It really was a classic case of David slaying Goliath in the Championship Game of the 16-Under Division at this year's Pangos Easter Classic, which was held the last three days at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NV, as 6'1 Frosh Richard Isaacs from Las Vegas (Coronado) NV clearly had something to prove with a plethora of national scouts in the gym. And, while Isaacs is one of the top players nationally in the Class of 2022 in his own right, the big draw obviously was the star studded cast, which included the likes of 6'2 Frosh Skyy Clark from Los Angeles (Heritage Christian) CA, 6'7 Frosh Jaxon Kohler from Mt. Pleasant (Wasatch Academy) UT, 6'3 Frosh Joseph Hunter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'10 Frosh Henri Adiassa from Santa Monica (Crossroads) CA, 6'9 Frosh Sedraque Nnanga from Phoenix (Compass Prep) AZ, 5'11 Frosh Isaac Peralta from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'10 8th Grader Jahzare Jackson from San Diego, CA. on the California-based Strive For Greatness 15-Under Team, which was playing up a year in class and was the heavy favorite to win the 16-iDivision.
Isaacs was blowing past would-be defenders, knocking down shots, finishing at the rim, getting his teammates involved, and picking his man's pocket at the defensive end and, by midway through the first half, the Vegas Elite 16-Under Team had taken a 36-24 and Strive For Greatness had no idea what had hit them. By the half it was 64-41 and Isaacs had 23 points and had knocked down 3-pointers in what clearly was the best individual performance that we saw all weekend. From there his team coasted on to an impressive 86-64 win and Isaacs led the way with 30 points. However, even more important, it's pretty clear that, with Isaacs' great ball handling and passing skills, quickness with the ball in his hands, and ability to create his own shot and get it off in a hurry, he is one of the best players nationally in the Class of 2022. And so is the above mentioned Clark, who led the way for the losing team with 17 points and impressed us with his athleticism, hops, body control, and excellent moves to the basket. We also liked the fact the Kohler is a good old-fashioned blue collar 4-man who finished with 13 points and did a good job of taking care of business around the basket with his ability to rebound, score, and get more than his share of tip-ins in the post.
Hunter chipped in with 10 points and he is a strong physical athletic 2-guard with an excellent skill set and the ability to knock down the outside shoot. Adiassa only scored two points, but he has a good combination of power and finesses to go along with his good footwork, ability to handle the ball in the open court, and the fact he can score in the post and is a good shot blocker and defender. Nnanga didn't score a single point, but one has to like his length and athleticism, ability to run the court, and the fact that he's active on the boards and is oozing with upside and potential. Peralta finished with seven points and is an excellent role player on this team, thanks to his high basketball IQ and the fact that he knows how to compete and is a natural scorer. Jackson came off the bench to chip in with eight points and he reminds you of a young Shaquille O"Neal with his mammoth frame, deceptive mobility, and ability to simply overpower would-be defenders in the post. Dunlap is a reclassified 8th Grader, but he chipped in with seven points and knows how to play the game, can knock down the outside shot, and he has an excellent pedigree, which stems from his father (Jeff Dunlap), who is now an assistant coach at Cal State-Northridge.
It also was difficult not to be impressed with the Vegas Elite 17-Under Team, which clearly was the best team in the 17-Under Division and featured an all-star cast that included the likes of 6'4 Jr Josh Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'4 Soph Jalen Hardy from Las Vegas (Coronado) CA, 6'3 Jr Noah Taitz from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'6 Jr Julian Strawther from Henderson (Liberty) NV, 5'11 Soph Zaon Collins from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'5 Jr Mwani Williams from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, and 7'0 Jr Braxton Meah from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA. We go back-and-forth with regard to whether we like Christopher or Hardy better. However, in the final analysis we have to go with the former over the latter, because Christopher is more skilled, more consistent, and more disciplined and arguably a better outside shooter. He also has a better understanding of the game and an excellent pedigree, which stems from his older brother (Patrick Christopher being a good player in his own right). On the other hand, he's a world-class athlete nor is he as naturally gifted as Hardy, who had 22 points in the quarterfinals and 34 points in the semi-finals and has great body control and explosiveness when he attacks the rim.
And Taitz and Strawther provide this group with even more firepower on out the perimeter, as they both are excellent at finishing off transition and knocking down the outside shot and are good enough to ranked in the top 30-50 range nationally in the Class of 2020. Collins will need to develop more of a scorer's mentality if he wants to live up to the hype once he reaches the next level. But he's exactly what the doctor order for this group due to the fact that he makes excellent decisions, has terrific ball handling and passing skills, and does a great job of getting his teammates involved. Williams is nothing more than just a good role player on this team, but he promises to be a great sleeper for somebody at the mid-major level due to his ability to get to the basket, play above the rim, and come up with more than his share of steals and deflections. He also continues to improve the elevation his jump shot and is becoming a much improved outside shooter. Meah provided some needed size in the post, but he's more of a potential guy than a finished product and he's not the tough customer and physical presence that this team will need to be one of the favorites in this year's NIKE EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball League), which begins next week in Atlanta, GA.
