SoCal Spring Preview: Top Performers (Pt. 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CERRITOS — The Los Angeles Elite club program hosted a small but strong contingent of teams at Cerritos College for its annual SoCal Spring Preview event. We were in attendance Saturday and below are some of the standout performers we watched.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2137372' first='Josiah' last='Johnson'] | 2026 | LA Elite</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson is still a bit of a sleeper prospect - even in his home region of Southern California - but the Orangewood Academy product will not be flying under the radar much longer. The rising junior is a quick twitch athlete with the ball skills and basketball IQ to play on the ball or off of it at 6-feet-2. Johnson is best when slashing his way to the paint off the dribble and finishing at the rim or finding an open teammate. He's also a respectable three-point and mid-range jump shooter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Mahamadou Diop | 2027 | Dream Vision 16u</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Diop continues to make major strides since the end of his freshman high school season. The 6-foot-9 center was one of the more explosive athletes in the gym Saturday and that, combined with his mobility in transition, made him a scoring threat on rim-runs and offensive rebounds. Diop is still in the beginning part of his development when it comes to back to the basket skill-set but he has a great start with his soft hands and touch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1630655' first='Mateo' last='Trujillo'] | 2025 | LA Elite</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The best part of Trujillo's game is the simplicity he plays with. He's not a flashy ball handler or passer but he gets where he wants off the dribble and makes the right decision more often than not. The 6-foot-2 combo guard is also an efficient scorer who can knock down open three's and pull up jumpers. Trujillo is a better athlete than opponents give him credit for and he uses that to be a solid on-ball and team defender as well as a good rebounder from the guard position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1630667' first='Nate' last='Garcia'] | 2025 | Prodigy Elite</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Garcia's 7-foot, 270-plus pound frame is, in itself, a mismatch for most opponents but when you add in his touch around the rim, physicality and willingness to be true to his skill-set and position and it makes the Damien High center nearly impossible to stop. Garcia buries defenders when sealing in the post and provides a big target for guards to deliver to. On the catch, Garcia can score with a right-hand jump hook or a simple drop-step finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2425649' first='Yeshua' last='Kesse-Beda'] | 2026 | Dream Vision 17u</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kesse-Beda has improved by leaps and bounds over the last 12 months. At 6-feet-7, the rising junior is a high level vertical athlete who is best as a slasher and finisher in transition. Kesse-Beda's ability to elevate quickly in traffic and absorb contact without losing balance is his translatable skill-set at this point in his development but he's quickly adding more to his offensive repertoire. Kesse-Beda is also a multi-positional defender who can protect the rim and clean the defensive boards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->