5th Annual CVBT March Madness: Standout Underclassmen (Part 1)

Fresno, CA - This past Saturday, I attended the 5th Annual CVBT March Madness event, which featured teams in youth to high school divisions and was held at Hoover High School in Fresno. I was there to watch the HS Gold division only, but caught a few other games in the HS Silver division. This article takes a look at 7 standout underclassmen from the tournament and includes the following information: players name, height, grad class, position, relevant statistics that I kept, how they played in the game, and their skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Dez Bello. There will be a Part 2 to this article, looking at 6 more underclassmen.   2028 Dezmond Bello |5'10| CG (Tulare Western/CA)   Bello is a crafty player that can score the ball from 3-levels, can score playing on or off the ball, and plays with good pace and feel for the game. The 5'10 combo guard has his scoring arsenal on full display at the CVBT March Madness event, as he would go for 16 points and 5 rebounds, connecting on a pair of threes, followed by a 15 point outing in the final game of Saturday's HS Gold division, connecting on 3 threes, with big second halves in both games showing he can score in volume in crucial points of games to keep his team in the game. Bello has dynamic handles, uses the crossover, spin-move, between-cross, hesitation, and behind-cross to create space from his defender, moves fluidly off the ball to get to his shot spots, is accurate with the 3-ball off the dribble or the catch, uses the pump-fake or his moves to get to the mid-range jumper, where he is accurate on the middy, and is a creative scorer around the basket, with the Euro-step and reverse lay-ups to evade shot blockers. Bello has good court vision, makes good reads off the drive and kick pass, is a good positional rebounder, which allows him to push the pace of play, and with his shooting efficiency from the perimeter, the moves he has to work with are even more effective because defenders have to over-pursue. Another Tulare Western guard to keep an eye on over the next few years.    2028 Jairo Ceja |5'10| CG (Mendota/CA)   Ceja is a shifty player that can light it up from beyond the arc, is able to create for himself or for his teammates, and is a tough perimeter defender that looks to turn defense to offense routinely. The 5'10 combo guard showed the ability to score the ball from 3-levels, fluid off-ball movement to get to his shot spots, confidence on the 3-ball off the catch, has the handles and moves to create off the perimeter, has a good burst to get by his initial defender, gets good lift on the mid-range jumper, with the body control to score through contact, and makes good use of the hesitation to freeze his defender and score at the basket. Ceja is a tough on-ball defender, has the active hands and instincts to poke the ball out, or jump passing lanes, and looks to push the pace in the open court.    2028 Dasani Davis |6'2| PG (Central East/Fresno CA)   Davis is a wiry and lengthy player that has the moves to create his own scoring opportunities, the skill to make plays for his teammates, and the versatility to impact the defensive end on the ball, or by playing the passing lanes. The 6'2 lead guard had the shifty moves and high-level play making on full display in the two games I watched him play on Saturday. Davis has dynamic handles, keeps the ball on a string to survey the defense, uses the crossover, toss-cross, between-cross, hesitation, and behind-cross to get his defender off balance, uses his long strides and re-direction to get by his initial defender, is effective with the mid-range jumper off the bounce, and is a crafty scorer around the basket, with the floater, Euro-step, and reverse lay-ups to evade shot-blockers at the cup. Davis is active on the glass, looks to push the pace of play in the open court, has the court vision to find teammates off the drive and kick pass, makes timely reads out of the pick and roll action, or is able to hit his teammates in stride up the court for transition buckets. Defensively, Davis has a long wingspan, active hands, and good instincts to defect passes, poke the ball out, or jump passing lanes, turning defense to offense. He had 11 points in the final game of the HS Gold division this past Saturday, and showed he can space the floor with the 3-ball off the catch.    2028 Luke DeManby |6'3| WG (Buchanan/Clovis CA)   DeManby is an athletic and high-energy player that impacts the game in numerous ways, can light it up from beyond the arc, and is a high-level defender. The 6'3 wing/guard displayed his tenacious on-ball defense, with active hands and good instincts to deflect passes or poke the ball out, the timing to jump passing lanes and turn defense to offense. DeManby has the handles and moves to create off the perimeter, with use of the crossover, between-cross, and hesitation moves to get his defender off balance, has a good burst of speed off the dribble, and has the strength and body control to score through contact down the lane or attacking from the baseline. DeManby moves well off the ball, gets to the open spot, and is accurate with the 3-ball off the catch, which he can knock down in volume. He has good court vision, looks to find open teammates off the drive and kick pass, and, being a good positional rebounder, can find open players up the court.    2028 Tamar'J (TJ) Dixon |6'3| WG (Bullard/Fresno CA)   Dixon is an elite athlete and rapidly developing two-way player that has been making his mark on defense, is emerging as an offensive weapon, and looks comfortable with the ball in his hands. The 6'3 wing/guard showed growth in controlling the pace of play with the ball in hand, more fluid movement when attacking off the perimeter, using the crossover, hesitation, and between-cross to get his defender off balance, displayed good body control while attacking openings in the defense, and used his quick burst off the dribble, and length to score at the basket. Dixon gets good lift on the mid-range jumper, is a great positional rebound who can push the ball off the glass, and is an elite on-ball defender, with active hands, good instincts, and the wingspan to deflect passes, poke the ball out, or generate steals by jumping the passing lanes, where he can use his athletic and quick movement to score in the open court. Definitely a player to keep an eye on and one that should make a big jump for Bullard next year.   2029 Daryias Harris |5'9| CG (Hanford/CA)   Harris is a crafty and quick player that can attack off the perimeter, space the floor with the 3-ball, and turn defense to offense. The 5'9 combo guard had a solid showing this past Saturday at the CVBT March Madness event, as he would display his ability to space the floor with the 3-ball off the catch, with good off-ball movement to get open, and active hands on defense to poke the ball out or the timing to jump passing lanes, which led to several steals and transition buckets. Harris has good court vision, made the right reads off the drive and kick pass, and had a crafty bucket around the basket.    2029 Brandon Jackoson |6'3| WF (Hanford/CA)   Jackson is a lengthy and wiry player that is a versatile defender, has great touch around the basket, and excels in the open court. The 6'3 wing/forward had a solid showing this past Saturday, scoring 10 points and snagging 2 steals to help his team get the win. Jackson crashes the boards on both ends, has good touch on put back or shots around the basket, finds the dunk spot opposite the player attacking the basket, where he is ready to catch and score in rhythm. Jackson runs the lanes well in translation, gets ahead of the defense to be open for passes up the court, has good lateral movement and active hands to deflect passes, alters shots, and jump passing lanes to turn defense to offense. Jackson has a good mid-range jumper and is a player to keep an eye on the next few years.

Fresno, CA - This past Saturday, I attended the 5th Annual CVBT March Madness event, which featured teams in youth to high school divisions and was held at Hoover High School in Fresno. I was there to watch the HS Gold division only, but caught a few other games in the HS Silver division. This article takes a look at 7 standout underclassmen from the tournament and includes the following information: players name, height, grad class, position, relevant statistics that I kept, how they played in the game, and their skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Dez Bello. There will be a Part 2 to this article, looking at 6 more underclassmen.