Section 7: Event Sleepers
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As most people know, my wheelhouse historically has been covering San Diego area prospects, but I’ve got eyes. And my eyes were wide open last weekend in State Farm Stadium at the Section 7 Team Camp. Hundreds of prospects from…
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Continue ReadingAs most people know, my wheelhouse historically has been covering San Diego area prospects, but I’ve got eyes. And my eyes were wide open last weekend in State Farm Stadium at the Section 7 Team Camp. Hundreds of prospects from teams across the West Coast, what more could you ask for?
While many eyes were on the usual suspects in some of the upper divisions, I had a chance to watch games in many of the lower divisions, and came away with a list of player who are hovering below the radar for a time, but have the game to become household names and play at the collegiate level. Here are my sleepers from the event.
Jax Allen, 2025 G, Orem
Allen benefits from having a brother who had a solid Division 1 career: Southern Utah standout Drake Allen. And, in talking to D1s monitoring Jax, he’s got a similar profile as his older brother. At this stage, the rising junior slasher has a wiry, physically immature frame, but solid ball skills, and a feathery jump shot with range out to the college three. The key words here are “physically immature”: Allen looks like he’s not nearly done growing, and that 6-4 frame could easily be 6-7 by the time he’s done. With COVID-19’s impact on college hoops set to dissipate, he’s the type of late bloomer D1 schools should have firmly on their radar.
AJ Ajawin AJ Ajawin 6'7" | PF Deer Valley | 2024 State AZ , 2024 F, Deer Valley
I got to see Ajawin and his Deer Valley team close out a hard-earned win over San Ysidro in the City of Glendale Bracket quarterfinals, then drop a close one to Orem in the championship game. Ajawin immediately stood out as a 6-6 “point forward” with nice length, high-level feel as a passer, and the ability to finish plays both around the rim and from beyond the college arc. He’s a tweener, for sure, but he’s the type of playmaker that is more valuable in the positionless era of basketball we’re in.
Travis Vasquez Travis Vasquez 6'2" | PG Deer Valley | 2024 State AZ , 2024 G, Deer Valley
Ajawin’s fellow senior teammate, Vasquez, also became a favorite of mine. A guard with good size and length at 6-2, Vasquez’s playmaking, feel and IQ are off the charts. He carved up San Ysidro with no-look passes and other high-level reads out of drive and kick and pick and roll, using his eyes to pull defenders out of position and open up passing lanes. He also scored a number of driving layups, once again using his eyes to move defenders like a deft chess player. In the Orem game, he showcased the rest of the offensive arsenal, knocking down perimeter and midrange jump shots. As a senior, he’s probably going to get D2 looks, but he’s the type of player I could see eventually playing D1 hoops.
Noah Gifft Noah Gifft 6'2" | SG Ironwood | 2024 State AZ , 2024 G, Ironwood
Ironwood dismantled St. Augustine in a way I haven’t seen a team do (outside of nationally ranked Corona Centennial) in a decade of scouting. At the center of the 30-point win was Gifft, a 6-2 shooting guard whose frame belies just how good of a player he is. First, he was one of the top shooters in the gym, regardless of division, knocking down shots from well beyond the college three in a variety of ways. When he wasn’t shooting, he was scoring off the bounce, and making plays for his teammates. And finally, Gifft was defending at a very high level, both in helpside and on-ball situations. Gifft is the type of player D1 weightrooms were made for. But in the event none offer, he’s a tremendous student (4.7 GPA, 27 ACT score) and is already being courted by elite academic D3s, including Cal Tech and MIT.
Jacob De Armas, 2025 G, Mira Costa
A player who should rocket up recruiting boards after the two live periods is De Armas, who led the Mustangs to a 7-1 record at the Boys California Live and Section 7 events. I watched him both weekends and each time he showed me a different facet of his game. First, there’s the frame: he’s a sleekly built 6-4 wing with exceptional length, top-end quickness and great burst with his first step. He’s a right-hand dominant slasher who uses that burst to blow by defenders at the first level, and he’s strong enough to finish through contact or draw contact and get to the foul line at will. In transition, he shows off his explosiveness with rim-rattling dunks. Defensively, he’s got lockdown potential and plays the passing lanes as well as any player on hand. I’d say that he’s put himself firmly on mid major radars and will vault even higher if he continues to hit shots from the perimeter at a reasonable clip.