Minutemen Nike Fall Varsity Shootout: Standout Seniors

Bakersfield, CA - This past Saturday and Sunday, September 19th - 20th, Liberty High School hosted the 2nd annual Minutemen Nike Fall Varsity Shootout; a two-day showcase that had teams from Fresno, Clovis, Arroyo Grande, Madera, Visalia, and Bakersfield. Some of the top teams and players from the Section were on display in some great Fall Hoops.This article takes a look at 10 standout seniors (regardless of position) that had strong showings at the Shootout. 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 one of the Section's top prospects, [player_tooltip player_id='2646533' first='Taiwo' last='Daramola'].    The 6-foot-8 forward is an elite athlete, is punishing in the paint on both ends, and continues to add to his perimeter skill set to be a threat off the wing. Daramola was by far the most physically imposing player at the Varsity Fall Shootout, holding down the post in the Eagles two games on Day 1 of the event, going for 15 points, 5 rebounds, and a block in a win over Buchanan, followed by 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a win over Clovis North. Daramola has great interior footwork, moves to create shots in tight windows around the basket, using the drop-step, spin-move, up-and-under to score among traffic, as well as some thunderous power dunks from the weak-side dunker spot or the top of the restricted area off the drop off pass. Where Daramola showed real progression in his game was the handles off the perimeter, using the wide-crossover, hesitation, and between-cross to attack off the wing, the ability to connect on the 3-ball off the catch, and good body control on shots around the basket through contact. Daramola has elite bounce, great timing, and quick leaping to block/alter shots around the cup, with the strides to closeout and contest perimeter shots, is a beast on the boards to get second chance points, and excels running the floor in the open court.     The 6-foot-7 power forward is an athletic and physical player that controls the paint, can score through contact around the basket, and protects the basket with his elite bounce and great timing to block/alter shots at the cup. DeLong showcased his quick movement, foot-speed, and agility in the Apaches win over Arroyo Grande, going for 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks, and showing his ability to run the floor and get ahead of the defense in transition. DeLong has solid footwork, moves to score in the paint, using the up-and-under, drop-step, spin-move, and baby-hook to score in tight windows around the basket, has nice touch on shots in close range to the cup, can extend the floor with the mid-post jumper, gets open in the dunker spot or the top of the restricted area for easy catch and core opportunities. DeLong crashes the boards on both ends, gets points off the put-back, limits opponents to single shot possessions, outlets the ball quickly, and is one of the premier rim protectors in the Section.     The 5-foot-9 combo guard has the skills to create his own shot, make plays for others, and can catch fire from beyond the arc to open up the floor. Dodson had a strong showing in the final game of Day 1, and after a rough first half for the Cavs, Dodson and his teammates heated up for the comeback win over Fresno Christian, as he would go for 15 points, connecting on 3 threes, with 10 of those coming after the break. Dodson has a strong handle on the ball, keeps the dribble alive to probe the defense, has the moves to create off the dribble, using the crossover, spin-move, between-cross, and hesitation to get his defender off balance, is a crafty scorer around the basket, using the euro-step, up-and-under, and reverse lay-ups to evade shot blockers, and moves fluidly off the ball to get to his shot spots, where he is accurate with the 3-ball off the catch. Dodson has active hands, good lateral foot-speed, and the timing to deflect passes, jump passing lanes, and poke the ball out to turn defense to offense.     The 6-foot-6 wing/forward has good moves to operate in the post, continues to develop his overall offensive skill set, and is active on the glass. Gartner had a strong showing on Day 1 of the Shootout for Sanger, as he would go for 10 points in his team's win over Arroyo Grande, followed by a 10 point second half in a great game against North Bakersfield, and was showing the ability to score the ball in various ways. Gartner has good footwork in the paint, the moves to create space from his defender in tight quarters, using the drop-step, spin-move, pump-fake into the up-and-under, and is effective with the mid-post jumper. Gartner has enough handle to attack from the top of the key, the body control to absorb contact and score at the basket, solid court vision to make reads to players cutting off the ball, is active on the glass to get points off the put-back, limits opponents to single shot possessions, and does a great job getting up the court in transition to make himself available. Gartner sets a solid screen, seals his defender off to dive to the basket, and has nice touch on the score in close range to the cup. Gartner is one of the more intriguing senior prospects with his size, length, and rapidly developing offensive skill set, JUCOs have been reaching out more and more.     The 6-foot-5 wing/slasher can play in the paint, as well as operate from the perimeter, and can space the floor from beyond the arc to open up driving lanes. Hoffman-Carter had a solid showing in the Stars final game of Day 1 of the Shootout, where he would finish with 11 points, connecting on a 3-ball to show his ability to space the floor. Hoffman-Carter has solid handles, moves to create off the wing, using the crossover, wrap-behind, hesitation, and fade-away to get space from his defender, is effective with the mid-range jumper off the bounce, has touch on shots around the basket with the euro-step, up-and-under, and reverse lay-ups to evade shot blockers, and moves fluidly off the ball to get open looks for the 3-pointer off the catch with accuracy. Hoffman-Carter crashes the boards, is a versatile defender, and will be a key factor for North this season, as it looks to get back to the D3 Section title game.     