Avance Classic: Best Playmakers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>SAN DIEGO — Some of the top high school basketball prospects in the country descended on Montgomery high school in San Diego over the weekend to compete in the Avance L'Attitude Classic. The field included the likes of AJ Dybantsa (Utah Prep), [player_tooltip player_id='1301714' first='Cameron' last='Boozer'] (Columbus), [player_tooltip player_id='1301715' first='Cayden' last='Boozer'] (Columbus) and JJ Mandaquit (Utah Prep), among other highly-recruited players from Southern California and beyond. In Sunday's championship game, Columbus defeated Utah Prep, 95-76, paced by [player_tooltip player_id='1301714' first='Cameron' last='Boozer']'s virtuoso 42-point, 15-rebound and five assists performance. In this piece we dive into the top playmakers we saw during Sunday's action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1301715' first='Cayden' last='Boozer'] | 2025 | Columbus (FL)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's really nothing that Boozer doesn't do on the basketball court. The 6-foot-5 point guard picks his spots with a high basketball IQ and the best interest in the team's success more often than not and that combination resulted in him dropping a smooth 30 points and nine assists in the championship win over Utah Prep. Boozer possesses high level playmaking feel in transition and half-court offense and runs the high-powered Columbus attack to near-perfection. Whether it's ball screen action, isolation or transition reads, Boozer's vision, physicality and feel for the game allow him to control pace and tempo.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1630623' first='Gavin' last='Hightower'] | 2025 | Sierra Canyon</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hightower recently made the move from Windward to Sierra Canyon and, by the looks of what we saw Sunday, the senior fits in quite well with his new team. The 6-foot guard thrives in uptempo situations and he used his elite speed and defensive instincts to make plays for himself and teammates. Hightower finished with 13 points, eight assists and five steals in Sierra Canyon's big win over NBA Academy and his ability to get paint touches under control, finish in a variety of ways and kick the ball out to open shooters will make the Trailblazers a dangerous team this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">JJ Mandaquit | 2025 | Utah Prep (UT)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mnadaquit is regarded as one of the highest IQ point guard prospects in the country and it is easy to see why that is when you watch him play. The 6-foot-2 senior plays with impressive pace and poise, rarely gets sped up when pressured and understands out to spread the wealth of the basketball to the hot hand. Mandaquit's steadiness as a decision-maker is a direct product of having floor general responsibilities heaped on his shoulders from a young age and he's continued to show that he can run teams at a high level. Mandaquit dished out six assists to </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Marcellous Jackson | 2026 | Columbus (FL)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jackson operates as a secondary and sometimes tertiary playmaker behind the Boozer twins but brings a different type of creativity to the floor that blends well with the two main attractions. Jackson is a big-bodied and physical guard at 6-feet-4 but he also has a smoothness and shiftiness with the ball in his hands that allows him take advantage of mismatches on the perimeter. Jackson can blow by bigger, slower defenders or overpower smaller defenders to get into the lane, draw extra defenders and make good reads to open shooters or cutters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Sergei Monzo | 2026 | Veritas Academy</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first thing you notice about Monzo when watching him play is the effortlessness of his athleticism. The 6-foot-4 point guard is one of those players who looks like he's bouncing up the floor rather than running and that also lends to his ability to change speeds and direction without losing any of his speed, quickness or athleticism. Monzo can impact the game as a passer or scorer as his tight ball skills, creative passing ability and inside-out scoring ability make him a tough cover. The junior finished with 23 points, six rebounds and six assists in Veritas' win over Cathedral Catholic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1630674' first='Xair' last='Mendez'] | 2025 | Montgomery</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mendez doesn't get enough credit for his impact on Montgomery's winning ways over the last few seasons. The 6-foot-2 combo guard is trending as an elite perimeter jump shooter - both from three-point and mid-range areas of the floor - but on Sunday he showed the ability to take over a game as a playmaker in crunch time. Mendez made a handful of high IQ plays for teammates in the waning moments of a close game which lent to his competitiveness and desire to make winning plays. Mendez finished with 17 points and five steals in Montgomery's win over a collection of international prospects from "The Embassy" club program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->