Classic at Damien: Best Big Men

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LA VERNE — Wednesday marked the opening round of the Classic at Damien Platinum Division which featured top teams and prospects from five states in the west. In this piece we take a look at the best big men we watched. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Blake Rawson | 2024 | American Fork (UT)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rawson's physicality on ball screens, rolls and finishes at the rim was tough to matchup with. The 6-foot-8 forward/center has great hands and touch around the rim and always stays true to his skill-set and position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1555179' first='Darius' last='Wabbington'] | 2027 | Sunnyslope (AZ)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I haven't seen very many big men out west who are as good and have as much upside as Wabbington. The 6-foot-9 big man is as skilled as they come for a prospect so early in their development. The freshman is a pick and pop threat with touch to the three-point line and has the footwork and ball skills to play in dribble hand-off actions. It will be interesting to see how his post game develops.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Finley Keefe | 2024 | Branson</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On a team full of very good guards, Keefe is the one 6-foot-6 and over guy who sees significant minutes and his impact is understated for Branson. Keefe is a glue-type guy who rebounds both sides of the glass, runs the floor, finishes at the rim and can face-up and drive by defenders when a mismatch presents itself.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Jackson Rasmussen | 2025 | Owyhee (ID)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rasmussen paced Owyhee in scoring and rebounding with 16 and 11, respectively, as the Idaho-based club came away with a hard-fought win over La Mirada. The 6-foot-7 forward won't do anything to blow you away but he's solid all-around with his interior finishing, ability to hit off-catch jumpers and offensive and defensive rebounding.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1620352' first='James' last='Bass'] | 2025 | Campbell Hall</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bass is a welcomed addition for a Campbell Hall roster that lacked true size inside. The 6-foot-8 center is mobile, vertically athletic, long and uses all of those traits to impact the game as a rim protector and rebounder.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1630627' first='Tae' last='Simmons'] | 2025 | Heritage Christian</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Simmons scored 19 points in the Warriors loss and most of them were in the painted area through contact. The 6-foot-6 forward is one of the more physically-imposing players in Southern California and knows how to use his strength to power his way to the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->