The inaugural Spring Hoops Extravaganza Tournament kicked off on Friday night with strong showings from under the radar prospects around the area. Among the highlights was a strong group of post players, including 2012 Capuchino standout Daniel Aforman. See all of the top performers as well as a look at the top match-ups for Saturday.
Muktar Abdi 6-foot-0 PG Willow Glen (VH Elite) 2011: Addi is a physical point guard who can control the action for a length of time, but also floats in and out of the action. When he was on, he has a nice pull-up game and has good ball control on his dribble. He seems to favor the jumper over penetration, which he is also a threat to do.
Garrett Rich 6-foot-4 F St. Joseph (East Bay Swag) 2011: Coming off a solid state championship performance, Rich continued his stellar play in a convincing win over Bay Area Rush. He has good body control and protects the ball well when going up with it. A good rebounder some lower level school should look to offer this prospect.
Daniel Aforman 6-foot-8 Post Capuchino (North Peninsula Force) 2012: Still a raw prospect at this point, Aforman has the making to be a nice big in the future. He has good, quiet feet on the block, including a nice spin move against VH Elite. He has a good frame to build on and should see his production increase as he plays with more aggression.
Damon Sloan 5-foot-8 PG West (WV Wolves) 2012: The best player for the WV Wolves, Sloan displayed good stop and start ability as well as getting the ball all the way to the rim. The left-handed guard has a nice mid-range game, but will need to become a better distributor to become a legit prospect.
Chilo Mejia 6-foot-0 G Irvington (Bay Area Rush) 2013: Mejia can play on and off the ball while getting separation using his dribble. He has a nice shooting stroke and as he gets stronger, he will become a better finisher to open up his offensive game.
KJ Daye 5-foot-11 G West (707 Finest Elite 15s) 2014: The freshman guard has good length and should continue to grow into in the coming years. He is active on defense and projects as an off guard with some point guard skills. Developing his offense is the next step for Daye.
Cody Sheldon 6-foot-8 Post Irvington (Bay Area Rush) 2014: Another talented young post, Sheldon moves well around the floor and isn't anchored to the block. He is still very raw, but has the physical tools to develop into a real good prospect down the road.
Others of Note: 2013 forward EJ Floreal of Palo Alto (Roadrunners) JV is a long, athletic interior player who has big upside. The Roadrunners JV squad has its share of athletes who showed well, including 2013s Aubrey Dawkins of Palo Alto and Khalid Johnson and Khalil Johnson of St. Francis-Mountain View. The Bay Area Warriors 16s boast 2013 guard Samson Donnick of Redwood, who is a good sized guard who will start at Redwood next year, and 2014 point guard Mike Pinkney of St. Mary's-Berkeley, who is a solid point guard with good ball handling and composure and should find a spot in the Panthers' rotation next season. 2013 guard Jaqui Biggins of Serra is another player to watch on the Warriors.
Other players to watch for are 2012 prospect Richard Meeks of Andrew Hill, who is playing with Bay Area Rush. A pair of budding prospects to follow the rest of the weekend is 2012 guard Ashton Pickens of Kennedy-Fremont and 2013 6-foot-9 post Owen Putz of Half Moon Bay. Also, 2014 point guard Frankie Ferrari of Burlingame (BSC) is an excellent prospect which already grades out as a Division I find.
After a slow start to the tournament due to court issues, the action will certainly heat up with a full slate of games in all six divisions on Saturday. Below is a list of the top games.
Boys Elite: Bay Area Ballers 17U vs. PHPS Black at 4:30 PM. The Ballers are usually one of the better teams in the area and PHPS boasts a solid roster this year. PHPS is lead by Burbank guard Mitchell Love, Yuba City guard Matt Hayes and Capital Christian forward Ryan Edwards.
Boys Varsity: BSC vs. Bay Area Rush 10:15 AM. If you like young talent, this is the game to see. Each team boasts a talented freshman in Ferrari and Sheldon respectively. The Bay Area Rush suffered a bad loss on Friday to East Bay Swag, but is a good test for the Burlingame filled BSC squad.
Boys JV: Stanco Black JV vs. YBA Dawgs 5:45 PM. This JV game features young talent from two of the overlooked areas of Northern California as Stanco is built around Valley players and YBA is filled with players from the Sierra Foothills. Should create a good atmosphere.
Girls Elite: Cal Stars Premier I vs. Bay Area Lady Warriors Black 9:00 AM. Get to Dream Courts bright and early today for a slew of basketball prospects. The Lady Warriors may have the most talent of any team on the girls side with Ariell Bostick of Bishop O'Dowd, Charise Holloway of Modesto Christian and Mariya Moore of Salesian to name a few. The Cal Stars will counter with Heritage post Sabrina Engelstad, Alhambra's Taylor Berry and company.
Girls Varsity: Cal Stars Premier II vs. Bay Area Magic 16s 9:00 AM. Another early morning contest features two teams who should contend in this division.
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