2024 CD Jarvis Tourney Standouts

The 49th annual CD Jarvis Tournament, hosted by El Paso High School, came and went this past week. The tournament, which took place over three days from November 14 to 16, hosted 12 El Paso, TX teams. Here are the top performers from the three-day tournament.    [player_tooltip player_id='2028637' first='Jayden' last='Leverett'] played the best game I have ever seen him play in person or on tape in my year and a half of scouting him. The game in particular was against Eastwood High School, one of the top programs in El Paso, TX. Numbers aside, he looks healthier than he did last season. He's quicker, much more agile, and looks stronger through his base. He has a height and frame advantage over every center he matches up against in this area, so the points will come easier for him. Additionally, he plays with excellent play-making guards who know how to get him the ball. Most impressive is his defense. Attempting a shot over [player_tooltip player_id='2028637' first='Jayden' last='Leverett'] at this point is bad offensive process. Not only is he turning back shot contests at the rim, he's blocking jumper shooters at a consistently high rate. So far, it looks like Leverett is going to have a dominant senior season. He is set to join the Vanderbilt Commodores in the SEC starting in 2025-26.     This kid is a bucket. Standing at 6-4, with a long and lanky frame, [player_tooltip player_id='2423058' first='Sebastian' last='Meraz'] can score with the best of him. He has a good process for scoring the ball, so let me break that down. So often I see prospects playing into these preset ideas of how to score. On countless occasions, I have seen players with driving lanes haphazardly attack the rim and throw up a tough shot over heavy traffic. It's frustrating because there is so much space to exploit between the 14 to 6-foot range. All of which brings us back to Meraz, he's a mid-range monster who is adept at knowing when and where to put the ball on the floor. If he gets the ball around the nail, he'll often catch and shoot instead of needlessly putting the ball on the floor. But when he does attack the rim, it pays off. I watched him play a game where he shot 17 foul shots (made 14). This kid can fill it up.     I would be remiss if I didn't talk about this kid. At 6-2 freshman with refined scoring for a first-year varsity player cannot be understated. [player_tooltip player_id='2381881' first='Toraino' last='Johnson Jr.'] already projects very well to the next level as a prospect. Why? The obvious is the previously stated scoring repertoire but it's the environment his talent is being nurtured in. His father played DI college basketball at Utah State and he plays for a program with a head coach that has a track record of developing talent. You don't see many freshmen playing varsity basketball, let alone starting and performing for one of the best and most consistent programs in Andress High School.     Although he had some up-and-down games within the tournament, Eastwood's [player_tooltip player_id='2023032' first='Devin' last='Falk-Ramirez'] deserves some mention. He struggled in the Troopers matchup against Chapin High School, but most teams and prospects do. That said, he also had some standout performances. He dropped 32 points against Jefferson High School and could have easily had 40. On the day, Jefferson scored 28 points, and Falk-Ramirez outscored them by four. When this kid plays with his finger on the trigger all four quarters, he dominates games. He can score with the best of them in this region and he can do it at all three levels.     I'm so glad to see this kid back and healthy for his senior year. [player_tooltip player_id='2263143' first='CJ' last='Quirino'] did not have an ideal junior season in that he missed it due to injury. Now that he's back, El Paso and the Borderland get to see one of the better on-ball scoring guards this area has to offer. The kid gets to the cup whenever and however he wants. He is nifty and has a knack for navigating overly congested spaces on the floor. Moreover, he's a great leaper and has a quick second jump, so offensive rebounds and putbacks are all there for the taking with Quirino. And if he isn't finishing at the rim, he is probably getting to the line. He's a double-digit scorer every game he plays even if the jumper isn't falling.     One of the more impressive team performances at the CD Jarvis Tourney was that of Coronado High School. The T-Birds are coming off a tough 2023-24 season but after a respectable 5th place finish and tough wins over Canutillo and Pebble Hills plus a respectable showing against Chapin, this team is obviously on the upswing. RJ Lopez is at the forefront of this team's turnaround and solid start to the season. He's a junior guard with a solid frame and can play on and off the ball. He's leading the team in scoring and did throughout the tournament and shot the ball well from the field too. If Coronado gets into the playoffs this season it will be because of players like Lopez.

The 49th annual CD Jarvis Tournament, hosted by El Paso High School, came and went this past week. The tournament, which took place over three days from November 14 to 16, hosted 12 El Paso, TX teams. Here are the top performers from the three-day tournament.