Classic at Damien: Monday’s Under the Radar Guards (Pt. 2)
La Verne — The Classic at Damien has become one of the premier post-Christmas high school basketball tournament stops on the West Coast. This year’s Damien field has expanded to seven divisions and 112 teams and seven champions will be…
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Continue ReadingLa Verne — The Classic at Damien has become one of the premier post-Christmas high school basketball tournament stops on the West Coast.
This year’s Damien field has expanded to seven divisions and 112 teams and seven champions will be named over the course of the five-day event.
Monday’s opening day featured teams among the Silver, Bronze, Green and Iron Divisions, giving media, scouts and college coaches a chance to watch those programs at the Tournament’s main site.
In this piece we take a closer look some under the radar guards who turned in good performances.
Patrick Miranda, Crean Lutheran
Miranda is a quick and high motor guard whose main strength is his ability to knock down open jump shots. The 5-foot-9 combo guard is a consistent shooter off the catch from three-point range and can also hit one or two dribble pull-up jumpers. Miranda has a steady hand as a back-up ball handler, creator and decision-maker.
Sam Seiden, St. Bonaventure
Seiden put together a solid effort in a loss to a good Campbell Hall squad. The 5-foot-10 sophomore point guard did a really nice job of controlling pace, getting paint touches, and finding open shooters and big men for open shots. Seiden also showed his scoring chops as he put up 13 points for the Seraphs.
Sean Cervantes, La Mirada
The quick and crafty senior embodies the “true” point guard definition. Cervantes is a high IQ playmaker who is always looking to get teammates involved and knows when and where to get them the ball. He finished with six assists in a win over Riverside Poly and just knows how to pick apart a defense with the dribble or with the pass.
Tanner Jones Tanner Jones 6'4" | SG Campbell Hall | 2024 State , Campbell Hall
Jones is an intriguing junior two-guard because of his combination of size, athleticism, shooting ability and strong frame. The son of former Duke and NBA standout Dahntay Jones has some of the grit and toughness his father played with to go along with a smooth mid-range jumper in which he gets great lift on. Jones also has impressive finishing ability around the basket on straight-line drives to the rim where he uses his strength and length to absorb contact and extend to the rim.
Wesley Hatcher, Aquinas
Hatcher proved to be one of the more lethal three-point shooters on the day. If left open and given time and space, the 6-foot-1 senior was nearly automatic from behind the arc. Even when defenders began to hard close and run him off the line, Hatcher’s quick release allowed him to get his shot off.
Zion Paleo, Orange Lutheran
Paleo showed off his versatile offensive game as he did a little bit of everything in Orange Lutheran’s win over Aquinas. The 6-foot point guard is a quick and shifty playmaker off the dribble who can knock down pull-up jumpers or work his way through the paint and to the rim where he nullifies shot blockers with his crafty finishing ability.