Cali Live 26': Central Cali's Standout Wing/Forwards

Rocklin, CA - Last weekend, Friday, June 26th through Sunday, June 28th, Northern California played host to the 4th annual California Scholastic Live Tournament, which gives D1 college coaches a chance to sit court side and watch some of the top players on the West, if not nationally. The event featured 170+ teams that played the first two games in pool play, with Sunday serving as championship day, as the event paired the winners of competitively equivalent teams against each other. There were 44 pools in total, and the top 14 pools featured the top teams in the event. This article takes a look at 8 standout wings/forwards from the Central Section of California, which will be followed by a two-part looks at top guards from the same Section. After that, I will cover the other standout players in the event by grad class and position. In this article you will find the following information: players name, height, position, school, stats from the event, and a breakdown of their skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Sevy Archuleta.   Sevy Archuleta (2027 | PF) Clovis North (Fresno)   The 6-foot-7 forward has good positional size and skill, is active on the boards, and can space the floor from beyond the arc. Archuleta, the recent transfer from Modesto Christian, had a strong showing for the Broncos and will be the serviceable presence in the post that Clovis North has needed the past few seasons. Archuleta gets good positioning, seals off his opponent, and controls the boards on both ends, allowing for points off the put-back, as well as limiting the other team to single shot possessions, outlets the ball quickly, and runs the floor well to get ahead of the defense. Archuleta has good footwork and moves to score in the post, with the spin-move or drop-step to get separation from his defender, and has soft touch on shots around the basket, with the body control to score through contact at the cup. Archuleta is accurate with the jumper, is effective with the one-dribble pull-up mid-post jumper, and can space the floor with the 3-ball off the pick and pop. Archuleta averaged 11 points per game at Cali Live with a personal best of 16 points and a pair of threes in a win over Beyer of Modesto to close out the weekend.     Jamell Castro (2029 | WF) - Clovis West (Fresno)   The 6-foot-5 wing/forward has a physical and athletic frame, excels in the open court, is a versatile defender, and throws down some dazzling dunks. Castro has active hands, agile movement, and good instincts to stay in front of perimeter players, jump passing lanes, deflect passes, or poke the ball out to turn defense to offense, is a quick leaper with a long wingspan to alter/block shots in the paint, as well as the lateral movement to alter perimeter shots. Castro has good timing on the dive out of the pick and roll action, seals his defender off to get open for catch and finish looks around the basket, uses the spin-move or drop-step to get space in the paint, and has the strength to score through contact at the basket, as well as the use of the up-and-under and reverse lay-ups to evade shot blockers. Castro imposes his size and athleticism on opponents and as he expands his accuracy from the perimeter, he will be able to open up the floor to attack driving lanes.    [player_tooltip player_id='2646533' first='Taiwo' last='Daramola'] (2027 | PF) - Bakersfield Christian    The 6-foot-8 power forward is an elite rim protector, a beast on the boards, and an emerging threat from the middy to beyond the arc, helping space the floor. Daramola is one of the top prospects from the Central Section, with several offers from D1 programs on the West Coast, and held it down in the paint for the Eagles, helping it win its bracket at Cali Live, with averages of 13 points and 5 rebounds per game, with a near double-double in the championship game, finishing with 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Daramola has a long wingspan, great timing and instincts, with quick leaping ability to erase shots in the paint, the agility to slide over for the weak-side block, as well as close outs on the perimeter to alter jumpers, dominates the boards, getting easy points off put-backs, and limiting opponents to single shot possessions. Daramola does a great job using off-ball and on-ball screens to seal off his defender, plays above the rim with some big time bang outs off the lob, enough handles to attack from the top of the key with the strength to score through contact in the paint, and has shown he has the drop-step, spin-move, and up-and-under moves in his arsenal to score around the basket, with better accuracy and body control on the jumper from the mid-post to the 3-point line.   Roman Felix (2029 | WF) - San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno)   The 6-foot-8 forward makes quality reads, can space the floor from beyond the arc, and is emerging as one of the premier rim protectors in the Central Section. Felix had a strong showing at the recent Cali Live event, as he held down the paint for the Panthers, and held his own against some of the top bigs in the state, with his best game coming in the final game win over Lincoln of Stockton, finishing with 13 points and the game winning bucket. Felix is active on the boards, has the timing and quick leaping ability to get put-backs off missed shots, limits opponents to single shot possessions, releases the ball quickly to get ahead in the open court, but does have the handle to push the ball off the glass if needed. Felix has quick hands, good reflexes and instincts, and the timing to be a high-level rim protector/shot blocker in the paint, with the agility to step out and alter perimeter shots, and has the moves to score in the paint with the up-and-under, spin-move, and rip-through to create space from his defender, and is accurate with the face-up jumper, and moves fluidly off the ball to get open looks for the 3-ball off the catch. Felix received an offer from Fresno State, and is a prospect to keep an eye on with the potential to be a high-level college prospect.    