Wright’s Weekly Review

Britt Wright January 24, 2022 @ 10:06 PM

January 17-22 PH was at several gyms in NorCal to evaluate players we haven’t seen much of. We try to evaluate as many prospects as we can in NorCal. On Tuesday we were in Walnut Creek for a Diablo-Foothill League match up between Miramonte (16-2), and the host Northgate (15-2) . Northgate would get the win 60-54. Here’s a few standouts from the Northgate team. Thane Merrill 6’5 2022 SG of Northgate. Merrill one of the more underrated shooters we have in NorCal has been putting up good numbers this season. He’s a player with a good shooting stroke who can knock down 3ptrs regularly if not guarded closely. He had the hot hand early knocking down shots in the opening qtr. to get his team off to a good start. He finished with 14pts 3 three’s. [player_tooltip player_id="947826" first="Brady" last="Cook"] 6’3 CG 2022 of Northgate Cook has been a reliable playmaker over the past couple of seasons. He knows how to play the point guard position. He’s a quality handler with good vision and passing that gets players involved. He’s been more aggressive this season as he’s been scoring at a good rate. In this game he hit crucial free throws down the stretch 9 of 10 to win a close one. 14pts. Dylan Golan 5’10 2022 PG of Northgate Golan is a tough and determined guard who can handle the contact going strong to the basket. He has a good pull up jumper in the key. He handles ball pressure on the way up court, and has good vision and passing spotting teammates on the drive and kick. Luke Joseph 6’2 2022 G/F of Northgate. Joseph is a strong and muscular player who moves well on the court. He might be a glue guy or a player who just goes out and plays the game hard. He was effective inside working for rebounds and put backs. He filled the lanes in transition, had good drives to the basket and played good defense. He was the leading scorer on his team with 16pts.   Wednesday we landed at Archbishop Riordan(9-5) for a WCAL match up that saw the visitors from Archbishop Mitty (11-4) hand the Crusaders a tough home loss 56-46. The Mitty Seniors showed leadership and hot shooting from Aiden Burke. The 6’3 2022 guard was the best player on the court in the 2nd half. He knocked down three 3-Ptrs in the 3rd and 17 in the half to end with 20pts and the win. Isaiah Cabebe a 5’9 2022 point guard consistently delivered passes to teammates in good position to score.   Friday in the West Alameda County -Foothill League we saw Piedmont (8-7) cruise past a young San Leandro 79-51. [player_tooltip player_id="1112640" first="Jojo" last="Murphy"] is in constant motion as he probes and looks for ways to beat his man off the dribble anywhere on the court, in which he does often with his quality handles and pace, using his stop and go to freeze defenders or his crossover to get into the paint. He hits long 3’s in rhythm, and has good lift on his mid-range. He’s an excellent passer. 20pts. A.j. Harris 6’5 2023 G/F of Piedmont is a versatile type player. He’s a polished player with a good understanding of the game. He’s a threat to do something positive when the balls in his possession. He has good handles, vision and passing skills. He’s constantly on the look for open teammates. He made shots from the 3, he hit a few elbow jumpers after facing up, and he’s got some size and toughness to hold his own in the post. He had five 3’s, and 23pts. Spencer Shonnard 6'2 2024 SG of San Leandro Shonnard has good speed and looks to shoot his shot when the opportunity arises. He has a good set of moves to get his shot off. His handles are okay, and he can get inside for looks. He has a mid-range shot he likes to shoot with a step back at times. He can hit the 3-ptr on the catch and shoot, or in transition. 12pts Kenneth Cervantes 6'4 2023 F of San Leandro Cervantes is a big thick player who actively goes after rebounds on both ends of the court. He's strong and has good bounce and balance going up. He's a physical player who's offense isn't there yet, he does have a jump hook. He'll defend hard in the paint, and go after blocks. His points came on the put back. He gave good effort off the bench.