OC Two-Step: First Five

<p>On Saturday, I took a quick drive up Interstate 5 to catch a couple of San Diego teams in action at two different locations: Christian faced Moorpark in the opening game of the BSN Showcase, and Lincoln played Mission Viejo in a nonleague match. </p> <p>And in between, I watched a very entertaining overtime game between two of the Southern Section’s most talented squads, Fairmont Prep and West Ranch. </p> <p>This is the first of three reports of standouts.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/IMG_9890.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1364739" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/IMG_9890-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <h3>James Evans, 6-5 2024 G/W, West Ranch</h3> <p>Evans hit the biggest shot of the day, a buzzer-beating triple to give West Ranch the overtime win over Fairmont Prep. A big-bodied combo guard has a unique blend of size, athleticism, quickness and strength that allows him to score from all three levels. His ability to finish through contact off of straight line drives in the halfcourt was particularly impressive. What was also impressive was that, given his ability to score whenever he wanted, he didn’t force the issue or hunt shots, proving to be a willing and effective passer in the half court and transition. </p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="954258" first="Chol" last="Deng"], 6-5 2022 W, Fairmont Prep</h3> <p>Deng had a very productive outing for the Huskies, scoring 24 points, grabbing (number) rebounds and dropping (assists). His athleticism pops off the charts as he is an explosive finisher in transition and in the half court off the bounce off of cuts to the basket. He showed his ability to create for others off the dribble drive feeding his teammates when the help collapsed on him, including a string of assists to shooters and slashers in the fourth quarter and OT. With the new normal of the transfer portal, there are fewer and fewer D1 opportunities for high school seniors in the late signing period, but Deng should be one of those exceptions. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/IMG_9880.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1364745" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/IMG_9880-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <h3>Lucas Fenske, 6-1 2023 SG, Moorpark</h3> <p>The Musketeers sharpshooter hit 8 threes in the win over Christian, and doesn’t need a ton of space to get his shot off because of his quick release. He’s constantly in motion on the floor, using sharp cuts and curls around screens to get the space he needs to get off his shot. Fenske does a good job attacking closeouts and efficiently getting into the paint (one or two dribbles max), and getting to the foul line on layup attempts. At this stage, he looks like a player who would thrive at the D3 ranks. </p> <h3>Kyelin King, 6-3 2024 G, Lincoln</h3> <p>Among the underclassmen on hand in both games, King’s performance was the most surprising, as he appears to have taken a big step forward from as recently as a month ago. A slasher who has a quick first step and is a crafty ball handler, King has made an adjustment to his shooting form that has increased his accuracy from three and midrange. Defenders have to honor it, which allows him greater room to do what he does best - attack the basket and finish through contact. He’s rapidly becoming one of the more gifted scoring guards in the class in Southern California.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/IMG_9903.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1364746" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/IMG_9903-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="994969" first="Isaiah" last="Tolmaire"], 5-8 2023 G, Mission Viejo</h3> <p>The undersized, but dynamic scoring guard had it working from deep and driving to the basket all game, scoring 32 points in the double OT win. A crafty ball handler who is difficult to contain when going to his right hand, Tolmaire was able to use his speed and handle to break Lincoln’s press and finish around the rim with a nice package of runners and floaters. He showed off range on his jump shot that extends well past the college three, hitting back-to-back threes from that distance to send the game to overtime. </p>