Battle at the Beach Observations

I spent several hours of the day at the Battle at the Beach with my colleagues Jarrell and John, and needless to say, the talent on hand at the daylong showcase was very impressive – in both gyms.

Redondo Union (which has facilities that rival some small colleges) hosted games in its large and small gyms seemingly from dawn til dark, including some of the top travel team programs in the nation.

Here are some brief observations:

• TJ Leaf is deserving of his UCLA offer- For folks who have watched the kid throughout the year in SD, you knew that the 6-foot-8 rising sophomore forward was a special player. He had an opportunity to show that on the national stage at the Adidas Invitational in Indy last week and did not disappoint. He followed it up Thursday with a very impressive bounceback second half against California Supreme. The versatile four man has advanced ball skills for a player his age, and never stopped competing, even when the results did not go his way in the first half. When he got it going, Cal Supreme did not have an answer. He’s a special talent. Magic point guard Dikymbe Martin, who kept the Magic in the game until Leaf’s second half outburst, was extremely impressive. For Cal Supreme, I really liked the shooting ability of Jonah Mathews (whose brother is Cal-bound Jordan Mathews), the strength and burst of rising freshman Lafayette Dorsey, and the athleticism and upside of Ian Carter.
• Ian Fox has officially grown on me– My first viewing of Fox was at the Pangos All-American camp, and I admittedly had my reservations. Over the last two viewings however, Fox has won me over with his competitiveness as well as his overall offensive package. The 6-foot point guard is not just a shooter (although that part of his game is exciting to watch). He was able to break down players from The Magic (AZ) off the dribble and finish at the rim all day while playing with his Redondo High School team. When opponents sagged off, he made them pay, stroking shots from near the 10-second line with the greatest of ease. Simply stated, Fox, was impressive.
• Gamepoint’s comeback was pretty special- If you watched the first half of the Gamepoint 16u Black vs. Arizona Power 16u Black tilt and left thinking that the game was in the bag, I wouldn’t have blamed you. AZ Power, led by it’s 2017 phenom point guard Markus Howard, jumped out all over the San Diego-based club, leading by 15 at halftime and stretching the lead to 42-24 in the second half. And then, the light turned on for Gamepoint. Rising junior shooting guards Dalton Soffer and Jack Langborg put on a shooting display that rivaled Fox’s just a game earlier, and Gamepoint charged back with a 27-point turnaround to take a 9-point lead with a minute to play, and ultimately won the game 65-63 after a late push by the Power. Soffer, a 6-foot-4 guard who is gaining interest from some Ivy League and West Coast Conference schools, might have cemented his reputation as one of the top shooters on the West Coast with his performance. It was scintillating. Kenzo Nudo had a solid outing for the Power.
• Justin Simon is impressive…but so is James Washington-  Gamepoint’s 16u Red Team squared off against the Compton Magic Black 16u, and all eyes were on Gamepoint’s 6-foot-4 point guard Justin Simon, who recently received an offer from New Mexico. But for one half, Price’s rising junior guard James Washington stole the show. The 6-foot guard rained down three after three, and was able to blow by Simon, a really good defender, on several occasions, hitting shots from all three levels. His 18-point first-half outburst had the press gallery buzzing. Simon was able to bounce back from a subpar first half with a solid second 16-minute frame, dropping some eye-popping assists, controlling the boards and containing Washington on the other end. Gamepoint ultimately won 56-46, but Washington’s performance might have put him on the map for good after a very solid performance a month earlier at the Magic Memorial Day tournament. The Magic also received a solid showing by forward Eli Silverman-Loyd, while Gamepoint got solid efforts from guard Torin Webb and forward Brady Twombly.
• Compton Magic Select had a point to prove- The Compton Magic’s top 16u group has led a charmed existence since it’s inception two years ago, with its players garnering high rankings and the team racking up championships in top events. This year, however, a number of scouting services have cooled toward some of the players, reflected in less-than-stellar rankings following the recent evaluation period. Then, the Earl Watson 16u Silver dealt them a stunning loss in Indy last weekend. On Thursday, the Select team returned the favor, absolutely demolishing the Pangos team in the rematch, 65-41, in a game where the Magic led by more than 30 on several occasions. Point guard Sedrick Barefield, shooting guard Rex Pflueger and small forward Cameron Walker spearheaded the onslaught, but the Magic received standout performances from every one of its members, including 5-foot-7 point guard Latrelle Franklin, who played one of the best games I’ve seen him play. Pangos had a few bright spots, including the play of rising sophomore Jayce Johnson and shooting of rising junior Tommy McCarthy.