LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – During the four regional sessions of the Pangos All-Frosh/Soph Camps this fall, a multitude of tall (as is 6-foot-8 and bigger) and skilled players from the Class of 2021 were on display.
But among the 600 or so sophomores among the 900-plus players in attendance at the West (Westminster, CA), South (Dallas), Midwest (La Grange, IL) and East (Thorofare, NJ) stops over September and October, there was no one quite like Patrick Baldwin Jr.
It was the third stop at the Midwest session for Baldwin (whose pops is the head coach at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee).
He was selected to the 30-member Best of the Best all-star game two years ago as an eighth grader and was selected the Most Outstanding Player of the event in 2017 and during his final F/S stop (Oct. 20&21 in the Chicago suburb).
The performances of the nearly like-sized and skilled Jonathan Kuminga (in Dallas) and Micawber Etienne (in Thorofare) meant there were some serious reflection needed before I tabbed Baldwin (PICTURED) as the 2021 Best of the Best, for this year’s Pangos Frosh/Soph circuit.
But Baldwin got the nod and he’ll have a chance to show off that same wealth of skill and feel for how the game should be played correctly at two other Dinos Trigonis-fronted events in the spring, the May 5 Frosh/Soph Fantastic 40 – to be held at a Southern California site to be determined) – and the May 31-June 2 Pangos All-American Camp (at Cerritos Community College in Norwalk, CA).
My first-five, second-five and 10-player honorable mentions for the 2021 Frosh/Soph kids follow and, as I noted a few before with my roundup for the Pangos Frosh/Soph 2020 guys, these choices are based upon how they played when I watched them and not strictly on potential.
First Team
Patrick Baldwin Jr. 6-9 Sussex (WI) Hamilton/MIDWEST
Micawber Etienne 6-10 Suffield (CT) Academy/EAST
Arthur Kaluma 6-8 Coppell (TX) University/SOUTH
Jonathan Kuminga 6-8 Centerreach (NY) Our Savior New American/EAST
Isa Silva 6-3 Carmichael (CA) Jesuit/WEST
Second Team
K.J. Adams 6-6 Austin (TX) Westlake/SOUTH
Devin Askew 6-4 Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei/WEST
Kobe Bufkin 6-3 Grand Rapids (MI) Christian/MIDWEST
Chase Courbat 6-9 Cedar Falls (IA)/MIDWEST
Alec Zambie 6-6 Plano (TX) West/SOUTH
Honorable Mention
Wilhelm Breidenbach 6-8 Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei/WEST
Anton Brookshire 6-2 Springfield (MO) Kickapoo/MIDWEST
Ahamad Bynum 6-2 Chicago Simeon/MIDWEST
Shane Dezonie 6-3 Jersey City Hudson Catholic/EAST
Rahsool Diggs 6-2 Philadelphia Wood/EAST
David Dixon 6-8 Memphis Briercrest/SOUTH
Jahmai Mashack 6-4 Etiwanda (CA)/WEST
Grant Newell 6-6 Chicago Whitney Young/MIDWEST
Joseph Venzant 6-3 Midland (TX) Christian/SOUTH
T.J. Wainwright 6-1 Santa Monica (CA)/WEST
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