Damien Classic: AZ Standouts: 2024-26

Gregg Rosenberg January 6, 2023 @ 08:33 AM

On December 28-30 I attended The Classic at Damien HS. Some of the top West Coast teams challenged themselves for four days. I watched all three Arizona teams who made the trek to California.   <h2>Here were some of the standouts for the 3 teams:</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='994006' first='Styles' last='Phipps'] St. Mary's (Pictured)   Phipps proved again why he is one of the better scoring point guards in the West. He had some monster games throughout the week as he averaged 31 ppg. He is constantly double teamed with almost every touch. He splits defenders on the norm and will throw a strike with his left or right hand to a teammate. His pull-up is a weapon and has strength to rebound in the paint. He takes charges on the regular, and despite playing almost every second of every game, he keeps coming at you and scores from all levels. He picked up an offer from Iowa State yesterday.   [player_tooltip player_id='1135513' first='Nathan' last='Wanjohi'] Ironwood    A long forward who crashes the glass. He comes in off the bench and throws himself into the fire often. He will score facing up from the high post and rip thru scoring among the post players. Next year he will have a lot on his plate becoming the focus of the offense along with [player_tooltip player_id='1135515' first='Noah' last='Gifft'].   [player_tooltip player_id='1135515' first='Noah' last='Gifft'] Ironwood    One of the top standstill shooters proved it again with multiple threes. He gives the Eagles a lot of space to work inside the paint. He is always in motion to relocate to an open spot on the court and will square up and fire away quickly. His IQ for the game is high and he is a team player who is constantly making the correct plays.   [player_tooltip player_id='1598443' first='Heesung' last='An'] Trivium Prep   A high IQ wing moves without the ball and knows how to play. He makes smart reads to his teammates and will throw the pass where the teammate will be. He uses his body inside the painted area to score on layups or get to the free throw line and he can shoot the ball from the perimeter. He is another that always seems to be in the correct spot on both sides of the court.   [player_tooltip player_id='1312333' first='Kenny' last='White'] St. Mary's   A scoring guard had to be the second scorer this week as Caspian was out with an injury. The lefty can catch and shoot from the three point line. He has a good feel for the game and is naturally a tough kid. He makes the correct read and will take it to the defenders in the post with no fear.   [player_tooltip player_id='1312612' first='AJ' last='Muandumba'] St. Mary's    An athletic wing also had to score more replacing Caspian's normal average. He has grown an inch or two and plays hard on both ends of the court. He can create a little offense for himself inside the paint and is very good in transition. He can flush it down on the break and handles contact well. He will also defend multiple positions.   [player_tooltip player_id='1354953' first='I'yar' last='Shadowvine'] Ironwood    The undersized scoring lead guard keeps producing in every showing. He is quick, tough and makes shots. He is a pest on the ball defensively with his quick hands and feet. He pushes the pace and sets the tone on both sides of the court with toughness and leadership.   [player_tooltip player_id='1724929' first='Hayes' last='Kinney'] Trivium Prep   A freshman combo guard can play on or off the ball. He can make some plays for his teammates but he is needed to come off the bench also and score. He can catch and shoot from the three point line and play a cerebral game. He will be asked to do more next season with many important seniors graduating.

On December 28-30 I attended The Classic at Damien HS. Some of the top West Coast teams challenged themselves for four days. I watched all three Arizona teams who made the trek to California.