BCHS's Tip-Off Classic: Central Cali Hidden Gems (Pt. 2)

This past Saturday, November 22nd, Bakersfield Christian hosted its inaugural Tip-Off Classic, which featured an 8 team slate of four games. For most of these teams, it was not their first game of the season, but the second for most. The focus of these early preseason evaluations is to cover players I have never seen live or are under-the-radar prospects that have received little to no coverage over the past year. In particular, this article, a 2-part series, will focus the second group of six standout players from the Tip-Off Classic. The graduation class and player position vary, as the intent is to highlight unknown names. Players like [player_tooltip player_id='2646533' first='Taiwo' last='Daramola'], Cliff Willis, Gavin Christian, and [player_tooltip player_id='2194700' first='Jeremias' last='Killebrew'] to name a few, had impressive showings at the Tip-Off Classic, but I will cover top prospect performances to start the season in a separate series of articles. The players in this article are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and is Part 2 from this event. This article will be followed with a look at some of the top prospects and their play in the first two weeks of the new season. We begin with lead guard [player_tooltip player_id='2779889' first='AJ' last='Johnson'].    The 5-foot-11 lead guard has dynamic handles, can score the ball from 3-levels, and can make plays for open teammates when on the attack. Johnson did not play basketball his sophomore year and there was concern he may have been done with organized basketball. Fast forward a year and change of schools and Johnson looked impressive against a tough South Bakersfield squad that has started off 3-0 this season, as Johnson led the Bullpups with 16 points and a pair of steals in the loss to the Spartans. Johnson keeps the ball on a string to survey the defense, uses the between cross, behind cross, crossover, in-and-out, and hesitation moves to create space from his defender, plays with good change of pace and direction to keep his defender off balance, gets good lift on the stop-and-pop mig-range shot with good body control, is accurate with the 3-ball off the bounce, with the ability to connect on a traditional 3-ball, as well as the step-back and side-step jumper, and is a creative finisher at the basket with the floater, reverse, or Euro-step lay-ups to score amongst height. Johnson has good court vision, finds open teammates off the drive and kick pass, as well as making timely reads out of the pick and roll action, draws fouls to get to the free throw line, and has active hands on defense to poke the ball out or jump passing lanes to get out in the open court. Johnson, along with fellow junior AJ Williams, will be relied upon to carry the bulk of the scoring load until December 26th, which is when 30-day sit-out transfers are CIF cleared and Hanford will welcome juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2273494' first='Zander' last='Jensen'] and Lawrence Moore, and standout sophomore Joshua Jenkins, all predicted to be starters if not part of the core rotation. Until then, Johnson has the keys to drive the offense.     The 5-foot-10 combo guard has improved as a high level perimeter defender, can score in volume from beyond the arc, and has really matured in understanding his responsibilities for the Eagles, one of the top teams in the Section. McCrary has taken advantage of the openings on this season's roster, with both guards from last year graduating out, and has put the work in to become a starter for a team with a lot of talent and next level prospects. McCrary displayed his improved accuracy from beyond the arc in the Eagles win over San Luis Obispo, as he would connect on 5 threes to account for all 15 of his points to go along with 4 steals, which showed his improved perimeter defense. McCrary has solid handles, moves fluidly off the ball to get to his shot spots for open looks with the 3-ball off the catch, and uses the crossover or toss-cross to get by his defender on the close-out with touch on the floater or creativity with the reverse or Euro-step lay-ups. McCrary has good foot speed and lateral quickness to stay in front of his opponent, has quick hands to poke the ball out, or come from the weak side and strip the ball to create steals and transition buckets. McCrary has become one of the more reliable players when it comes to health, consistent play, and playing within his skill set. He is poised for a big season and will be relied upon for the depth and success of the Eagles this season.     The 6-foot-2 wing/guard has a physical build, gets to the paint routinely, is active on the glass, and can score in bunches. Moton had a slow start to the game against Ridgeview, as both teams would struggle to put the ball in the basket in the first half. However, Moton would get it going in the second half and scored 11 of his game high 13 points in the final two quarters to help give the Tigers a three point win over the Wolfpack. Moton has a strong handle on the ball, has a good burst off the bounce, uses his physical frame to bully defenders down the lane, and has the body control to score through contact at the basket. Moton draws fouls routinely, is effective from the free throw line, is a good positional rebounder to score on putbacks or push the ball up the court, and is effective with the mid-range jumper. Moton is a tough on-ball defender, has active hands to poke or rip the ball from his opponent, can defend bigger players on switches, and will be relied upon this season to carry the bulk of the scoring load for Edison.     