Hoops By Ugland Fall HS Showcase: Five Takeaways

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">ONTARIO — The inaugural Hoops By Ugland Fall High School showcase brought together 20 of Southern California’s well-known programs, in addition to some looking to get their school on the map, and a prep school program from Arizona.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">The one day event featured 18 games inside the Colony high school gymnasium with highly recruited and under-the-radar players showing out in their respective games. Below you will find Devin’s five takeaways from the event.</span></p> <p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">Is Rancho Christian better than last season?</span></strong></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">It’s an interesting question that certainly deserves a look. The Eagles lost one of its best players, Isaiah Mobley, now a freshman at USC, from a team that won 26 games and qualified for the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs. But the 2019-20 edition of Rancho Christian will do something this year that it couldn’t last year: Play with speed and pace. <strong>Evan Mobley</strong> is now the lone true post presence on the team, which opens up driving lanes for the Eagles’ explosive guards in <strong>Dominick Harris</strong>, <strong>Jaden Byers</strong> and <strong>Bryson Stephens</strong>. The increased floor spacing should open up more clean looks for 6-foot-7 wing Luke Turner and the addition of <strong>Jayce Catchings</strong>, who transferred in from the St. Louis area, brings some added toughness on the defensive end.</span></p> <p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">Can Santa Clarita Christian make an Open Division push?</span></strong></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Maybe. The Cardinals don’t have a ton of star power, but they have a group of players who fit together seamlessly. Seniors <strong>Caden Starr</strong>, <strong>Kaleb Lowery</strong> and <strong>Kyjuan Cannady</strong>, along with junior <strong>Josh O’Garro</strong>, each have defined roles which they’ve bought in to and executed nicely in two games at the event. Santa Clarita Christian is slotted by the CIF-SS as a Division 2AA participant and, if they remain in that spot, could be considered the favorites in that division. The Cardinals scored a 73-70 win over Damien, a team many believe will challenge for one of eight Open Division spots.</span></p> <p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">Birmingham will challenge for City Section Open Division title</span></strong></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">There are only a handful of L.A. City Section teams that can legitimately say they have a chance to take home the Open crown. Fairfax and Westchester are the staples. Taft will be solid with a handful of new additions. But its the Patriots of Birmingham who might have the most intriguing roster. The squad returns its top three scorers from last season in <strong>Corey Cofield</strong>, <strong>David Elliot</strong> and <strong>Elisha Cofield</strong>, along with high flying junior <strong>James Nobles</strong> from a team which was the No. 3 seed in last year’s Open bracket.</span></p> <p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">Best public school team in Orange County?</span></strong></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">There were two teams challenging for that honor in attendance in Anaheim Canyon and Sonora. Canyon is always in the mix with coach <strong>Nate Harrison</strong> at the helm. The Comanches push the pace with quick guards, have a handful of knock down shooters and have added two capable 7-footers to the mix to shore up the defensive side of the floor. Sonora has two of the most dynamic scorers in the area in <strong>Daniel Esparza</strong> and <strong>Marqui Worthy</strong>. Combine that with a hard-nosed approach and plenty of complimentary pieces and you have a team poised to win a lot of games.</span></p> <p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">Riverside Poly enters Open Division conversation</span></strong></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">News broke recently of the Bears adding <strong>D.J. Davis</strong>, one of the state’s most prolific 3-point shooters, to a roster already filled with talented offensive players and high level glue guys. Poly, led by San Diego State-commit <strong>Lamont Butler</strong> and sharpshooting senior <strong>Evan Oliver</strong>, had impressive wins over Sonora and Santa Clarita Christian at the Fall Showcase and adding a player the caliber of Davis to that mix could propel the Bears into that eight team conversation.</span></p>