Article 408: Spring Showcase Day 1

April 25, 2015

On Friday, the Fourth Annual Nor Cal Spring Showcase at Jamtown off of highway 880 in Oakland kicked off the first day of the current NCAA certified viewing period. The first evening of action had five games on each of the four courts. Day 2 starts at 8am on Saturday with 15 games apiece.

Here are some players of note on Day 1:

Brandon McGee 6-foot-3 G Oakland Soldiers 17 Blue (Salesian) 2016: A guard with good size, ball handling, and scoring abilities, McGee was effective finishing in the paint several times. McGee will be the senior leader next year for Salesian as he is drawing interest from Pacific, Portland, UC Santa Barbara, and Weber State.

Robert Colton 6-foot-5 SF Bay Area Warriors 17U (Archbishop Riordan) 2015: The Australian native has good size and plays big in the paint. He has a good release and is comfortable with initiating contact. Despite being ineligible this past season due to his transfer, the senior has drawn interest from Denver and UT San Antonio.

Connor Rubattino 6-foot-2 PG Lakeshow 17s White (Cardinal Newman) 2016: Rubattino is a burly point guard that takes contact when going to the basket. He directs his team's offense well and plays strong defense. Eastern Washington and Sacramento State have expressed interest.

Eddie Ionescu 6-foot-5 SG Oakland Soldiers 17 Blue (Miramonte) 2016: Ionescu had the shooter's touch, as his perimeter offense is his calling card. With good size for a guard, the junior is getting inquiries from Pepperdine, San Francisco, St Mary's, and Westmont (Santa Barbara).

Jordan Ratinho 6-foot-5 SF Lakeshow 17s Elite (De La Salle) 2016: Offense has always come naturally to Ratinho, but he was playing with more intensity and physicality on the defensive end. The De La Salle product has added more size during the past year. Ratinho holds offers from Denver, Montana, Pacific, San Francisco, and UC Santa Barbara while Weber State is interested.

George Dancer 6-foot-3 G Revolution Basketball Club (Beyer) 2016: Dancer has an accurate perimeter shot as he hit several three-point baskets in both games. He also was the focal point on offense as he directed his Revolution club that is made up entirely of the Beyer High team. Beyer finished runner up to Modesto Christian in league play but Dancer is a legitimate scoring threat.

Will Emery 6-foot-8 F Bay Area Warriors 17U (St Ignatius) 2016: Emery is a lanky prospect but plays tougher than his size. He ran the floor well and is versatile in his scoring methods. The St Ignatius product has gotten feelers from Brown, Columbia, and Princeton.

Joey Calcaterra 6-foot-0 SG Lakeshow 16s Elite (Marin Catholic) 2017: The sophomore product can flat out shoot from the perimeter. He has a wiry frame but was not afraid of taking the ball to the basket. His perimeter skills have already drawn inquiries from Cal, Eastern Washington, Portland, and San Francisco.

Sean Gilmore 6-foot-8 F Bay Area Warriors 17U (University) 2016: The junior battles hard inside against bulkier opponents. Gilmore looks comfortable spotting up from beyond the arc and is more likely a face up player. He currently has interest Division III programs like Trinity and Tufts.

Alec Andrews 6-foot-3 SG Earl Watson Elite High Academic 17U (Folsom) 2016: The Folsom product is playing for the Southern California based Earl Watson club. Andrews is often overshadowed by playing alongside Jordan Ford at Folsom, but he showcased a very similar offensive game as he hit several three point shots and was able to create his own offense by going to the basket. By being a primary offensive option on this club during the summer should help in his recruiting.

Nick Peters 6-foot-3 SG Oakland Soldiers 17 Blue (De La Salle) 2016: Peters has missed the beginning of the spring season the past two years due to injuries but is healthy starting this one. Peters has good size for a guard and is a versatile scorer at the high school level. Pacific, Santa Clara, UC Santa Barbara, and Weber State are in the mix for the junior.

Darne Duckett 6-foot-1 PG Lakeshow 16s Elite (St Joseph's) 2017: The St Joseph's prospect has a good feel of running the offense but his scoring prowess was on display on Friday. Duckett scored from the perimeter, made a few pull up jumpers, and was able to take the ball to the basket and finish strong. He has a good frame for a sophomore and his offensive versatility have drawn interest from Loyola Marymount and San Diego.

Peter Hewitt 6-foot-10 PF Lakeshow 17s Elite (St Francis) 2016: Hewitt has added size and bulk to his frame in the past year. The St Francis product is continuing to improve on his rebounding, post moves, and passing. Hewitt has offers from Pacific and Southern Utah while San Francisco, Santa Clara, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, and Weber State are interested.

