Article 205: Memorial Day Classic Day 2

May 30, 2011

Day 2 of the Memorial Day Classic was moving day as the losers in single elimination bracket started their Memorial Day BBQs early. The surviving teams advanced to Monday's quarterfinals.

The cavernous Dream Courts utilized two of its warehouses to play fourteen games simultaneously for most of the day. Despite the distraction of unending whistles and bouncing basketballs, two Northern California programs not from the East Bay made an impression. Coach Ernest Taubado's E-Time Hoops program from Sacramento boasts a group of overachievers while Coach Curtis Haggins' Roadrunners from the Peninsula can run a track meet with any of his teams.

E-Time Hoops Elite, which was down to only six players, defeated a much bigger Oakland Rebels 17U team but fell to an even bigger ICAN All-Stars from Los Angeles. Roadrunners Varsity features a host of athletes, including Aubrey Dawkins, son of the Stanford Basketball head coach. Interestingly, Johnny Dawkins attended with camcorder in hand to get game film on the Roadrunners.

Aubrey Dawkins 6-foot-3 G Palo Alto (Roadrunners Varsity) 2013: For those who remember how his father played at Duke and in the NBA, Aubrey is eerily similar. Long, lanky, but right handed. Dawkins is very fluid with his movement. Not surprisingly, he has solid fundamentals in terms of shooting form, dribbling, and passing. He is transferring to Palo Alto for his next season.

Gabor Somogyi 6-foot-9 W Woodside Priory (Roadrunners Elite) 2012: Somogyi came to America only recently from Hungary. According to Coach Haggins, Somogyi plays the European way which is a big man with perimeter skills - think Dirk Nowitzki. Somogyi was comfortable handling the ball and was very capable in hitting outside shots. Older brother is Greg who is kind of tall at 7-foot-3 and plays for UC Santa Barbara currently.

Matt Ennis 6-foot-2 SG Woodside (Roadrunners Elite) 2012: To be blunt, Ennis is a gamer and a scorer. He can hit the outside shot and take the ball to the rime. Really reminds one of former Kentucky Wildcat Rex Chapman in his scoring and athleticism.

Christopher Smith 6-foot-3 SG Center (E-Time Hoops Elite 17) 2012: Smith can flat out score by any method. Good jumper and athletic.

Gabriel Bealer 6-foot-5 F Antelope (E-Time Hoops Elite 17) 2013: Bealer is really athletic and versatile. His day ended short with a foot injury. But with his size and skill set, he can project into a major college prospect.

Jud Salisbery 5-foot-10 G Orland (E-Time Hoops Elite 17) 2013: At first glance, does not pass the eye test for a high potential prospect. But Salisbery can shoot and is really crafty with the ball. Does not get flustered and seems to be able to slow the game down with his dribbling and passing.

Ray Gonzalvo 5-foot-10 PG Consumnes Oaks (Play Hard Play Smart 16U) 2013: Point guard who ran the offense well and plays solid man to man defense. He has a respectable perimeter shot to keep defense honest.

David Straughter 6-foot-4 W Burbank (Play Hard Play Smart 16U) 2013: A very intriguing prospect if his size and length can get to above 6-foot-8. Straughter rebounds well, plays solid defense, hustles, and has nice post moves.

Chris Haney 6-foot-1 G Sheldon (Play Hard Play Smart 16U) 2013: Haney is a lockdown defender against the perimeter. He looks fluid with his dribble and movement to the basket. With more playing time next year at Sheldon, his exposure should really take off.

Markel Leonard 5-foot-11 PG Salesian (Norcal Supreme 16) 2013: Leonard would easily be the starter at point guard for any program aside from Salesian where Dominic Artis is ahead of him. Leonard goes strong to the basket and makes very catchable and well positioned passes to his teammates.

Dylan Jammes-Cavanaugh 6-foot-3 F Piedmont (Norcal Supreme 16) 2013: Jammes-Cavanaugh is a knock down perimeter shooter. Helps open up driving lanes as defenses will need to cheat on his side.

Jeffrey Parker 6-foot-6 F Salesian (Lakeshow 17s White) 2012: Another Salesian kid who would be easily starting but is behind Jabari Bird. Parker hit a few spot up three point shots and then has a really nice turnaround shot in the lane. With his height and length, defending his release point would be difficult.

Ian Carr 6-foot-9 F Berkeley (Dream Courts Black) 2012: After sitting out for personal reasons last season, Carr confirmed that he will be back on the Berkeley High team. He will be competing for the starting position. Berkeley's lack of interior size probably cost them a few games. But Carr looks prime to make a difference both for his high school and his recruiting.

Rae Jackson 6-foot-2 G Rodriguez (Bay Area Magic 16s) 2013: Instant offense. Jackson is a slasher and high energy player. He had a few breakaway dunks and breakaway steals. He reminds one of Georgetown star Allen Iverson but bigger in size. If Jackson can develop a consistent outside shot, he has the size and strength to overpower smaller guards and challenge interior players.

