BCHS’s Meet in the Middle Mania: Standout Forward/Wings

This past weekend, Bakersfield Christian hosted the inaugural Meet in the Middle Mania Showcase, featuring 3 teams from Northern California (Destiny Christian Lions of Sacramento, Vanden Vikings of Fairfield, and Weston Ranch Cougars of Stockton) and 3 teams from Southern California (Pacifica Christian Tritons of Newport Beach, Legacy Christian Lions of Valencia, and host team Bakersfield Christian) in a round robin format so that each team played a team from the opposing region. The event started Thursday and wrapped up on Saturday. Along with the quality teams, the event hosted some high-level prospects, which will be covered in this 4-part series of player evaluations. In this article, I look at six forward/wings that had standout performances in the first two days that I was at the showcase. This article includes the following information: player's information, my own personal recorded statistics, and a brief description of each player's skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and will be the last article from this event. We begin this article with junior big man [player_tooltip player_id='2435390' first='Ender' last='Berg'] of Legacy Christian of Valencia.    The 6-foot-11 forward/center has a long wingspan, good footwork in the paint, good touch around the basket, and is a high-level rim protector making it difficult for players attacking the paint to get quality looks within 15 feet of the basket. Berg had a strong showing in the Lions second game against Vanden of Fairfield, as he would go for 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks to display his dominance in the paint. Berg has good footwork, seals off his defender to receive the entry pass, has good back to the basket moves with touch on shots around the basket, and is effective with the mid-post jumper. Berg has good court vision and awareness to make pin point passes to spot-up shooters, as well as making quality reads from the top of the key to cutting teammates. Berg has good timing on dives off the pick and roll action with the ability to throw it down with ease off the lob.     The 6-foot-8 power forward imposes his will in the interior, has good touch around the basket, dominates the boards, and is a high-level rim protector. Camara was one of the more physically dominant players at the Meet in the Middle Showcase, as he would have games of 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 block in a win over Legacy Christian of Valencia, followed by a 6 point, 7 rebounds, and a block against the host team Bakersfield Christian. Camara crashes the boards, gets his team multiple looks with offensive rebounds, limits opponents to single shot possessions, and outlets the ball quickly to get up the court. Camara has the frame to seal off his defender, soft hands to receive entry passes off the perimeter, and has good touch on shots around the basket. Camara has the wingspan to block/alter shots around the basket, forces players that like to attack the basket to think twice about putting up regular lay-ups, is a handful to deal with in the pick and roll action with the ability to seal off the switch defender with timely dives to the basket, and has the strength to score through contact and earn trips to the free throw line.     The 6-foot-8 forward is an elite rim protector, dominates the glass, runs the floor to get ahead of the defense, and continues to expand his arsenal of scoring moves. Daramola continues to emerge as one of the top prospects in the Central Section regardless of class, and that was on display at the Meet in the Middle Showcase, as he would put up a solid double-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 1 steal in the win over Weston Ranch of Stockton, followed by 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a loss to Destiny Christian of Sacramento. Daramola is an elite athlete, has good instincts and timing with bounce to block any shot near the basket, the versatility and agility to step out and contest perimeter shots, and crashes the boards on both ends to get putbacks on the offensive end with some dazzling dunks, or limit opponents to single shot possessions. Daramola has active hands to deflect entry passes, good timing to jump cross court passes and get steals, has enough handle to create from the top of the key to get to the basket, and continues to add to his mid-range scoring arsenal, with the fadeaway short porch shot, the drop-step into the close mid-range shot, and the spin move to score at the basket. His timing on dives off the pick and roll action often lead to lob dunks or easy finishes at the basket. Everytime I see him play in person I notice he has added something to his game or previous moves are becoming more routine. Sky is really the limit for the junior forward.     The 6-foot-6 stretch forward has a smooth shot from beyond the arc, has the frame to score through contact in the paint, and makes good reads to open teammates cutting off the ball or up the court off the defensive rebound. Hibbert is coming off a strong showing at the annual NorCal Tip-Off, earning Player of the Game honors in a win over Moreau Catholic. Hibbert kept up the long-range shooting in Vanden's first two games of the showcase, with 7 points and 9 points respectively, connecting on 5 threes over the two games. Hibbert moves fluidly off the ball, is accurate with the 3-ball off the catch, which opens up the court by pulling bigger defenders away from the basket. Hibbert has solid handles, uses the crossover and between cross to create space from his defender, has a quick release on the jumper with limited space needed to get his shot off, and is effective on shots through contact. I saw him live at the California Live Scholastic event in late June and he had a game with 6 threes, showing his ability to score in volume.     The 6-foot-7 forward is a versatile scorer that can space the floor beyond the arc, is active on the glass, and runs the floor well to get ahead of the defense in transition. Hogan displayed his impact scoring the ball in the two games I saw him live, with outings of 12 points and 10 points respectively and was selected to the All-Tournament team, helping the Tritons go undefeated at the Showcase. Hogan moves well off the ball, gets to his shot spots, is able to connect on the 3-ball off the catch to space the floor and pull opposing rim protectors away from the basket, and has the court vision and accuracy to make timely reads to teammates cutting off the ball. Hogan has good interior footwork, uses his physical build to seal off his defender, has strong hands to secure the entry pass, and has the moves to score in tight windows around the basket. Hogan is able to score through contact around the basket, can put the ball on the deck and attack from the top of the key, and has the agility and size to hold up well against taller bigs in the post.     The 6-foot-6 wing/forward has a variety of moves to score the ball within 20 feet of the basket, can create off the perimeter, and is a solid on-ball defender, as well as the length and strength to hold up against bigger players in the post. Wiggins displayed his versatility as a true wing that is able to operate on the wing or play the high-post against zone defenses and make quality basketball decisions, as he would go for 14 points, 3 steals, and a block in a win over Legacy Christian, followed by 14 points, 2 steals, and 1 block in a win against the host team Bakersfield Christian. Wiggins has a strong handle on the ball, uses the crossover, the between cross, and the hesitation to get his defender off balance, a strong burst off the bounce to score through contact en route to the basket, uses the reverse or up-and-under moves to score around the basket, and is accurate with the jumper from the mid-range with good lift off the dribble. Wiggins has great court awareness, makes great reads from the high-post to open players against zone defenses, or to open players off the drive and kick pass. Wiggins uses his length and physical presence, along with his agility, to impose his will on opposing perimeter players, as well as poking the ball out from bigs in the paint when they bring the ball down, looks to turn defense to offense, and excels in the open court when he gets ahead of the defense. Makes winning plays often and in a timely manner.

This past weekend, Bakersfield Christian hosted the inaugural Meet in the Middle Mania Showcase, featuring 3 teams from Northern California (Destiny Christian Lions of Sacramento, Vanden Vikings of Fairfield, and Weston Ranch Cougars of Stockton) and 3 teams from Southern California (Pacifica Christian Tritons of Newport Beach, Legacy Christian Lions of Valencia, and host team Bakersfield Christian) in a round robin format so that each team played a team from the opposing region. The event started Thursday and wrapped up on Saturday. Along with the quality teams, the event hosted some high-level prospects, which will be covered in this 4-part series of player evaluations. In this article, I look at six forward/wings that had standout performances in the first two days that I was at the showcase. This article includes the following information: player's information, my own personal recorded statistics, and a brief description of each player's skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and will be the last article from this event. We begin this article with junior big man Ender Berg Ender Berg 6'10" | C Mater Dei | 2027 State CA-S of Legacy Christian of Valencia.