West Coast Classic CA Saturday Standouts Pt. 1

<p>This past week kicked off the July live period with numerous events being hosted in Southern California. AIM Sportsplex in Seal Beach, CA played host to the West Coast Classic held from July 6-10. The event featured teams from Northern and Southern California as well as from out of state. I was able to attend the event on Saturday, July 9 and I focused on the CA teams. Here’s a look at some of the top standouts that I saw.</p> <p><strong>1. Malik Larane - Palmdale 2023/WCE 17U Valley Swilling</strong></p> <p>Larane is a big guard who can play both the one and the two. He’s comfortable controlling the tempo of the game as the primary ball-handler. He was definitely a pass-first player in the game I saw but he took advantage of his scoring opportunities too. He has a nice pull-up jumper in the midrange and he can get to the rim and finish. Can shoot it consistently from three-point range. Defensively, he has quick hands and does a good job getting in the passing lanes.</p> <p><strong>2. Tyler Matthews - Redlands Showtime (Boys Open)</strong></p> <p>Matthews was a bit of a 4/5 combo with some wing skills. He’s tall enough to play the five in high school ball but is more of a forward. Most of his scoring came from off-ball movement. He made good cuts around the rim and teammates found him a couple of times in the dunker spot for an easy two. He can stretch the floor with his three-point shooting too. A good rebounder who can tip the ball to himself in traffic. He’s long and athletic and did a good job challenging shots at the rim.</p> <p><strong>3. Andy Porcayo - Village Christian 2025/WCE 15U Valley Johnson</strong></p> <p>This was my second time seeing Porcayo play and he is a quick guard with good court awareness. He’s a good ball-handler who can dribble under defensive pressure and get past his defender without a screen. He has good body control at the rim and does a good job drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line. Crafty finisher in traffic. He’s quick off the dribble and can hit the little pull-up jumper in transition.</p> <p><strong>4. [player_tooltip player_id="994910" first="Kory" last="Blunt"] - Birmingham 2023/WCE 17U Valley Swilling</strong></p> <p>I’ve seen Blunt play a couple of times now and what always stands out to me is his willingness to do the dirty work. He makes a lot of hustle plays going after loose balls. Offensively, he’s comfortable at times handling the ball and he has a nice midrange game in the halfcourt. Runs the floor well in transition and he can finish at the rim. Defensively, he does a good job on ball at trying to contest shots on the perimeter. </p>