Classic at Damien: Platinum Emergences – First 5

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>La Verne — The Classic at Damien has become one of the premier post-Christmas high school basketball tournament stops on the West Coast.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tuesday marked the start of the tournament's main division which featured top teams from California, Washington, Nevada, Utah and Idaho. In this piece we take a closer look at the players who put their name and game on the map.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1510766' first='Aaron' last='Claytor'], Salesian</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We mentioned Claytor in one of our earlier coverage pieces from this event - <a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/12/classic-at-damien-platinum-division-playmakers/">Platinum Division: Top Playmakers</a> - and wanted to make sure we included him among the players who emerged at Damien. The 6-foot-3 junior point guard is a crafty and high IQ table setter with great court vision in both half-court and transition situations. Claytor looks to advance the ball in transition, has great speed and downhill control when he drives into the lane, and is a willing and accurate passer to open shooters. The junior moved to the states from Hawaii in 2022 and is sure to see his stock rise over the next season and a half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1140161' first='Alvin' last='Loving'], Salesian</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Loving has a bit of a throwback style to his game and it translates into production. The 6-foot-3 lefty knocks down catch and shoot three's with consistency, can drive right or left into a mid-range pull-up, and flashed some feel and playmaking ability in mid-post situations. Loving won't beat you with elite athleticism but he knows how to use his strong frame to get into the body of shot blockers and create space to finish around the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Amare Campbell, Eitwanda</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Campbell had a couple big performances throughout this tournament, including a 16-point effort in a loss to state No. 1 Harvard-Westlake and 17more, including a number of big assists and defensive plays, in a triple overtime win over American Fork of Utah. The junior guard, whose brother Tyree also starred for the Eagles, is a crafty left-handed playmaker who uses his speed and quickness to get wherever he wants to go on the floor. Campbell showed impressive touch on his floater and really made it a point to be a setup guy for teammates in key time and score situations. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1538434' first='Blake' last='Rawson'], American Fork (UT)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were few players who played harder and more physically than Rawson did throughout his team's four games at Damien. The 6-foot-7 forward was a beast on the defensive and offensive boards, guarded multiple positions and was difficult to stop from scoring around the rim due to his size, athleticism and ability to finish through contact. Rawson's most impressive quality was his back-to-the-basket game, which is kind of a lost art among high school big men. The junior had a great drop step to the baseline and finished with either hand over either shoulder.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1630650' first='Brandon' last='Benjamin'], Anaheim Canyon</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Benjamin will go under-appreciated by many because of his odd combination of size and skill-set but the sophomore forward is one of the more skilled interior scorers we've seen this season. At 6-feet-5, Benjamin technically plays the five-spot for a Canyon team loaded with talented guards but his impact usurps any position pigeonholing. Benjamin has elite footwork on the low block and really anywhere in the paint, a shot fake that most defenders can't stay down on and finishing touch with either hand around the basket. Benjamin had an expanded role during this tournament as the Comanches were missing two starters - [player_tooltip player_id='1502780' first='Jaden' last='Goodall'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1502804' first='Josh' last='Goodall'] - meaning he had to play some point guard and did it well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->