CCP Preview Showcase: Standout Wings and Forwards

Visalia, CA - Saturday, August 22nd, I hosted the 3rd Annual Central Cali Prospect Preview Showcase, an event we held in 2022 and 2023, but had focused more on the Next Up and Junior/Senior Showcases the past 3 years. This year presented the ideal opportunity to bring this event back, where players played one game against players from their graduation class, followed by a second game in one of the two all-star games, the Next 30 or Top 30 All-Star Games. The event was held at Central Valley Christian's gym in Visalia and brought players from Fresno, Tulare, Visalia, Madera, Santa Maria, Bakersfield, Delano, Hanford, Lemoore, Modesto, and Cal City. The level of basketball played at this showcase was some of the best team basketball I have seen at an event with this type of format. This article takes a look at 11 standout wing/forwards with all classes combined in this article (class of 2027 through 2030) that performed well at the event. In this article you will find the following information: the player's name, height, player position, current school they are attending, and the stats I kept from the event. We begin this article with a look at Hudson [player_tooltip player_id='2136801' first='Seve' last='Archuleta'].    Archuleta is a physical and skilled forward that can operate in the paint, can space the floor with the jumper, makes good reads from the post, and runs the floor well to get open in transition. Archuleta has been at Modesto Christian since his freshman year but made the move to Clovis North as soon as the school year ended, and has been a key missing interior presence for the Broncos, where he showcased his skill set and touch around the basket at the Prospect Preview. Archuleta has good footwork, back-to-the-basket moves with the shoulder fake and spin-move to get space from his defender, has nice touch on shots close to the basket, is effective with the face-up jumper from the mid-post, can space the floor with the 3-ball to open up lanes, is active on the glass to get points off missed shots, limit opponents to single shot possessions, and outlets the ball quickly to get up the court to be available to score in transition.     Bradford has established himself as one of the premier rebounders in the Section, with the physical and athletic build to enforce his will in the paint, with great technique on the box-out, seals his opponent off, goes and gets the rebound, gets points off missed shots, limits opposing teams to single shot possessions, and outlets quickly to get up the court. Bradford had a strong showing in his first game, where he pulled down 10 rebounds to go along with his 5 points, earning him a spot in the Top 30 All-Star Game. Bradford sets great screens, has timely dives to the basket to seal his defender off to get open for the catch and score opportunities, has good footwork and post moves to score in tight windows, and sees the floor well to make precise passes from the top of the key or from the low-post to teammates cutting off the ball.     Castro is a physical and skilled wing/slasher that has elite bounce, a long wingspan, and great timing to be an elite shot-blocker around the basket, as well as the agility to close out and contest perimeter shots, has active hands to deflect passes, jump passing lanes, and looks to get out in the open court, where he can play to his natural strengths. Castro had a balanced first game, finishing with 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks to highlight his ability to impact various aspects of the game. Castro is a beast on the boards, getting points off the put-back, limits opponents to single shot opportunities, has enough handle to push the ball up the court, or outlet and get up the court to receive the pass to score in transition, has nice moves to get open in tight spaces around the cup, using the spin-move, up-and-under, and reverse lay-ups, or can take flight at the basket. Castro has good court vision, makes good reads up the court or from the top of the key, as well as finding players off the drive and kick pass. Castro had a family event and had to leave after his first game, but was selected to the Top 30 All-Star Game and is a player to keep an eye on over the next few seasons.     Felix came into the Prospect Preview as one of the top 2029 prospects in the Section, and the player I had at the top of my initial round of 2029 player rankings from last year, and he showcased the various attributes of his game that make him one of the top long-term prospects in the Section, regardless of class. Felix had a solid opening game that earned him a spot in the Top 30 All-Star Game, where he would go for 8 points and 4 rebounds, connecting on a 3-ball to show his ability to space the floor from beyond the arc off the catch. Felix is an elite rebounder that gets points off the missed shot, limits opponents to single shot possessions, is a premier shot block/rim protector with the timing, agility, and wingspan to patrol the paint, with the strides to close out and alter perimeter shots, and has the handles to push the ball up the court. Felix has great court vision, precise passes, and the height to see over the defense, finding open teammates off the drive and skip pass, to players cutting off the ball from the low-block, to open players up the court, or to open shooters cross court. Felix will be a huge addition for the Panthers, as he showed in June, and has room for development, which should be scary for opponents.     Fletcher had a strong showing last year at the Next Up Showcase, putting him on the radar of 2029 players to keep an eye on. Fletcher had a great showing in his first game, as he would finish with 13 points and 7 rebounds, which earned him a spot in the Top 30 All-Star Game. Fletcher crashes the boards on both ends, limits opponents to single shot possessions, gets points off the put-back, outlets the ball quickly to run the floor, and alters shots in the paint around the basket. Fletcher has good footwork in the post, spin-move and drop-step to get space from his defender to score in tight quarters around the basket, moves fluidly off the ball, and is effective with the 3-ball off the catch.     