COTC: 2026’s On The Radar

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>SAN DIEGO — Aaron Burgin's annual Creme of the County (COTC) features class-by-class, San Diego-centric showcase style games with the best prospects in the area filling the gym. The COTC kicked off Saturday morning at St. Augustine high school and featured 11 games. Below we take a look at the 2026 prospects who jumped on our radar.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Ethan Abeles | G | San Diego Jewish Academy</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Abeles is a super versatile prospect who had an all-around impact on the 2026 game. The 6-foot-3 junior showed his dribble, pass, shoot ability and willingness to make the high IQ and unselfish play for a teammate. While Abeles made sure to share the ball, he also flashed the scoring punch that makes him and intriguing prospect. He can dial in his long-range shooting but is also a savvy driver and finisher around the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Gavin Hallock | WF | Scripps Ranch</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hallock is a smooth-shooting lefty with deep and consistent range off the catch. The 6-foot-4 wing shoots an easy ball with fluid shooting mechanics, great balance through his release and approaches the game with a shooter's mindset or "next shot" mentality. Hallock was an elite floor stretcher in the 2026 Creme game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Jeramiah Turner | PG | Tri-City Christian</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Turner was a smart and crafty playmaker for himself and teammates in open court settings. The 6-foot-1 point guard used his speed with the ball to put pressure on the defense and he took advantage of open driving lanes for paint finishes. Another thing I liked about Turner's game was his effort and energy on the defensive end. His lateral speed and willingness to sit in a defensive stance allowed him to pressure opposing guards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Kai Carlson | WF | Cathedral Catholic</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carlson impressed with his offensive versatility. The 6-foot-5 wing thrived in face-up situations in the mid-post area of the floor where he used his soft touch to shoot over the top of the defense and his footwork to create shots for himself on rip and drive opportunities. Carlson also stepped out behind the three-point line where he knocked down open catch-and-shoot three's. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956619' first='RJ' last='Miller'] | F | Madison</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were few players in the gym - regardless of class - who could match the physicality of Miller. The 6-foot-3 forward used his strong frame to play bully-ball around the basket in transition and half-court settings. The junior overpowered smaller defenders on drives to finish at the rim and lowered his shoulder into bigger defenders to create space when getting downhill and to the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Sammell Humphries | PG | Olympian</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Humphries is a gifted scorer who uses his combination of speed, creativity with the ball and deceptiveness with change of direction to keep defenders off-balance and get to his scoring spots. The 6-foot is a threat to knock down the open three-point shot and can break down defenders in isolation to get to a mid-range jumper of crafty finish around the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Tim Dorn | F | Mira Mesa</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dorn was the surprise of the event for most of the media/scouts in attendance. The 6-foot-7 forward, who recently arrived in San Diego via a family military tour in Hawaii, was the most explosive athlete in the gym Saturday and used that to finish off transition slashes and finishes at the rim. Dorn played with good energy on the offensive and defensive glass and is a promising prospect with continued development of his all-around game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->