Central Cali HS Hoops: Top Prospects' Hot Starts

The season is nearly two weeks underway and there have been some impressive performances from some of the top prospects in the Central Section. This article focuses on 6 players that I have seen over the past 10 days and all are ranked in the top fifteen in their respective classes, per my player rankings for the Central Section that can be accessed on Prep Hoops. The players are listed in alphabetical, not ranked order, and there is a range in the positions they play and their graduation classes. In this article, I take a look at some of the early performances from each player with my own stats provided, along with a brief description of their skill sets. We begin with senior Gavin Christian.    The 6-foot-5 wing/forward is active on the glass, runs the floor well in the open court, has become a force in the paint, and can space the floor from beyond the arc. Christian has been sensational to kick off his senior season and has led the Spartans in scoring and rebounding. Christian has had games of 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals; 21 points and 7 rebounds; and 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals in the Spartans first three games of the season. Christian crashes the boards, has good timing on the offensive glass to get putbacks and tip-ins, has enough handles to push the ball off the glass, and runs the floor well after the outlet pass to get ahead of the defense for transition dunks and lay-ups. Christian has good footwork, uses the back-to-the-basket spin-move and up-and-under moves to score in tights windows around the basket, the handles to attack from the top of the key with the strength to score through contact, and can space the floor with the 3-ball off the dribble. Christian moves well off the ball to get open looks for the three off the catch, uses the pump-fake to attack down the lane or off the baseline, and is effective with the mid-post jumper. Christian has the physical abilities to defend bigger players in the post, as well as the foot speed and lateral quickness to stay in front of perimeter players. Christian will be relied upon to be one of the Spartans top scorers and his interior presence is critical as the only real big South Bakersfield has in its core rotation.     The 6-foot-8 forward is one of the best rim protectors in the Section, if not the state, dominant on the glass, and continues to add to his offensive skill set and scoring arsenal. Daramola has emerged as one of the top overall prospects in the Central Section regardless of class, has been impressive all Fall when I have seen him in person, and recently received another Division 1 offer from UC Santa Barbara. Daramola has great timing, gets off the ground quickly, and the wingspan to block/alter any shot around the basket, has the lateral quickness and foot speed to close out and alter shots on the perimeter, and his presence in the paint forces opposing players to adjust shots last minute or simply not even attempt to score in the post. Daramola is an elite rebounder, has the timing to get putback dunks and provide his team with second chance opportunities, while limiting opponents to single shot possessions. Daramola outlets the ball quickly, uses his strides and speed to get up the court to make himself available for transition dunks, and his timing and off ball movement has made him a true lob threat in the half court as soon as he gets a clearing. Daramola uses the drop-step, the up-and-under, and the fadeaway moves to score the ball within fifteen feet of the basket, is more confident with the short porch jumper, and can stretch the floor with the 3-ball on occasion. He continues to develop the handle and the burst of speed to get down the lane, and had a stellar stat-line of 23 points 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block in a home win over San Luis Obispo at the Tip-Off Classic at Bakersfield Christian.     The 6-foot-5 wing/slasher can score the ball from 3-levels, is becoming a high-level shot blocker, and is a versatile defender that can defend in the post and on the perimeter. Killebrew will be relied upon this season to be one of the Eagles top scorers, if not the top scorer, and, from what I have seen over the past four months, Bakersfield Christian will go as he goes with the graduation of Gabe Gutierrez (currently at College of Sequias), who was the go to guy for the Eagles last season. Killebrew looked great in the Eagles home victory over San Luis Obispo, going for 22 points and a pair of threes, along with 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Killebrew has solid handles, uses the crossover, between cross, and behind cross to get his defender off balance, gets great lift on the jumper with high arc and accuracy from the mid-range to the 3-point line off the bounce, uses the pump-fake or hesitation to get by defenders over-pursuing him on the perimeter, has long strides and wingspan to score at the basket with the Euro-step, reverse, or up-and-under lay-ups, and is playing above the rim much more these days, becoming a lob threat in the half-court, as well as in transition. Killebrew has great timing to block shots from the weakside, the chase-down pin block, and the length and footspeed to close out and block shots on the perimeter. Killebrew is a tough on-ball defender with active hands, long arms, and good instincts to deflect passes or to jump passing lanes, which open up scoring opportunities in the open court. The ceiling for Killebrew is as high as anyone's in the Section, and the key the next two years will be consistency on both ends of the court.     