and balanced form. Williamson didn’t have his best shooting game a semifinal game against Damien, but he hit a momentum-changing triple late in the fourth quarter to help the Bears advance to the Platinum Division championship.
Jovani Ruff, Long Beach Poly – Ruff, much like Burries and Harrington, is in a really good spot to get meaningful varsity minutes as a starter. The 6-foot-4 combo guard came into high school lauded for his smooth scoring ability from multiple levels of the floor, but it’s the evolution of his overall floor game that had us impressed this week. Ruff spends a lot of time as Poly’s primary ball handler and, when in pick-and-roll action, does a nice job of snaking his way into the lane for a mid-range jumper or makes a good decision or read.
Kade Bonam, St. John Bosco – Though Bonam still has plenty of room to grow his game and plenty of time to do that, he has a Draymond Green-like impact for St. John Bosco. The 6-foot-7 forward plays with a high basketball IQ and his level of skill at his size makes him even that more difficult to cover. Bonam has the ball skills and decision-making to lead a fast-break and make good decisions with the ball, but can also score on the low block and stretch the floor to the three-point line.
Parker Steffen, Rancho Christian – Steffen is another wired-to-score guards for the Eagles who is in a great place to learn the intricacies of the point guard position with head coach Ray Barefield and assistant CJ James mentoring him for the next four years. Steffen has shooting ability both off the catch and off the dribble and can score with creativity around the basket, as well.