So Cal Senior Showcase: AM Standouts

If you were a senior looking to find a landing spot at the next level, Santiago Canyon College was the place to be on March 20. That's where Bay Area hoops impresario Gerry Freitas hosted his So Cal Senior Showcase, a daylong event for unsigned seniors, post grad and a smattering of junior college hoopers. Freitas did an outstanding job with the coach's turnout: coaches from the Pac West, CCCA, CalPac, GSAC, SCIAC and almost every junior college in the state turned out for the affair. Here were some of my standouts from the morning games: <h2>Best player</h2> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG_6042-e1648768772707.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1417750" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG_6042-e1648768772707-300x257.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="257" /></a> <h3>Micah Pierce, 6-7 2022 F, PHhoenix Prep</h3> Pierce put together a whale of a first half against Lakeshow's Senior team, scoring 21 points and grabbing at least 8 rebounds. The four man scored it in traffic with either hand, stepped out and knocked down threes from college range and rebounded in the paint and outside of his area. He also flashed some strong athleticism with a couple of finishes above the rim. <h2>Speed to spare</h2> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG_6057-e1648768886397.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1417757" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG_6057-e1648768886397-300x259.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="259" /></a> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="1409443" first="Dillon" last="Botts"], 6-0 2022 G, Mayfair</h3> Built like a free safety, Botts covers ground like one as well on the defensive end, shooting passing lanes for steals and outpacing everyone in transition with his explosive speed. Very few guards can stay in front of him when he gets a step, and Botts can finish in the paint through contact with the best of them. Based on raw athleticism alone Botts should get next level looks, where a program will be able to refine the rest of his skill set. <h2>Gamer guards from the Bay</h2> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG_6043-1-e1648769036420.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-1417762 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG_6043-1-e1648769036420-300x261.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="261" /></a><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG_6044-e1648769102607.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-1417764 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG_6044-e1648769102607-300x240.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="240" /></a> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="1376405" first="Trey" last="Knight"], 6-0 2022 G, Moreau Catholic and [player_tooltip player_id="1254027" first="Miles" last="Klapper"], 6-2 PG, Serra</h3> As good as Pierce as for the the AZ Select team in the first half, Knight and Klapper were his equals for Lakeshow Seniors in the second. Knight, and undersized combo guard, is a knockdown spot-up shooter who showed he could get into the lane and finish or make plays off of two feet. The lefty Klapper started off the game creating many of the open looks for Knight, making very good skip passes or lift passes out of the pick and roll. Down the stretch, he was able to get into the paint and make an array of crafty finishes around the rim. There's a college level for both of these underrated talents. <h2>Bakersfield Christian's dynamic duo</h2> <h3>Erick Chaney, 6-1 2022 G and Jackson Tucker, 6-4 2022, Bakersfield Christian</h3> Coming off of a Central Section Division 1 title, Chaney and Tucker looked to boost their stock in the eyes of coaches, and both helped themselves out with their play early on. Chaney, a stocky scoring combo guard, is a sharpshooter off the catch but does a lot of his damage off of screen and roll, where he can knock down shots from three, his pull-ups from midrange (excellent mechanics) or absorb contact around the basket and finish. Tucker his a pogo stick with excellent length, and looks the part of a strong wing prospect. He pursues rebounds well for a guard, and also can knock down shots off the catch or explode at the rim and finish with authority. Neither will be unsigned much longer. <h2>Underrated Arizona wings</h2> [gallery columns="2" link="file" size="medium" ids="1417748,1417743"] <h3>Evan Clayton, 6-4 2022 SG, Arcadia and Jason Parent, 6-5 2022 W, Prescott</h3> Both Clayton and Parent had some strong moments for the AZ Select Seniors team, impacting the game in different ways. Clayton is a more fluid shooting guard who can knock down shots from deep, has some underrated passing and playmaking ability, and uses his length and footwork as a more than capable perimeter defender, both on and away from the ball. Parent has a chiseled, physical frame and does most of his work getting downhill and finishing through contact or getting to the foul line. A great athlete, he's a threat to finish above the rim off of straight line drives and in transition. And on defense, his physicality and great lateral quickness make him a tough on-ball defender. This name might date me a bit, but there's a lot of Matt Harpring in his game. <h2>Game over Height: Marina's solid guard tandem</h2> <h3>Kylle Magdangal, 5-11 2022 PG and [player_tooltip player_id="748736" first="Robert" last="Aguirre"], 6- 2022 G</h3> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG_6034-crop-1613x1059-1648768046.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1417738" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG_6034-crop-1613x1059-1648768046-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG_6033-crop-1742x1144-1648768112.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1417740" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/IMG_6033-crop-1742x1144-1648768112-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> When I first arrived at the gym, I stumbled on the Los Alamitos/ Marina combo team against a seemingly more athletic and bigger looking Be Skilled Prep, and thought the latter team was blowing out the high school group. After a couple of buckets by Magdangal and Aguirre, it was clear both were dominating the affair. Magdangal, who's father is a Philippines Basketball Association legend, has excellent quickness off the bounce and is a crafty and creative finisher around the basket, in addition to having eyes in the back of his head as a passer. His defense on the ball is scrappy and productive. Aguirre, who has been a standout on the varsity level for four years, is known as a knockdown shooter, but showed drastic improvement handling the ball and scoring off the bounce with nice burst. Both will always have to deal with the stigma of being smallish for their position, but they're good players and there's a level for them to shine.