Second Live Period: Day 1 Standouts

<p>The second evaluation period in SoCal was chaotic to say the least, as at least six showcases and live-period events took place throughout the region. </p> <p>I had a chance to attend four of the events, primarily focused on San Diego teams, but had a chance to watch quite a bit of basketball. </p> <p>On Night 1, I attended games at The Stage in Anaheim, CA, and the SoCal Live event in Garden Grove, CA. Here are my standouts:</p> <h3>Clark Holden, 6-1 2022 G, California Stars Grey</h3> <p>While his teammates Henry Palmer and Pawllos Habtom (both 2021 graduates who did a post grad year) were the primary catalysts in the team’s win over Players Play, Holden was equally impactful on both ends. A long, explosive athlete, Holden was disruptive at the top of the team’s zone trap, getting deflections that led to run-out layups. Holden in the halfcourt can score it from three and showed the ability to stop on a dime and knock down midrange pull-up jumpers. </p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="1434428" first="Shea" last="Fitzgerald"], 6-2 2023 PG, Players Play Elite</h3> <p>Fitzgerald is the consummate point guard that gets his team into their offensive sets, knocks down open shots from beyond the college three, and can score in the chest of defenders off the bounce. His ability to score through contact is very impressive (good body control and hang time). His impact on his team was magnified in the minutes where he was out, as the team struggled to negotiate the Cali Stars pressure. A high academic prospect, Fitzgerald more than acquitted himself on opening night. </p> <h3>Thomas Fleming, 6-2 2023 SG, Players Play Elite</h3> <p>Fitzgerald’s high-school back court mate, Fleming came out the gate on fire, scoring 8 of his team’s first 10 points. The sharpshooter doesn’t need a ton of space to get his shot off from the perimeter, but I was just as impressed with his rebounding, pursuit of 50/50 balls and helpside defense. </p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="1409388" first="Sebastian" last="Medina"], 6-4 2022 G, Border Boyz</h3> <p>Medina and his teammates were a late add to the event, and came out on fire in a blowout win over an Open Gym squad. Medina plays with great pace and does a good job getting into the paint and setting the table for his teammates with pinpoint passes. He can score it from three levels and does it efficiently. He’d be a late signing period steal at this stage. </p> <h3>JJ Sanchez, 6-4 2025 F, Southbay Show</h3> <p>The big-bodied forward did a lot of the little things - and plenty of big things - to help his team get a close win over a solid UBC Elite team. Sanchez is a unique and intriguing prospect who possesses elite feel and footwork that allows him to score and make plays for his teammates despite only having pedestrian lateral quickness and athleticism. </p> <h3>Alek Sanchez, 6-3 2025 G, Southbay Show</h3> <p>The twin brother of JJ has a very different body than his brother, but is equally impactful with his passing and craftiness. The lefty made several key plays down the stretch that led to layups for his teammates to secure the victory. He struggles against athleticism and length at times (turned it over against the full-court press), but in the halfcourt, his IQ, understanding of angles and crafty scoring + knockdown open shooting make him a very tough cover at this level. </p>