The 6-foot-7 wing/forward is a high-level rim protector, can score the ball from 3-levels, and impacts the game on both ends in various ways. Posas has been one of the top prospects in the Section since bursting on the scene two years ago, but with the graduation of several key players from Roosevelt, including four-year starter James Miller (now at Bakersfield College), Posas will be called to lead this team in more than just statistics, as the Rough Riders leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker last season. After a slow start to the game for the entire Rough Rider team against the stout South Bakersfield Spartans the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Posas got going in the second half and finished with a team-high 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Posas is relentless on the boards, has the length and timing to get putbacks and tip-ins, has the wingspan and awareness to block/alter shots around the basket, with the strides and lateral quickness to close out and alter perimeter shots, and can defend in the post with his height and length, as well as stay in front of smaller perimeter players with his long arms and side-to-side movement to deflect passes or jump passing lanes. Posas has enough handles to create off the bounce, in particular attacking from the top of the key, gets good lift on the mid-range jumper with the length to shoot over most defenders, uses the crossover, spin-move, and between cross to create space from his defender, can score around the basket with the Euro-step or up-and-under lay-ups, and moves well off the ball to get open looks off the catch with accuracy on the 3-ball. There are a lot of new pieces at Roosevelt and it may take a minute to figure things out, but Posas will find ways to impact the game and play with a great motor.     The 5-foot-11 lead guard has dynamic handles, can score the ball from 3-levels, makes plays to open teammates, and is an underrated on-ball defender with good instincts. Saenz is coming off an MVP season, back-to-back D3 Section titles, and earned Player of the Game honors in last year's Section title game with 33 points. Saenz is off to a hot start in his junior campaign, as he led the Stars to the 58 Freeway Shootout championship and earned tourney MVP honors. I was in attendance for their semifinal win over Garces Memorial of Bakersfield and Saenz did a little bit of everything, going for 19 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Saenz has a solid handle on the ball, keeps the dribble alive to survey the defense, uses the crossover, behind cross, the hesitation, and the toss-cross to get his defender off balance, has good body control on the mid-range jumper off the bounce through contact, and is able to finish in the paint amongst height with the Euro-step and reverse lay-ups. Saenz is accurate with the 3-ball off the dribble or the catch, has the court vision to drop dimes on the drive and kick pass or in the pick and roll action, and makes pin-point passes up the court to players running the floor for transition buckets. Saenz has good footwork, the lateral movement to stay in front of his opponent, gets into their dribbling space, and gets steals by poking out the ball or jumping passing lanes. Saenz will be shouldered with leading the young but talented Stars roster and he is poised to make a run at another SYML MVP and give South Bakersfield a run for the league title.     The 6-foot-2 lead guard plays with good pace and control, has really improved his shooting efficiency to be a true 3-level scorer, and is a pesky defender that impacts his opponents on or off the ball. Willis, along with fellow senior Gavin Christian (mentioned above), have come out the gates swinging and putting up great numbers to lead the Spartans to a 3-0 start. Willis opened up the season going for 25 points and 5 steals, followed by 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists; and 17 points and 3 steals in the last two games respectively. Willis keeps the ball on a string, uses the crossover, spin-move, behind-cross, and hesitation to create space from his defender, has one of the best stop-and-pop mid-range jumpers in the Section with good lift and body control, has a great burst of speed off the bounce, and is a creative scorer around the basket with the Euro-step and reverse lay-ups, as well as the physicality to score through contact at the basket. Willis moves fluidly off the ball, is effective with the 3-ball off the dribble or the catch, is a good positional rebounder that looks to push the pace of play, and has the court vision to make tight reads off the drive and kick pass or finding teammates up the court off the glass. Willis has shown growth in his footspeed, lateral quickness, and quick/active hands to poke the ball out, jump passing lanes, or rip the ball from his opponent, which allows him to get out in the open court. Willis has been the driving force for the Spartans engine so far and his level of play and consistent shot making will be imperative for South Bakersfield to make a run at a league and Section title.

The season is nearly two weeks underway and there have been some impressive performances from some of the top prospects in the Central Section. This article focuses on 6 players that I have seen over the past 10 days and all are ranked in the top fifteen in their respective classes, per my player rankings for the Central Section that can be accessed on Prep Hoops. The players are listed in alphabetical, not ranked order, and there is a range in the positions they play and their graduation classes. In this article, I take a look at some of the early performances from each player with my own stats provided, along with a brief description of their skill sets. We begin with senior Gavin Christian.