Classic at Damien: On the Rise

Joel Francisco

January 7, 2022 @ 07:55 PM

Classic at Damien: Under the Radar LA VERNE, CA—Despite a surge of Covid over the Southland, the Classic at Damien persevered with some outstanding games and talent galore—especially the underclassmen. There were some senior standouts like Colorado State-bound Jack Payne (Owyhee/ID) and Fresno State-bound [player_tooltip player_id="1176080" first="Joseph" last="Hunter"] (Damien) as well as some scintillating underclassmen like 2024 Vyctorius Miller (Crean Lutheran) and 2025 Jovani Ruff (LB Poly). Athian Athian (Capistrano Valley Christian) 2023, WF, 6-foot-7, 185 pounds Joel’s Take: Athian is a potential diamond in the rough. He runs very well, has that ideal lengthy frame, and he’s a good athlete. “Raw” is the first word that comes to mind when describing his game. He can knock down the 3-point shot, uses glass on his mid-range pull-up, and hits the glass for put-backs. He has the length and quickness to be a good defender, but he needs to bend his knees (plays too straight-up-and-down at both ends). In addition, his ball skills need polishing as well as he struggles against pressure. Ashton McCullough (Hesperia) 2025, SG, 6-foot-3, 165 pounds Joel’s Take: McCullough is one of the more intriguing freshman in Southern California. He has very long arms, good hands, and he plays both ends with purpose and energy. He gets in the passing lanes very well, looks ahead for the potential assist, and he’ll rebound as well. His offensive game is still in it’s rudimentary stages (developing his offensive game), but he didn’t get a lot of usage either as other players dominated the ball. Ariik Mawien (Capistrano Valley Christian) 2023, CG, 6-foot-4, 170 pounds Joel’s Take: Mawien, who is committed to Pepperdine, has a bright future considering on how well Head Coach Lorenzo Romar develops young guards. Mawien has that prototypical frame with long arms and he is extremely bouncy. His burst off the dribble is impressive and he can explode to the rim. He needs to improve the consistency of his shot and continue to add to his mid-range skills, but he’s talented. Seshsha Henderson (Oak Park) 2024, PG, 5-foot-10, 160 pounds Joel’s Take; One of the more poised underclassmen in this event was Henderson. The stocky point guard plays with an excellent pace, can carry defenders on his hip, and his head is always up. He isn’t a burner, but he changes speeds and plays low to the ground. He can get into the lane and either drop in a runner or find an open teammate. True point guard right here.