The Classic at Damien (Diamonds in the Rough)

<!-- 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 section we will evaluate the prospects that have all the physical attributes to be Division 1 players, they just need some maturity and continued skill development. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1490241' first='Elijah' last='Summers-Livingston'] (Basha,AZ)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026, PF, 6-foot-7, 190 pounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joel's Take</strong>: Summers-Livingston has that prototypical frame that oozes upside due to his broad shoulders and long arms. He is a rim-running 4-man that can fill the lane and finish due to his evolving bouncy nature. He does a solid job on the post keeping his hands high and his timing is solid as a shot-blocker. He needs to continue to improve his face-up skills (triple threat game) and overall touch out to 20-feet to improve his stock with college coaches. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1620352' first='James' last='Bass'] (Campbell Hall)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025, PF, 6-foot-8, 200 pounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joel's take:</strong> Bass is a transfer from Florida and he brings an element to Campbell Hall that is needed--that being a rim-protector. The long-armed Bass is a bouncy athlete who is a quick leaper and possesses an elite second jump. He runs effortlessly in transition and can finish over the rim. He gets most of his points on tip-ins and rim finishes at this stage. Developing a solid touch at the elbow and continuing to improve his ball skills will improve his stock. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mahamodou Diop (San Gabriel Academy)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027, C, 6-foot-9, 200 pounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joel's take</strong>: One of the better-looking freshmen in Southern California is Diop. He has a nice frame with long arms and high hips. He runs well in transition and is a quick jumper in the paint area. He shows excellent timing on the defensive end as a rim protector and had an impressive dunk over 6-foot-9 sophomore Josh Irving (Pasadena). Continuing to develop his back-to-the-basket post moves and perimeter touch will elevate his value with coaches. San Gabriel Academy has another impressive freshman in the athletic Mohammed Toure. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1703091' first='Cameron' last='Anderson'] (Dublin,CA)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026, PF, 6-foot-7, 200 pounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joel's take: </strong>Anderson is another impressive sophomore that we liked at this event. He has that prototypical D1 frame with long arms and broad shoulders and he shows good hands. He shows good feet and timing in the paint and he is bouncy. His touch is solid in the key area and he can finish with his back to the basket. l</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2131780' first='Christian' last='Collins'] (St. Bernard)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026, PF, 6-foot-7, 190 pounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joel's take:</strong> Collins has some impressive genes as his father is a former Southern California standout De'Angelo Collins. The willowy Collins has a lengthy frame with very long arms. He is a quick-twitch athlete who is active in the paint area, has solid ball skills in transition, and has a knack for scoring due to his touch that extends out to 17 feet. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->