SoCal’s Best Available in 2021 (Pt. 2)

<p>It seems like class of 2021 players across the country are pulling the trigger on commitments early than they would in a normal year. As we all know this certainly isn’t a normal year as the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the number of events and participants across the country.</p> <p>In the Southern California recruiting landscape, 11 of the top 30 players in the upcoming senior class have made a pledge to play at the next level. Some notable commitments which we covered earlier on in the summer are Long Beach Poly wing <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/peyton-watson/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="680212" first="Peyton" last="Watson"]</span><span class="info-box"><span class="player-img"><img class=" lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/02/Long-Beach-Poly-1-Millikan-150x150.jpg" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/02/Long-Beach-Poly-1-Millikan-150x150.jpg" /></span></span></a> (UCLA), St. John Bosco guard <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/lamaj-lewis/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="747085" first="Lamaj" last="Lewis"]</span><span class="info-box"><span class="player-img"><img class=" lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/06/Lamaj-Lewis-150x150.png" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/06/Lamaj-Lewis-150x150.png" /></span></span></a> (Loyola Marymount), Birmingham guards <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/david-elliot-iv/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="943437" first="David" last="Elliot, IV"]</span></a> and <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/james-nobles/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="944345" first="James" last="Nobles"]</span></a> (Loyola Marymount), Damien guard <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/malik-thomas/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="747080" first="Malik" last="Thomas"]</span><span class="info-box"><span class="player-img"><img class=" lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/06/Malik-Thomas-150x150.jpg" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/06/Malik-Thomas-150x150.jpg" /></span></span></a> (USC), St. Bernard guard <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/reese-dixon/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="680198" first="Reese" last="Dixon-Waters"]</span></a> (USC), Pacifica Christian guard <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/houston-mallette/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="680210" first="Houston" last="Mallette"]</span><span class="info-box"><span class="player-img"><img class=" lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/06/Houston-Mallette-150x150.jpg" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/06/Houston-Mallette-150x150.jpg" /></span></span></a> (Penn State), Coronado guard <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/wayne-mckinney-2/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="943444" first="Wayne" last="McKinney"]</span></a> (San Diego), Chaminade guard <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/keith-higgins/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="680218" first="Keith" last="Higgins"]</span></a> (Lehigh), and Sonora guard <a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/daniel-esparza-2/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="943443" first="Daniel" last="Esparza"]</span></a> (Cal Poly SLO).</p> <p>In this piece we take a look at four of the best available prospects as we continue to navigate an uncertain time in SoCal high school hoops.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="747078" first="Obinna" last="Anyanwu"]</strong>, Cathedral Catholic - Anyanwu has a handful of on-court traits that translate to the next level well. First, our No. 9 prospect is a big time offensive and defensive rebounder, both in and out of his space. Secondly, is size, length athleticism and mobility allow him to guard multiple positions. Lastly, the 6-foot-7 forward is a fluid transition athlete who can finish through and above contact.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="747079" first="Chris" last="Howell"]</strong>, Torrey Pines - Howell is the premier passer in SoCal’s 2021 class and emerged last season as a high level on-ball and team defender. Howell, our 11th-ranked prospect, is on the Division 1 radar for a variety of reasons, mainly his vision and high basketball IQ, but his size for the point guard position, along with his poised pace, make him a guy who can run a college offense.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="747084" first="Scotty" last="Washington"]</strong>, St. John Bosco - Washington will complete his time in SoCal high school hoops after the 2021 season with plans of reclassifying to the 2022 class. For our purposes, we’ll leave Washington, our 13th-ranked prospect, with his classmates and are looking forward to seeing him back on the court healthy after battling a torn labrum last season. Washington showed flashes of turning the corner from potential to production early in his junior year as his pull-up jumper and ability to get to the rim and finish improved drastically.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="943436" first="Jalen" last="Pitre"]</strong>, Long Beach Poly - Like Washington, Pitre has plans of moving to the 2022 class, but his time in SoCal on the prep scene will end after the 2020-2021 season. The 6-foot-8 lefty is one of the bigger sleepers in the region and his frame, combined with his skill-set, lend to his tremendous upside. Pitre, our 15th-ranked prospect, is a big time rebounder who can push the break and create shots for himself and teammates off the bounce.</p>