Plenty of standouts in Corona prep showcase

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CORONA, CA – With the best freshmen and sophomore Southern California classes in a while, along with a deep and gifted group of players from Las Vegas also on hand, the 2011 version of the Fullcourt Press All-Frosh/Soph Camp this weekend figured to be one of the best in a while.

After Day 1 at the Players’ Edge facility in Corona (just west of Riverside), it has exceeded those expectations considerably.

Where to start when pointing out some highlights from Saturday’s action?

Why not at point guard?

Slick left hander Marcus LoVett (5-10/Burbank Providence) came into the event already the consensus choice of those who give a lot of thought to thought kind of things as the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2015 at the position.

If anything, his play during his two games Saturday made one wonder if the parameters encompassing his “best point guard” description should be extended.

The last Southland point guard-type I saw whose game was that advanced before he’d even played a “real” high school was another slick and quick lefty – Brandon Jennings.

But he was far from the only standout at the position Saturday.

• Six-foot sophomore Shaquille Carr (Las Vegas Canyon Springs) was one of the standouts during Wednesday night’s Fullcourt Press Fall Classic in Las Vegas. He was every bit as impressive Saturday.
• Another sophomore, left-handed Trevor Dunbar Jr. (5-8/San Francisco St. Ignatius), was every bit as impressive passer Saturday as were LoVett and Carr.
• Two point guards who came into the camp with reputations already well-trenched in the “among the best in the Southland freshman class” category were Sedrick Barefield (6-0/Temecula Chaparral) and Ke’Jhan Feagin (5-9/Long Beach Poly). If they are as impressive Sunday as they were Saturday, this event will have served to only enhance those reputations.

Stephen Zimmerman (6-10/Las Vegas Bishop Gorman) – rated by many as the No. 1 prospect, nationally, in the Class of 2015 – missed his second game Saturday after bumping knees with an opponent in his first game. According to his high school coach, Grant Rice, Zimmerman will try to play Sunday.

But there are a plethora of other high-caliber post prospects, as well, in attendance and they all impressed Saturday.

Elston Jones (6-8, Goodyear, AZ, Millennium), Fetai Eke (6-7/Bakersfield, CA, East) and Jack Williams (6-7/West Hills, CA, Chaminade) are the sophomores who played exceptionally well on Saturday.

Jones rebounded as well as anyone Saturday and scored inside the lane on a variety of moves and either-hand shots. Eke is the best shot blocker in the camp and Williams already has a nifty “inside-out” set of offensive skills.

And 6-7 freshman Nicholas Pete (Hemet, CA, Tahquitz) played as well as any big men in the camp Saturday.

Stanley Johnson (6-5/Santa Ana Mater Dei), Rashad Jackson (6-3/Bakersfield Garces) and Bear Henderson (6-5/Mission Hills, CA, Alemany) came into Saturday’s action not really having anything to prove – they were already among the most well-regarded sophomores in the west region.

But each demonstrated why his name is already well known to recruiters from coast to coast, playing hard and productively.

Action resumes 9:30 Sunday morning, with the Top 40 and Top 20 All-Star Games at 3 and 4 p.m., respectively.

If you want to get some real insight into the western classes of 2014 and 2015, do yourself a favor and show up in time for the all-star games – if not sooner.