Gamepoint Fall HS Showcase: Top 10

<p>The Gamepoint Fall HS Showcase has been perennially one of the top team preseason showcases in Southern California, giving this writer and coaches an opportunity to evaluate both teams and talent in advance of the high school season. </p>   <p>This year, the 14th installment, was one of the best to date. </p>   <p>I had a chance to watch games on each of the three days (Sunday I split my time between the showcase and the Pangos Frosh/Soph Camp), and in the first of my reports, I will talk about the Top 10 performances on hand based on the games I watched. Key phrase: I WATCHED. </p>   <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='992479' first='Jurian' last='Dixon'], St. Augustine</h2>   <p>Dixon dominated for the Saints in their two wins over LCC and Balboa. The silky smooth combo guard scores it effortlessly from all three levels and appeared more engaged defensively than we've seen in previous viewings. He also is an underrated rebounder at the guard slot. In Balboa, in particular, he electrified the crowd knocking down six triples en route to 30 points. </p>   <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1547614' first='Cedric' last='Lath'], Balboa</h2>   <p>If you need a big who is run the floor hard, block and alter shots and bring down the basket with authoritative finishes, Lath is your center. The highly-touted rising senior had probably 15 dunks over the course of two days, and each one shook the supports. Lath does a good job positioning himself to take advantage of the helpside rotation on defense and always is "catch ready" on the weakside. Defensively, he's an elite presence around the rim, altering as many shots as he blocks outright, and pursues rebounds out of his area. </p>   <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='831115' first='Kevin' last='Patton Jr']., Rancho Christian</h2>   <p>This was my first time drilling down on Patton since his move from Arizona, and the 6-8 wing forward has a long frame and great athleticism off the wing. He is a solid shooter off the catch and can handle it well enough to attack the basket from the wing or create space for his pull-up. He's also deceptively strong and able to score on the interior through contact. His biggest play of the afternoon, however, was the game-winning put back against Balboa, in which he followed guard [player_tooltip player_id='994955' first='Kollen' last='Murphy'] after setting the screen to free him. </p>   <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1502808' first='Andrei' last='Tovar'], San Ysidro</h2>   <p>Tovar's interior play was the talk of the weekend, as the nimble footed, physical post was able to neutralize two Division 1 centers on the defensive side. He's strong enough to deny posts optimal position, and does a great job getting his hands up to alter shots. Offensively, Tovar has great hands and can score it with either hand on the block and has excellent footwork. The biggest area where he's grown is in his conditioning and athleticism, both way ahead of where he was a year ago. </p>   <h2>Charlie Hutchison, Mission Bay</h2>   <p>Hutchison delivered one of the top individual performances of the weekend in his first game, a win over Balboa, where he scored a game-high 17 points in his team's 42-37 win. In that game, he proved to be a matchup problem for Balboa's wings and bigs, scoring off the bounce, finishing plays through contact and creating for teammates when he got into the paint (he's an excellent passer with high feel). A solid scorer from midrange, Hutchison continues to extend his range beyond the college three. </p>   <h2>Lolo Rudolph, St. Augustine</h2>   <p>There was no more potent duo in the gym than Rudolph and teammate [player_tooltip player_id='992479' first='Jurian' last='Dixon'], who we covered earlier. Rudolph possesses elite speed and knows how and when to use it. He gets paint touches at will and has uncanny court vision, able to see passes both on the strong and weak side. He's starting to develop a solid pull-up, which is making it tougher for defenders to sit in the paint against him. Rudolph is a menace in transition both with the pass and his finishing ability above the rim. </p>   <h2>JJ Sanchez, Montgomery</h2>   <p>The Aztecs went 3-1 this weekend, their lone loss to a physical Balboa team. But team's continue to struggle against Sanchez, whose combination of size, skill and court vision allow him to dissect his opponents. His ability to pass out of double teams was the best in the gym all three games, and if left against one defender his footwork allows him to get into scoring position and finish through contact or get to the foul line. Sanchez also is a very capable perimeter shooter, especially off the catch when his feet are set. </p>   <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='994909' first='JJ' last='Bartelloni'], Torrey Pines</h2>   <p>This was the best I've seen Torrey Pines play this fall, and Bartelloni was a big reason why. A noted spot-up shooter, Bartelloni scored it from all three levels, including some physical work in the paint in the Falcons swing set. Bartelloni rebounded the ball well in traffic, especially on the offensive glass, which allowed him to get more paint points. </p>   <h2>Cole Murray, Carlsbad</h2>   <p>Murray, a noted defender and pass-first point guard, made his mark this weekend with his improved scoring. On Friday Night, with both of the Lancers leading scorers out, Murray was dominant against a good Del Norte team, scoring with either hand off the drive, and knocking down midrange shots. The lefty doesn't take many threes, but can hit them when left open. If he can do this consistently, given the intangibles he possesses, it's a huge development for the Lancers. </p>   <h2>Brycen Mackenzie, Santa Fe Christian</h2>   <p>Mackenzie shook off a lackluster Day 1 with an electric showing on Day 2 in wins over Murrieta Mesa and Bishop's. The assertive scoring point guard scored it from every level and used his change of speed and pace to get into the paint whenever he wanted. His footwork and his use of shot and head fakes allowed him to free himself for crafty looks at the midrange and he is shooting it with greater confidence and consistency from deep. Additionally, he was one of the better passers and playmakers in the gym all weekend. </p>

The Gamepoint Fall HS Showcase has been perennially one of the top team preseason showcases in Southern California, giving this writer and coaches an opportunity to evaluate both teams and talent in advance of the high school season.