No Excuse Just Produce Top Performers Pt. III
On Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend, King/Drew High School played host to the first No Excuse Just Produce Classic presented by the world-famous Drew League. The event was held on Saturday, Jan. 14 and Monday Jan. 16. I was…
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Continue ReadingOn Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend, King/Drew High School played host to the first No Excuse Just Produce Classic presented by the world-famous Drew League. The event was held on Saturday, Jan. 14 and Monday Jan. 16. I was able to attend the event on Saturday Jan. 14. That day featured a few local LA-area schools and consisted of three games between LA Jordan/Fremont, Mayfair/Esperanza, and King Drew/LB Jordan. Here’s a look at some additional standouts I saw.
1. Franklyn Chambers – LB Jordan 2023
I’ve seen Chambers play a couple of times before, but what really stood out to me this time around was his playmaking. He’s more than capable of scoring but in the halfcourt, he is always looking to make the right pass and he has a knack for finding cutting teammates around the basket. Does a good job using shot fakes to get the defender in the air and then making the pass rather than shooting. Good passer in transition too. He can handle the ball well and consistently attacks the middle. Able to get to the free-throw line.
2. Ce-yahion Francis – LA Jordan 2024
Francis stood out to me for his activity on the glass. He’s a bit of a tweener between a guard and a forward. He’s long an athletic and uses that to his advantage on the boards. He showed an ability to grab offensive rebounds and keep possessions alive, but one thing he can work on is keeping the ball high and going up strong instead of putting the ball down and allowing the defense to get set. He also showed an ability to handle the ball in the halfcourt.
3. Andre Williams – Fremont 2026
Williams was one of a couple of freshmen standouts for the Pathfinders. He ran the floor well and can be a finisher in transition. He’s strong and mobile and he’s able to make quick moves in the post with the ball. He moved well without the ball, positioning himself under the basket and in scoring position as soon as the pass came. He was also able to draw contact under the basket and get to the free-throw line.
4. Caleb Palmer – Esperanza 2023
Palmer looked like a bit of a combination of a shooting guard and a small forward. He’s got the height and length for a small forward and the skill of a two-guard. He was able to handle the ball on the break and dribble under control getting up court. He has consistent range out to the three-point line. He’s very athletic and he used that to sky in for rebounds in traffic.