Teams
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Canyon High School
17U CC
Anaheim, CA
Canyon is a team that excels in the half-court, always going to create a ton of player and ball movement. They run a barrage of sets and actions to get the ball in the hands of the best players, putting them in position to score or make plays. They are led by recent USD commit Brandon Benjamin, who can score from anywhere in the half court, and senior guard Mustafa Yilmazturk. Noah Kim, an elite scoring wing, is recovering from an injury, but will provide an additional scoring threat. Canyon will have 5 guys on the court, at all times, who can shoot it, put it on the floor, and make plays. Teams who are not fundamentally sound on defense, will be completely lost, wondering how they are giving up so many layups and threes. They don’t have much size, but do an excellent job of playing with space and pace. On the defensive side of the ball, Canyon will run a mix of man and zone defenses to keep opponents off balance. Canyon will be in the mix for top 10 in Orange County, so don't be surprised when they knock off a top tier team.
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Democracy Prep
Girls 11th Grade .
, NU
Team full of ball handlers, shooters and a trapping defense. They use their speed to push the ball up the court and cause problems to their opposition. Every single player on this team brings value to the court. What was most impressive was their passing. When they weren’t playing in transition, they moved the ball until they found a good shot. Picking apart the defense through drive and kicks and cross court passes, their three-point shooting opened up the lane for easy opportunities in the paint. Led by their star guards, Keonni Lewis and Bray’ana Miles who brought the pace for their team. While their wing shooters, Aryanna Edwards, Diamond Zvulun and Ella Smith made everyone’s lives easier. Everyone played hard defense, took quality shots which made this team hard to stop.
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Eleanor Roosevelt High School
17U
Corona, CA
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Fairmont Preparatory Academy
17U
Anaheim, CA
One of the more under-the-radar programs, not only in Orange County, but also the Southern Section is Fairmont Prep. They have been a staple team in D1, and consistently in the top 10 in Orange County for years ever since coach Joedy Gardner has taken over. This year, they are loaded with talent, led by a D1 high major prospect, David Abisogun. At 6’9”, David can do it all. Handle the rock, pass, cover 1-5, and finish in the paint. In the backcourt, Fairmont has one of the fastest basketball players in California, Oliver Jones, who is a one-man fast break. Kamerin Lewis is another D1 prospect with unreal athleticism, who competes at a high level. Fairmont will change up their defenses to run a variety of different zone presses, half court zones, and a stifling man-to-man defense. Teams will have a lot of trouble navigating all the different looks they will throw out there. They have all the pieces to be one of the top defensive teams in the Southern Section. Offensively, they will run different pro sets, with a lot of ball screens and misdirections. Fairmont Prep will be in the mix to be a top 5 program in Orange County, and in the top 25 for Southern California. Look for them to once again be in CIF SS D1, and potentially sneak into the Open Division.
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Gamepoint IE
14U
murrieta, CA
Defense is this team's identity. Picking up full court with an intense and suffocating man to man press, occasionally trapping the ball handler when they are vulnerable. They are physical in an old school sense, without a lot of fouling and reaching. When you watch this 14u Gamepoint National team, you will see all 5 guys in a stance, and locked in on the ball. When they do get their hands on the ball, they are off to the races, with all five guys being capable passers and ball handlers. They run a number of sets that get their playmaker the ball in the pick in roll up top. A gold level team that can compete at the highest levels of 14U.
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IE SIXERS
14U UGC
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
A young team built with a lot of length, had kids playing up, but still controlled the game with force. There isn’t much that they lack because they all play hard, compete and have skill to back it all up. They were led by big wing Saigier Smith with his ability to control the game, score when he wanted to but still loved to get his guys involved. Tariq Johnson was another standout with his knack to stretch the defense out with his elite shooting. The team had an understanding of when to push and when to wait for the quality shot. Fun team who is coached to play the right way while playing very unselfishly. Everyone on this team had something to contribute, so the only thing they had to do was make sure they didn't get bored and keep attacking.
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Los Alamitos Griffins
17U
Los Alamitos, CA
With a suffering trap in the half-court, this team creates a lot of problems for their opponents defensively. They have a true point guard that shoots the rock and moves the ball with purpose. He leads the offense along with a team full of forwards that run the lane, hit shots and defends at a high level. A few of those standout fowards in their game against a big program in Roosevelt included Trent Minter, Samori Guyness and Tyler Lopez. This team loves to get out in transition and create easy opportunities for each other. They play solid basketball and actually run successful plays which is not as common anymore in the high school game. A fun team to watch play the right way with principles from the top down.
