SoCal State Regionals: Some of the best underclassmen I saw
LAGUNA NIGUEL – We’re two weeks beyond what should have been the 2020 California State Championship Weekend in Sacramento. As we’re wistfully aware, the 2019-20 season on the night of March 10 with Northern and Southern Regional divisional finals…
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Continue ReadingLAGUNA NIGUEL – We’re two weeks beyond what should have been the 2020 California State Championship Weekend in Sacramento.
As we’re wistfully aware, the 2019-20 season on the night of March 10 with Northern and Southern Regional divisional finals – as well as Northern Open semifinal that was won by Sheldon over Dublin,
We all know why that was the case.
But, no “what might have been” scenarios here.
During the week of State Regional play, though, I was able to attend five games:
*Damien at St. Anthony, D-1 (March 3);
*Rancho Christian at Etiwanda, Open (March 4);
*Ribet Academy at St. John Bosco, D-1 (March 5);
*Etiwanda at Mater Dei, Open (March 7);
*Etiwanda vs. Sierra Canyon at Cal State Northridge (March 10).
Here are the underclassmen I saw in those games that most impressed me, beginning with . . .
*A couple of 6-foot-5ish forwards, Tre White and Tyler Powell, were key elements to Ribet Academy’s Southern Section 2A title and top finish in the Southern Regional Division I division.
White, a sophomore who became eligible on Feb. 9 (for the team’s final regular-season game, with Rancho Christian) after transferring from Cornerstone Christian in San Antonio, scored 21 points – with eight rebounds – in Ribet’s 61-58, second-round regional win at top seed St. John Bosco.
Powell, a junior, added 15 points and eight rebounds against the Braves. And, two nights later, he hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer against Southern Section Division 1 champion Windward for the 61-58 win.
*St. John Bosco had three senior starters in guard Josh Camper (headed for St. Martin’s in Lacy, WA), forward Wynton Brown (Northern Arizona) and center Isaiah Holm (Chico State).
But Coach Matt Dunn also had one of the largest contingents of quality underclassmen in the state and, with the like of 2021 prospects Scotty Washington and Lamaj Lewis, and 6-8 sophomore Jeremiah Nyarko set to return, the Braves can be safely be penciled in as one of SoCal’s best teams going into the 2020-21 se3ason.
*Malik Thomas, a 6-3 junior who committed to USC on March 27, hit just four of 16 shots from the floor during Damien’s 74-63 opening-round DI win at No. 2 St. Anthony in Long Beach.
But three of those buckets were 3-pointers and he was also flawless in 18 free throws for 29 points along with 19 rebounds for the Spartans. He added 39 points two night later in the team’s six-overtime victory over Riverside Poly.
Coach Mike LeDuc’s squad also got strong effort against St. Anthony from 6-4 sophomore R.J. Smith (11 points, five assists and five rebounds).
*Long considered the premier man-to-man defender in the Southern California Class of 2021, 6-4 Jahmai Mashack (pictured) demonstrated why that is the case in Open regional action with strong head—up jobs against McDonald’s All-Americans Evan Mobley (Rancho Christian) and Ziaire Williams (Sierra Canyon), as well as one of the west’ best junior power forwards, Wilhelm Breidenbach (Mater Dei).
*One of the “low-key” top sophomores in Southern California this past season was 6-8 Elijah Price.
Price scored 12 points with 12 rebounds and two blocked shots in St. Anthony’s loss to Damien.