Damien Classic: 2026-27 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>December 26-28th I headed to the prestigious&nbsp;<strong>Classic at Damien</strong>&nbsp;located in la Verne, CA at Damien HS. A beautiful campus of two courts plus down the road a middle school that is literally one of the biggest and nicer ones you will see. I checked out the five local teams who challenged themselves for the long weekend and here were the standouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">We finish off with the junior and sophomore standouts</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1741167' first='Kade' last='Snyder'] Sunnyslope (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A physical power forward is a top of the food chain defender and rebounder. Uses his size, strength and frame to bang with the big boys. He will score inside thru the contact on offensive rebounds, free throw attempts and uses his chicken wing with his back to the basket to get around defenders.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1482165' first='Rider' last='Portela'] Sunnyslope</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic combo guard plays on or off the ball. He has quick hands on defense and moves well in space. He will score with rip thrus and dunk it in traffic, hit the catch three, offensive rebound put backs and off the dribble jumpers. His versatility on both sides of the court makes him the prospect he is.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1555179' first='Darius' last='Wabbington'] Sunnyslope</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the best big men in the West showed his many talents over the weekend. He has elite hands to rebound and a soft touch to score with crafty takes around the basket, mid-range jumpers and he will even step out and shoot the three. He boxes out well and will score on put backs plus block shots.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1555180' first='Delton' last='Prescott III'] Sunnyslope&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top pure point guard in the sophomore class from the AIA sprayed the ball around like you should threading the needle and making the simple plays look effortless. He is a next level passer and has that speed with the ball that most don't have. He will burst past his opponents and use the floater game plus hit shots in the lane or jumpers off the dribble.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1591734' first='TJ' last='Harris'] Liberty</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A jet quick scoring point guard gets back in the action after his transfer rule. He did not have his full legs yet but still affected the game with speed and skill. His first step is ridiculously good leaving his opponents in the dust at times. He loves the mid-range game and will step thru and float it in. He will drive and kick it and is quick on the ball defensively.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1736172' first='Keegan' last='Colter'] Liberty</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough scoring lead guard keeps impressing each showing. He is a good on-ball defender using his strong frame, some length and toughness. He will rebound out of his area and collects steals which lead to layups. He will catch and shoot from the three and is truly gaining confidence by the month.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1697293' first='Ryker' last='Hughes'] Sandra Day O'Connor</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The high motored power forward lives on the glass. He scores with offensive rebound put backs at a high rate and will even grab steals with his quicker feet. He keeps possessions alive on the glass and brings his hard hat to every game.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1697292' first='Rylan' last='Parsley'] Sandra Day O'Connor</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The long and very tall guard/wing showed his value versus the talented St. John Bosco team with five triples made. He rattles in threes with very little space and time and has one of those shooting strokes that looks like it will go in every attempt. He also rebounds well in his area.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1490240' first='Colton' last='Watson'] Sandra Day O'Connor</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The bigger point forward facilitates and defends literally every player on the floor. He collects steals, gets deflections in bunches and will score getting downhill or on offensive rebound put backs. He can shoot it from the perimeter and is best attacking the basket off the dribble.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2146239' first='Carsyn' last='Dean'] Ironwood&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The long sophomore shooting guard will rattle in triples one by one off the catch. He has a nice burst he utilizes to get past his initial defender with driving layups. He has a much needed burst but he can also change speeds and get to the basket. He uses his length in the passing lanes.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571923' first='Koreon' last='Head'] Ironwood&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A physical scoring guard gets it done from all levels. He loves getting downhill with driving layups and catch threes. He uses quick cuts to the basket and uses his stronger upper body frame to score thru the contact. He is a sneaky good passer and versatile defender.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680907' first='Josh' last='Dillard'] Ironwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The ultimate glue guy for the Eagles will rebound and defend a bunch of positions and hustles. He will rip thru from the free throw line and go to work with longer strides and often scores thru contact. He will rebound and block shots in his area plus hit the three with more confidence then a year ago. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2045282' first='Landon' last='Jones'] Ironwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and lean scoring guard with some size. He is a catch and shoot sniper from the three point line.&nbsp;He is very confident with it and he has a quick release. He needs very little space and time. Once he fills in, he will even be tougher to defend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->