Fullcourt Press Southern California
Pre-Summer Class of 2011 Rankings: Combo-Forwards
by Dinos Trigonis
(June 2, 2010)
This is the fourth of a five part series of 2011 rankings that will be released over the next week or so. Unlike some other media sources that don’t fully understand that the college and pro game positions are inherently different for many reasons too detailed to discuss here, the Fullcourt Press has always broken down its rankings into 5 different position areas: (a) Centers/Post-Forwards, (b) Combo-Forwards, (c) Wing Forwards/Off-Guards, (d) Combo-Guards and (e) Point Guards. These position categories reflect how multi-dimensional the college game has become and how much the concept of “versatility” is valued by college coaches. These rankings reflect both current player talent level/skills as well as their “upside” or potential. The Fullcourt Press also tends to value “intangibles” (e.g. work-ethic, attitude, character, leadership, basketball IQ, etc.) more than several of our fellow West Coast scouts. We also feel that projecting a player’s potential involves not just looking forward but also reflecting on a player’s past body of work. We believe that this overall and comprehensive perspective gives us a better read of a player’s present and future capabilities. We have ranked the top players in each of our five position categories from 1-10 with others deserving consideration listed further below. For purposes of these rankings: “Southern California” is the area bordering the Fresno area to the north and the Mexican Border to the south.
We will update these 2011 rankings again in late August/early September – after we get a chance to digest how much all of these players either improve or digress between now and the July recruiting period. Additional players will be added to the list below in future reports as we get a chance to see and discover other prospects at future events like the Fullcourt Press All-West Camp this summer.
Listed below are the top Combo-Forwards in Southern California’s Class of 2011. For the purposes of discussion of this term, “combo-forwards” here refers to players than can both play on the block as well as “face-up” away from the basket. Anderson has emerged as a fast-rising hot 2011 commodity and presently claims the positional #1 spot here, Garrett (a pro baseball prospect) is an intriguing player with much upside, Davis is a smooth and versatile forward that should spark significant interest this July while Watson and Maxwell are two sleepers that could open eyes this summer. Norman, Ndiaye, Bradley, Alston and Greene are all vastly improved players worthy of long looks.
2011 Combo-Forwards
1 Ryan Anderson 6’7” Poly (Long Beach CA)
Very skilled forward has a nice “inside-out” offensive game that makes him a tough defensive match-up. Excellent perimeter shooter is also a fine passér for a forward. Anderson runs the floor well and can finish in transition too. Very good student has enjoyed a growth spurt over the past year and now seems to be pushing 6’8”. Ryan is receiving strong recruiting interest from Cal, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Washington State, UCLA, Arizona, San Francisco, UNLV, Oregon State and Penn.
2. Amir Garrett 6’6” Leuzinger (Lawndale CA)
Garrett (a highly regarded Major League baseball pitching prospect) is a swift athlete that attacks the basket and can score both in the paint and off the dribble from the perimeter. Amir (a Las Vegas native) has improved his outside shot and continued development in that area is crucial if he is to be considered a full-time “3” at the high-major level. Garrett is hearing from the likes of Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Butler, Saint Mary’s and Villanova.
3. Jonathan Davis 6’7” Simi Valley (Simi Valley CA)
Smooth and skilled combo-forward has a nice feel for the game and can score in a variety of ways. Utah and Hawaii have offered so far while Arizona State, Cal, Notre Dame, UNLV, UC-Davis, Fresno State, Colorado and Santa Clara are showing interest.
4. Sharif Watson 6’5” Rowland (Rowland Heights CA)
Very good athlete (also high jumps on HS track team) plays above the rim and can also get to the cup off the bounce. Long and wiry frame makes him a potential lock-down defender. Sharif is hearing from Utah, Montana State, Loyola Marymount, Fresno State and Pacific.
5. Stephen Maxwell 6’5” Taft (Woodland Hills CA)
Aggressive and strong swingman can get to the basket and finish. Good student is hearing from Washington, San Francisco, Montana and Penn showing interest.
6. Eric Norman 6’7” Parker (San Diego CA)
Skilled swingman has an impressive mid-range game as well as a potent 3-point stroke. Very good student is hearing from schools including Yale, Harvard, Penn, Columbia, UC-Santa Barbara, Oregon, Fresno State, Portland, San Francisco, San Diego State and Hawaii.
7. Dame Ndiaye 6’5” Hoover (San Diego CA)
Strong and physical forward has range on his jump shot. Solid student is a good defender and rebounder.
8. Marcus Bradley 6’6” Beaumont (Beaumont CA)
Agile slashing scorer and dependable rebounder has solid academic credentials.
9. Aaron Alston 6’6” Hesperia (Hesperia CA)
Athletic forward with tons of upside is a very underrated prospect in this class.
10. Dylan Greene 6’5” Canyon (Anaheim CA)
Agile forward is deceptively athletic and can finish in transition. Good student is a very improved scorer as well.
Other 2011 Combo-Forwards To Follow
* Marcus Bagnerise 6’6” Blair (Pasadena CA)
Athletic forward is a good defender and slashing scorer. A strong summer could likely propel him into the Top 10 here.
* Ryan Ena 6’5” El Camino (Oceanside CA)
Aggressive forward is a consistent rebounder.
* Shannon Fowler 6’5” Roosevelt (Corona CA)
Defensive rebounder has an underrated jump hook and is a real competitor.
* Christian Mkpado 6’5” San Marcos (San Marcos CA)
Active forward runs floor well and is assertive on the glass. Tremendous student broke his knee-cap recently and is out of action until August.
* Alex Moreno 6’5” Sylmar (Sylmar CA)
Very good on-ball defender is an aggressive post presence.
* Max Frazier 6’7” Brentwood (Los Angeles CA)
Vastly improved scoring forward is one to keep an eye on this summer.
* Nicholas Holden 6’6” Pasadena (Pasadena CA)
Energetic forward has the defensive versatility to guard all 5 positions. Very good student.
* Andrew Hyde 6’4” Western Christian (Upland CA)
Undersized forward plays hard and is an exceptional student.
* Mike Oloya 6’5” Kearny (San Diego CA)
Strong wing forward is an assertive defender.
* Jovan Pearson 6’5” Cabrillo (Long Beach CA)
Raw forward is strong and athletic and has an impressive work ethic.
* Ernest Pettaway 6’5” Poly (Long Beach CA)
Aggressive wing uses body well to score in traffic. Very good student too.
* CJ Rayford 6’5” Mission Bay (San Diego CA)
Physical rebounder and defender gives excellent effort.
* Matt Ryan 6’5” St. Augustine (San Diego CA)
Face-up shooter also scores well in the classroom.
* Joseff Singleton 6’5” View Park (Los Angeles CA)
Crafty scorer and good student.
* Greg Townsend 6’4” Beverly Hills (Beverly Hills CA)
Very physical forward is also a top football prospect (ranked as the #35 national prospect by Rivals.com. Father played for the Oakland Raiders.
