California Live: Stock Raisers (Pt. 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>IRVINE — Southern California played host to more than 160 boys high school basketball programs over the weekend for the inaugural California Live scholastic event. Those teams were given the opportunity to play in front of more than 190 college coaches over the course of three days. I spent most of my time watching games at the Irvine and Tustin High sites and below are players I saw who boosted their stock in front of two and four-year coaches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1502809' first='Aidan' last='Fowler'], JSerra</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fowler has been a player who Trinity League opponents know well with his high volume scoring ability and toughness at the point guard position. Fowler went head to head with seemingly the entire Corona Centennial team. Fowler was knocking down tough, contested jumpers and blowing by defenders and getting to the rim for crafty finishes. The rising senior finished with 29 points in the loss to one of the state's top programs, hit a game-winning shot earlier in the event and averaged 20 points per game for the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1630643' first='Angelino' last='Mark'], Notre Dame</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mark was carving up teams in a showcase at Redondo Union and carried that momentum into California Live. The hyper-athletic combo guard was a difficult cover in transition due to his ability to speed, ability to get downhill and into the paint and his bouncy and strong finishing at the rim. Mark, a rising junior, also showed improved pace and playmaking ability at the point guard spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Brian Amuneke, Rancho Christian</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Amuneke was one of the players I highlighted in my Friday Notebook piece and he continued his strong play throughout the weekend. The 6-foot-5 wing used his length and athleticism to slash his way to the paint and finish at the rim. The rising senior has the ball skills and feel to beat defenders off the dribble for paint touches but is also very effective moving without the ball. Amuneke is a multi-positional defender at the high school level due to his length, athleticism and lateral mobility.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956543' first='Caleb' last='Newton'], Birmingham</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Newton is one of the best 2026 prospects in SoCal and did plenty on the floor to show why. The 6-foot-3 combo guard has advanced scoring feel and can really fill it up with his perimeter jumper. Newton is a smooth shot creator off the bounce and can knock down shots both off the catch and off the bounce. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1502798' first='Cameron' last='McNamee'], Santa Margarita</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McNamee has long been one of SoCal's best pure shooters, and while that is still very much true about his game, the 6-foot-5 wing has added some important pieces to his game. The rising senior looked more confident, and, in turn, more effective putting the ball on the floor and creating for himself and teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Connor Amundsen, Clovis North</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Amundsen has consistently been one of the top players in the CIF Central Section over the last three seasons and he came down to SoCal to let people know he's in the conversation of one of the best point guards in the state. The rising senior is a fearless scorer, playmaker and leader who brought all of those intangibles to one of the top divisions at California Live. Amundsen's best performance came in a 76-73 loss to defending CIF State Open Division champs where he scored 26 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Danny Kennard, Foothill</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kennard has been a little bit of a sleeper prospect while playing for a good public school program led by a great high school coach in Yousef Etemadi. But the big man out of Foothill high school is a secret no more. Kennard is a mobile 6-foot-10 center who has good hands, touch and is an effective rim protector. The rising junior also has some modern big man skill in his game with his ability to play at the top of the key in ball reversals and dribble hand-offs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->