Article 412: JUCO Jamboree

July 10, 2015

Skyline Junior College in San Bruno, Calif. was the site of day 1 of the NorCal JUCO Summer Jamboree. Close to 40 college coaches attended day one of the two day event that featured primarily Northern California based junior college programs. Here are some player updates.

Spencer Clark 6-foot-5 W Concord (Diablo Valley) 2014: The second year player has interest from Montana as he is likely to be a wing at the four year level. He is active on the floor and displayed an accurate perimeter touch. The Concord product needs to work on his ball handling skills.

Jalen Canty 6-foot-9 PF St Patrick St Vincent (CCSF) 2014: Canty is physically imposing and plays well in the low post. He headlines a deep CCSF program as he returns from Casper College with teammate Shon Briggs of Heritage.

Chris Bene 6-foot-7 Wing Sequoia (Canada) 2015: Bene is athletic and explosive despite being thin. The recent high school graduate had a strong dunk in one game and shows a solid mid range game. To be effective on the four year level, Bene will need improved dribbling and ball handling skills in addition to adding bulk.

Steve Daly 6-foot-5 Wing College Park (Diablo Valley) 2015: The 2015 high school graduate is active and can shoot from the perimeter. Daly was positioned more at the post during high school but can benefit from JUCO competition to hone his ball handling and guard skills. Daly has the potential to be a low Division I prospect.

Matt Mcandrews 6-foot-1 PG Archbishop Mitty (Foothill) 2014: The Mitty alum handles the ball well and distributes effectively. His shooting is adequate as his best move is an in and out maneuver to create space. Mcandrews has made significant progress since his high school days as he grey shirted this past year.

Jonah Underwood 6-foot-9 PF Willow Glen (San Jose) 2015: The incoming first year player is one of three 6-foot-9 players on San Jose. Underwood has good size and strength as he rebounded well and runs the court. His offensive game and passing skills are still in development. He is academically qualified and has the frame to be a potential low Division I prospect.

Kendall Mcintosh 6-foot-8 W Freedom (CCSF) 2015: The wiry but versatile Mcintosh made plays both inside and outside. Freedom went undefeated in league play during his senior year and he should help CCSF with their winning ways. He is academically qualified and can help a four year college that needs a glue guy.

Derek King 6-foot-2 SG Santa Teresa (Foothill) 2012: King redshirted at NAIA San Diego Christian before transferring to Foothill. The second year player has shot well from the perimeter and has a good frame to attack the basket. The shooting guard needs to work on his ball handling to increase his recruiting.

Case Dufrane 6-foot-8 F Half Moon Bay (Canada) 2015: After coming off of some productive and winning seasons at Half Moon Bay, Dufrane will need to adjust to the physicality and pace of college level competition. The Half Moon Bay product is wiry strong and has a good mid range game. He has a good back to the basket game but is better suited as a stretch four on the four year level.

Jacques Carraway 6-foot-7 PF Mcclymonds (Diablo Valley) 2013: The Mcclymonds product is a legit low Division I prospect based on his blend of size and skills. He is athletic but plays strong too as he can hit the boards effectively. Carraway can work on a more consistent perimeter game.

Rodrigo Puliceno 6-foot-5 Wing Burlingame (Canada) 2011: Puliceno has a strong back to the basket game but needs to improve his lateral movement and quickness. Per his coach, the Burlingame alum has interest at the Division II level from Chico State, West Georgia, and Western Washington while Cal Poly and CSU Fullerton have inquired at the Division I level.

Jerrod Nodar 6-foot-5 Wing St Mary's Berkeley (CCSF) 2014: The second year player has a good perimeter game when left open and has a nice running hook to complement his offensive game. Nodar could improve his lateral movement and ball handling to increase his recruiting.

Damien Banford 6-foot-7 PF Newark Memorial (Diablo Valley) 2014: The vertically undersized power forward has hit the weight room, as he looks different from his Newark days. Banford is solid back to the basket, rebounds effectively, and passes well from the paint. Per his coach, he should be academically qualified and has been getting feelers from low Division I programs.

Notes
Trevor Dunbar was sitting out due to transfer rules, as he will join CCSF after being at Washington State.

Frankie Ferrari is in a similar situation with Canada College as he left San Francisco.

