Double Pump Spring Hoop Fest: Best of the Sophomores (Part I)
Anaheim, Ca. — With most of SoCal’s big name club teams playing out of state for the second live viewing period of the spring, it was a little more difficult to navigate which games to watch at the Double Pump Spring Hoop Fest at American Sports Center.
Fortunately for me, and my colleagues Aaron Burgin and Joel Francisco, a handful of 16s and 15s EYBL teams didn’t make the trip to Indianapolis for the second session of the EYBL Circuit, providing us with some viewing pleasure on Friday and Saturday.
Here is the first set of top sophomore performers from Anaheim this weekend:
Jeron Artest, Las Vegas Prospects 16s
The son of former NBA player Ron Artest has a little bit of his father’s game in his own. Artest plays with a high motor on both ends of the floor, is a versatile and tough defender, and got to the basket off the bounce at-will. The 6-foot-2 Hillcrest Prep (AZ) off-guard continues to improve his 3-point shooting each time out.
Las Vegas Prospects guard Jeron Artest got into the paint with regularity over the weekend.Kyle Braun, Cal Supreme 16s
Braun has one of the most pure 3-point shooting strokes in all of Southern California. He catches and releases with no wasted movement, has a strong wrist snap and gets tight rotation on the basketball. The 6-foot-1 sophomore showed some flashes of being more than just a shooter with a couple baseline drives capped by strong finishes.
D.J. Davis, The Truth 16s
Davis is one of the premier scorers in SoCal’s 2020 class and this weekend was no different. The 6-foot combo guard plays on the ball for The Truth and it’s really helped him to create his own shot off the bounce with a variety of dribble moves. What Davis does best is knock down open or contested 3-point shots and he did plenty of that over the weekend.
Keith Dinwiddie, The Truth 16s
The 6-foot-2 Culver City High product had an explosive scoring effort Saturday morning. Dinwiddie drained perimeter jumpers from multiple spots on the floor, including a couple of tough fade-away mid-range jumpers. The sophomore has always been known as a downhill driver and finisher in transition, but his improved perimeter shooting could open up some more opportunities.
Tanner Hayhurst, Select Basketball 16s
Hayhurst, a 6-foot-4 swingman out of Eagle high school in Idaho, turned heads with his pure shot-making ability. He’s not the fastest or most athletic, but he knows how to use footwork and change of speeds to create space and either hit a step-back type of jumper or get to the basket and finish in the paint.
Mason Machado, Prodigy 16s
Machado is an intriguing 6-foot-6 stretch-four type of forward. The Corona Centennial High product thrives in pick-and-pop situations where he hits the perimeter set shot with consistency. Machado plays with a high motor on both ends of the floor and uses his length to his advantage on the defensive glass.