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Miami Knights
13U Miami Knights
miami, FL
The Miami Knights came all the way across the country to Southern California to show out! They aren’t a very flashy team, being much more of a grind it out roster. Leading the charge is their go-to scorer Eddie Rios III. They pressed almost the entire game with everyone on the same page, which made it tough to break. There aren’t a bunch of shooters on the team besides marksman Jackson Fremgen, so they all loved to attack and create for others. Look out for them to push the pace and mentally pick apart the defense. In the half-court they moved the ball well and didn't force bad shots. They take their time and bring a lot of energy to the court.
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Oak Hills High School
17U
, CA
This team coming from the Inland Empire is stacked from top to bottom. Athleticism, strength, guards, bigs, shooting… they have it all.They are led by 2027 forward, Damarian Landry. He brought the gym down with thunderous dunks, but he also has a smoothness to his game that he showed in the half-court. Their point guard, Ashton McCullough also led the show and brought high energy as a full court defender and game changer. As a defense the Bulldogs have a swarming press that sent Mater Dei into panic mode. On the other end they run and gun and love to get out in transition. As a team they do a great job of making smart basketball decisions and using all of the talent they are able to make up for others' mistakes. Underrated in high school but the coach does a fantastic job of utilizing his bench and making sure everyone is getting involved and not just having everything run through their top few players.
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Pros Vision
14U Select
Lake Forest, CA
Such a well-rounded team that has a great combination of shooters, playmakers and guys who are willing to defend. The length on this team is unmatched which is what helps them get out in transition and get so many easy buckets. Deshawn Deyampert Jr. really showed out in transition all game, while Ethan Escobar imposed his will as a scorer and playmaker all game. Pro’s Vision’s did a great job playing team basketball, getting back on defense and sharing the ball in the half-court. Led by very vocal Coach Sean Marshall, you can tell the team is playing for each other and not just to put up stats.
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Rialto High School
17U .
Rialto, CA
The Knights will be a force to be reckoned with in SoCal Basketball this season. They play a chaotic, yet organized brand of basketball that allows them to score in bunches. Their offense is perimeter oriented, led by junior transfer Jackie Polk and senior wing Carrington Davis. Whether the other team is matching up or playing zone, this squad relies heavily on Polk's and Carrington's ability to get paint touches to score off of dribble drives. From these drives, these two primarily make the plays whether it is a shot for themselves, or if it leads to a pass to an open teammate. The coaching staff will also exploit mismatches and call isolation plays in the midpost. Defensively, the knights are as aggressive as they come. They play an aggressive 2-3 zone where they trap on the sidelines. They are also looking to jump passing lanes and create opportunities in transition. This team can run it up, but developing some shooting will be something they need to work on if they want to compete. This could be a problem if they run into any squads that are bigger with the same level of athleticism. Outside of that, they are a run and gun team that puts up a fight.
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San Juan Hills High School
17U
San Juan Capistrano, CA
This team plays a lot of younger players and makes it work through tons of movement and unselfish play. They run a nasty trap 2-3 defense and lock up when playing man-to-man. The way they moved the ball was very efficient. Lots of shooters and playmakers, and some well-balanced guards who could handle the ball off the bench. Adam Aziz ran the show and created the tempo for the team. Mason Hodges, their star forward, knows how to dominate on the inside but can stretch the floor as well. They round out their roster with guys who find open space in the corners and look for the ball on open cuts through the paint. Top to bottom this team competes hard and really is bought into the coaches game plan.
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SE Supreme
14U SE Supreme.
Phoenix, AZ
They ran a full court press that was super dangerous with all of their length. On offense, everything ran through their big guard, Talen Miller with his ability to attack and create for both himself and others. On the other end, Yowin Ajawin sparked their defense with steals in the passing lanes that led to easy transition layups for the whole team. Their team is stacked with size, athleticism and talent but their best trait is how unselfish they are. There was no one playing one-on-one as they consistently moved the ball until they got a quality shot. A lot of talent on this team that played for each other and only pushed each other up.