Franklin Holiday Tournament Standouts

Christmas might have passed, but one of the better holiday tournaments concluded this week, with Franklin High School hosting its annual Holiday Tournament. Eight teams—seven from El Paso and one from Santa Teresa, NM—from various districts were in attendance for the three-day event from Dec. 26-28. Here are the top standouts I saw from the three-day event.    His team won the tournament, and he received a tournament MVP, so RJ Lopez is the first player to receive a mention. The Coronado guard is having an outstanding junior year, leading the T-Birds in scoring but, more importantly, in wins. In the semifinals against Americas, he hit the game-tying 3-pointer to send the game to overtime, which Coronado eventually won. This kid plays with a ton of effort and passion that stands out amongst his Borderland peers. But he is more than just an effort player; he's a solid finisher at the rim who can score fairly efficiently from 12 feet in. Coronado is going to have a chance to win the 6A district title this season, which comes as somewhat of a surprise looking back on the preseason. But when you see prospects like RJ Lopez play, you start to understand why this team has mightily improved.     The most impressive performance of the tournament came from El Dorado's Adrian Rodriquez in the semifinals against Franklin. The junior guard went off, scoring a career-high 31 points and seven 3-pointers. It was an excellent display of perimeter shooting. Moreover, each shot was in rhythm, and very few attempts, if any, were forced, leading to an upset win for the Aztecs. Rodriguez has one of the cleaner, more repeatable shots I've seen in the Borderland, and someone who is going to continue to make waves for a program on the rise. If you need a shooter, college coaches look no further than Mr. Rodriguez.     What can I say about [player_tooltip player_id='1778981' first='Johan' last='Camacho'] that I already haven't said before? I'll do my best. The junior forward was excellent all tournament long, as he was one of the top scorers and rebounders in attendance. Numbers aside, I appreciate how effectively he uses his frame to get to where he wants to go. He's excellent at sealing defenders in the low post and rarely takes a shot out of his preferred spots. This kid consistently gets to where he wants to go. More impressive is the efficiency. Camacho is hard to guard straight up without fouling. Thus, he lives at the charity stripe. As far as interior scorers go, Camacho is among the best of them, and the Franklin Holiday Tournament is proof of that.     He is coming off the bench and is part of the Coronado T-Birds' deep rotation, but don't let his role fool you. Golding is one of the best catch-and-shoot prospects in the area and could easily be a game-to-game leading scorer for Coronado if the opportunity arises. He was a standout receiver for the Coronado football team, which most likely explains his current role on the basketball team. He's a prospect to keep an eye on going forward because his skillset and ability to score from beyond the arc will come in handy for this program come district time.     He's already had some standout performances and comes highly regarded for his classification, but Jacob Villalobos proved he is worth the hype. It was my first time seeing this kid play in person, and I understand why so many people are high on him. To get to the point, this kid is a bucket. You just don't see prospects his age with his type of scoring fluency. Moreover, he can do it off the ball as a catch-and-shoot guard. His shot mechanics are good, repeatable, and fluid. He is a high-potential prospect who is getting timely varsity reps for a program that is going to win a lot of games with him on the floor.

Christmas might have passed, but one of the better holiday tournaments concluded this week, with Franklin High School hosting its annual Holiday Tournament. Eight teams—seven from El Paso and one from Santa Teresa, NM—from various districts were in attendance for the three-day event from Dec. 26-28. Here are the top standouts I saw from the three-day event.