We also were impressed with the one-two punch that 6'2 Jr Keith Dinwiddie from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA 6'2 Soph T.J. Wainwright from Santa Monica (H.S.) CA provided in the backcourt and the strong physical presence that 6'8 Jr Bradley Ezewiro from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA provided in the post for Belmont Shore, which along with Vegas Elite, was the favorite to win the 17-Under Division. Dinwiddie is a well-round 2-guard who has evolved into an excellent outside shooter and he showed that he can get it done at crunch time when he hit the game winning shot and finished with 30 points in the semi-finals against the Utah Mountain Stars. Wainwright will have to get bigger and stronger physically, but he knows how to get his shot off in a hurry and is a terrific outside shooter, as is evident by the fact that he has seven treys against the Utah Mountain Stars and also made several big shots to tie the game and keep his team within striking distance before his team went down in flames in the semi-finals against a well-balanced Veritas team. Ezewiro isn't very skilled and, at times, can be lacksidasical in the post. However, there also are times when the light clicks on and he attacks the basket with a vengeance and is very aggressive on the boards. We also were intrigued with 6'8 Elias King from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, who is more of a face-up four-man than post player and is still available in the Class of 2019, and 6'11 Chayce Polynice from Van Nuys (Grant) CA, who is more a potential guy than a finished product, but has a great pedigree (his father is Olden Polynice). And he too is a current high school senior that is still available..
As for the Vegas Elite 17-Under Team, it is sad commentary on both the players on the team and the game in general when the players decide to forfeit the Championship Game of a tournament that clearly is a great springboard to bigger and better things this spring and summer. We're not sure if they were just tired and were saving themselves for next week's NIKE EYBL in Atlanta, GA or whether they wanted to make sure they got to T-Mobile Arena in time for the tip-off of the Jordan Brand Classic. On the other hand, Grant Rice, who coaches Taitz, Collins, and Williams at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NV and was the head coach of the Home Team in the Jordan Brand Classic and deserves accolades for getting 7'0 James Wiseman from Memphis (East) TN a lot more touches in the second half. In case you were unware, Wiseman had only two points, three rebounds, two blocked shots, and 1-2 field goals prior to the intermission, but finished with 21 points, five rebounds, and two blocks shots for the game and shared co-MVP honors for the game, along with 6'3 Cole Anthony from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA. Anthony also was the leading scorer in the game with 25 points, six rebounds, six assists, four steals, and three 3-pointers and 6'9 Isaiah Stewart from La Porte (La Lumiere School) PA chipped in with 16 points and nine rebounds. And this is important, because Van Coleman of the Basketball Channel, and I are now touting Stewart as the top player nationally in the Class of 2019 due to the fact he has the best combination of skills, athleticism, and basketball IQ among the elite players in the class and he's won all of the head-to-head match-up against everybody he's faced this spring. "The only way anybody else is ranked #1 in the class right now is based purely on potential," says Coleman. And, unless somebody is just that much better than everybody based on potential, which is clearly not the case here, skills and what one has accomplished must be a big part of the equation.
Getting back to the Pangos Easter Classic and Veritas International taking home the Championship by knocking off Belmont Shore, 81-72, in the semi-finals, they featured a well-balance attack that was led by 6'5 Elijah Scranton from Artesia (Academy of Sports Science) CA and 6'4 Jr Lius Riascos from San Gabriel (Academy) GA. who finished with 20 points and 13 points respectively. Scranton is an athletic wing forward who makes a living attacking the basket and drawing the and-one and Riascos has the versatility necessary to play either guard spot, can score in a variety of ways, and is an excellent defender. However, it was Veritas' two young guys that really got everybody excited, as 6'9 Soph Deiman Reyes-Cassiani from Artesia (Academy of Sports Science) CA is an excellent rebounder and shot blocker and is oozing with upside and potential and 6'7 Frosh Randi Ovalle from San Gabriel (Academy) CA has the size, versatility, athleticism, and skills necessary to play both inside and outside. However, he projects as a wing forward down the road thanks to his outside shooting and improved ball handling and passing skills. We also don't want to forget about 6'5 Jr Adam Weingard from San Juan Capistrano (San Juan Hills) CA and 5'11 Jr Matthew DeAngelo from Rancho Santa Margarita (Tesoro) CA, who were two of the better outside shooters that we saw all weekend when they combined for 52 points and nine treys in a game for California Supreme Elite Silver.
There was 6'10 Chase Courtney from Phoenix (Hillcrest Academy) AZ, who has great length, good athleticism, and excellent skills in the post and is one of the most unheralded big man in the Class of 2019 that is still available, and 6'4 Jr Martell Williams from Las Vegas (Silverado) NV, who is best described as a strong physical athletic 2-guard who makes a living attacking the basket, but must improve his outside shooting. And last, but not least, are 7'2 Jr Saba Gigiberia from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'7 Jr Deng Mayer from Salt Lake City (Judge) UT, and 6'11 Soph Alec Tchiko from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, who were the three best players on the Uneek Ballers. Gibiberia has great length, excellent hands, and good coordination, mobility, and agility and, with his ability to score, rebound, and block shots, is a great sleeper for the top 100 nationally in the Class of 2021. We'd like to see Mayer develop more of an outside shooter's mentality before we start touting him as a top 100 player nationally, but he is like a jack-of-all-trades and he does have excellent ball handling and passing skills for somebody size and he really impressed us with his court vision and ability to find the open man. Tchiko has a great combination of length and athleticism and the sky's the limit in terms of his upside and potetnial. However, he's more of a potential guy than a finished product and, as a result, he's one of those guys who is going to have to earn it.