Clovis North Nike Fall Shootout: Standout Underclass Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fresno, CA - This past weekend, Saturday, October 3rd, and Sunday, October 4th, Clovis North hosted the Nike Fall Shootout, which featured teams from Fresno, Clovis, Bakersfield, Merced, Tracy, San Francisco, Folsom, Stockton, and Visalia in a Pool Play format on Day 1, followed by Bracket Play on Sunday. I was in attendance for both days and was able to cover a good amount of games before I headed out the gym Sunday early afternoon. This article takes a look at 8 standout underclass guards from the classes of 2029 and 2030 that performed well at the Shootout, which will be followed by standout players from other positions and grad classes. 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 Tyson Cano. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3792278"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acdaaa081e52"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5-foot-11 lead guard controls the flow of the offense, has the skills to make plays for others, as well as create his own shots, and can space the floor from beyond the arc to open up driving lanes to attack. Cano had a strong freshman campaign for the Eagles, as one of the leaders in scoring for Immanuel, and he looked more impressive at the Shootout with increased physicality and play making abilities. Cano has a strong handle on the ball, keeps the dribble alive to probe the defense for holes to attack, has good court vision and decision making to find open teammates off the drive and kick pass, cross court to the open shooters, to the diver out of the pick and roll action, and up the court off the defensive rebound to get ahead of the transition defense. Cano has the moves to create space off the dribble, using the crossover, wrap-behind, hesitation, and fadeaway to get open looks, is accurate with the mid-range jumper off the bounce with body control, and is a creative scorer around the basket, using the up-and-under, euro-step, reverse lay-ups to evade shot blockers, and moves well off the ball to get to his shot spots, where he is efficient with the 3-ball off the catch. Big sophomore season is coming up for Cano and he looks ready to take on the primary lead guard role with the relatively youthful roster. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3753827"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acdaaa081eb6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 6-foot combo guard has shifty moves, quality handles, can space the floor from beyond the arc, and make plays to open teammates. Felix jumped onto my radar in late August with a stellar shooting display at the Central Cali Prospects Preview Showcase, where he was one of the top three point shooters at the event, and he displayed that at the Shootout, connecting on several 3s over the two games I watched him play on Day 1, as his team only participated in the first day of the event. Felix has shifty moves and handles, keeps the ball on a string to survey the floor, has the court vision to find open teammates off the drive and kick pass, to the diver out of the pick and roll action, cross court to open shooters, and up the court in transition. Felix moves fluidly off the ball, gets to his shot spots, is accurate with the 3-ball off the catch, has the moves to create off the bounce, using the crossover, wrap-behind, hesitation, and between-cross to get his defender off balance, is a crafty scorer around the basket, and gets good lift on the mid-range jumper with body control to absorb and finish through contact. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3792288"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acdaaa081f06"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 5-foot-11 combo guard can space the floor from beyond the arc, has the poise to make plays with the ball in his hands, and plays with good pace and feel for the flow of the game. JG made the moves from Independence to Stockdale and he showed he will be a key feature for the Mustangs relatively young roster. JG has nice handles, keeps the ball on a string to survey the floor, has the court vision find teammates off the drive and kick pass, to the diver out of the pick and roll action, the slip pass to the dunker spot when on the attack, and up the court to open players ahead in transition. JG has shifty moves in his arsenal, using the crossover combos, hesitation, spin-move, and fadeaway to get space from his defender, is accurate with the middy off the bounce, moves fluidly off the ball to get to his shots spots, is efficient with the 3-ball off the catch, and is a crafty scorer around the basket with the euro-step and reverse lay-ups, as well as the floater down the lane. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3792292"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acdaaa081f52"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 5-foot-10 lead guard has elite handles, great body control to score off the jumper, and can space the floor from beyond the arc. Green has continued to show all Fall that he has the poise and court awareness to be a high level play maker, as well as shot creator, and is a great compliment to the standout freshman back-court mate Omar Muhammad, and has a year of varsity play under his belt already. Green has elite handles, shifty moves to create off the dribble, using the crossover combos, hesitation, spin-move, and fadeaway to generate space from his defender, changes pace and direction to find holes in the defense, gets good lift on the mid-range jumper with great body control in the air, is a creative scorer around the basket, using the euro-step, up-and-under, reverse lay-ups, as well as the floater down the lane or off the baseline to score over height in the paint, and moves well off the ball, gets to his shot spots, and can catch fire with the 3-ball off the catch to open up the court. Green has great court vision, weaves through traffic to make plays off the drive and kick pass, to the diver out of the pick and roll action, cross court to open shooters, and up the court in transition to get ahead of the defense. Green is a crafty on-ball defender with active hands, quick lateral movement, and the timing to poke the ball out, deflect passes, or jump passing lanes to get out and run. Really impressed with his level of play the last few months and seeing him take steps to become one of the primary lead guards. