2023 Spring Stock Risers (Pt. 1)

<p class="p1">With multiple club basketball events, individual showcases and a couple live viewing period to showcase their skills in front of college coaches, the spring travel basketball season provided plenty of opportunity for high school prospects to improve their recruiting stock. In this piece we take a look at those players.</p> <p class="p1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1232327" first="Andrej" last="Stojakovic"]</strong>, Jesuit/Compton Magic - We first saw the smooth shooting wing at the Classic at Damien tournament back in December and knew his stock would take off once he got in front of college coaches this spring. Stojakovic has NBA bloodlines - his father, Peja, is a former three-time NBA All-Star and current member of the Sacramento Kings front office. Andrej is making his own name for himself with his ability to shoot the three-ball and improving ball skills and playmaking off the dribble.</p> <p class="p1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1434417" first="Dennis" last="Evans"]</strong>, Riverside Hillcrest/Team Inland - Evans’ all-around progression on both ends of the floor continues to be one of the best stories in Southern California basketball. The 7-foot-1 center has always been an elite rim protector and shot blocker, but his coordination, touch and fluidity are starting to kick in offensively, which will make him a high major priority target. Not only can Evans score in the painted area with power and left-handed touch on his jump hook, but he’s also stretching the floor to the perimeter on pick-and-pop and spot-up perimeter shots.</p> <p class="p1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1434418" first="Rodney" last="Brown"]</strong>, Rancho Christian/West Coast Elite - Brown is opening eyes of college coaches with his intriguing frame and overall feel for the game as a combo guard. The 6-foot-6 junior is knocking down perimeter jumpers at a high level, but its his playmaking, basketball IQ and ball skills at his size that make him a surefire Division 1 recruit. Brown is an “eyes up” player in the transition setting and is willing to make the advance pass on the break. He also has the wiggle and ball handling ability to break down defenders in the half-court setting, get into the teeth of the defense and create for teammates.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p> <p class="p1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994918" first="Devin" last="Curtis"]</strong>, Heritage Christian/West Coast Elite - Curtis is having a healthy spring which has allowed us to get a full look at his game and he’s been impressive. The 6-foot-11 center has flashed an inside-out offensive skill-set, fluidity and athleticism when changing ends of the floor, a great set of hands on tough passes around the basket. Curtis also makes an impact on the defensive end with his shot contesting and shot blocking instincts and timing.</p> <p class="p1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994931" first="Martin" last="Gumwel"]</strong>, Rancho Christian/Gamepoint - If we were to do a list of highest motor players in SoCal regardless of class, Gumwel would be near if not at the top of that list. The 6-foot-11 center is a menace on the offensive and defensive boards as his length, athleticism, and willingness to make multiple effort plays is tough for most high school big men to compete with. Gumwel is still raw on the offensive end in back to the basket situations, but he runs the floor hard, catches lobs and has improving touch around the basket.</p>