Justyce Keys 5-foot-10 G Berkeley (Bay Area Magic 16s) 2013: Plays in the same vein as his Magic teammate Rae Jackson. Berkeley High will have some interesting decisions in terms of their guard play next year but will have several options.

Cody Sheldon 6-foot-10 C Irvington (Bay Area Rush 17) 2014: Sheldon is really an intriguing prospect because he is a freshman on a 17U team and he is tall and big as a freshman. He is still very raw but has no hesitancy in mixing it up in the interior. If he can develop his basketball skills and conditioning, he can easily get college looks. He fits in the Greg Osterag and Scot Pollard mode from Kansas.

Kenny Anigbogu 6-foot-6 F Gateway (Bay Area Warriors) 2013: Anigbogu is long and mobile. Good shot blocker and interior defender. Relative unknown playing in San Francisco but should get good exposure on his club team this summer.

Recruiting UpdatesTreaven Duffy 6-foot-1 G Las Lomas (Lakeshow Black 17) 2011: Duffy will be attending Cushing Academy in New Hampshire. He wants to develop his point guard skills and get more exposure on the east coast.

Chris Mullin Jr 6-foot-3 G De La Salle (Team 94) 2012: Mullin too is packing his bags to attend an east coast prep school.

Article 204: Rumble tips off summer hoops

May 29, 2011

The 10th Annual Patrick Dennehy Rumble in the Bay Basketball Tournament tipped off at Cupertino High on Saturday. The event features 40 teams in two divisions. Pool play concludes on Sunday morning while the playoffs begin in the afternoon. The final rounds of playoffs will crown the respective division title winners on Monday.

Little Reg Shooting Stars' Coach Reggie Vaughn is the uncle of former Sacramento High Travon Abraham. He confirmed that Abraham is leaving Rice and transferring back to the west coast.

Team Jennings Black is sponsored by Brandon Jennings and coached by former Syracuse guard Jason Hart. The club normally features 2013 prospect Isaac Hamilton of Crenshaw High (Los Angeles) but he was playing with the Oakland Soldiers this weekend. However, Skylar Spencer of Price (Los Angeles) was in attendance and the 6-foot-8 interior player has a good wingspan and ran the court well for his size.

Here is a list of the top performers we saw:

Thomas Peterson 6-foot-7 PF St. Francis (Bay Area Ballers 17U) 2012: Big body and not afraid to mix it up in the paint. Rebounding, shot blocking, and defense will be his calling card. Peterson can complement Drew Dickey and could return the Lancers in a position to challenge Mitty's size. According to Coach Washington, Peterson is still raw and very new to the game as he was mostly a baseball player. But Washington believes Peterson can be a low Division 1 or Division 2 prospect.

Jayland Hicks 6-foot-1 PG Sheldon (Lil Reg Shooting Stars) 2013: Hicks was often overshadowed by the Sheldon varsity players and the other 2013 prospects. Watching him in a primary showed that he is a long, lanky point guard who can take the ball to the basket and disrupt passing lanes. If Sheldon plays a multi guard set, Hicks could thrive in that setting.

Kelan Cameron 5-foot-9 PG Sacramento (Lil Reg Shooting Stars) 2013: Cameron is the cousin of fellow Dragon Aaron Cameron. Kelan is a solid leader and can get to the basket easily. The Dragon backcourt looks to be set for the next few years in Sacramento.

Andy Simanek 6-foot-4 PF Half Moon Bay (NP Force) 2012: Bruiser and interior physical play. Against a bigger Team Jennings, Simanek held his own and was fearless in challenging them on both ends.

Anthony Castillo 6-foot-0 SG Riordan (NP Force) 2012: Hit several open three point shots against Team Jennings to keep his team in the game. He is very pure on his open, spot up perimeter shots.

Nick Wang 6-foot-1 CG Mountain View (Bay Area Ballers 16U) 2013: Good floor leader and runs the team well.

Brian Raenter 6-foot-5 PF Mountain View (Bay Area Ballers 16U) 2013: Solid rebounder and has good mid-range shots. He has been primarily a volleyball player up till now. Mountain View could be an under the radar team for next season.

Alex Roa 5-foot-10 PG Serra (Mosley's Mavericks 15U) 2014: Good dribble drive and able to hit perimeter shots. He will help in Connor Mcgrath's departure if he makes varsity.

Ken Opamuratawongse 6-foot-0 PG Mitty (Mosley's Mavericks 15U) 2014: Mitty loses their backcourt to matriculation. Opamuratawongse is a left-handed guard who is very shifty. Only a freshman, he has good size - think of a taller left-handed Colin Wan. Expect him to compete for minutes in the rotation in the Mitty backcourt.

Nick Callazo 6-foot-3 SF Sacred Heart Prep (Mosley's Mavericks 15U) 2014: Sacred Heart loses the McConnell twins to Division I. Callazo plays tight end on the football team. He is raw in basketball but the physical toughness to play inside is there.

Deion Ellis 6-foot-3 F Skyline (Norcal Panthers) 2014: Ellis is probably transferring to San Leandro. His wing span and athleticism key his defense. He is still raw on the offensive end as he only started playing in the seventh grade. If he gets taller and polishes his skills, then he could be an interesting prospect.

