Classic at Damien: Monday’s Under the Radar Wings/Forwards
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 wings and forwards who turned in good performances.
Adrionne Marcus, Rancho Dominguez
Marcus is a long, wiry and athletic four-man whose ability to run the floor in transition and finish around the basket will get him some next-level looks, especially among local junior college programs. The 6-foot-7 senior is a pogo-stick like athlete around the basket and his ability to elevate for rebounds on the offensive and defensive end helps his team get second-chance points and jumpstarts transition offense.
Andrew Nagy, Orange Lutheran
Nagy has a solid skill-set as a high school four or five man depending on who he’s matching up with. At 6-feet-7 and a strong 210-ish pounds, the junior forward has great touch when finishing around the basket, good hands and finishing ability when rim-running in transition and has good footwork and feel as a low-block scorer with his back to the basket.
Brandin Dantzler, St. Francis
Dantzler won’t do a whole lot of pretty things on the offensive end, but that’s not where he is most valuable for the Golden Knights. The 6-foot-5 senior is a high motor defender and rebounder who guards multiple positions, rebounds in and out of his area and is an instinctual shot blocker despite not being the size or position of a traditional rim protector. Dantzler had 10 rebounds and a couple of blocked shots in St. Francis’ win over Hillcrest.
Dylan Swillis, Central East
Swillis is an athletic 6-foot-4 wing with an ideal frame for a slashing three-man. The senior is a tough cover when he gets downhill in transition because of his ability to blow-by defenders with his speed or use his frame to power through and absorb and finish through contact. Swillis also showed some shooting touch to the three-point line off the catch.
Lenox Lavallee, Saugus
Lavallee is a versatile 6-foot-5 senior whose inside-out scoring skill-set at the five-spot makes Saugus a matchup problem for teams that play a traditional big man. Lavallee scored 14 points, including two three-pointers, a couple trips to the free throw line and some mid-range turn-around jumpers within the flow of the team’s offense.