Edison’s MLK Super Saturday Showcase: Standout Forwards

Fresno, CA - Last Saturday, January 17th, I attended the annual Edison MLK Super Saturday Showcase, which featured 5 games, as the opening game between Mission Oak and Sunnyside was canceled due to the heavy fog that has blanketed Central Cali the past week or so. The 5 games were as follows: Sanger West v. Coalinga; McFarland v. Justin Garza; Fresno Christian v. Edison; Centennial v. Clovis; and Hoover v. McLane. I was in attendance for the first four games but had to hit the road before the final game of the showcase. In this article, I take a look at 5 players that had standout performances at the forward/center position at the showcase. I will follow this article up looking at standout players by position from the Bakersfield Christian MLK Showcase. In this article you will find the following information: player's information, relevant statistics, and a brief description of each player's skill sets and how they performed in the games I watched. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Roman Felix.    The 6-foot-7 wing/forward has good court awareness to make plays, can spread the floor from beyond the arc, and is active on the paint, on the glass and as a rim protector. Felix was not in the line-up when I saw the Cougars at its own event, The Elks, at the end of December, and I have not seen him live since the month of June in his first games with Clovis. Felix showed why myself and others have him as the top prospect in the 2029 class and one of the players to keep an eye on as a potential D1 prospect that can impact multiple aspects of the game, finishing the game with 10 points, connecting on a pair of threes, and two blocks in relatively limited play in the second half. Felix crashes the boards, gets put-back opportunities off the offensive rebound, as well as limits opponents to single shot possessions, and has the wingspan and height, along with the instincts and timing to block/alter shots in the paint, as well as the strides to close out and contest perimeter shots. Felix moves well off the ball, gets to the open spot, is a dual threat out of the pick and roll/pop action, and is accurate with the 3-ball off the catch, as well as able to seal his man off on the dive to get easy shots around the basket. Felix is effective with the face-up jumper, has enough handle to put the ball on the deck and attack the basket, and keeps the ball high off the glass to get his shots off and avoid smaller players poking the ball out. Cougars have a lot of pieces to like, but with Felix on the court, opposing bigs have to respect his shooting and are forced to leave the paint, opening up driving lanes.     The 6-foot-4 forward is crafty around the basket, is active on the glass, has great touch around the basket, and is a solid rim protector that plays much bigger than his listed height. Molina had a strong showing against Garza of Fresno, despite losing to the Guardians, as he would go for 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks to help keep his team in the game for most of the first half. Molina has sound fundamentals sealing off his opponent, getting good position, and stays active on the boards, gets second chance scoring opportunities on the put-back, and has good hands to receive entry passes out of the pick and roll action, or getting open in the dunker spots opposite his perimeter players attacking the basket. Molina has a solid mid-post jumper, uses his physical build to hold up against taller players in the post, and is a good interior court to teammate Malachi Davis, who operates primarily from the perimeter.     The 6-foot-6 forward is active on the glass, runs the floor well in the open court, plays with a great motor, and has the wingspan to protect the basket and alter shots. Oganesyan had a strong second half, as he would get it going in the 3rd quarter, scoring 8 of his 10 points in that frame, to go along with 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Oganesyan crashes the boards on both ends, gets easy points off put-back baskets, outlets the ball quickly to get up the court and ahead of the defense for transition points, has the wingspan and length to alter shots in the paint, as well as the strides and timing on close-outs to alter perimeter shots, and has the lateral foot-speed to hold his own defending perimeter players on switches. Oganesyan has good hands to receive passes on the dive out of the pick and roll action, is effective with the face-up jumper, and is the ideal big for the Guardians, that like to push the pace of play and get up and down, which requires a more agile and wiry physical build.     The 6-foot-7 power forward has a strong and athletic build, is a force in the paint on both ends, and is accurate from the free throw line, which he earns trips to by going to the basket routinely. Ramirez is one of the last remaining pieces from last year's D4 Section title team, and his interior presence was evident in the Eagles win over event host, Edison of Fresno, as he would score 12 points and pull down 5 rebounds. Ramirez is a good athlete that moves well off the ball, cutting to the dunker spot where he was the recipient of several passes that hit him in stride going at the basket, gets good positioning on the box-out to control the boards, gets points off put-back baskets, and is effective from the free throw line. Ramirez does a good job of sealing off his defender on the dive out of the pick and roll action, and has the timing and bounce to alter/block shots around the basket. He will be a key factor in the Eagles looking to make a run at the D3 Section title.     The 6-foot-6 wing/forward spaces the floor from beyond the arc, is active on the glass, makes good reads to open teammates, and has the instincts to deflect and steal passes into the paint. Shaw has been one of the more dominant forwards in the Section this season, and definitely one of the most impactful sophomores, along with [player_tooltip player_id='2843567' first='Anthony' last='Smith'], Cam Saenz, Josiah Wilson, RJ Shehee, Williams Sacre, and Domo Olanrewaju. Shaw did all he could to help the G-Hawks stay close to Clovis High, as he put up a near double-double, with 19 points and 9 rebounds, to go along with 2 steals. Shaw crashes the glass on both ends, gets plenty of scoring opportunities off put-back baskets, has enough handle to push the ball off the glass, make the outlet pass and run the floor, or make the pass up the court himself. Shaw moves well off the ball, gets to his shot spots, and has been the top three point shooter for the G-Hawks this season, if not the entire South Valley. Shaw has a smooth face-up jumper, can attack off the perimeter, and is a dual threat in the pick and roll/pop action, as he seals his man off diving to the basket, or ready to shoot off the pop.

Fresno, CA - Last Saturday, January 17th, I attended the annual Edison MLK Super Saturday Showcase, which featured 5 games, as the opening game between Mission Oak and Sunnyside was canceled due to the heavy fog that has blanketed Central Cali the past week or so. The 5 games were as follows: Sanger West v. Coalinga; McFarland v. Justin Garza; Fresno Christian v. Edison; Centennial v. Clovis; and Hoover v. McLane. I was in attendance for the first four games but had to hit the road before the final game of the showcase. In this article, I take a look at 5 players that had standout performances at the forward/center position at the showcase. I will follow this article up looking at standout players by position from the Bakersfield Christian MLK Showcase. In this article you will find the following information: player's information, relevant statistics, and a brief description of each player's skill sets and how they performed in the games I watched. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Roman Felix.