Club Season Opening Weekend: Players to Track

<p>Southern California — The first weekend of club basketball kicked off in Southern California last weekend with three events sprinkled across the Southland. West Coast Elite held its OC Orange Bowl event in at AIM in Seal Beach, Dinos Trigonis had his Best of the West at McBride high school in Long Beach and Gerry Freitas had his Hoop Review at Get It Done Sports Arena in Corona. Here’s a look at some players to track for the rest of the spring and into the summer from these events.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1110580" first="Pearson" last="Carmichael"]</strong>, 2024, Players Play - Carmichael is a skilled 6-foot-6 wing who can score inside and out and thrives in a transition setting where he uses his length and speed to get out and finish on the break. The sophomore out of Summit high school in Oregon can play-make for himself and others off the bounce in the half-court setting.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994918" first="Devin" last="Curtis"]</strong>, 2023, West Coast Elite UAA 17u - Curtis has been a limited participant at Heritage Christian over the last couple of seasons due to injury and covid-related set-backs, but if this past weekend was any indication of his immense potential, he’s on track to see a ton of Division 1 interest once the live periods begin. While there’s no official measurement on Curtis, it wouldn’t surprise us if he was all of 6-feet-11, which is impressive seeing that he can stretch the floor to the three-point line and run the floor and finish like a guard.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994925" first="Dennis" last="Evans"]</strong>, 2023, Inland Elite - Evans put together an impressive junior campaign at Hillcrest high school in Riverside where he recorded multiple triple-doubles with points, rebounds and blocked shots. The 7-footer has impeccable timing as a rim protector and shot blocker and forces driving guards to alter their shots around the basket due to his size and length. Evans has an unorthodox left-handed scoring touch around the basket, but he gets it done with high percentage looks.</p> <p><strong>Terrence Hampton, Jr.</strong>, 2023, Two One Elite - Hampton is a strong, physical inside presence who uses his body well when establishing deep post position and finishing through contact. The 6-foot-6 four-man has advanced post footwork and can finish with power or finesse in the painted area. Hampton can also step out and knock down face-up shots out to 15 feet.</p> <p><strong>Seven Bahati</strong>, 2024, Belmont Shore - We haven’t seen Bahati since the fall after he transferred from Los Altos to newly-formed Donda Academy, but his game is much the same as we remembered. The 6-foot-4 swingman is one of the more athletic and explosive players in the class and his ability to cover ground and elevate in space makes him a tough cover, especially when he gets downhill on the break.</p>