5A Varsity Watchlist Games

<p>The High School season finally has begun and it got started with some great games. On April 3, 2021, I watched the Santa Fe High School Demons play the Cleveland Storm. Both teams had some terrific standouts that I listed below. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076627" first="Cruz" last="Martinez"] 5’11" 2021 Santa Fe HS - Arguably the best guard in the state hands down. Cruz has great court vision and sees things that others players can’t. He had a great game against the Storm powerhouse team. The kids motor is unreal. He plays at speeds that other players just can’t. I watched Coach Sean Jimenez try and double team Cruz on multiple occasions and on multiple occasions he failed. He couldn’t figure out a way to contain him. Cruz blasts through double teams and welcomes them with open arms. He calls out plays and and screens which free him up to shoot or pass. He is a fantastic defender and gets a ton of steals with his quick hands and feet. [player_tooltip player_id="1076627" first="Cruz" last="Martinez"] "The General" is extremely hard to contain and if Santa Fe gets hot and hits all of their shots, they will have a serious chance in winning a state championship.  </p> <p>PJ Lovato 6’4" 2022 Santa Fe HS - Paul Lovato is a serious scrapper and an even better rebounder. PJ pulls down boards with ease. He has great footwork and loves to dish it out. He is a crazy good scrapper and doesn’t back down from anyone. He is very crafty and gets a lot of put backs. He was playing at a high level in this game until he rolled his ankle in the first half and didn’t return to the second half. He returned in the 3rd quarter  and I got to see the dynamic duo of Cruz "The General" Martinez and PJ. These two work so well together it’s insane. PJ gets a lot of assists from The General and a lot of open looks through the middle. PJ is going to be tough this season.  </p> <p>Antonio Avila 6’3 2022 Cleveland High School - Antonio plays with high energy and battles for rebounds on the court. He played a very tough game against the Demons and had a lot of boards and put backs. He is extremely athletic and relentless to battle for the ball. He has a nice mid range jumper and can also shoot the long ball. Cleveland struck gold with this scrappy forward. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076623" first="Nathan" last="Hasberry"] 6’3" 2021 Cleveland High School - Nathan is a very athletic forward who is very hard to guard. He is a long 6’3" and has tremendous reach. He came out with solid defensive intensity against the Demons. He guarded his man aggressively and was very careful not pick up fouls. He has quick hands and can rip the ball right out of you hands if you show it to him. Santa Fe struggled with Nates long reach and offensive touches through the middle. He was just to much for them to contain. Nate has had two very strong games attacking through the middle and shooting the ball nicely. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076676" first="Diego" last="Sharp"] 6’2" 2022 Cleveland High School - Diego is an intense player who is scrappy and gets to the ball. He hustles on defense and offense and can cause some serious issues if he has to guard you.  He caused some problems for the Demon’s guards causing multiple turnovers. He likes to attack you off the dribble and Diego gets to the rack with ease. Don’t give him any space because he is a very good 3pt shooter who can shoot the ball from Curry land. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>