2011 Fullcourt Press Spring League: Report I (March 8, 2011) The 2011 Fullcourt Press Spring League tipped-off last Sunday (March 6th) at Cabrillo HS (Long Beach CA) and consisted of 10 individual (“Select”) teams as well as 18 club (“Elite”) squads such as Belmont Shore, Team Elite 40, Cal Select, CABC, Cali Rebels, Cali Style and Skywalkers with other squads like California Supreme, Compton Magic, Organized Chaos, 805, NOC Stars and Belmont Shore Gold scheduled to join them in the near future.  Media on-hand on opening day included Dinos Trigonis (Fullcourt Press, Hoop Scoop & Nothing But Net), Matt Rodriguez (Ballislife.com), Sean Ceglinsky (ESPNLA.com), Johnny Hernandez (Next Level Connect & Elite 40) and Alan Utter (BruinBlitz.com/Rivals.com). There are several players participating.  Listed below are a few of those top performers:

Darnell Taylor                                 6’2”     2011   Crenshaw (Los Angeles CA) Active and athletic combo-guard is one of the top West Coast 2011 prospects still on the board.  Taylor was as impressive as any player in the league on opening day – scoring on athletic drives to the bucket, pulling-up from 3-point range and harassing opponents all game long. Anthony January                           6’7”     2012   Compton (Compton CA) Very improved combo-forward appears to have grown and despite not playing since December (parents decided to have him home-schooled) exhibited an improved skill set and a nifty passing ability.  Jump shot looks more polished and was very active around the basket – finishing high above the rim on several occasions.  Vast upside if his basketball IQ continues to improve.

Isaac Hamilton                                6’5”     2013   Crenshaw (Los Angeles CA) Smooth wing has a very polished offensive game and is a “jack of all trades” scorer.  Underrated ballhandler and defender is already listed high on national 2013 lists. Nick Colletta                                    6’5”     2013   Glendora (Glendora CA) After a very successful 2010-11 season where he averaged a team-high 24.1 points and 7.7 boards per game, Colletta has emerged as one of the top soph prospects in California.  Excellent student is a very confident scorer, especially from 3-point range and has also improved his defensive quickness. Austin Mills                                      6’1”     2012   Beverly Hills (Beverly Hills CA) Very good student (3.4 GPA) put on a shooting exhibition on Sunday – nailing

“threes” from all corners of the court!  Mills is one of SoCal’s top 2012 sleepers and a very underrated all-around lead guard. Alex Fertig                                        6’3”     2012   Buchanan (Fresno CA) Son of former USC and Fresno State assistant Jack Fertig has great intangibles and is a reliable perimeter scorer.  Very good student is a hard-nosed defender. Mervin Lindsay                               6’5”     2011   Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley CA) Lefty shooter has range on his jumper and is a fine passer.  Young for his grade, Merv is considering going the prep school route next fall. Marcus Bradley                              6’6”     2011   Corona del Mar (Newport Beach CA) Strong and athletic forward has an excellent motor and a deceptive mid-range game.

Patrick Macauley-Gonzalez         6’2”     2012   Providence (Burbank CA)  High scoring 2012 sleeper prospect led California in scoring this year (37.8 points per game). Roy Gordon                                     6’3”     2010   Leuzinger (Lawndale CA) Crafty 2010 Leuzinger grad is an off-guard that uses his burly strength to score effectively inside as well as beat defenders off the dribble.  Gray-shirted this year and is looking for a college home for the 2011-12 season. Marcus Schneider                          6’6”     2012   Upland (Upland CA) Wiry forward runs the floor well and finishes with regularity.  Solid defender. Aaron Wright                                   6’3”     2011   Cerritos (Cerritos CA) Late-blooming point guard with length just committed to UC-Irvine. Josh Ramirez                                  6’5”     2012   Ayala (Chino Hills CA) Strong wing has nice size as well as an accurate perimeter shot.

Isaac Deese                                     5’9”     2014   Millikan (Long Beach CA) Quick PG has an impressive pull-up jump shot that extends beyond the 3-point stripe. Braiten Madrigal                             6’3”     2012   St. John Bosco (Bellflower CA)Sharp-shooting wing-guard was tingling the twine on Sunday.  Excellent student too. Sean McMullen                               6’4”     2012   Ayala (Chino Hills CA) Assertive swingman rebounds well. Ziad Damanhoury                          6’7”     2013   La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla CA Wide-body is a load down low and can score consistently on the block. Daniel Hamilton                              6’6”     2014   Crenshaw (Los Angeles CA) The youngest Hamilton is in the midst of a sizeable growth spurt and there is no sign that he is done growing.  Cut from the same cloth as older brothers (Jordan and Isaac), Daniel can score with the best in his class. Intriguing upside! Jalen Young                                                6’4”     2012   Roosevelt (Corona CA) Well-built wing is a versatile perimeter player. Jovan Pearson                               6’5”     2011   Cabrillo (Long Beach CA Hardworking combo-forward plays sound defense and has improved his perimeter touch. Mason Shepard                              6’5”     2015   Santa Monica CA Strong and physical forward is oozing with potential. Ian Fox                                              5’11”  2014   Redondo Union (Redondo Beach CA) Playmaker has plenty of savvy and the skill set to soon be on the recruiting radar. Ronell Abaekobe                            6’4”     2012   King-Drew (Los Angeles CA) Sleek wing is a very good slasher to the cup. Derryck Thornton                          5’10”  2016   Simi Valley CA Talented middle schooler does more than hold his own against older high school competition. Tyler Burch                                      6’4”     2015   Fountain Valley CA Young wing is very long and has a dangerous three-point stroke. Jason Dickson                                6’6”     2014   Santiago (Corona CA) Freshman “big” with good size is one to track. Joe Covarrubias                            6’1”     2014   St. John Bosco (Bellflower CA)Younger cousin of Cezar Guerrero has bona-fide scoring instincts. Brayden Morse                               6’4”     2013   Wilson (Long Beach CA) Spot-up shooter runs floor well. Justin Ifkewenique                                    5’9”     2013   Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth CA) Although ineligible this past season due to transferring from Loyola, Justin is a “pass-first” PG who loves to drive and kick. Sedrick Barefield                            5’9”     2015   Temecula CA Skilled playmaker is crafty off the bounce. Matt Herring                                     6’4”     2014   Santiago (Corona CA) Young wing has a fluid outside shot. Devon Honomichl                          5’10”  2012   Cibola (Albuquerque NM) Smart lead guard is quick with the rock and is a fine passer. Nnambi Okongwu                          6’7”     2015   Chino Hills CA Raw but very athletic post-forward has great upside. Cody Riley                                       6’5”     2017   Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth CA) It is extremely rare for me to talk about 6thgraders but Riley is a “rare” 6thgrader – literally a man playing with boys at the middle school level.  Riley led his Cali Style 6thgrade squad to a very impressive victory over a talented 8thgrade team on Sunday. This is the first of four reports highlighting league play and will note additional standouts in the upcoming weeks. ** Photos courtesy of Nick Koza (SportsAmp.com)

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