Notes

Pacific (Ron Verlin), Santa Clara (Assistant Brandon Rosenthal), Southern Utah (Assistant Drew Allen), St Mary's (Assistant Marty Clarke), UC Davis (Jim Les), and Weber State were some of the Division I coaches that attended on Day 1. Several lower division and junior college coaches were also in attendance.

Osi Nwachuk 6-foot-6 F Lakeshow 17s Black (San Leandro) 2015: Interest and visit (Master's College)

JT Jarret Branch 6-foot-6 F Lakeshow 17s White (Antioch) 2015: Interest and visit (Regis-Denver)

Kevin Crosno 6-foot-6 F Lakeshow 17s White (College Park) 2015: Interest and visit (Dominican)

Kyle Roach 6-foot-2 G Lakeshow 17s White (Marin Academy) 2015: Committed (Wittman)

Other commitments are Ben Wood to Cal Baptist and Wilson LaShells to William Jessup.

Article 407: The next Cougar standout

April 7, 2015

Capital Christian has been churning out 25+ win seasons for the past four years. The next few years also look bright for the Cougars as freshman Zachary Chappell was a key contributor in the state title game where they lost to Crespi. The 2018 prospect averaged 10.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per contest.

The 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds prospect has been part of the Visalia based Team Superstar program and will play a level up on the 16U club this upcoming summer. Team Superstar Program Director Lerohn Dodson says, "Zach is a big, strong, physical athletic guard. He has a great feel for the game on court. He is a high major guard. He has a John Wall type game with great size and is very explosive. Sky is the limit for Zach. I believe he's the one of the best PG in the country for his class."

Capital Christian has been churning out Division I level prospects the past few years that have included Nifae Lealao, DJ Wilson, and Justice Shelton-Mosley. Chappell will be the returning leading 3-point shooter for the Cougars. Chappell uses an effective crossover to create space for his perimeter shots or to take the ball to the basket.

The 2018 prospect has been playing organized basketball for over ten years and was a freshman starter on this past year's Cougar program. Chappell also competes in soccer but expects basketball to be his sport on the next level. Chappell will team with his older brother, 2016 wing Ryan Chappell, for another year to make another run at state.

During the upcoming season, Chappell plans on working on his jump shot. His Team Superstar 16U club will be participating in the Under Armour Association, which will have stops in New Orleans, Louisville, New York, and Atlanta.

Team Superstar Coach Grady Dodson says, "Zach has a good feel for the game has good basketball IQ and an understanding of offense and defense of sets Zach can finish at the rim along with knocking down the mid range and three point shot. With that athletic frame and ability, Zach has all the potential to be a high major kid."

Capital Christian had another great season finishing runner up in state. Watch for the Cougars to be on the prowl in the fall with Chappell leading them in Sacramento, Calif.

Article 406: Crusaders march on

March 18, 2015

Modesto Christian overcame a packed, rowdy crowd in San Mateo to defeat Serra 53-48 and advance to the regional finals of the 2015 CIF State Open Division playoffs.

The Padres rushed out to a 10-2 early advantage and a 18-12 first quarter lead as senior Jimmy Wohrer scored eight of his team high 15 points in the quarter. Serra maintained that six point advantage at 29-23 at halftime before extending to a game high 10 point margin early in the third quarter.

The Crusaders used their interior tandem of Anthony Townes and Robinson Idehen to rally 43-41 to end the quarter. Serra had trouble scoring in the final quarter while Modesto Christian continued to use their size advantage to win 53-48.

Serra finishes the season at 23-6 after going further in the West Catholic League and in the postseason than preseason expectations. No player on Serra had more than four rebounds as the team totaled 19 rebounds for the game. However, Serra's 18 field goal makes resulted in 16 total assists. 6-foot-10 Jack Wilson, only a freshman, and junior forward Jake Killingsworth will be the pillars for next year's team as they battled hard against the Crusader post players.

Modesto Christian dominated the boards in the second half as the Crusaders had 35 total rebounds with senior Townes, a Pacific commit, and junior Christian Ellis grabbing 10 rebounds each. Townes and Idehen each made eight field goals to score 19 and 18 points respectively. Ellis and senior Jeff Wu, a Sacramento State commit, played more intense perimeter defense during the second half as Serra only had one 3-point make. Modesto Christian's 17 offensive rebounds gave them 14 more field goal attempts than Serra for the game.

The Crusaders hit the 30 win mark as they move to 30-3. Modesto Christian faces Bishop O'Dowd in the regional finals as the Dragons won 75-57 against Folsom.

Modesto Christian's starting five is strong but the roster goes only seven deep. Bishop O'Dowd has a deeper rotation in addition to national prospect, Ivan Rabb, Boise State commit Paris Austin, Isaiah Thomas who is headed to Northern Arizona.

Last season, Modesto Christian lost to Bishop O'Dowd twice, including a season ending 74-51 loss in the Open Division playoffs.