Classic at Damien: Stock Raisers (Pt. 2)

<p>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 players who raised their stock in front of college coaches and scouts.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994948" first="Kenny" last="Manzi"]</strong>, Rolling Hills Prep - The Huskies are in good hands when Stanford-bound guard [player_tooltip player_id="748749" first="Benny" last="Gealer"] graduates and Manzi is next in line to lead Harvey Kitani’s squad. The 6-foot-7 forward is such a good finisher around the rim due to his combination of interior footwork, ambidextrous touch and awareness on the block. In addition to his paint scoring prowess, the junior can step out and knock down face-up perimeter shots.</p> <p><strong>Liam Campbell</strong>, Owyhee (ID) - Campbell picked up a couple of scholarship offers and a ton of interest with his performance at The Classic. The 6-foot-5 sophomore averaged 27 points per game during the tournament and showed his versatile scoring package. Campbell, who spent his freshman season in Southern California at Harvard-Westlake, is a fearless two-way player who is always in attack mode on the offensive end and can create shots for himself and teammates off the dribble.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994931" first="Martin" last="Gumwel"]</strong>, Rancho Christian - Gumwel has been a regionally known prospect from his time at small school Calvin Christian in Escondido, but after transferring to Rancho Christian and becoming eligible after the CIF Southern Section mandated sit out period, Gumwel was able to show his abilities on a bigger stage. The 7-footer is an athletic and high motor player whose impact his felt on both ends of the floor. His defensive prowess is due to obvious reasons: his size, length and ability to change, contest, block and deter shots around the basket. Offensively Gumwel is a raw talent on the block, but his rim-running and activity on the offensive glass translates to all levels.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="972530" first="Payden" last="White"]</strong>, Riverside Poly - White picked up a couple of solid Division II offers last week and it as all thanks to his exceptional play in helping lead the Bears to the Platinum Division championship game. The 6-foot-5 wing is a versatile inside-out scorer whose perimeter skill-set and shooting abilities have come a long way since we first saw him as a freshman at Corona Centennial. White scores efficiently, can guard multiple positions and is a good rebounder for his size at both ends of the floor.</p> <p><strong>Rodney Brown</strong>, Rancho Christian - Brown has always been an intriguing prospect because of his size, length and skill-set as a 6-foot-6 quasi point guard, but he’s adding some consistent scoring punch and playmaking on the offensive end which is turning him into a bonafide Division I priority recruit. The junior is a smooth ball handler and high IQ playmaker/passer who has a blend of unselfishness to go along with the feel to know what his team needs at key moments of the game.</p>