First NCAA evaluation period wrap-up, SoCal-style

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – Each of the three major “evaluation events” held in Southern California offered college coaches and hoopaholics-alike plenty to admire during the NCAA’s first July “evaluation” period that began last Wednesday at 5 p.m. and wrapped up at the same time four days later.

Here are some highlights on each:

*West Coast Elite 100 All-Star Camp (at Pomona-Pitzer College in Claremont): There were 300-plus players in attendance, from coast to coast, with action climaxing with five all-star games on Sunday, for the players from the classes of 2018, ’17 and ’16, as well as Top 40 and Top 20 contests (for those chosen best in class, regardless of classification).

Among the standouts in the first contest were 6-foot-8 Miles Norris (Chula Vista, CA, Mater Dei), 6-1 Jarod Lucas (who will actually just be a ninth grader in the fall at Los Altos in Hacienda Heights, CA), 6-4 Michael Feinberg (Chatsworth, CA), 6-2 Elijah McCullough (Damien in La Verne, CA), 6-1 David Atencio (Huntington Beach, CA, Edison), 6-2 Sam Masten (Highlands Ranch, CO), 6-7 Taeshon Cherry (San Diego St. Augustine) and 6-3 Wes Slajchert (Oak Park, CA, Oak Park).

Norris is skinny – as in really thin – but no one bullied him in that game and he did plenty of “figurative” bullying himself via transition dunks, spectacular follows and some impressive jump shots from range, as well.

If you’re insist on a listing of a “top player” in that game – or, in the entirety of the camp from that class – then Norris is the guy.

Lucas (who gets stunning lift on his release), Feinberg, McCullough and Atencio put on sweet jump-shooting displays in the game while Masten and Slajchert did nice jobs of setting up teammates for high percentage shots with their skill and vision with the ball in their hands.

Cherry – who played with impressive veracity at both ends of the floor Sunday afternoon – is going to be nipping at Norris’ heels for the tag of best “big” in San Diego in the Class of 2018 for the next three seasons.

Three juniors-to-be in Utah, 6-3 Jaxon Brenchley (Hyrum Mountain Crest), 6-5 Samuta Avea (South Jordan Bingham) and 6-3 Trevin Knell (Woods Cross), stood out in the 2017 game, as did 6-2 Charles Neal (Rancho Mirage, CA, Rancho Mirage), 6-1 Isaiah Banks (Las Vegas Centennial), 6-7 Winston Nelson (Norman, OK, North) and 6-5 Marvin Bragg (Cerritos, CA, Gahr).

Brenchely is among the best of the “point guards” in the region in this class, as is Neal (who is also a very good jump shooter).

There wasn’t a better “pure” jump shooter among 2017 prospects in the event than Knell while Bragg and Avea (a transfer from Hawaii) are quite explosive, vertically and horizontally.

Banks is a focused defender who eradicates passing lanes while Nelson was as good a passer from the post as there was on display Sunday.

Six-two Jacob Davison (Montebello, CA, Cantwell Sacred-Heart) knocked in deep jumps, and finished nicely in transition in the 2016 game (and, a couple of hours later, in the Top 20 game). He’s improving rapidly.

A couple of other guards who shot very well in the 2016 game were 6-3 Riley Matticks (Parker, CO, Legend) and 6-2 Grant Arthur (La Canada, CA, La Canada).

Matticks also showed nice promise as a point guard.

Two posts from the Class of 2016 – 6-11 Jayce Johnson (Santa Monica) and 6-8 Mitchell Lightfoot (Gilbert, AZ, Christian – overwhelmed their opponents in the Top 20 game.

Johnson could be the best “5” – aka, “true center” – in the region while Lightfoot may be the best “runner and jumper” out west. Lightfoot also hit a couple of 3s in the game.

Another standout from the Arizona Power Black and Gilbert Christian High programs (along with Lightfoot) who was quite impressive in the Top 20 game was 6-3 Cameron Satterwhite.

Satterwhite (already committed to the University of Colorado; that could prove a steal of sorts) hit several deep jumpers and picked up a couple of open-court steals. He also had a transition dunk that might have been the envy of fellows such as Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan in their “fresh legs” NBA hey days in the early 1990s.