The 6-foot-5 wing/slasher has the moves and skill to create his own shots, can operate in the paint and the perimeter, and can space the floor from beyond the arc. Hyde has been one of the top players for the Cavs since his sophomore year, and he had an impressive showing in the final game of the day, against a scrappy Fresno Christian team, where he would end up with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal, and a block, to highlight his ability to fill up a stat-sheet and his overall impact on the game. Hyde has a solid handle on the ball, keeps the dribble alive to survey the floor, has the court vision to make precise passes in tight windows from the top of the key, or from the low-block to players cutting off the ball, has the moves to create off the dribble, using the crossover combos, hesitation, spin-move, and step-back to get space from his defender, has good body control through contact in the air, is effective with the mid-range jumper off the bounce, is a crafty scorer around the basket, using the euro-step, spin-move, up-and-under, or reverse lay-ups to score among height, and moves fluidly off the ball, gets to his shot spots, and is accurate with the 3-ball off the catch. Hyde is active on defense, uses his quick hands, good timing, and wingspan to deflect passes, jump passing lanes, or poke the ball out.     The 6-foot-5 wing/guard has a smooth jumper, is active on the glass, and can spray shots from various spots on the court to put up points in volume. Jackson had a slow start to the game against Bakersfield High, but was cooking in the second half, as he would score all 9 of his points after the break, including one from deep. Jackson has dynamic handles, keeps the dribble alive to probe the defense for openings to attack off the wing, with the moves to shake his defender, using the various crossover combos, hesitation, fade-away, step-back, and spin-move to get free from his opponents, is lights out with the middy off the bounce with great lift and body control, is a creative scorer around the basket with the euro-step, up-and-under, and reverse lay-ups to evade shot blockers, and moves fluidly off the ball to get to his shot spots, where he is efficient with the 3-ball off the catch. Jackson is a great positional rebounder, looks to push the ball up the court, has active hands and timing to deflect passes, jump passing lanes, and poke the ball out to get out in transition and run the floor.     The 6-foot-5 wing/slasher is a lengthy and athletic player with bounce, can score in volume from various spots on the court, and is looking to have a big time senior campaign for the Eagles. Killebrew turned it up in BCHS' second game against Clovis North, as he would connect on a pair of threes and finish with a game-high 16 points to go along with 5 rebounds, and was showing off the bounce on several dunks off the lob in the half-court setting, showing off his timing and body control in the air. Killebrew moves fluidly off the ball, using off-ball screens, back-cuts, and sideline to sideline movement to get open looks for the 3-ball off the catch or lobs for the bang outs off the lob pass to get his team hyped. Killbrew has solid handles, the moves to create off the wing, active hands and wingspan, combined with the timing, to deflect entry passes, jump passing lanes, alter/block shots in the post and on the perimeter, and pokes the ball out to turn defense to offense and score in transition.     The 6-foot-four wing/forward is active on the glass, is a versatile defender, has touch around the basket, and had a solid showing to close out Day 1 of the Shootout. Medeiros had a strong showing in the final game of Day 1 at the Shootout, as he would connect a pair of threes and finish with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and a block to show his all around impact on the game. Medeiros good post-moves, footwork with the use of the pivot to get space from his defender, nice touch on shots around the basket, good off-ball movement to get open looks off the catch, is accurate with the 3-ball, and plays well out of the pick and roll action, sealing off his man to get open around the basket. Medeiros crashes the boards, gets points off the put-back, can push the ball off the glass, outlets to get up the court, and has a knack for making plays.     2027 Ethan Saenz (5'11 | PG) - North Bakersfield The 5-foot-11 lead guard has been established as one of the top lead guards in the Section since his sophomore year, and Saenz showed he is ready to do the heavy lifting if needed his senior season to help his chances of getting back to a Section title game. Saenz finished with a game-high 18 points and 5 assists and showed he is ready for what the season has in store for him and the Stars. Saenz has elite handles, keeps the ball on a string to survey the floor, has the court vision and decision making to find open teammates off the drive and kick pass, the cross court pass to open shooters, to the diver out of the pick and roll action, or up the court in transition, and moves well off the ball to get open looks for shots off the catch. Saenz has the moves to shake his defender, using the crossover combos, hezzy, spin-move, and fadeaway to get space from his opponent, is accurate with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line, and is a crafty scorer around the basket, using the euro-step, up-and-under, or floater down the lane to score among height. Saenz will be the front-runner for another league MVP but he and his team are more focused with a league and Section title.

Bakersfield, CA - This past Saturday and Sunday, September 19th - 20th, Liberty High School hosted the 2nd annual Minutemen Nike Fall Varsity Shootout; a two-day showcase that had teams from Fresno, Clovis, Arroyo Grande, Madera, Visalia, and Bakersfield. Some of the top teams and players from the Section were on display in some great Fall Hoops.This article takes a look at 10 standout seniors (regardless of position) that had strong showings at the Shootout. 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 one of the Section's top prospects, Taiwo Daramola Taiwo Daramola 6'8" | C Bakersfield Christian | 2027 State CA-S .