2011 Fullcourt Press Senior Showcase: Report I (March 27, 2011)  The 2011 Fullcourt Press Senior Showcase was held Friday night (March 25th) at Lynwood HS (Lynwood CA) and featured approximately 100 players in front of 45-plus NCAA D-II, D-III, NAIA and JUCO college coaches as well as scouts and media including Dinos Trigonis (Fullcourt Press, Hoop Scoop & Nothing But Net), Dave Keefer and Dave Rogahn (CaliforniaPreps.com) and Etop Udo-Ema (Fullcourt Press & Hoopmasters.com). There were many talented unsigned senior players on-hand.  Below are several of those top performers: Darnell Taylor                               6’2”     2011   Crenshaw (Los Angeles CA) It seems that every spring a late-blooming senior makes a late statement that they too belong at the top of their respective class – and this year that player

seems to be Taylor.  Darnell is an ultra-athletic lead guard with emerging point guard instincts and the physical tools that will allow him to play at the high-major level.  Whether it was skying high for power dunks or simply making the basic pass for an assist, Taylor was clearly the main standout for an event here that had several other NCAA D-I potential players present. Kevin Johnson                               6’10”  2011   Taft (Woodland Hills CA) Mammoth big man has plenty of size and is a force to deal with in the paint.  Scored 14 points in game played. Chris Dees                                       6’8”     2011   Verdugo Hills (Tujunga CA) Very underrated PF has soft hands and is a rugged rebounder.  Had 10 points/7 boards in game played. Johnny  Dee                         6’1”     2011   Rancho Buena Vista (Vista CA) Sharp-shooting combo-guard has plenty of basketball savvy.  Terrific student has a confident perimeter stroke and is a very underrated off-the-bounce scorer. Dee connected for 13 points (including three “3’s”) in game played.

Sharif Watson                        6’6”     2011   Rowland (Rowland Heights CA) Athletic and rangy swingman is quick off his feet and has the tools to be a future lock-down defender. Gary Williams                                 6’5”     2011   Castlemont (Oakland CA) Hardworking and athletic wing forward makes plays at both ends.  Good student had a game-high 18 points in game played. Keith Smith                                      6’0”     2011   Centennial (Compton CA) Quick PG has an excellent handle and impressive court vision.  Outside stroke is better than most realize.  Had 16 points/4 assists in game played. David Nwaba                                 6’4”     2011   University (Los Angeles CA) Scoring wing has a strong frame and can produce buckets in a variety of ways. Dillon Biggs                                     6’6”     2011   Dorsey (Los Angeles CA) Very long forward has an underrated perimeter shot as well as the length and athleticism to be a very effective driver to the hoop. Alex Carmon                                    6’3”     2011   Poly (Long Beach CA) Active defender is a crafty scorer around the cup.  Scored 10 points in game played.

Antonio Worthy                              6’10”  2011   Montebello (Montebello CA) Huge center is not a great athlete but has really improved nicely over the past four seasons.  Uses size well to score in the paint and is an underrated outlet passer. Worthy scored 14 points in game played. Shawn Jones                                  6’7”     2011   Impact (Las Vegas NV) Hardworking PF has the length and agility to be a factor at the next level. Matt Mounier                                    6’3”     2011   Crespi (Encino CA) Hard-nosed shooting guard can really nail the 3-ball.  Terrific student. Victor Jones                                    6’3”     2011   Lakewood (Lakewood CA) One of the Long Beach area’s most improved players is brimming with confidence and is now a high-octane scorer off the dribble.

Billy Keller                                   6’0”     2011   Ocean View (Huntington Beach CA) Excellent student is a point that handles defensive pressure well and can knock down perimeter jump shots when the opportunity presents itself.  Pin-point passer too (handed out 5 assists in game played). Youssef Mejri                                  6’7”     2011   Montclair Prep (Van Nuys CA) Tunisian import did not play this past season due to eligibility issues but is a skilled face-up forward with range to the 3-point stripe.  Good student. Zach Kirschbaum                          6’9”     2011   Chapparal (Las Vegas NV) Intriguing forward has the size, skill level and potential to be a fine college player down the road.  Zach was productive in game played (15 points/13 boards). Khiry Williams                                 5’10”  2011   Taft (Woodland Hills CA) Crafty PG is also a fine passer – tossed 6 dimes in game played.

