Madison Regional Rumble: Freshmen standouts
A recurring theme this year early in the San Diego high school basketball season has been the productivity of its youngest class. The Class of 2026 has already made a major impact on the scene, and the Madison Regional Rumble…
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Continue ReadingA recurring theme this year early in the San Diego high school basketball season has been the productivity of its youngest class. The Class of 2026 has already made a major impact on the scene, and the Madison Regional Rumble gave us several standout performances by freshmen. Here are the standouts that I watched.
Jayden Gray, 6-0 G, Victory Christian
Gray led his team to a 3-1 record at the regional rumble. He’s a scoring guard who has made big strides with his shooting from the perimeter, becoming a catch-and-shoot threat from the wing capable of stringing together shots in a row. The right-hand dominant slasher does a good job getting into the lane and finishing around and through contact. Averaging more than 25 points per game, he is having a major impact early in his career.
Mason Zennedjian, 5-11 G, Victory Christian
Zennedjian is a streaky shooter and slasher who complements Gray in the back court. When he is on, he’s a great floor spacer with a quick release. He has solid burst going to his right hand and has a decent floater and runner game.
Eli Stevens, 5-11 G, Madison
Of all the freshmen, Stevens was the biggest surprise. He’s a smooth point guard with a quick-trigger release and is a knockdown shooter with his feet set. He has solid burst playing out of the pick and roll and doesn’t get too rattled when pressured. Stevens is getting good minutes early in his varsity career, and has made an impact.
Runnar Ellis, 6-2 F, Madison
Ellis is an undersized bruiser who has a nose for the basket. He scores on the low block or on straight line drives from the short corners, and uses his strong frame to finish through contact. He can get too tunnel visioned at times when he’s driving, looking off open shooters and driving into difficult shot attempts. That needs to improve moving forward.
Austin Whitehead, 6-2 W, Mission Viejo
The 6-2+ wing has solid feel, and is an unselfish mover of ball and self. He whips the ball around the perimeter and throws solid post entry passes, and he is a willing screener. Defensively, he uses his length to get in the passing lanes and plays with great effort. On a team with a lot of ball-dominant guards, Whitehead is a great glue guy at this stage.
Isaiah Owens, 6-2 W, Victory Christian
Owens does a lot of his damage on the boards or knocking down open corner threes at this stage, but he showed the ability to attack the basket from the wing or corners and get to the rim and finish with his dominant hand. He’s got a great frame and has really long arms and good bounce. I think he’s got as much long-term upside as any freshman I’ve seen this year so far.