The Classic at Damien (Blue Collar Madness)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LA VERNE, Ca.--The Classic at Damien continued to show it's the ultimate holiday tournament on the West Coast due to its plethora of quality teams and stellar players, led by Tournament MVP [player_tooltip player_id='1630617' first='Brayden' last='Burries'] of Roosevelt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the following days, there will be numerous breakdowns of prospects ranging from High-Major Division 1 talents to junior college prospects under a bevy of categories. In this category, we are looking at players that willing to get gritty to get the job done for their team. Whether it's pounding the glass or finishing through contact, the following players exhibited these traits. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1502783' first='Kendyl' last='Sanders'] (St. Bernard)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024, PF/WF, 6-foot-6, 215 pounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joel's Take</strong>: Sanders' Stock is on the rise after a terrific holiday season. The chiseled power forward who can step out and nail jump shots does a nice job producing inside and out. His touch has improved in the paint area and it extends to the 3-point stripe. He'll grind inside as well, snag rebounds in traffic, and does a nice job finishing through contact. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1630627' first='Tae' last='Simmons'] (Heritage Christian)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025, PF, 6-foot-7, 220 pounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joel's Take</strong>: Simmons is a strongly built 4-man who has long arms and broad shoulders. He has that Carlos Boozer (Duke/NBA) feel to him due to his rebounding ability and shooting touch. He gets good lift on his shot and his touch is soft in the paint area. He can work the pick-and-pop or post-up and utilize the drop-step on the block. Most importantly he has an active motor and rarely takes plays off at both ends. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1630622' first='Kade' last='Bonam'] (St. John Bosco)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025, PF, 6-foot-7, 225 pounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joel's Take:</strong> Continuing the the comparison theme here, Bonam is reminiscent of current Villanova star, Eric Dixon. The physical power forward does an excellent job of using his strong frame and bully-balling his way to the basket utilizing excellent fundamentals and footwork. He has a soft touch out the stripe as well and is a difficult match-up for opposing teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1568018' first='Isaac' last='Davis'] (Hillcrest, ID)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024, PF, 6-foot-6, 230 pounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joel's take</strong>: When looking at Davis in warm-ups he looks like a future NFL Left Tackle. He has a Charles Barkley-esque frame with long arms and he's deceptively quite bouncy. In transition, it's startling how easily he gets to the rim and his footwork in the post is quite good. He can play inside and out due to his shooting touch and his ability to finish through and over the opposition. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1383576' first='Seamus' last='Deely'] (San Ramon Valley)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024, PF, 6-foot-5, 215 pounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joel's Take:</strong> Deely was an integral part of San Ramon Valley's championship run. The burly 4-man did work in the paint rebounding and finishing. His soft touch extends out to the 3-point stripe and he plays with a high motor and savvy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1630631' first='Douglas' last='Langford'] (St. Pius-St. Matthias)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025, PF, 6-foot-8, 225 pounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joel's take</strong>: When you define the word "blue collar" in the basketball dictionary, Langford could have his image next to the image. The rugged 4-man will not "wow" you with bounce and flair, but he'll inspire you with his body of work each time out. While operating on the block, he can back his defender down and finish through contact or run a pick-and-roll to finish inside. He has excellent hands that are exhibited in the areas of passing and finishing in the paint. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->