July 20, 2011
As the prep basketball scene rolls into Las Vegas this week, it is time to examine some of the key questions for the NorCal players and teams on hand. In this edition of the NCP Roundtable, Douglas Benton and Steve Hu look at the prospects and clubs to watch as well as who could see a boost in their stock. Also see which colleges could make an impact in the 2012 class.
1. Which teams are you most looking forward to seeing in the second half of the viewing period?
Steve Hu: Belmont Shores, Compton Magic, and Dream Vision have some of the better Northern California talent including David Andoh, Arik Armstead, and Stephen Domingo as these players do not play locally for their summer clubs. These teams do not usually play in the local summer events but are some of the elite teams in the Southern California region.
Douglas Benton: Teams like Belmont Shores, Compton Magic and Dream Vision are teams that bring intrigue in seeing some of the top players in Northern California for the first time this summer and putting in-person evaluations together with earlier written reports. I'm also looking forward to seeing teams like Lakeshow 17 Black, Team 94, Play Hard Play Smart Elite and Oakland Rebels play on a national stage and if they can continue to add more depth to the NorCal reputation throughout the country. As always, the Oakland Soldiers are always must see basketball as they look to defend their Fab 48 title.
2. Which players are you most looking forward to seeing in the second half of the viewing period?
Steve Hu: With the departure of Dominic Artis and Brandon Ashley from the 2012 class and with Jamaree Strickland recovering from his knee injury, the top 5 of the 2012 player rankings will be interesting before the high school season starts. In the Fab 48, the Oakland Soldiers and Belmont Shores teams are in the same bracket. So, Richard Longrus, Langston Morris-Walker, and David Andoh will have a chance to make a case for the top ranking in Northern California for 2012 during this event.
Douglas Benton: The top of the 2012 class is wide open with Brandon Ashley and Dominic Artis heading to Findlay Prep for next season. Players like Langston Morris-Walker, Richard Longrus and David Andoh figure to play major roles in this discussion with each drawing positive reviews thus far. Also, Stephen Domingo has had a very strong summer thus far and it will be good to see him play again after not seeing him since the high school season from the 2013 class.. Finally, D'Erryl Williams II has continued his steady play from his sophomore campaign in showing good point guard skills to build on. He played well as a rising sophomore at last year's Fab 48.
3. Who has the best chance to make a big jump in his stock as a prospect?
Steve Hu: Tajai Johnson of Vallejo/Oakland Soldiers Blue left the Soldiers and then came back. The stability will help. But more important, he is a good sized point guard with good ball handling who can use the big stage at the Fab 48 to get more recruiting attention. Christopher Patterson of Clara Muhammad/Oakland Rebels does not attend a high school with basketball. So, whatever impression he makes on the summer circuit will go a long way in improving his recruiting stock. The size and potential are there but college coaches would want to see that on display in a competitive environment. Drew Dickey of St Francis/KWA Pride has been playing real aggressively and has turned some heads up to now. He's mostly been getting looks from the Ivy League but could use another big performance.
Douglas Benton: Three players who should continue to see a big jump in their stocks after the Las Vegas tournaments will be De La Salle's Elliot Pitts, Sheldon's Kyiron Thomas, Jesuit's Parker Uu and Bella Vista's KJ Logue. Pitts will be playing with Greenline and possibly Bay Area Hoosiers and has shown good development in his ball handling and ability to create his own shot. This is a good national stage for Pitts to show this off for a large group of coaches. Thomas is playing with PHPS Elite and is a player who could be on the verge of seeing his recruitment blow up. With his ability to handle and slash from the off guard position as well as defend, he is a good mid-major get who will push the recruiting interest by playing football this fall. Uu is an outside shooting staple for Team 94 with the scoring mindset to take over games from time to time. Shooting is always a premium for college coaches and Uu could be quietly playing his way into a solid high mid-major candidate. Logue is an unranked prospect, but has shown the skills with a 6-foot-5 frame to challenge a Top 40 ranking more college interest following a July playing for NorCal Pump N Run.
4. Which colleges are most likely to make an impact in Northern California for the class of 2012?
Steve Hu: BYU and Colorado need to get on the radar in the Northern California region as these schools move to the WCC and Pac-12 respectively, which are very California influenced. BYU with its run with Jimmer Fredette and Colorado with Alec Burks are both fairly known programs with the Northern California kids already. So, these two programs have already established a good foot print.
Douglas Benton: From early reports on who is showing interest, Colorado is making a good first impression as it enters the Pac-12 this coming year. Colorado was the program stuck on the outside of the NCAA Tournament last year, which was sure to help garner them some face time for regional recruits. I also expect San Francisco to continue its strong recruiting push into the 2012 class as head coach Rex Walters helps lead the Dons into the upper echelon of the WCC. With their location and the emerging presence of the conference, San Francisco is starting to become an even more desirable program for recruits.
5. Which colleges need to make an impact in Northern California for the class of 2012?
Steve Hu: Utah is in the same boat as BYU as they both are from the state of Utah. Utah is in the same boat as Colorado in that they are also moving to the Pac-12. But Utah just hired a new coach in Larry Krystkowiak and the program has been down in basketball in recent years. Northern California probably has more basketball talent than the state of Utah. Hence, being able to recruit outside their own region will be critical for the Utes. And they probably also could make an impression in the Las Vegas area as well as the Southern California recruiting hot spots. Cal and Stanford also need to make an impact to keep their local prospects. Both schools have lost some of the top Northern California talent in recent years to Pac-12 rivals Arizona, Oregon, and Washington. Both schools are usually on the list of the top Northern California prospects. But neither school seems to be able to close the deal. The Pac-12 has been down the past few years but Arizona made a run in the NCAA tournament last year and has been picking up many 4 and 5 star recruits to possibly separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the Pac-12.
Douglas Benton: In a smaller area like Northern California, I think it is in the type of territory in which the local mid-majors should control for the most part and with the most depth. In saying that, conferences like the WCC, Big West and Big Sky are places where many of the prospects in the Top 40 should land. While I don't believe there are certain programs that need to make an impact more than others, it is imperative the Northern California schools in these conferences to keep the local prospects home. The same can be said toward the back end of the rankings for Division II programs in the CCAA.
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