The 6-foot combo guard can score in volume from 3-levels, is a solid on-ball defender, and brings the edge and toughness that every team needs on its roster to have success, especially in the playoffs. Myles has been locked in since the start of the season and had his best offensive performance in the Spartans win over Hanford, as he would lead all scorers with 21 points, tied with teammate and fellow senior Gavin Christian. Myles has a fluid flow to his style of play, keeps the dribble alive to survey the floor, uses the between cross, crossover, toss-cross, and hesitation to get his defender off balance, has a good burst of speed off the dribble to get by his initial defender, is accurate with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line off the bounce or the catch, has touch on the floater down the lane or the baseline, and is a creative finisher amongst height in the paint with the reverse or Euro-step lay-ups. Myles has quick feet, good lateral movement, and instinctive timing to get steals and turn defense to offense often, as was evident in the Spartans win over Roosevelt of Fresno on Tuesday night, with Myles snagging 7 steals and playing electric on-ball defense. Myles has good court vision to make plays to open teammates when attacking off the dribble drive, and will be a major factor for South Bakersfield and its ambitions to win a league and Section title.     The 5-foot-11 lead guard controls the flow of the offense, can light it up from beyond the arc, as well as make plays for others with the ball in his hands. Otto stepped up big in the absence of fellow senior Logan Missler, as he would score 16 points connecting on 4 threes and helped keep the Tigers close to the host team Bakersfield Christian for nearly three quarters of the game. Otto keeps the ball on a string to survey the court, uses the crossover and between cross to create space from his defender, has a good burst off the bounce to get into the paint, and has the strength to score through contact at the basket, as well as evade height in the paint with the reverse lay-up. Otto moves fluidly off the ball to get to his shot spots, is highly accurate with the 3-ball off the catch, draws fouls to get to the free throw line, and has the court vision to find open teammates off the drive and kick pass. Once Missler is back on the court, Otto, and teammate Isaac Burgess, will have open looks as he and Beau Crew draw a lot of attention from opposing defenses.     The 6-foot-3 wing/guard is athletic and lengthy, is a versatile high-impact defender, and excels in the open court running the lanes. Williams was less than a week removed from the football field and there was some rust in his skill set from where he was at last season, but as the game went on you could see what he brings to the floor on both ends and will be a major factor for the Bullpups, especially once all the transfers are cleared. Williams would finish with 13 points and a pair of blocks in the loss to South Bakersfield, but the two threes he cashed in on in the fourth quarter were signs of what I saw from Williams last season. Williams has a long wingspan, quick lateral movement, and stays in front of perimeter players, which forces his opponents into bad decisions and turnovers, and is an underrated rim protector in the paint, as well as with closeouts on perimeter players. Williams has a solid handle, uses the wide crossover and between cross to get by his defender, has long strides to get into the paint, and is a creative finisher around the basket. Williams moves well off the ball to get open shots, is effective with the 3-ball off the catch or the bounce, and does a great job on the glass. As the season progresses, Williams will get his basketball legs under him and, with the transfers, Hanford could have a really good starting five with length, skill, and versatility and all of them juniors or younger.

This past Saturday, November 22nd, Bakersfield Christian hosted its inaugural Tip-Off Classic, which featured an 8 team slate of four games. For most of these teams, it was not their first game of the season, but the second for most. The focus of these early preseason evaluations is to cover players I have never seen live or are under-the-radar prospects that have received little to no coverage over the past year. In particular, this article, a 2-part series, will focus the second group of six standout players from the Tip-Off Classic. The graduation class and player position vary, as the intent is to highlight unknown names. Players like Taiwo Daramola Taiwo Daramola 6'7" | C Bakersfield Christian | 2027 State CA-S , Cliff Willis, Gavin Christian, and Jeremias Killebrew Jeremias Killebrew 6'5" | SF Bakersfield Christian | 2027 State CA-S to name a few, had impressive showings at the Tip-Off Classic, but I will cover top prospect performances to start the season in a separate series of articles. The players in this article are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and is Part 2 from this event. This article will be followed with a look at some of the top prospects and their play in the first two weeks of the new season. We begin with lead guard AJ Johnson AJ Johnson 6'3" | PG Washington Prep | 2026 State CA-S .