Others in the Top 20 game that impressed included guards in 6-2 Leland Green (Redondo Beach, CA, Redondo) and “mini” point guards in Terrell Gomez (Inglewood, CA, Inglewood) and Shacquille Dawkins (Mission Hills, CA, Alemany).

All three were among the fastest (on or away from the dribble) players in camp and all take pleasure in locking into dribblers, defensively.

And Green’s jump shot has shown remarkably improvement since March.

Others who shot very well from deep range in the Top 20 contest were 6-4 Danny Garrick (Parker, CO, Legend) and 6-7 Daron Henson (Mission Hills, CA, Alemany).

An “undersized power forward”( at about 6-6 plus, give or take) also shining in the game was forward KaVaughn Scott (Orange, CA, Lutheran) whose “bounce” was about as good as could have been found in the camp – along frontcourt players, that is, of course.

Scott’s pursuit of the ball and quickness to the rim and glass ought to make him a popular young man among college coaches in the second (July 15-19) and final (July 22-26) recruiting four-day periods this month.

Another 2016 prospect from Southern California, 6-4 Vittorio Reynoso-Avila (La Mirada), did a lot of nice things in the Top 20 game also commuted to Anaheim during the week and played well for Team Superstar in the Double Pump event (especially in a loss to eventual champion Big Ballers VXT Black in the Round of 16 Saturday night).

*Double Pump Summer Tip-Off (at American Sports Centers in Anaheim): The Chino Hills, CA-based “Big Ballers VXT Black” went 9-and-zip to bag the 17U Open Division title.

It’s, in essence, the Chino Hills High team for the 2015-16 season, with brothers Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMello Ball, along with forward Eli Scott and center Chazz Smith.

Chino Hills – including its “Big Ballers” incarnation – is unbeaten this summer, after captured the Maranatha (Pasadena) and L.A. Fairfax tournament titles in June.

Lonzo & Co. will try to bag another Pump Brothers event, the Double Pump Best of Summer, during the July 15-19 second NCAA evaluation period.

The toughest challenge of the summer for the best player in the West and his brothers and buddies will take place in Las Vegas during the third and final July evaluation week (22-26) during the adidas Uprising Summer Championships.

The Big Ballers knocked off the host (of sorts) Double Pump Elite, 72-66, as Scott (a 6-4 junior-to-be who was in-eligible at Chino Hills last season after transferring from Upland) scored 24 points and Lonzo added 21.

The DP’ers got strong play from senior-to-be guards Colin Slater (Reedley, CA, Immanuel) and Eyassu Worku (Los Alamitos) and the Chatsworth, CA, Sierra Canyon standouts Adam Seiko and Terrence McBride throughout the week.

Other standouts included: guards Bryce Peters (La Verne, CA, Damien) of Prodigy Elite; Spencer Freedman (Santa Ana, CA, Mater Dei) of Southern California All-Stars/Red; Mike Bibby Jr. (Phoenix Shadow Mountain) of Team Bibby; and Jordan Ratinho (Concord, CA, De La Salle) of Lakeshow Elite.

*Pangos Summer Sweet 16 (at Cerritos College in Norwalk): The Arizona Magic captured the Invitational (tops) Division by eking out a 71-67 decision over Sacramento’s Play Hard/Play Smart in overtime of the Sunday afternoon finale.

The Phoenix-based winners were led by 6-5 Elijah Thomas (Peoria Sunrise Mountain) and 6-7 Chris Bowling (Gilbert, AZ) – two of the best in Arizona’s Class of 2016. Bowling had 19 points and Thomas 15.

The Sacramento squad got very good performances from left-handed point guard Isaiah Brooks (Sacramento Sheldon) and another left hander, 6-7 Phillip Faeyn (Elk Grove Franklin).

In the Platinum Division, the championship L.A. Rockfish/Navy squad got dominant post play from 6-8 junior-to-be Myles Johnson (Long Beach Poly) and impressive playmaking from 5-10 sophomore-to-be Kihei Clark (who was at Sherman Oaks Buckley as a freshman but may be transferring to Woodland Hills Taft).