Diablo Inferno: 2022 Standouts (Pt. 1)

<p>MISSION VIEJO — Fairmont Prep and Capistrano Valley Christian would have met in the Diablo Inferno tournament championship game had they not been in the same league. What would have been a great Saturday match-up will have to wait until January 11, 2022 when the Huskies travel to play the Eagles in San Joaquin League play. In this piece we take an overall look at the top senior class perfomers from last week’s Diablo Inferno tournament hosted by Mission Viejo high school.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748744" first="Aden" last="Casarez"]</strong>, Fountain Valley - The Barons went 2-2 on the week with wins over Beckman and Mission Viejo and losses to Capistrano Valley Christian and Fairmont Prep. Casarez is and will continue to be a key cog in the Barons’ success because of his ability to stretch the floor to the 3-point line. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard went 6-for-6 from deep to help Fountain Valley hold off Beckman, 64-61, in the tournament’s opening game, finishing with 24 points.</p> <p><strong>Bence Duka</strong>, Capistrano Valley Christian - Duka is an imposing low-block presence for the Eagles at 6-feet-8 and what looks to be a solid 220 pounds. The forward/center has good footwork and feel in the post with soft hands and touch to go with it around the basket. Duka also showed the ability to hit face-up shots out to the 17-foot mark of the floor which was key to opening up driving lanes for his teammates. The senior scored 14 points in a big win over Fountain Valley and added 14 with 13 rebounds in Saturday’s win over Beckman.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="954258" first="Chol" last="Deng"]</strong>, Fairmont Prep - Deng was named the tournament MVP and it was easy to see why. The 6-foot-5 wing was scoring in every way imaginable and made an impact on the defensive end of the floor with his length, lateral speed and shot blocking/altering from the wing position. Deng is an elite slasher and finisher in transition and in the half-court setting due to his quickness and length when getting to the rim. Deng scored 28 points in an impressive semifinal win over Valley Christian. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1139169" first="Dowon" last="Kim"]</strong>, Beckman - Kim has a heavy load to carry on his shoulders for the Patriots and he does a nice job of running their fast-paced offense. The 5-foot-10 point guard has impressive speed in transition and is difficult for opponents to keep from getting paint touches. Kim has a variety of ways he can finish around the basket and he’s always looking for drive-and-kick opportunities for teammates.</p> <p><strong>Dylan Schmidt</strong>, Arroyo Grande - The 6-foot-2 forward isn’t your traditional forward in the sense of "power" forward or "small" forward, but instead he’s a guy you can put just about anywhere and he will make things happen. Schmidt has a really good feel with his back to the basket and can score on the block with either hand, but he can also initiate offense and make high IQ decisions when handling the ball in the half-court setting. Schmidt turned in a do-it-all performance in a win over Mission Viejo.</p>