Gartner is a lengthy, physical, and athletic wing that finds ways to score the ball without a lot of plays drawn up for him, is active on both ends to showcase his durability as a two-way player, and is effective with the jumper from the mid-post. Gartner showed rapid development from last season to Summer ball in June with the Apaches, and that growth in his game was on display at the Prospect Preview. Gartner made his presence felt on the glass, pulling down 10 rebounds over his two games, showing his ability to score off the put-back, limit opponents to single shot possessions, outlets the ball quickly to get up the floor, has the wingspan and timing to alter shots, deflect entry passes, the agility to jump passing lanes, and is a serviceable rim protector. Gartner sets good screens, has good timing off the dive to seal off his defender to get open, has nice touch and good hands around the basket to catch and score through traffic, has the euro-step, up-and-under, and reverse lay-ups to score in tight spaces, and is accurate with the jumper from the high-post, with the ability to spread the floor with the 3-ball.     Highstreet showed great upside with his length, size, touch around the basket, and the ability to control the boards and alter shots. Highstreet had a solid showing in his first game, where he would pull down 6 rebounds and one assists to go with his 4 points, earning him a spot in the Next 30 Game. Highstreet has solid footwork, gets good position to seal off his defender, keeps the ball high to prevent smaller players from poking the ball out, and is effective in the pick and roll action. CVC has a lot of height with its 2029 group, and Highstreet has the most size of them all.     Medina, the older of the two brothers for the Rams, is coming off a season ending knee injury last season, after a great showing at our Junior/Senior Showcase last August, and he looked to be getting back into form when I saw him play for Garces in June at the BC Team Camp. Emmanuel came into the Prospect Preview playing assertively and looking to leave his imprint on the event, as he would go for 4 points and 6 rebounds in his first game, earning him a spot in the Top 30 All-Star Game. Medina would take full advantage of his minutes played in the Top 30 Game, scoring a team high 10 points, connecting on a pair of threes, and earning co-MVP honors of the top all-star game. Medina is active on the boards, has enough handle to attack from the top of the key, is effective with the mid-post jumper, has touch on shots around the basket, and the physical build to score through contact, moves well off the ball to get open looks off the catch, where he is effective with the 3-ball to open up the floor. Big season for the senior and his Rams team, who I expect to be better than most would think at this time.     The younger Medina showcased some of the flash and skill that make him fun to watch, as well as his ability to make plays for teammates, create shots for himself, and has guard-like skills that make him tough to defend. Medina has great court vision, makes precise reads to teammates from the top of the key, the low-block to players cutting off the ball, up the court, or to the diver out of the pick and roll action. Media has touch and creativity on shots around the basket, can space the floor with the jumper, and looks to push the ball off the glass to get the offense going.     Oganesyan came to the Prospect Preview and did what players need to do at these kinds of events, where the ball can get stuck and there is limited flow to games at times, so you have to play to your strengths. For a versatile player that keeps relentless pressure on the glass, you will always find a way to fit in because you crash the boards, which Oganesyan does at a high-level with quick bounce, good timing, and relentless effort to get put-backs off the missed shot, limits opponents to single shot possessions, outlets the ball and gets up the floor to get open for catch and score opportunities. He does a nice job of setting the screen and sealing his defender off on the dive out of the pick and roll action, where he has good hands to catch and score in the paint. Oganesyan uses his length and timing to alter/block shots in the paint, as well as close outs on the perimeter shooters, deflects passes and jumps passing lanes to turn defense to offense.     Ruffin is coming off a big junior season that resulted in him being the interior focal point and presence that helped the Hornets win its league and earn a spot in the D4 Section title. Ruffin had his physical and skilled style of play on display at the Prospect Preview, reminding those in attendance that he and the Hornets are looking for some get back from last season, and return all of its core minus one player to graduation, and Ruffin will be a key reason for the high expectations. Ruffin had two well balanced games at the Showcase, with 6 points and 7 rebounds in the opening game for his team, which earned him a Top 30 All-Star Selection, where he would put up the identical stat-line of 6 points, 7 rebounds, and an assists, highlighting the stability and production he brings to the court on a game by game basis. Ruffin is a quick leaper with the positioning and movement to secure the ball, scores off missed shots, outlets the ball to get up the court, limits opponents to single shot possessions, has good timing and agility to alter shots in the paint, as well as on the wing, has quick hands to deflect entry passes or jump passing lanes, and has the court vision to find open teammates from the high-post or hits the cutter when he is posting on the low-block. Offensively, Ruffin uses the euros-step, spin-move, and drop-step to create a little space around the basket and score with touch on his shots.

Visalia, CA - Saturday, August 22nd, I hosted the 3rd Annual Central Cali Prospect Preview Showcase, an event we held in 2022 and 2023, but had focused more on the Next Up and Junior/Senior Showcases the past 3 years. This year presented the ideal opportunity to bring this event back, where players played one game against players from their graduation class, followed by a second game in one of the two all-star games, the Next 30 or Top 30 All-Star Games. The event was held at Central Valley Christian's gym in Visalia and brought players from Fresno, Tulare, Visalia, Madera, Santa Maria, Bakersfield, Delano, Hanford, Lemoore, Modesto, and Cal City. The level of basketball played at this showcase was some of the best team basketball I have seen at an event with this type of format. This article takes a look at 11 standout wing/forwards with all classes combined in this article (class of 2027 through 2030) that performed well at the event. In this article you will find the following information: the player's name, height, player position, current school they are attending, and the stats I kept from the event. We begin this article with a look at Hudson Seve Archuleta Seve Archuleta 6'7" | SF/PF Clovis North | 2027 State CA-N .