The Holiday Classic: Day 1 standouts, Part 1

<p>The Torrey Pines Tournament got off to a solid start in spite of the turmoil surrounding teams withdrawing due to COVID-19 protocols. Some teams were shorthanded, others were just getting back to full strength. But it still made for quality basketball for the first day of the four-day basketball event.</p> <p>Here were a few of the standouts on Day 1, from the games I watched:</p> <p>The Holiday Classic, Day 1 standouts, Part 1:</p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1357265" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/IMG_8868-crop-1783x1171-1640982404-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <p>Zoom Diallo, 6-4 2024 G, Curtis (WA)</p> <p>Coaches were at St Augustine to watch his teammate, 2023 Tyce Paulsen. Diallo took advantage of the spotlight and put on a dominant performance. A long, athletic and wiry combo guard prospect, Diallo is a strong finisher in traffic, has a deep bag of floaters and runners off of one or two feet, an adept passer and can knock down open threes. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of his game is defensively, where he has potential to be a lockdown defender due to his length, athleticism and lateral quickness. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="994926" first="Angelo" last="Gil"], 6-1 2023 PG, Mission Bay</p> <p>Gil was impressive in the losing effort against Curtis, especially in the first half. He does a good job not forcing the issue, playing with good pace, and knocking down midrange pull-up jump shots with consistency. He gets to his spots in the paint and hits shooters with clean passes in their shooting pocket. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="971187" first="Justin" last="White"], 6-6 2022 PF, Mission Hills</p> <p>The shorthanded Grizzlies needed a big performance from White, and he delivered, scoring at will and through contact in the paint and knocking down midrange jumpers from 15-17 feet. And down the stretch, when the Grizzlies needed key free throws, White was automatic, going a perfect 6-6 in the final two minutes. From a physical standpoint, White has gotten trimmer and more explosive from even a year ago, and looks the part of a D2 four man. </p> <p>Mark Reichner, 6-2 2022 G, San Juan Hills</p> <p>Reichner is a positionless "basketball player" who is super productive. He moves well without the ball, and scores most of his buckets on back door drives and quick hitters from the mid post. He’s a very solid finisher in transition through contact. Defensively, he can guard multiple positions on the floor due to his strength and athleticism. Overall, a very good day at the office for the underrated senior. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="748757" first="Jaden" last="LeBel"], 6-4 2022 G, Cathedral Catholic </p> <p>Lebel put on a show in the Dons win over Notre Dame (AZ), especially in the second half, when he was able to score seemingly at will off the bounce and from the perimeter. Lebel’s ability to get downhill in transition is particularly impressive, and he changes release points on his layups to evade defenders. He can knock down the three off the catch or the hesitation dribble, and can gethot in a hurry. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>