Classic at Damien: Platinum Div. Playmakers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LA VERNE — The ninth annual Classic at Damien is one of the nation's premier post-holiday high school basketball tournaments. The 2025 edition features 144 teams from five states spread across nine divisions and includes many of the country's top prospects. We were in attendance for the first two days at Damien High and below are the top playmakers we saw among Platinum Division participants.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Armon Almuttar | 2026 | Parish Episcopal (TX)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The physical and high motor wing has been nothing but productive in his first two games at The Classic. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior is a jack-of-all-trades type of prospect whose two-way impact is highlighted by his versatility and willingness to do the "glue" type of things. Almuttar, who is committed to Northwestern State, dished out 13 assists in a second round win over Clovis North and five assists in a first round loss to Damien</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2194390' first='Carter' last='Barnes'] | 2027 | Crespi</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crespi has advanced to the Platinum Division semifinals with two impressive wins to open the event and Barnes has had a lot to do with that. The 6-foot-3 junior guard has handed out five assists in each of the Celts' victories but his impact as a playmaker goes well beyond finding his teammates. Barnes is an extremely disruptive defender with his combination of strength, lateral speed, quick hands and determination to get stops. He blows up dribble hand-offs with aggressive denials and is highly switchable on the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956470' first='Chace' last='Holley'] | 2026 | Redondo Union</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clovis North, like many teams that Redondo has faced over the last two seasons, had a difficult time keeping Holley in front of them. The 6-foot-1 point guard is one of the west's most dynamic open court athletes and his ability to blow-by the first line of defense and get a paint touch with ease lends to him being the ultimate pressure creator on opposing defenses. The unsigned senior dished out 11 assists in the Sea Hawks opening round win over Clovis North.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1555180' first='Delton' last='Prescott III'] | 2027 | Sunnyslope (AZ)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5-foot-10 point guard has dynamic speed in transition and stop-and-go ability in the half-court setting that allow him to get by most point of attack defenders and into the paint where he can finish with a floater or pull-up jumper but he is best as a table-setter. The junior makes sure to deliver timely passes to his big men, plays off of two feet when finding cutters and is also a disruptive defender who makes plays on that end of the floor. Prescott had four assists in Sunnyslope's quarterfinal overtime win over St. John Bosco and 21 points and six assists in a first round win over Roosevelt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Gabe Sularski | 2026 | Layton Christian (UT)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sularski was in constant attack mode during his first two games of the event. The 6-foot-5 wing is nearly impossible to keep out of the lane as his combination of size, length, athleticism and stampede-like driving ability often overwhelms opposing perimeter defenders which leads to consistent straight-line drive opportunities. Sularski finished with nine assists in a first round loss to Crespi and five assists in a second round win over La Mirada.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2436290' first='Joey' last='Albala'] | 2027 | Redondo Union</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Albala rarely looks to get his own shot throughout the course of a game and rather focuses on getting the ball to his teammates in space and letting them do what they do best. The 5-foot-6 point guard is always looking to push the tempo by calling for quick outlet passes and utilizing hit-ahead passes to put pressure on the rim. In half-court offense, Albala makes sure that the ball is moving side to side with multiple ball reversals and gets the Sea Hawks into their set plays when called. The junior had six assists and no turnovers in Redondo's quarterfinal win over Damien.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2622343' first='Nick' last='Giarrusso'] | 2026 | Crean Lutheran</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Giarrusso isn't the most explosive athlete on the floor but his high basketball IQ and understanding and execution of the fundamentals on both ends of the floor make him an invaluable piece for Crean Lutheran. The 6-foot-5 senior is a point-forward type of player whose vision, pace and passing timing and accuracy leads to ball movement within the Saints offense. Giarrusso is also a very good rebounder for his position which leads to quick breaks where he makes smart choices. He finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds in a quarterfinal win over O'Connor and 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a first round win over Owyhee.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->