All SoCal Awards: Second Team

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It took some time to sift through all of the talented players in the CIF Southern Section this season and whittle it down to teams of five. We broke down our Player of the Year and the four other members of the All SoCal First Team here and in this piece we go in-depth on the All SoCal Second Team selections.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1630623' first='Gavin' last='Hightower'] | G | Jr. | Windward</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were few better open court players in the state than Hightower this season. The 6-foot-1 point guard had an uncanny ability to stay on balance through traffic while attacking the rim at full speed in transition. His ability to finish around the rim with touch and craftiness was also unmatched. The junior led an undersized team of guards and wings all the way to the Southern Section Division I title game where the Wildcats fell to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1502773' first='Eric' last='Freeny'] | G/F | Sr. | Corona Centennial</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The UCLA-bound wing was one of the section's most versatile players on both ends of the floor. At 6-feet-4 with a strong frame, Freeny impacted the game offensively as a driver and scorer who also made plays for himself and teammates out of the mid-post. Freeny was also a guy who had to defend multiple positions for the Huskies and was one of the team's leading rebounders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956471' first='Brannon' last='Martinsen'] | F | So. | Mater Dei</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Martinsen's impact goes well beyond his 17.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game statistics and it was evident with how the Monarchs struggled after he went down for the season with an injury prior to the playoffs. Mater Dei lost al three of its Southern Section Open Division games and was missing the skill and versatility Martinsen provided at the wing/forward position. Martinsen was named Co-MVP of the Trinity League along with Bosco's [player_tooltip player_id='2131779' first='Brandon' last='McCoy'], Jr. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1630618' first='Nik' last='Khamenia'] | F | Jr. | Harvard-Westlake</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Four of the five players on this team are highly versatile players but Khamenia might take the crown as the most versatile player in the region. The 6-foot-8 junior is a dribble, pass and shoot prospect with a high basketball IQ and ability to score inside and out. Khamenia was often behind [player_tooltip player_id='1502769' first='Trent' last='Perry'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1188984' first='Robert' last='Hinton'] in the scoring column but his near eight rebounds and five assists per game made Harvard-Westlake unguardable at times in half-court offensive settings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1502766' first='Carter' last='Bryant'] | F | Sr. | Corona Centennial</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It didn't take long for the McDonald's All-American selection to get comfortable with his new team after transferring to Centennial from Sage Hill. The 6-foot-8 wing/forward was a rebound short of a double-double average for the season (15 points/nine rebounds) and we really saw his game blossom and expand while playing against the highest level of competition high school basketball has to offer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->