Pangos Best of the West Shootout: Standouts

Joel Francisco

March 29, 2022 @ 07:49 PM

Pangos Best of the West Shootout: Standouts LONG BEACH, Ca—The spring is in full gear now that the high school playoffs are finished and it was time to take a short drive up to McBride Middle School for the Pangos Best of the West Shootout directed by grassroots guru Dinos Trigonis. There were a plethora of fine performances that caught my eye including the following: 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1409409" first="Isaiah" last="Lewis"] (Pangos Select), 2024 Styles Phipps (Belmont Shore), 2023 Will Smith (Belmont Shore Blue), 2025 <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ej-vernon/">[player_tooltip player_id="1417368" first="EJ" last="Vernon"]</a> (21 Elite 16u), and 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1114374" first="Malick" last="Diallo"] (Utah Mountain Stars). Styles Phipps (Belmont Shore / St. Mary’s) 2024, PG, 6-foot-3, 175 pounds Joel’s Take: Phipps, who is one of the more highly-rated guards in his class nationally pretty much did whatever he wanted to on the court. At this stage, he is primarily a scorer who can convert from all three levels and with aplomb. He gets to where ever he needs to go with his crafty handle and he can knock in jump shots from all over the court, including his nifty pull-up bank shot. Developing his facilitating skills in the half-court set will take his game to another level. [player_tooltip player_id="1114374" first="Malick" last="Diallo"] (Utah Mtn. Stars / Juan Diego) 2024, F, 6-foot-9, 220 pounds Joel’s Take: One of the more polished young “bigs” in the West is definitely Diallo. Although he isn’t a quick leaper, he does show good feet and excellent hands. His pivot work on the block is solid and he has a nose for the ball. Due to his length and IQ he is a capable rim protector and a productive rebounder. This no-nonsense power forward should be a must-get for the high majors. [player_tooltip player_id="1409431" first="Kyle" last="Evans"] (Cali Rebels / Santa Margarita) 2022, F, 6-foot-8, 200 pounds Joel’s Take: One of the more intriguing seniors in Southern California is Evans. The late-blooming 4-man is a quick-jumper who has soft hands, long arms and is active in the paint area. His frame is slowly adding strength and his pivot work and timing around the rim are impressive. It will be interesting to see what he chooses going forward because he is also a standout pitcher. Definite D1 sleeper here. [player_tooltip player_id="969235" first="Ashton" last="Wallace"] (Utah Mtn. Stars/ American Fork) 2023, G, 6-foot-4, 180 pounds Joel’s Take: One of the better all-around guards I witnessed at this event was Wallace. The well-rounded guard has an excellent build with good length and he plays with a bevy of moxie at both ends. He can pull up and knock in the 3-pointer, use his strength to finish through contact, and he moves very well without the ball.