Compton Magic League: Standouts, Part 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the past month, I've had a chance to check out some of the action at the Compton Magic League in Westminster. The Magic have traditionally done an excellent job bringing together some of the best teams in Southern California for showcase and tuneup matchups heading into the winter season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are some of the standouts from my stops at The League:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Isaac Sowell, 6-4 2023 F, Dominguez</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sowell has two elite skills: rebounding and his motor. At a shade over 6-4, he's got long arms, explosive athleticism and excellent instincts on the offensive and defensive glass, pursuing rebounds well out of his area. He showcased some budding offensive skills in the game against Cypress (a decent slasher, scorer off of three dribbles or less) but it's his rebounding that makes him a unique and intriguing next level prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Angel Escarcega, 5-10 2025 G, Foothills Christian</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Foothills Christian will be a tougher out than they were a year ago, and one reason is Escarcega, a physically built combo guard with decent burst to his dominant hand and the ability to stop on a dime in the midrange and hit tough, contested shots. Escarcega gets to his spots in the half court and does a solid job finishing in the paint or finding open shooters with the pass. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1630651' first='Joshua' last='Palmer'], 6-3+ 2025 G, St. Bernard</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If there's a player I think isn't close to a finished product in the games I watched, it's Palmer, a long, lanky combo guard who looks like he's grown another inch since I watched him at the Frosh Soph camp a few weeks ago. At 6-3+, he's a solid catch-and-shoot threat and a crafty playmaker out of the pick and roll, though he needs to tighten his handle. One of the younger 2025 prospects, he's also got one of the highest ceilings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Trey Jones, 6-2 2023 G, Narbonne</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones is a great complement to the Adams brothers Narbonne. He's a super crafty point guard who changes speeds and plays at a great pace (doesn't get sped up), using stop and starts to get paint touches and score with a nice floater package or make great reads with the pass. He doesn't look to shoot a lot of threes, but he can hit open ones off the catch, and always seems to make clutch plays. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Nate Ibarra, 6-2 2023 G, Southeast</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I only got to see Ibarra in a loss to Foothills Christian, but left impressed with the lead guard's headiness, passing ability and knockdown shooting. He's a wiry prospect with good length and a frame that will fill out in a college strength and conditioning program. But what you can't teach is his court vision - he elevates the pieces around him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Jonas Hanson, 6-5 2023 W, Cypress</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I love do-it-all players at the high school level, and Hanson does a little bit of everything. He hits shots from midrange and from three (albeit inconsistently), he's a capable rebounder, a very good on-ball and off-ball defender and a high-IQ passer. He's a guy whose game would blossom at the junior college level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->