July 24, 2011
A few of the Northern California teams let games get away during pool play. As with the game of blackjack, strategy and execution matter during the course of a game. Some teams did not execute with a lead and blew the game figuratively while other teams played sloppily with bad turnovers and missed free throws to halt a necessary comeback.
Oakland Rebels 17U Coach Ryant Diew explained how his team split their first two games before winning this morning easily in a physical game against the Houston Celtics. The Rebels were up for the majority of the game against Iowa Pump but lost the lead during the waning moments by a bank three point shot. Winning two games in pool play in the adidas 64 should set the Rebels up for a favorable seeding.
PHPS Red 16 almost let a third game get away but held on for a 62-61 win against a tough Minnesota Select White team. Coach Renie Porlaris rued how his team did not execute down the stretch in their first two games and was also frustrated that they almost gave up the third game. Despite that, Porlaris explained how PHPS most likely would finish third in their pool.
In one of the more entertaining games of the day, Bay Area Ballers 16U almost pulled off a win against Deron Williams Metro Elite. The Metro team had a distinct size advantage and their guards played in the likeness of their namesake. Despite trailing by double digits multiple times, the Ballers were scrappy and managed to extend the game into two overtime periods before losing 56-52.
The usage of the term "double down" can be applied to how some players can double their exposure on the backs of their teammates. Fresno-based Organized Chaos Elite had a morning game scheduled in the cramped, auxiliary gym at El Dorado High. Nevertheless, at least 50 coaches including Johnny Dawkins, Steve Fisher and Randy Bennett among others were in attendance primarily to see Central Valley Christian (Hanford 2012) post Grant Verhoeven. But Northern California based John Fenton of Central Catholic (Modesto 2013) also benefited from the exposure. Fenton is a mirror image in terms of his size and skill set as his older teammate. As a result, the coaches who were not familiar with the Modesto kid got a taste of Fenton (no pun intended with respect to the Berkeley ice creamery) early. Fenton is one of the better and higher potential back to the basket post players in the 2013 class from Northern California.
John Fenton 6-foot-8 PF Central Catholic (Organized Chaos Elite) 2013: Like teammate Verhoeven, Fenton plays in that Eric Montross and Tyler Hansbrough mode. Fenton hustles, runs the court, and is a physical rebounder. Fenton was on varsity as a freshman and should easily get double digit rebounds and be a defensive force in the paint. Organized Chaos Elite Coach Chris Stahowski said that Fenton has a respectable mid-range game and is drawing early interest from the Big West, Ivy League, and the WCC. Fenton is making the most of his opportunities as he is piggy backing on the exposure with Verhoeven.
Rodney Cook 5-foot-11 PG Bethel and Paris Davis 6-foot-3 SG Skyline (Oakland Rebels 17) 2012: Coach Diew raved about of his guards' play since their trip to the Midwest. Cook has been making good decisions in running the offense and has been scoring in a variety of ways. Davis also has been putting up points. Despite that, neither has gotten any real serious college interest.
Tanner Giddings 6-foot-9 Post Windsor (Oakland Rebels 17) 2012: Coach Diew has been pleasantly surprised with Giddings. He has been blocking shots, rebounding, and providing a post presence. Clemson and UC Santa Barbara have inquired.
David Straughter 6-foot-4 Wing Burbank (PHPS 16) 2013: Well rounded player who has the size and quickness. If he can add a few inches, he can be a very intriguing wing player. He plays post for PHPS but does not seem to be out of place.
Vic Rustin 6-foot-4 F Franklin (PHPS 16) 2013: Rustin also helped out in defending against the Minnesota Select 7-footer. Rustin also had a consistent mid-range game. Coach Porlaris stated that Rustin will probably be playing the post position for Franklin and allow the two Johnsons to roam more.
Zerrion Payton 6-foot-1 PG Weston Ranch (Bay Area Hoosiers) 2013: Reminds one of Georgia Tech Yellowjacket Kenny Anderson. Payton is left handed but just has that shifty movement like Anderson.
Ross Jones 6-foot-5 F and Graham Gilleran 6-foot-6 F Riordan (Bay Area Hoosiers) 2013: The WCAL boasts several teams with decent frontcourt players. Riordan has two 2013 prospects who can help Riordan off of the doormat. Both Jones and Gilleran have some raw skills to go along with their size.
Alan Kidwell 6-foot-5 Post Del Oro (L-Town Raptorz) 2012: Kidwell provided offensively and defensively as he took charges and having to battle bigger post players. His size disadvantage did not prevent him from scoring double digits. Despite his efforts, the Raptorz went 1-2 including a 3-point loss to KWA Pride and will now go to the Bronze Bracket.
Ryan Edwards 6-foot-5 F Capital Christian (PHPS 17 Black) 2012: Edwards showed great post defense grabbing any rebound and was very patient and effective on offense. Edwards was fouled but was clutch with the free throws. Edwards helped his team go 3-0 in pool play.
Recruiting updates and other notes
Maceo Bell 6-foot-5 Wing Skyline (Oakland Rebels 17) 2012: Bell is headed to Westwind Prep. Same prep school as Kiwi Gardner.
Eric Green 6-foot-5 Wing St. Marks (Oakland Rebels 17) 2012: Coach Diew confirmed Holy Cross has offered while UC Santa Barbara is interested.
Christopher Patterson 6-foot-6 F Muhammad (Oakland Rebels 17) 2012: CSU Fullerton is really interested along with UC Santa Barbara.
Bay Area Hoosiers update: Elliot Pitts is doing double duty and hurt his back in the morning while playing for Greenline and is probably out fro the duration. Markel Leonard had a hyper extended knee injury but will be back in action Sunday. The mother of Marcus Lee confirmed that the family has residency adjacent to the state of Texas in addition to having family in Texas. Due to the Lebron rule, he was ineligible this summer to play for his Texas club. But next summer, there is a chance that he may move to the Lone Star State. Hoosiers went 3-0 in pool play and looked really dominant today. They have two rotations of five that can be interchanged at will.
Day 2 Observation: Playing in the main gyms such as Bishop Gorman with numerous college coaches in attendance would be the ideal situation for any prospect. But getting noticed can happen in a variety of ways. Coaches will go to the auxiliary gyms to seek out certain players. Players on the same or opposing teams can seize the moment to make an impression. Coach Porlaris attended PHPS Elite's second game where the team was up by 20 plus points. The opposing team brought in a guard to play "garbage" time to end the game and in a span of a few minutes, the unnamed player hit six 3-pointers. Needless to say, while he was not on the radar of the college coaches, he definitely forced them to flip through their packets to look up his name. And personally, I have had college coaches ask me about the situations of the lesser known players who made an impression at that specific game. A famous anecdote would be Jeff Tedford scouting a tight end but ending up seeing Aaron Rodgers.
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