36 college coaches at all division levels attended day one of the event. Many of these coaches will also stay for day 2 in addition to the 2015 Nor Cal Summer Tip Off during the weekend at City College of San Francisco to view the high school talent.

Article 411: Lawrence Bulldogs full ride

June 30, 2015

He can't make it official under the auspices of the NCAA until early November but Brandon Lawrence has made his college call and it will be Fresno State University.

The NCP No. 17 prospect in the 2016 class went with the Mountain West Conference Bulldogs this past weekend for multiple reasons. "It's a great conference and the best opportunity for me. I have a good relationship with Assistant Coach Byron Jones (the recruiting coordinator) and got to know Coach [Rodney] Terry on my visit." Terry is the fifth-year head coach whose team notched a 10-8 won-loss league record in 2014-15 and won 21 games overall the year before.

Moreau Catholic Coach Frank Knight believes that this is a good fit for his 6-foot-3 shooting guard. "I think Brandon will fit well at Fresno State. The Mountain West is a good basketball conference especially on the west coast. Anytime you get to go up against UNLV, San Diego State, Nevada and New Mexico twice a year, then it's a highly competitive conference. Brandon is known for his shooting ability but Fresno will play him as a combo-guard. Brandon will be called upon to shoot the ball and to run the club. I think that was the biggest reason he felt that Fresno was the right fit for him."

Knight has also worked with his senior during the summer and says, "Brandon worked on his shot release and quickness getting his shot off. He also worked on his ball handling skills to better prepare him for his role as both shooting and lead guard. I have witnessed him get stronger, be more athletic and defend better. These were his focuses when we had our end of the year meetings after the season. Brandon really took a step forward in all of the categories we asked him to."

It was a full family vetting process as Lawrence explained. "My parents did the research on the schools I was considering and I explored the basketball side. I feel excited with a little bit of relief."

What was also beneficial in getting to yes is that Fresno State has three senior guards, the top scoring trio on the squad, who will be departing after this coming season.

So what will Bulldog fans be seeing from Lawrence? "I'll bring energy, be a good teammate and do everything coach asks me to do. I can knock down shots and also create."

As for a major, it's between civil engineering, philosophy and a new possibility, music technology. Eligibility should be no issue as Lawrence sports a 3.8 grade point average.

But before college, Lawrence still has his senior year with Moreau Catholic to complete. Knight sees these areas of improvement needed. "I think the remaining things he needs to work on, and what we will address this pre-season and season are his strength and speed. For him to be a major contributor right away, Brandon will need to really focus on building his body and his strength. I think this will help him with preventing nagging injures and allow him to go up against bigger shooting guards and wings. Brandon is working on his lateral quickness and his quick-twitch motor reflexes. This will allow him to guard smaller and faster point guards but still have the explosiveness and athleticism that he already possesses."

Lawrence is coming off a season where he averaged 10.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 steals each Moreau Mariner contest alongside at least three other teammates who will also go D1.

Moreau finished 14-0 in the Mission Valley Athletic League in 2014-15 and 23-7 overall. Coming off hosting a high school tournament this past weekend, Lawrence offered, "we're looking really good, everything's clicking."

Lawrence wished to thank "first of all God, my parents who have always been there for me, Coach Knight who made me a better player and Oakland Rebels Coach Ray Young who motivated me and pushed me."

Article 410: SCU Team Camp Notes

June 22, 2015

During the summer, many college programs will hold basketball camps on their campuses to build relationships with high school teams and to evaluate players. The Santa Clara Team Camp has been a mainstay during the summer since Coach Dick Davey's tenure. Current Coach Kerry Keating is entering his ninth season with the Broncos and has continued the camp on an annual basis.

The Team Camp is a three-day event where the high school programs go through skill development clinics, strength and conditioning demonstrations, and competitive games. The Broncos have recruited Northern California notables who have attended the camp including Robert Garrett (Sacramento 2011), Niyi Harrison (Bellarmine 2009), and John Mcarthur (De La Salle 2010).