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3792295"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acdaaa081f9d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 5-foot-8 shooting guard can space the floor from beyond the arc, scores in volume when he heats up, and will be a welcomed scoring addition to the young but talented Eagles squad. McGovern caught my eye in the game against Buchanan's second varsity team on Day 1 of the Shootout, where he would show his shooting ability, connecting on several threes and showing range on the deep ball. McGovern moves fluidly off the ball, using off-ball screens, v-cuts and back-cuts, and side to side constant movement to keep his defender on the run to get to his shot spots, squares his body up nicely to get in the shooting position, and was accurate with the 3-ball off the catch, which opens up the court and lanes for him or teammates to attack off the perimeter. McGovern has solid handles, moves to create off the dribble, and good control to push the pace of play, but his strength at the moment is in his ability to spray shots from downtown with confidence. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3792300"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":3772790,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acdaaa082005"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 6-foot-3 lead guard came into high school as one of the top basketball prospects on the West Coast, if not nationally, and has shown maturity and growth each time I have seen him play going back to June, and just participated in the USA Basketball event in Colorado after a great weekend of basketball at the Shootout at Clovis North. Muhammad had an electric showing against Folsom on Day 1 of the Shootout, in one of the top games of the event, where he would lead the Golden Eagles in scoring, going for 21 points, connecting on 3 threes, and earning several trips to the charity stripe down the stretch to keep Clovis West close, before falling to Folsom 53 to 49. Muhammad has elite handles, keeps the ball on a string to survey the floor, weaves through the defense to find openings to attack, has dynamic moves to create off the bounce, using the crossover combos, hesitation, fadeaway, spin-fadeaway, and step-back to get space from his defender, has supreme confidence in his jumper, with accuracy from the mid-range to the 3-point line, is a crafty scorer around the basket with the floater, euro-step, spin-move, up-and-under, and reverse lay-ups to evade rim protectors, and moves freely off the ball to get to his shot spots for open looks off the catch from beyond the arc, where he can score in volume when he heats up from three. Although the shot-making is very impressive, I have been equally impressed with his court vision and ability to make difficult passes look routine, finding teammates off the drive and kick pass, the slip pass to open players in the dunker spot, cross court in rhythm to open shooters, to the diver out of the pick and roll action, and some lasers to open players in transition ahead of the defense for catch and score attempts. He has active hands, quick lateral movement, and timing to deflect passes, jump passing lanes, and when his offense starts going, his defense goes to another elite level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3792303"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acdaaa08204e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 6-foot-3 wing/guard displayed a quality jumper, the consistency from beyond the arc to space the floor, and ran the floor well in the open court, understanding spacing and how to finish in transition. Muir had two solid showings on Day 1 of the Shootout, as the Rangers only played on 1 day of the event, where he would finish with 8 points in Redwood's win over Stockdale of Bakersfield, and at least 10 points in a win over El Capitan of Merced, connecting on several threes over the course of the two games. Muir moves fluidly off the ball, running off screens, making sharp cuts to get open on the wing, gets to the corner spot, squares his shoulders up, uses his length and height to shoot over defenders closing out, and is very accurate with the 3-ball off the catch. Muir uses the pump-fake, crossover, and hesitation to attack off the wing, get to the mid-range spots, is efficient with the jumper, and is a creative scorer around the basket with the euro-step, up-and-under, and floater down the lanes to evade height around the basket. My first look at the sharp shooting freshman was an impressive one and could be a key factor for the Rangers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3792308"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6acdaaa082094"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 6-foot combo guard plays with great pace and feel for the game, can score the ball from 3-levels, and can light it up from beyond the arc to open up the floor. Norcross had another strong weekend of play for the Bears at the Shootout, a player I first saw a few weeks back at the Liberty Varsity Fall Shootout, and he kept up that same level of play and then some in a win over Liberty of Bakersfield. Norcross has tight handles, keeps the dribble alive to probe the defense, has solid court vision to find open teammates off the drive and kick, cross court to open shooters, and players cutting off the ball to the open spot in stride. Norcross is at his best playing off the ball at this point, where he moves freely off screens, side to side, and using v-cuts to get to his shot spots, gets his body squared up, and lights out with the 3-ball off the catch with range from deep. Norcross displayed the moves to attack off the wing, the ability to get to the mid-range spot, and connected on several tough mid-range jumpers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->