Cali Live Opening Night standouts

<p>After getting off of work, I headed up to Orange County for opening night of the live period, and there was no better place to spend it than at the Cali Live Showcase. Wednesday night’s showcase games pitted some of the event’s top teams - and prospects - against each other in eight games at Orange Lutheran HS. </p> <p>Here were some of my standouts from the night that was. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/IMG_4695-crop-1675x1100-1657483023.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1507386" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/IMG_4695-crop-1675x1100-1657483023-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <h3>Liam Campbell, 6-5 2024 SG, Select Basketball</h3> <p>Campbell got off to a strong start in Select’s win over Rampage, scoring from every level en route to 15 first-half points. Campbell does a great job getting to his spots on the court, moving without the ball and finding open holes in the defense, using his dribble efficiently to get to scoring spots. Almost every shot he takes is a high-percentage look. Campbell is also a very underrated passer in the half court and throws crisp outlet passes in transition. Fundamentally, he’s as sound of a scorer and player as you’ll see, but it doesn’t take away from his ability to take over a game. </p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1507391" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/IMG_4697-crop-1859x1221-1657483095-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <h3>Will Heimbrodt, 6-8 2022 PF, Rampage Basketball</h3> <p>An intriguing unsigned prospect that is reclassifying into 2023, Heimbrodt has nice size, athleticism and an intriguing inside-out skill set that makes him fit for the modern game at the four spot. He got going late in the first half against Select by hitting a step back three off a crossover dribble, dunking on a baseline drive and then catching a lob for a dunk off of a set play. He’s loose with the ball and can be turnover prone when driving through traffic, but if he can shore that up during his post-grad year, he’s a D1 prospect for sure. </p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1507396" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/IMG_4761-crop-1855x1218-1657483226-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="1081858" first="Isaiah" last="Miranda"], 7-0 2023 C, Rhode Island Elite</h3> <p>Miranda came into the game against the California Stars with a lot of buzz after a strong performance at an earlier showcase, and displayed some of those traits here - albeit in flashes. At 7-feet tall, very few prospects are as coordinated and handle the ball as fluidly as he can on the perimeter, and his long strides allow for him to make some pretty unreal plays off the bounce in half court and transition. He has the ability to stretch the defense from three as well, but he’s best when he is imposing himself in the paint. Defensively, he has the markings of an elite shot blocking presence due to his length and timing. The biggest area he must work on is his maturity. He made several sophomoric non-basketball plays that resulted in technical fouls that changed the tenor of the game. </p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="1434421" first="Jaqari" last="Miles"], 6-3 2023 G, California Stars</h3> <p>Coming off the bench for the loaded Cali Stars team, Miles took the game over in the second half with his play out of the pick and roll set. A crafty guard who can play at multiple speeds, Miles’ ability to attack ball screens in either direction is impressive. Once he gets the defense on his hip, he does a good job keeping them there until he is prepared to score or drop a nifty dime to his teammates. Added to the fact that he’s a dead-eye shooter from deep off the catch or off the dribble, it’s easy to see why a flank of D1 coaches were monitoring him. </p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1507394" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/IMG_4759-crop-1950x1281-1657483162-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <h3>Goktug Gucoglu, 6-3 2023 G, Cali Rebels Elite</h3> <p>One of the more underrated rising seniors in Southern California is Gucoglu, a Turkish native who really helped himself with his performance in a win over Rampage. Defensively, he is relentless, has excellent footwork and lateral quickness and is physical on the ball. Offensively, he’s a pure shooter with a picturesque and rapid-fire release, who can also score proficiently off the bounce with his dominant hand. He’s looking more and more like a D1 prospect each time I see him. </p> <h3>Austin Maurer, 6-11 2024 C, Oakland Soldiers 16u EYBL</h3> <p>Maurer, who plays for Cascade Christian HS in Oregon, is an intriguing prospect because of his productivity. An athletic four man with excellent hands, he makes up for his narrow shoulders and lack of elite length by moving well without the ball, catching everything and showing soft touch around the basket, or finishing forcefully  - and quickly - above the rim. One area that I really was impressed was with his second jump, which allows him to impact the boards on both ends. </p>