The Holiday Classic: Eight Impact Guards

Devin Ugland December 30, 2024 @ 07:19 PM

<p>SAN DIEGO — The 34th edition of The Holiday Classic brought together some of the state's top programs along with talented prospects and squads from outside of California. We were in the gym Saturday for the National/American Division action at Torrey Pines high school and below we break down the impact guards we saw.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956543' first='Caleb' last='Newton'] | 2026 | Mission Bay</h4>   <p>Newton is one of the most talented guards in the San Diego region and his ability to create for himself and teammates was too much for Torrey Pines to handle in the American Division semifinal. Newton is a quick and shifty ball handler who gets great elevation on his off-dribble jumper. The junior finished with a team-high 19 points.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Derrick Morton-Rivera | 2026 | Father Judge (PA)</h4>   <p>Morton-Rivera was one of more lethal three-point shooters coming into the event and his shot-making ability didn't disappoint. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard has one of the quickest releases I've seen on this level and his ability to move without the ball forces attention from defenders to be paid to him. There's not a lot of time allotted for defenders to close his space in catch-and-shoot situations. Morton-Rivera finished with 15 points in a semifinal loss to Archbishop Riordan.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2323693' first='Dominic' last='Bolton'] | 2025 | JSerra</h4>   <p>Bolton is the perfect compliment to JSerra's deep and potent offensive attack. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard comes off the bench and does exactly what his position says to: shoot. Bolton is a consistent three-point shooting threat off the catch with deep range and a high release point. The unsigned senior scored all 11 of his points in the first half, including three 3-pointers.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2435392' first='Earl' last='Bryson'] | 2027 | JSerra</h4>   <p>Bryson is rounding into a nice point guard prospect in the class of 2027. At 6-feet-2 with a well-built frame and good speed and quickness, Bryson does a nice job of pushing the pace in transition and getting into the lane where he can draw in the defense and kick to open shooters, find cutters or get the ball down low to his big men. Bryson had a solid 10-point, five assist effort in a semifinal win over Carlsbad.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Gavin Bristol | 2028 | O'Dea (WA)</h4>   <p>Bristol's seven three-pointers made topped the day as the most impressive shooting performance, especially coming from a freshman. The 6-foot-4 guard finished with 23 points in O'Dea's win over St Mary's of Arizona and hit five of his seven triples in the third quarter. Bristol sat the final eight minutes of the game but definitely made a name for himself on a big stage.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956616' first='Jaden' last='Bailes'] | 2026 | St. Augustine</h4>   <p>Bailes is one of the best scoring guards in San Diego regardless of class and he had that on full display Saturday. Bailes was draining pull-up jumpers from the mid-range and three-point levels en route to a game-high 29 points in a four-point loss to Windward. The 6-foot-1 junior showed improved efficiency with his shot selection and ability to create space from defenders off the dribble.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1630639' first='Jake' last='Hall'] | 2025 | Carlsbad</h4>   <p>It doesn't matter who the opponent is or how many different guys try to stop him, Hall manages to find ways to score 30-plus points regardless of the circumstances. The 6-foot-2 UC San Diego-bound shooting guard scored a game-high 32 points in the Lancers semifinal loss to JSerra and did so with a variety of tough off-bounce jumpers and fadeaway shots out of post ups.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2555197' first='John' last='Laboy II'] | 2025 | St. Francis (TX)</h4>   <p>Laboy made his mark with high motor, physicality and ability to get to his scoring spots. The 6-foot-3 lefty is a strong driver and finisher to his strong hand who can also step out and knock down catch-and-shoot three's. What stood out about Laboy Saturday was his ability to go into a creator role and get teammates open looks off of dribble penetration.</p>

SAN DIEGO — The 34th edition of The Holiday Classic brought together some of the state's top programs along with talented prospects and squads from outside of California. We were in the gym Saturday for the National/American Division action at Torrey Pines high school and below we break down the impact guards we saw.