CARLSBAD, Ca. – Approximately eight hours after it tipped off on Saturday morning, the first Crème’ of the County had all of the appearances of a success in the Army-Navy Academy’s Duffield Sports Center, located just a couple of blocks from the ocean.
The bulk of the better boys’ basketball players – in San Diego County – across the 8th thru senior classes – were on display during eight well-played, 50-minute games.
All things considered, the most impressive performer in the entire event was 6-foot-6, multiple-skilled Richard Polanco, who attends and plays for Army-Navy but is a citizen of the Dominican Republic who plays for its junior national program.
On his team’s first three possessions, Polanco’s three nifty passes were turned into assists and, on the fourth possession, he swished a deep 3 from the right wing in transition during the Class of 2017 Crème Game.
Polanco is also a member of Marshawn Cherry’s San Diego All-Stars travel ball program, as is slender 6-4 left hander J.J. Overton (San Diego Rancho Bernardo), who is – for the time being, at least – the most underrated prospect in the San Diego Class of 2017.
Another San Diego All-Star play who impressed Saturday was 5-10 Boogie Ellis (San Diego Mission Bay), a slick ball handler as well as an exceptional jump shooter – he hit five 3s in the Class of 2018 Crème Game.
Some of the other top players in the 2016 Crème contest included 6-10 Jacob Tryon (Temecula Great Oak), who doesn’t turn 17 years old until December; 6-5 Justin Davis (San Diego Morse) and 6-8 Aleks Pocej (Murrieta Mesa), as well as guards Dylan Banks (a key member of the La Mirada team that won the California State Division II title last March) and Colin Ferrier (Rancho Santa Margarita Santa Margarita).
Another 2016 prospect on hand that will no doubt have a strong senior season is 6-3 left-hander Will Johnson from Palisades in Los Angeles.
He’s a crafty and diverse scorer with some impressive hoops bloodlines: His father and grandfather – Kris and Marques Johnson – are former UCLA standouts who played on Bruins national championship squads separated by 20 years. Kris was a member of the 1995, Jim Harrick-coached squad that knocked off defending champion Arkansas in Seattle while Marques played for the late John R. Wooden’s team that toppled Kentucky in San Diego in 1975 in what was to be Wooden’s last game as a coach.
Others – along with Polanco – who had strong moments in the Crème Game/2017 included guards Jailen Moore (Redondo Union), Ed Fenzi (who also plays for Army-Navy) and Michael Diaz (Escondido Orange Glen), as well as forwards Ajani Kennedy (Moreno Valley Rancho Verde), Robby Robinson (San Diego Kearny) and Matt Mitchell (Eastvale Roosevelt).
Sophomore standouts (2018 Crème Game) included already well-known (to college recruiters) big men in Miles Norris (6-9/Chula Vista San Diego), 6-8 Taeshon Cherry (San Diego St. Augustine) and 6-8 Warren Washington (Escondido).
Norris (sporting goggles on the court) didn’t rebound with the ferocity and effectiveness that someone with his size, bounce and lateral and vertical quickness should but did have four or five dunks and blocked three or four shots, as well.
Six-five Jordan Starr (El Cajon Christian), as well as guards Jalen Flanigan (Oceanside El Camino), Alex Cho (La Jolla Country Day/he shot from well from deep), Krystian Wilson (Etiwanda) and Taurus Samuels (Vista/he’s the best sophomore point guard in San Diego County) also impressed in the 2018 contest.
Ellis may have scored almost at will in the 2018 Crème’ Game but 6-3 Christian Rose (a left hander who attends The Bishop’s School in La Jolla and looks and plays somewhat like NBA forward Tayshaun Prince did as a ninth grader at Compton Dominguez) also sparkled, as did guards Graham Cook (Carlsbad La Costa Canyon), Ryan Langborg (La Jolla Country Day) and Jordan Hilstock (Vista).
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