Dominique Lanier                          6’3”     2011   Lakewood (Lakewood CA) Lefty off-guard has a quick first-step as well as the long arms necessary to be a hawking defender. Kenny Smith                                 6’3”     2011   Campbell Hall (North Hollywood CA Lead guard with nice size has a tight handle and can get to the basket off the dribble.  Excellent student. Logan Foster                                   6’2”     2011   Santa Monica (Santa Monica CA Off-guard with a “shooters touch” had 15 points in game played.  Very good student. Roy Gordon                                     6’3”     2010   Leuzinger (Lawndale CA) Burly guard uses physique effectively to ward off defenders on his drives to the cup. Aaron Alston                                   6’6”     2011   Hesperia (Hesperia CA) Agile forward gets after it on the boards and runs the lanes well in transition. Zach Pulig                                        6’3”     2011   Lakewood (Lakewood CA Productive wing guard plays with a consistency coaches love and is also a fine performer in the classroom as well. Josh Wilson                                 6’2”     2011   Westchester (Los Angeles CA) Versatile combo-guard is an excellent defender.  Very good student too. Garrett Frick                         6’7”     2010   Air Force Prep (CO) Santa Monica native is a very tough face-up combo-forward that rebounds well (had 10 boards in game played).  Very good student too. Daniel Edozie                                  6’7”     2011   Centennial (Compton CA) Strong but raw post gives maximum effort. Alex Moreno                                    6’5”     2011   Sylmar (Symar CA) Athletic forward runs floor well. Manual Casteneda                         6’1”     2011   Norwalk (Norwalk CA) Excellent 3-point shooter made 4 “threes” in his game played en route to a game-high 16 points. Ja’Quaylon Davenport                  6’7”     2011   Abbeville (Abbeyville LA) Louisiana native needs to get in better shape but has nimble footwork on the block. Colton Neff                                       6’3”     2011   Copper Hills (West Jordan UT Fundamentally-sound off-guard has a potent perimeter stroke.Good student too. Ceejay Anderson                           6’0”     2011   Warren (Downey CA) Speedy point guard has an air-tight handle and an accurate pull-up jump shot.  Very good student too. Dajuan Smith                                   6’2”     2011   Abbeville (Abbeville LA) Scoring off-guard produced 10 points in game played. Mookie Beard                                  6’7”     2011   El Camino (Oceanside CA Assertive rebounder grabbed 7 boards in game played. Ryan Parks                                      6’1”     2011   Gorman (Las Vegas NV) Outstanding from beyond the 3-point line and in the classroom. Christopher Sorapuru                  6’3”     2010   Great Oak (Temecula CA) Wing guard has a nice pull-up jump shot.  Grey-shirted this past school year. Cedric Ross                                     5’8”     2011   Lynwood (Lynwood CA) Small guard is cat-quick and is a high-volume scorer. Everett Osborne                             6’3”     2011   Palisades (Los Angeles CA) Energetic wing had 10 points/7 boards in game played. Connor Kjer                                     6’7”     2011   Air Force Prep (CO) Combo-forward has 3-point range – hit 4 “threes” in game played.  Good student. Brett Lubbe                                      6’4”     2011   Faith Lutheran (Las Vegas NV) Tough wing forward is a solid defender and very good student. Conway James                               5’9”     2011   JW North (Riverside CA) Fast point guard runs team well and  is a terrific student. Dylan King                                       6’6”     2011   Seabury Hall (Makawao HI) Agile wing forward finishes well in transition. Andre Darville                                 5’10”  2011   JSerra (San Juan Capistrano CA Scrappy lead guard defends well. Jordan Watson                               6’7”     2011   Price (Los Angeles CA) Improving PF is an active rebounder. * In the upcoming Part II of this report, I will highlight additional players that stood-out at this event. ** Photo courtesy of Nick Koza (SportsAmp.com)

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