Burlison on Basketball

Frank Burlison | High School Basketball | College Basketball

Dedan Thomas Jr. is the No. 1 Classic at Damien performer

By 358 Comments

LA VERNE, CA – It’s taken a while for me to compile this list – the 112-team, five-day Classic at Damien ended on the night of Dec. 30, after all.

But, instead of labeling it procrastination, I prefer to call it well-thought out and reasoned analysis.

  Cool the smirks . . .

Anyway, here are my choices for the 13 players who most impressed me when I watched them play during the top “real high school” post-holiday tournament in the west.

First, the caveats:

*My selections came only from among the players I was able to watch from courtside. Obviously, with 112 teams spread over seven brackets, I couldn’t see every player during the week.

*I limited my selections to no more than two players per game

*Only players whose teams won at least two of their four games were eligible.

*My picks were not tied into “how I rate them as college prospects”. That would be a whole different list and pecking order.

*And, finally, these choices are NOT tied into the “official” all-Classic/Tournament selections. Check www.Classicatdamien.org or the Classic social media accounts for those seven-division selections.

So, here we go, starting with the best player I saw all week who also led his team to the Platinum Division championship . . .

 

Most Outstanding Player

Dedan Thomas Jr.                  6-1       Jr.        Henderson (NV) Liberty

After watching him play for the Dream Vision club program last spring, I came away feeling he was likely the No. 1 point guard in the western Class of 2024.

Seeing him play at the Section Seven (with Liberty) in Phoenix last June, and at the Pangos All-American Camp in Las Vegas earlier that month, firmly enhanced that point of view.

His performance during the adidas championships in Seal Beach, in late July, led me to expand my thinking to “is he the best 2024-point guard in the country and the best 2024 prospect in the West?”

Flash forward to the Tarkanian Classic (Dec. 19-22) in Las Vegas and the Dec. 27-30 Classic at Damien, during which I was able to watch him play for his team eight times, the questions I posed to myself in July are now rhetorical.

There hasn’t been a better junior point guard in the West since 2014-15, when Lonzo Ball was a junior and just a year away from leading Southern California’s Chino Hills team to a 35-0 record and mythical national championship

 

Next 12 (alpha listing)

Liam Campbell                        6-5       Jr.        Meridian (ID) Owyhee

He became a two-time, all-Classic Selection after leading his team to a .500 record in the Platinum Division (a three-point loss to Rancho Christian in first round and one-point defeat to Inderkum in consolation final). His final-day 37-point (four 3s) performance brought his four-game scoring average to an event-best 29.0. One of the top “shooting guards” in both the regional and national classes of 2024.

Seamus Deely                         6-5       Jr.        Danville (CA) San Ramon Valley

When you see him warming up, he looks more the part of a future college offensive left tackle. Then you see in a game, with the ball in his hands, and the immediate thought is “damn, this kid is skilled as heck”. Teammates Luke Isaak (one of the best sophomores in the field) and Parker McClaughry were the Gold MVP and all-Classic, respectively, for the division champion.

Zoom Diallo                            6-4       Jr.        University Place (WA) Curtis

Averaged 19.8 points and 6.0 assists as his team went 3-1 in the Platinum Division, knocking off two top-flight SoCal programs (St. Bernard in the first round and Rancho Christian in the third-place game), and the best team in Utah (American Fork) in the second round. The top-Class of 2024 college prospect based in the Pacific Northwest.

Isaiah Fields                            6-6       Sr.        Valencia (CA) West Ranch

A “sixth game/first sub” in name only, he contributes as much – at both ends of the floor – as any of the gifted starters on this squad. As of Wednesday (Jan. 11), Coach Jeff Bryant’s Wildcats are 19-1 and well on their way to their first-ever CIF Southern Section Open Playoff slot.

Justus Jackson-Fobbs             6-6       Sr.        Magna (UT) Cyprus

Teammate Quinten Meza was the Diamond Division MVP (scoring 25 points – 13 during the fourth quarter – in the championship game vs. 2021 winner Lone Peak, another Utah-based squad). But it was this guy’s contributions down the stretch, at both end of the floor, that decided the outcome, IMO. Three blocks and two steals in the final two minutes, with 15 points and 12 rebounds for the game.

Jalen Glenn                             6-4       Sr.        Sacramento Inderkum

He’s one of the best of the unsigned/not committed 2023 prospects from Northern California, and he showed why while helping his team capture the consolation championship game of the Platinum Division (knocking off Narbonne, St. Bernard, and Owyhee) via his deep jump shooting and slashing drives.

Julien Gomez                          6-2       So.       La Mirada (CA)

Few players in Southern California were as consistently productive and good as this left hander was in November and December. And that was the case here, too, where he averaged 27.5 ppg in the Silver Division while scoring 33 in the buzzer-beating loss to Campbell Hall in the title game.

Robert Hinton                         6-5       Jr.        Studio City (CA) Harvard-Westlake

Any of his team’s five starters could have cracked this list but he was one of the two that did. His offensive skill’s steady improvement over the past year was highlighted by his shooting stats in the semifinal Platinum win over Curtis (six of seven from the field; 13 points) and the championship game loss to Liberty (seven of seven from the field and two of two on free throws; 16 points).

Angelo Kambala                     6-0       Sr.        Henderson (NV) Liberty

There were numerous quality jump shooters spread across the seven divisions of this tournament. But none approached Kambala, with his range and consistent accuracy. The proof was in the on-court results: 14 3s, with seven of them coming in the Platinum title victory over Harvard-Westlake.

Jordan Kuac                           6-5       Sr.        Glendale (AZ) Ironwood

The Eagles had a balanced attack, with multiple key contributors in each of their four Gold Division games that were culminated in being outplayed by San Ramon Valley in the second half for the title. But Kuac, a high-rebounder, shot-blocker, and finisher, was among the more spectacular players in any of the seven divisions.

Kevin Patton                           6-8       Sr.        Temecula (CA) Rancho Christian

Size, vertical explosiveness, fluidity, and the ability to knock in deep jump shots with consistency? This Arizona transfer checks all those boxes, showing why he is on the short list of the top “big wings” on the still-available list of 2023 prospects in the west. He scored 18 points in the second-round Platinum upset of unbeaten West Ranch, and 22 in the semifinal loss to eventual champion Liberty.

Trent Perry                             6-4       Jr.        Studio City (CA) Harvard-Westlake

Since last spring I believed that Perry is among the handful – as in, maybe three or four – of the top point guard-prospects in the Western Class of 2024. If you watched him here – especially when he was on the floor with two of the Top 5 at the National Class of 2024 – how could you debate that belief?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  203. вавада официальный сайт: vavada – вавада официальный сайт

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *