Pangos Best of the West Shootout: The Next Step

Joel Francisco

March 30, 2022 @ 06:51 PM

Pangos Best of the West Shootout: The Next Step LONG BEACH, Ca—The spring is in full gear now that the high school playoffs are finished and it was time to take a short drive up to McBride Middle School for the Pangos Best of the West Shootout directed by grassroots guru Dinos Trigonis. There were a plethora of fine performances that caught my eye including the following: 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1409409" first="Isaiah" last="Lewis"] (Pangos Select), 2024 Styles Phipps (Belmont Shore), 2023 Will Smith (Belmont Shore Blue), 2025 [player_tooltip player_id="1417368" first="EJ" last="Vernon"] (21 Elite 16u), and 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1114374" first="Malick" last="Diallo"] (Utah Mountain Stars. Hugh Vandeweghe (LA Rockfish / Loyola) 2024, F, 6-foot-6, 200 pounds Joel’s Take: Vandeweghe has a solid-looking frame with long arms and his hands are soft. He uses his length around the rim for tip-ins and he converts with either hand. His range extends out beyond the arc and his shooting mechanics are tight. To take his game to a new level, he must improve defensively. He struggles to guard on the perimeter and needs to improve his technique (bending his knees) and quickness. Seven Bahati (Belmont Shore / Donda Academy) 2024, G, 6-foot-5, 175 pounds Joel’s Take: One of the better athletes in Southern California is Bahati. He has ideal size and length and he’s a tremendous athlete. He excels in transition where he can elevate to the rim or slash his way through defenders for the finish. He scores well within 15-feet of the basket, but he needs to improve his overall feel for the game at both ends. Playing on balance (jump stop) and tightening his 3-point shot will improve his game offensively. In addition, bringing that same intensity to the defensive end will elevate his game. [player_tooltip player_id="934024" first="Aaron" last="Dunne"] (Utah Mtn Stars / American Fork) 2023, F, 6-foot-8, 230 pounds Joel’s Take: “Blue-Collar” is the first term that comes to mind when describing Dunne. The strong 4-man can post up and finish over either shoulder or step out and nail the perimeter jump shot. He runs well in transition and he knows how to carve out space in the paint. Defensively, improving his lateral quickness and hedging on screens will improve his overall game. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ej-vernon/">[player_tooltip player_id="1417368" first="EJ" last="Vernon"]</a> (21 Elite 16u / Crossroads) 2025, G, 6-foot-3, 175 pounds Joel’s Take: Vernon is coming off an injury, but that didn’t seem to slow him down as he was a scoring machine in the game we witnessed. He has a solid-looking frame with long arms and he’s a solid athlete. He can take defenders off the drive for the finish or knock-in jump shots both in the mid-range and out to the stripe. To take his game to the next level, he needs to improve his quickness off the bounce as he has a tendency to spin to get separation from his defenders.