Guards galore at Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph Camp
Westminster, Ca. — It was guards galore over the weekend at the annual Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph camp at Westminster High.
Camp director Dinos Trigonis gathered yet another strong crop of players from various states in the Western U.S. and two players, one from Southern California and the other from Northern California, stole the show.
Mater Dei’s electric 6-foot-3 scoring guard Devin Askew and Jesuit’s cool, calm and collected 6-foot-2 true point guard Isael Silva were the talk of the camp, culminating in the duo dominating the Top 30 Cream of the Crop game Sunday afternoon.
Jesuit high point guard Isael Silva proved to be the top true point guard at the Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph Camp.
Silva finished with a game-high 26 points, including seven 3-pointers and a handful of nifty, high IQ assists, while his teammate, Askew, added 20 with six trey’s in a winning effort.
Outside of Silva and Askew, the Las Vegas contingent of guard prospects was quite impressive, as well, led by Coronado freshman Richard Isaacs, Jr. Isaacs is a speedy 6-foot-1 point guard with the vision and passing chops to rival any other camper, but also displayed a knack for filling up the scoring column quickly.
Isaacs wasn’t the only Vegas guard to impress as Bishop Gorman sophomore Zaon Collins was had his usual lockdown defender and table-setting mindset. Clark High’s Frankie Collins, no relation to Zaon, got downhill in transition and got into the paint at-will where he scored at the front of the rim.
Richard Isaacs, Jr. is a playmaking threat every moment he has the ball.
Keeping with the guard theme but moving back to SoCal, Chaminade sophomore KJ Simpson had his coming out party after a strong club season with BTI. The 6-foot-2 combo guard is as explosive and powerful as anybody in the class, proved by his countless dunks and power finishes in the paint, but he is also one of the highest motor and most intense defensive players you’ll find.
Santa Monica’s TJ Wainwright picked the best time to get his 3-point stroke rolling. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard finished with 18 points, including four triples, in the Top 30 game, leading his team back from an early 28-8 deficit.
Etiwanda guard Jahmai Mashack continues to add layer after layer to his game. After playing junior varsity for Kleck’s crew during his freshman season, the sturdy 6-foot-3 sophomore has gotten more and more comfortable on the ball as a playmaker for himself and others. Mashack is one of SoCal’s top on-ball, team and help-side defensive players.
Chaminade guard KJ Simpson was one of the most versatile and high motor players of the event.
Fellow junior varsity alum Scotty Washington of St. John Bosco was both efficient and effective with his navigation of the defense and slashing and finish abilities in transition. Washington is one of the more alluring long-term prospects in the state.
Dorsey High freshman Jason Hart II made it very clear that he’s the son of a coach (and longtime NBA professional) with his poised approach to the game. Hart is a crafty passer and scorer who has his head on a swivel in transition and half-court settings.
Hart’s high school and club teammate, Kennedy Reese Dixon, proved to be one of the more potent wing scorers in the camp. The 6-foot-4 sophomore is a long and rangy prospect with good scoring instincts, knows how to create space on the perimeter and can score with the perimeter jumper or a strong take to the rack.
San Marcos point guard Chris Howell had his playmaking chops on full display.
It’s amazing to see how well Chris Howell operates while playing alongside others who need the ball in their hands to be effective. Howell, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, is at his best when he’s distributing the basketball to teammates when and where they want it and he was able to do that despite playing off the ball, showing just how high his basketball IQ truly is.
One of the most gifted all-around scorers in the camp was 6-foot-4 off-guard John Christofilis of O’Dea in Seattle. Christofilis is a knock-down jump shooter, but also uses his brut strength to overpower defenders en route to paint finishes.
San Joaquin Memorial shooting guard Joseph Hunter is an intriguing long-term prospect due to his length, athleticism and his ability to spread the floor with a consistent 3-point shot sans the need for time and space to get his shot off.
In the Top 60 Cream of the Crop game, Myles Phillips of Bothell (WA) had his quickness and playmaking abilities on display, while Crossroads’ guard TJ Muhammad was picking dudes up baseline-to-baseline defensively, something he did all weekend long.
San Diego High guard AJ Burgin, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, earned his keep with his 3-point shooting prowess, but also with his sound decision-making and improving ball skills. Brennan Rigsby, Jr. of De Beque (CO) had his feel and craftiness with the rock rivaled by few others.
Ninth grader Milos Uzan of Desert Pines in Vegas is a super smooth operator on the perimeter. San Marcos freshman Devon Arlington and Roman Catholic (PA) sophomore Mike Anderson brought toughness and a bulldog-like approach to the floor. Chaminade shooting guard Keith Higgins had his potent 3-point stroke on point throughout the weekend.
Guards who fell outside of the Top 30 or Top 60 game, but deserve praise for their performance over the weekend are Luke Westermeyer of Clayton Valley, Davion Wright of Franklin (Elk Grove), Cole Webster of St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo), Jaden Phillips of Foothill (Bakersfield) and Colin Walton of Thousand Oaks.
OK, enough about the guards, time to give the wings, forwards and big men some love, led by the Compton Magic club duo of Wilhelm Breidenbach and Kijani Wright.
Breidenbach, a 6-foot-8 sophomore out of Mater Dei, has become well-known and well-liked for not only his skill both as a face-up four man with shooting touch and a guy who can bucket with his back to the basket, but also for his energy and toughness.
Wright, a freshman at Windward High, will be a prospect to closely monitor over the next four years. The 6-foot-9 forward has nice perimeter shooting touch as evidenced by his face-up 15 footers and 3-pointers in transition trail situations.
Gridley High forward Grant Tull made an impact in nearly every aspect of the game.
Gridley High’s Grant Tull was one of the more versatile “wings” in the camp. The 6-foot-5 sophomore had a consistent left-handed perimeter stroke, but also showed he was capable of using a shot fake and getting into the paint where he scored with a pull-up or hit an open teammate.
Bishop O’Dowd’s Marsalis Roberson has a compelling mixture of size, length and athleticism at the wing spot, and while he’s a raw offensive prospect at this point, he makes a huge impact on the defensive end as a shot blocker and guy who can guard multiple spots at 6-feet-4.
Speaking of athletic shot blockers, Desert Pines (NV) forward Anthony Swift has remarkable timing and quickness off the floor when contesting and blocking attempts at the rim. The 6-foot-5 forward plays much bigger than his size suggests and rim-runs with purpose on the break.
PF DJ Johnson (Moreau Catholic), WF Christian Moore (Brentwood), WF Gabriel Quiette (Mater Dei), PF Nick Davidson (Santa Margarita), WF Paxton Burzell (JSerra), PF/C Brandon Richard (Windward), PF Chris Fan (Modesto Christian), PF/C Daniel Rouzan (Bishop Gorman), C Henri Adiassa (Crossroads), C Xavier Edmonds (8th grade) and PF Kyle Frelow (Heritage Christian) all had strong efforts over the weekend.
