Clovis Elks Tournament Day 2: Standout Juniors

This past Saturday, I headed to Clovis High for Day 2 of its annual Clovis Elks Tournament. The event features 10 teams playing in a 4-day showcase format, with each team playing in 4 games. Like all the holiday tournaments that started after Christmas, Sunday was an off day, and play resumed Monday. I was there for all 5 games played on Saturday, capped off with a great match-up between Clovis West and Justin Garza of Fresno. This article takes a look at 6 juniors that had standout performances on Day 2. In this article you will find the following information: player's information, my own personal recorded statistics, and a brief description of each player's skill sets and how they performed at the Elks. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with sharp shooter Von Bibioff.    The 6-foot-1 lead guard has the moves to create his own scoring opportunities, is a true 3-level scorer, and is a solid on-ball defender, and can put up points in volume. Bibioff struggled from the field in the first half, despite scoring 11 points and connecting on a pair of threes. But what I like about his game is that he has a true scorers mentality, just because the shots didn't fall early Bibioff adjusted and went on the attack to earn trips to the free throw line, which was evident in the 16 free throws made throughout the game. The Lions were down by 10 going into the final frame, and Bibioff put the team on his back, scoring 16 of his game-high 37 points, along with 3 steals, in the fourth and got his team within a single possession but fell short to Immanuel of Reedley, 62 to 61. Bibioff has dynamic handles, keeps the ball on a string to survey the defense, uses the crossover, between-cross, spin-move, fadeaway, in-and-out, and behind-cross moves to get his defender off balance and create space, has great body control and accuracy on the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line off the bounce, and uses the hesitation to freeze his defender with a good burst of speed to get into the paint, where he is able to score with creativity around the basket with the Euro-step, reverse, and up-and-under lay-ups, as well as the floater. Bibioff moves well off the ball to get to his shot spots, squares up in the shooter position, and is effective with the 3-ball off the catch. He has good court vision and makes good decisions with the ball in his hands, makes pin-point passes up the court, out of the pick and roll action, and off the drive and kick pass to find teammates open in stride to the basket. Bibioff is a solid on-ball defender with active hands to poke the ball out or jump passing lanes to get out in the open court. Underrated prospect in the Central Section that continues to expand his scoring arsenal.     The 6-foot-5 wing/forward impacts the paint on both ends, is able to score from 3-levels, but most impactful from the mid-post to the basket, is active on the glass, and is a legit rim protector. Galpin did not waste time getting it going on the offensive end in the opening quarter against Kerman, scoring half of the team's 12 points. He would add points in each quarter, along with going to work on the glass, finishing with an impressive double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, as well as 2 blocks to showcase the rim protection, leading the Eagles to a 62-61 win. Galpin has good footwork and post-moves to score around the basket, with nice touch on shots within 5-feet of the cup, is able to shake his defender with the pump-fake or ball-fake to create the space from his defender needed to get clean looks at the basket. Galpin has the handle to put the ball on the deck and attack from the top of the key, as well as from the wing, with the crossover being his go to move, is effective with the jumper from the mid-post off the dribble, and can score through contact, or use the up-and-under or reverse lay-ups to prevent shots from being blocked, and moves well off the ball to get open looks off the catch from beyond the arc. Galpin crashes the boards on both ends, limits opponents to single shots, and outlets the ball quickly to run the floor and get ahead of the defense to receive passes for easy transition buckets. Earns trips to the free throw line often and is accurate from the line to increase and-one opportunities.     The 6-foot-4 wing/forward plays with great energy and tenacity, is active on the glass, can defend various positions, and excels in the open court, as he runs the floor to get ahead of the defense in transition. Gonzalez had a strong showing in the close loss to Clovis West, as the final score would not reflect how tight this game was for 30 of the 32 minutes, and he would go for 9 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal, as the Guardians would fall 72 to 63. Gonzalez has a long wingspan and good athleticism, crashes the boards on both ends to limit opponents to single shot opportunities, has good touch on tip-ins off the offensive glass, and the timing and instincts to block/alter shots in the paint, as well as the length and strides to close out and alter perimeter shots. Gonzalez has good handles, likes to use the crossover to attack from the perimeter or the top of the key, moves well off the ball and gets to the dunker spot or the short porch, where he can knockdown the mid-range jumper, or use his length and agility to score around height in the paint. Gonzalez can spread the floor with the 3-ball to open up lanes to attack, outlets the ball off the glass, and runs the floor well to get ahead and score in transition. A really good fit for Garza, as Gonzalez finds ways to score without plays being drawn up for him or the offense going through him, which is always great for a coaching staff.     The 6-foot-3 combo guard has the moves to create his own scoring opportunities, the ability to make plays for others, and has flourished since transferring from Central East to Clovis High, where he recently received All-Tournament honors at the Tarkanian Classic. Harbin came out of the gates looking to attack the defense, and would score 6 of his 10 points in the opening quarter, which helped build a 20 point lead that the Cougars would hold steady the rest of the game in a win over Edison of Fresno, 79 to 45. Harbin has solid handles, keeps the dribble alive to probe the defense, uses the toss-cross, wide crossover, behind-cross, and hesitation to create space from his defender, changes pace and direction with the ball to weave through the defense, gets good lift on the jumper, is effective from the mid-range to the 3-point line off the bounce, has good body control and secures the basketball when attacking the basket off the perimeter, and can score at the basket with the Euro-step and reverse lay-ups, as well as the strength to score through contact at the basket. Harbin has good court vision, is active on the glass as a good positional rebounder and pushes the pace of play, with the ability to find teammates up the court in transition, as well as in the half court setting off the drive and kick pass or the drop-off pass to bigs in the dunker spot. He is a tough on-ball defender with good length and athleticism to jump passing lanes, alter shots on the perimeter, or poke the ball out to get out in the open court. Great addition for Clovis and adds to the depth of its perimeter talent.     The 6-foot-4 combo guard is a true 3-level scorer, can put up points in volume, and has one of the smoothest jumpers in the Section, which he seeks on the regular. Jackson got going in the second quarter against Edison of Fresno, as he would score 8 points to help extend the lead to 43-17 at the half. Jackson would finish with a game-high 21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block to highlight his defensive impact when locked in on both ends. Jackson has a smooth handle, uses the wide crossover, between-cross, and behind-cross to get his defender off balance, hunts the elbows for the mid-range jumper, which he connects at a high clip and is accurate off the bounce, with great body control to absorb contact or contort his body in the air and still get off a clean look. Jackson moves well off the ball, gets to his shot spots, and is effective with the 3-ball off the catch or the dribble, as he uses his length and quick leaping ability to get his shot off over most perimeter defenders. Jackson plays with good pace, change of direction, and uses the Euro-step, reverse, and up-and-under lay-ups to evade height in the paint. Jackson is a solid on-ball defender, has good lateral quickness and foot speed to stay in front of opponents, active hands to deflect passes, the timing to jump passing lanes, and effective closeouts to alter shots from the perimeter. His jumper off the bounce is one of the purest shots of any player in the Section and is nearly automatic when Jackson prioritizes this shot.     The 6-foot combo guard has a great motor, can spread the floor from beyond the arc, and attacks the defense to draw fouls and earn free points from the foul line. Jenkins gave maximum effort in a tough loss to the host team Clovis High, as he would go for 12 points and a three pointer in the process to display his floor spacing ability. Jenkins has good handles, uses the crossover and hesitation to create space from his defender, uses his physical frame to bully his way down the lane and score through contact at the basket, and is able to connect on the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line. Jenkins is active on the boards, excels in the open court, and was one of the few bright spots for the Tigers against Clovis, who built an early 20-point lead and never looked back. Jenkins showed he will continue to play hard despite what the scoreboard says, which speaks to his grit and focus.

This past Saturday, I headed to Clovis High for Day 2 of its annual Clovis Elks Tournament. The event features 10 teams playing in a 4-day showcase format, with each team playing in 4 games. Like all the holiday tournaments that started after Christmas, Sunday was an off day, and play resumed Monday. I was there for all 5 games played on Saturday, capped off with a great match-up between Clovis West and Justin Garza of Fresno. This article takes a look at 6 juniors that had standout performances on Day 2. In this article you will find the following information: player's information, my own personal recorded statistics, and a brief description of each player's skill sets and how they performed at the Elks. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with sharp shooter Von Bibioff.