Looking Back: Beat Cancer Challenge Standout Guards (Pt. 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>La Canada Flintridge - A couple weekends back, St. Francis high school and Steve Wachs of LA Court Report put on a high school basketball fall showcase event that featured many strong programs throughout the Southland. In this piece we take a closer look at some of the standout guard performers from the event.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Jontue Cooper, 2023, Mayfair</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In our viewings over Cooper over the last three years - whether in showcase events or club basketball - we've always come away impressed with his scoring feel and creativity when driving and finishing around the basket. But in this event, the 6-foot-2 guard was primarily focused on running an efficient transition team, which meant kicking the ball ahead to his explosive wings and letting them finish off his assists. The senior kept the game simple and allowed Mayfair's turnover-creating defense to spark the offense and his willingness to be unselfish made it all run like a fine-tuned machine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>JV Brown, 2023, Rolling Hills Prep</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When he's able to get his feet set, and given a glimpse of time and space, there are few players in Southern California who can shoot the three-ball like Brown. The 6-foot-4 lefty is great when coming off of screens and quickly gets into his shooting mechanics off the catch leaving little time for defenders to closeout and his ability to score in bunches means RHP is rarely out of striking distance in a game where they are trailing. The senior finished with a game-high 23 points in a three-point loss to St. Francis. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1630635' first='Mazi' last='Mosely'], 2025, St. Francis </h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This St. Francis Mosely, who transferred in from Heritage Christian, and is not related to his teammate, [player_tooltip player_id='994954' first='Jackson' last='Mosely'], is the perfect compliment to his backcourt mate. Mazi is a rangy and athletic 6-foot-5 combo guard whose ability to use the dribble to get by defenders and into the lane puts a ton of pressure on the defense and his finishing around the basket is super crafty. The sophomore is also a very good pull-up jump shooter from behind the arc and at the mid-range level. Mosely finished with 18 points in a win over Rolling Hills Prep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Stephen Kankole, 2026, Crespi</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was our first good look at Kankole and he's in the conversation for one of the more intriguing 2026 prospects in Southern California. The freshman, who has tremendous size at 6-feet-5, was lights out from three-point range in Crespi's win over Mater Dei Catholic. Kankole has consistent shooting mechanics, gets great lift on his jumper, and did a nice job of taking shots within his team's offense. Kankole also has the strength and physicality to get downhill in transition and finish through contact.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1502769' first='Trent' last='Perry'], 2024, Harvard-Westlake</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perry didn't spend much time on the floor because of the Wolverine's overwhelming win over Gardena Serra, but in his limited minutes we were impressed with how Perry continues to mold into a guard who can not only shoot the lights out, but also run a team efficiently and create offense for others. The 6-foot-4 junior has become well-known for his consistent three-point stroke and is on a mission to show that he can play with the ball in his hands as a primary playmaker for a high level team. From what we saw at this event, that mission is on a successful trajectory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->