Tyrone Gaines 6-foot-0 G Fremont Oakland (Norcal Panthers) 2014: Gaines is a good scorer and shooter. He may need to slow the game down sometimes in his decision making. But the raw skills, size, and potential are there.

Ryan Nguyen 5-foot-5 PG Leland (Norcal Panthers) 2014: Nguyen has a good perimeter game and can dribble well. He seemed very compose with his dribble and in keeping it alive.

Kamron Nafarieh 5-foot-8 PG Sequoia (Hawks) 2013: Consistent outside game that sets up his dribble drive game. Has good ball control and efficient in his play.

Markus Robinson 5-foot-11 PG Terra Linda (NBBA) 2012: Robinson is the team leader. He can go strong to the basket and take contact while still having a respectable perimeter game.

Matt Davis 6-foot-3 PF Terra Linda (NBBA) 2012: Good outside shot for an interior player and his shot blocking ability is also very good. Davis is a hustle and scrapper type of player. With Michael Best graduating, their 2012 players will need to fill in for his production.

Recruiting updates
Lydell Cardwell 6-foot-2 G Mid-Peninsula (Blythe) 2011: Cardwell confirmed that he took visits and has offers from both Azusa and Concordia. He is spending the summer playing for the eponymously Blythe club team that is run by the Eastside Prep girl's basketball coach. Cardwell showed no rust as he was comfortable pulling up on perimeter shots and taking the ball to the basket

Neil Vranicar 6-foot-5 F Archbishop Mitty (Bay Area Tar Heels) 2012: Vranicar has been invited to the Pangos event in Los Angeles next week. On his mostly Mitty laden Tar Heel club team, he displayed his inside and outside game. He will have to complement Aaron Gordon's play well in order for Mitty to repeat this past season's run. Vranicar is getting looks from west coast schools in Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, UC Davis, and University of San Diego.

Max Schmarzo 6-foot-3 SG Palo Alto (Bay Area Ballers 17U) 2011: Schmarzo still has not lost the shooting touch as he was able to hit open, spot up looks. The Palo Alto guard will be heading to Division III Coe College in Iowa.

Momir Gataric 6-foot-4 SG Homestead (Bay Area Ballers 17U) 2011: Gataric has now gotten serious contact from Cal State Northridge and Fresno State. With a solid summer showing, these contacts may turn into offers. Gataric showed a very complete game. With his size and fearlessness of going inside, he scored in bunches for his team.

Gokul Natesan 6-foot-4 SG Cupertino (Bay Area Ballers 17U) 2012: Natesan also displayed his scoring propensity. He has a very clean perimeter shot and follow through. He looks to be working on his dribble drive game as well. Occidental has been in contact with him.

Article 203: Time to be fearing McFerren

May 26, 2011

The Castro Valley Trojans went 31-2 this past season on their way to the Northern California title game. A big reason was their senior leadership led by point guard Roderick Bobbitt. Replacing him would seem to be a tall order, but the Trojans will bring in freshman point guard Jalen McFerren.

At 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds, McFerren is a slashing player with finesse who can play physical and aggressive. His best move is the in and out crossover which allows him to get to the basket to finish or distribute. He considers his game to be similar to Tony Parker because he is athletic with a respectable outside shot but also the ability to drive under control and finish.

During this summer, McFerren is trying to prepare mentally for the role as the team's point guard. He will be weight training with coach Anthony Eggleton at Ants Mind and Body to get stronger. In addition, he will be playing with his Oakland Rebels 15U club team.

"Jalen is a gym rat who loves to be in the gym," says Rebel Coach Ray Young. "As a basketball player, Jalen's strengths are his quickness and his ability to score. He is converting over to be a pure point guard. His IQ, strong work ethic, and willingness to learn are helping him transform rather quickly. As Jalen matures and gets stronger, he will defiantly be a division one caliber point guard. Jalen is a great young man and a joy to coach."

McFerren sports a 3.6 GPA as Math is his best subject, is a member of the California Scholastic Federation, and would like to major in Electrical Engineering. He wants to attend a program with strong academics, diverse enrollment, and strong athletic department. His goal is to lead the Trojans to the HAAL title and make it back to state in consecutive years.

As a freshman this past year, he was brought up to varsity two thirds into the season, which allowed him to practice against varsity teammates Bobbit and Dawson Johnson.

McFerren says about the experience, "When you show up at the gym and look around and see the two year HAAL MVP and returning all first team league players and division I recruits all over the court, it can be pretty intimidating. I felt if I could compete with the top players in the Bay Area every day in practice, it would only sharpen my skills. 'As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.' If I want to be the best, I have to be able to compete against the best. I am very excited about next year at Castro Valley. Many people are calling it a rebuilding year, but don't count us out so fast."

In the near future, he wants to be involved with a community service program and mentor some younger kids with the same goals for education and sports. McFerren believes that it is important to remain teachable in all areas of life and to share that knowledge. If McFerren has learned anything by practicing with the Trojan varsity squad, then opponents should start fearing McFerren in the upcoming season at Castro Valley.