Some of the high school teams that participated this past weekend:

Archbishop Mitty
Bay School
Bellarmine HS
Christopher HS
Eastside Prep
Fort Bragg
Gunderson
Half Moon Bay
Heritage
Hillsdale
Irvington HS
James Logan HS
John F. Kennedy HS
Lee HS
Los Altos HS
Los Gatos HS
Lynbrook HS
Mission HS
Mountain View HS
Newark Memorial HS
North Medford
Oakwood
Oceana HS
Placer HS
Sacred Heart Prep
Salesian
Salinas HS
San Joaquin Memorial
St. Francis HS
Thousand Oaks
Willamette HS OR
Valley Christian

Here are some notes on some of the Northern California teams and their players:

Archbishop Mitty's strength and weakness from this past season will be the same starting out the following season. The strength will be the frontcourt with Ben Kone, Sebastian Much, and Riley Grigsby. The 6-foot-10 Kone continues to play physical and athletic as he is looking to decide on his official visits after Peach Jam and Las Vegas to end the summer. Much was not at the camp as he was in Germany with the under-18 German national team. As a sophomore, Grigsby is looking more for his shot and has shown more versatility in his scoring. The unknown for the Monarchs will be their guard play as they are undersized and were spotty with their ball control. Mitty will look to improve on their 20-win season.

Heritage will look to close the gap between themselves and Freedom in the Bay Valley League. The Patriots will have bulk in senior 6-foot-5 forward James Ned who is an aggressive rebounder and post presence. The guards complement each other as Marcus Wallace is a wiry 5-foot-7 perimeter scorer while Anthony Dennis is a 6-foot-0 attacking guard with size.

Los Gatos was a middle of the pack program last season in the De Anza League. Sophomore Dylan Belquist and junior Drew Krulevitch accounted for 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats as they both are 6-foot-6. Belquist uses his length well in scoring over shorter competition but has time to add strength. He hurt his left foot to end his Saturday early while Krulevitch was also injured.

Newark Memorial was 14-14 last season as they had one of the more brutal non-league schedules. The Cougars return size with senior 6-foot-10 center Kevin Kahriman who is built like a lineman but is surprisingly agile and runs the court efficiently. He will be a post and rebounding force. Seniors Reginald Pugh and Lovelle Shackelford will man the backcourt, as they both are 6-foot-2, athletic, and wiry. Last season, Moreau Catholic went undefeated in the Mission Valley League as Newark Memorial had four losses while only having one league loss in the previous ten combined seasons.

Oakwood High of Morgan Hill has an enrollment of 350 students but that did not stop them from a 19 win season from a year ago. The team has a good inside and outside combination. 5-foot-9 junior guard Youssef Eshra has a quick dribble that allows him to create offensive space as his perimeter release is quick and accurate. Sophomore Ekene Success has a good wingspan as the 6-foot-8 forward is an effective rebounder and shot blocker. Oakwood went undefeated in the Mission Trail League and should be the favorites again.

Sacred Heart Prep returns two of their four double-digit scorers in seniors Connor Moses and Mason Randall. The two guards accounted for over 150 made 3-point shots for last year's 24-win season. Randall was not at the camp as the varsity quarterback was at Princeton for football reasons. Moses is a 6-foot guard who is slight of build but has a quick release. The Gators will still be guard oriented for their scoring and should be the favorites in the West Bay League.

Salesian will be guard and perimeter oriented this upcoming season. Senior guard Brandon McGee is a versatile, lengthy 6-foot-3 that will be the leader of the Pride. Junior guard Ke'Mare Wright plays bigger than his 6-foot frame as he is physical in the paint, is accurate from the perimeter, and plays tenacious on the ball defense. Salesian did well to win 19 games last year but El Cerrito should be the favorites in the Tri County League.

Salinas won 21 games last season but graduated eight players. The summer team is undersized and will rely on guard play. The Cowboys have two 2017 5-foot-7 guards in Daniel Bost and Taylor Dacpano that run the offense well, can initiate contact in the paint, and play pressure defense. Salinas finished runner up to Palma in Monterey Bay League play as the Chieftains will have the size advantage also this upcoming season.

St Francis went 22-6 and was in the Open Division in the playoffs. The team has a complete team returning headlined by their interior play. Senior Peter Hewitt is a 6-foot-10 post player who has several offers from mid major programs. Two senior wings, 6-foot-3 Gabe Adzich and 6-foot-5 Noah Stapes, flank Hewitt. Adzich has an offer from Carroll College (Montana) while Stapes has an offer from Point Loma. Both help stretch the defense with their perimeter shooting and will complement Hewitt with rebounding and post defense. The Lancers have solid guard play and a serviceable bench. St Francis should be the favorites in the West Catholic League along with Archbishop Mitty.