Josiah Jackson (2029 | WF) - Atascadero    The 6-foot-8 forward is a true rim protector, has the court vision and decision making to make reads up the court or in the half-court setting, and is a true hidden gem that is ready to break out on the scene as one of the premier rising sophomores in the Section. Jackson averaged close to 10 points per game at Cali Live, displayed his relentless effort on the boards, has good touch and quick leaping to get put-backs off misses, outlets the ball and runs the floor well in the open court to get ahead of the defense for transition buckets, has the wingspan and timing to block shots in the paint, as well as step out and alter shots from the perimeter, and moves well off the ball to get weak side blocks or deflections. Jackson showed the court vision and decision making from the top of the key to find teammates cutting off the ball, and the handle to put the ball on the deck and attack the basket driving down the lane, absorbing and scoring through contact in the post area. Jackson is a player I have been wanting to see more of and he did not disappoint in the one game I was able to catch of Atascadero.    Dominick Olanrewaju (2028 | WF) - San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno)   The 6-foot-6 wing/forward can score from 3-levels, is active on the glass, and is a versatile defender that can guard the 1 through 4 spot effectively. Olanrewaju had a strong showing for the Panthers, playing in the top bracket of the event, and would connect on the deep 3-ball at the buzzer to knock off St. Francis of La Canada in the final game of pool play, averaging over 10 points per game over the 4 games. Olanrewaju has solid handles, the moves to create space from his defender, using the crossover, spin-move, euro-step, hesitation, and between-cross to get open looks off the dribble, is accurate with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line, with the body control to absorb contact in the air and still knock down the shot, and is a create scorer around the basket. Olanrewju moves well off the ball to get to the open spots around the basket or on the perimeter to score off the catch, has the court vision and precise passing to find open teammates cutting off the ball from the top of the key or from the low block, as well as off the drive and kick pass, and is an agile defender with good timing, instincts, and active hands to jump passing lanes, deflect passes, and alter/block shots in the post and on the wing.    Ryze Niles (2028 | WF) - Bakersfield    The 6-foot-5 forward is relentless on the glass, uses his physical and athletic build to impose his will on the defense, and is refining his game to add the perimeter shot and moves to create off the wing, making him a tough player to defend. Niles had a monster weekend for the Drillers and took full advantage of the Live Period event, averaging 21 points and 8 rebounds per game, with his best individual showing putting up 22 points and snagging 15 rebounds against Christopher of Gilroy. Niles controls the glass on both ends, gets points off put-backs, and limits opponents to single shot possessions, has the timing and bounce to alter/block shots in the paint, and excels on the open court to receive passes up the court for easy buckets and dunks. NIles has touch on the floater down the lane, good interior footwork and moves to score in close proximity to the basket through contact or with the up-and-under or reverse lay-ups, and can stretch the floor with the jumper, improving his accuracy and body control from the mid-range to the 3-point line. His ability to push the ball and change the pace with the ball in his hands was impressive and he is a player to keep an eye on in the Section.    Kingston Sligh (2029 | WF) - Bullard (Fresno CA)   The 6-foot-5 forward has good perimeter skills, the ability to make plays for others, and can play the point-forward when needed, as well as operate in the paint. Sligh has done a bit of it all for the Knights throughout the month of June, and he had his versatile game on display at Cali Live, with a single game high of 18 points against Monterey Trail of Elk Grove. Sligh has solid handles, the moves to create off the perimeter, with the crossover, the hesitation, the behind-cross, and the spin-move to get into the paint, is a crafty scorer around the basket, using the euro-step, the reverse, and the up-and-under moves to evade shot blockers, is accurate with the mid-post jumper, and can space the floor from beyond the arc. Sligh has quality court vision, makes good reads from the top of the key to open teammates cutting off the ball, is a serviceable rim protector with good timing and quick thinking to make plays, and uses the rip through to attack off the baseline, where he can score it or find open players on the perimeter for the catch and shoot.<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/von-bibioff/"></a>

Rocklin, CA - Last weekend, Friday, June 26th through Sunday, June 28th, Northern California played host to the 4th annual California Scholastic Live Tournament, which gives D1 college coaches a chance to sit court side and watch some of the top players on the West, if not nationally. The event featured 170+ teams that played the first two games in pool play, with Sunday serving as championship day, as the event paired the winners of competitively equivalent teams against each other. There were 44 pools in total, and the top 14 pools featured the top teams in the event. This article takes a look at 8 standout wings/forwards from the Central Section of California, which will be followed by a two-part looks at top guards from the same Section. After that, I will cover the other standout players in the event by grad class and position. In this article you will find the following information: players name, height, position, school, stats from the event, and a breakdown of their skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Sevy Archuleta.