Mater Dei Extravaganza: Best Glue Guys

<p>SANTA ANA — The 27th annual Nike Extravaganza took place last weekend on the campus of Mater Dei high school and the slate of games didn’t disappoint. The event featured many of the top teams and prospects in Southern California and a handful of Vegas’ best teams and players, as well. In This piece we take a closer look at the players who might not get the shine on social media, but are key to their team’s success.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="971258" first="Braedyn" last="Benhard"]</strong>, 2022, Foothill - Dirty work is what Benhard does best. The 6-foot-7 forward/center can be found in the painted area battling for rebounds on both ends of the floor. Benhard is also a tough and physical interior defender who isn’t afraid to force an offensive player to finish through contact. The senior is also a capable scorer when he needs to be as he can score on either block and is a consistent free throw shooter.</p> <p><strong>Brandon Novida</strong>, 2022, Aliso Niguel - Novida is as crafty as they come at the lead guard position. The 5-foot-10 senior has dynamic open court speed, is aggressive when attacking the basket in transition and can knock down the open catch-and-shoot three-pointer. Novida plays with good pace and can diagnose a defense, get into the lane and kick to open shooters. Novida scored 18 points and dished out eight assists in a loss to Foothill at this event while playing all 32 minutes of the game.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="972435" first="Gabriel" last="Cummings"]</strong>, 2022, Long Beach Poly - The unassuming Cummings is a lethal three-point shooter when given time and space. The 6-foot-2 lefty sometimes gets lost in the shuffle of great players at Poly, but without his ability to spread the floor from distance, the Jackrabbits might not be as good of a team as they are. It seems like Cummings is good for at least three triples a game and, over the course of 32 minutes, those shots make a big difference.</p> <p><strong>Jacob Horton</strong>, 2022, Foothill - Horton is a do-it-all type of player whose high motor and relentless mindset set the tone for a good Foothill squad. The 5-foot-10 senior is a quick twitch attacker of the basket who has crafty finishing ability in the lane. Aside from his offensive impact, Horton is a pesky defender who applies good ball pressure, has quick hands and great instincts when shooting passing lanes. Horton finished with 14 points and three steals in a win over Aliso Niguel.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994949" first="Jaden" last="Matingou"]</strong>, 2023, St. Augustine - Matingou is a multiple-impact guy due to his willingness to make multiple-effort plays. The 6-foot-3 guard/wing will initially wow you with his bouncy athleticism and impressive speed and body control, but when you dig deeper into his game, you’ll see that he has his hands in just about every aspect of it. Matingou can hit perimeter jumpers, score around the basket in transition, and is a versatile defender and active offensive rebounder.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="970272" first="Landon" last="Lewis"]</strong>, 2022, Harvard-Westlake - Because of all the top shelf talent surrounding him at Harvard-Westlake, it seems like Lewis doesn’t get his fair share of praise. The 6-foot-7 forward is a high percentage interior scorer, good defensive rebounder and versatile defender who can switch out and contain guards or hedge and recover onto his assignment. Lewis, who is signed with Brown University, scored six points with five rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in 22 minutes of action in a win over Crean Lutheran.</p>