Fullcourt Press:
Trigonis’ Best Unsigned 2012 Prospects
(December 15, 2011)
After the November signing period dust settled, there weren’t many quality 2012 prospects still available on the market. Headlining the signings were SoCal’s top three seniors: Grant Jerrett (Arizona signee), Katin Reinhardt (UNLV signee) and Gabe York (Arizona signee).
Below I list the 60 best remaining Southern California unsigned seniors – classifying them into three positional categories: (a) Post-Forwards/Combo-Forwards, (b) Wing Forwards/Off-Guards and (c) Point Guards/Combo-Guards. Harvard-Westlake’s Zena Edosomwan is the crown jewel of this remaining bunch of unsigned seniors but there are several prospects still available that have the potential to be solid college players at various levels of play.
Top 2012 Prospect Still On The Board
* Zena Edosomwan 6’8” Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood CA)
Prized recruit still on the board flirted with signing with the likes of USC, Harvard, Cal, Texas, Washington and Wake Forest during the early signing period but decided to wait and further explore all options. Strong, physical and athletic PF made great strides since impressing scouts and media last June at both the Pangos All-American Camp and NBPA Camp. Top national 75-100 prospect is now comfortable scoring with his back to the basket as well as facing up and attacking defenders out to 17 feet. Rugged defender and improving shotblocker is also a force on the defensive end. Since the beginning of the high school season, Zena has attracted more attention from the likes of UCLA (recently offered), UConn and Maryland.
2012 Post-Forwards/Combo-Forwards Of Note (in alphabetical order)
* Arnold Anderson 6’5” Dominguez (Compton CA)
Rangy combo-forward is active on the glass and is a tenacious defender.
* Khaliq Bedart-Ghani 6’7” Loyola (Los Angeles CA) Terrific student is one of the West Coast’s top 2012 sleepers. Khaliq’s evolving game reminds me a lot of Landry Fields (Stanford/NY Knicks) – a versatile forward that is a bona-fide “inside-out” threat. Khaliq has a soft touch on his jump shot that extends to the 3-point line and is also very athletic around the basket.
* Jonathan Benson 6’7” Gahr (Cerritos CA) Springy but inconsistent PF runs floor well and can finish in traffic.
* Connor Clifford 6’10” Ocean View (Huntington Beach CA)
Improving big has soft hands and is an underrated scorer in the paint.
* Davion Draper 6’6” Locke (Los Angeles CA) Very athletic forward rebounds well and has the potential to be a lock-down front-court defender.
* Emani Grant 6’7” St. Bernard (Playa del Rey CA)
Underrated, late-blooming PF has made substantial progress, especially on the offensive end.
* Ryan Hall 6’7” La Habra (La Habra CA) Face-up power-forward put up good numbers last season as a junior but is still somewhat of an unknown commodity.
* Zachary Hollis 6’8” Knight (Palmdale CA)
Post-forward with length is an active rebounder.
* Khalil Johnson 6’8” Price (Los Angeles CA)
One of the most improved players in the 2012 class, Khalil has transferred to Price for his senior season. Long and athletic, Johnson is extremely agile and has intriguing upside.
* Adam Lacey 6’9” San Diego (San Diego CA) Skilled big can score from a multiple number of spots on the floor.
* DJ Muepo 6’6” Dorsey (Los Angeles CA) Undersized but athletic PF is active around the cup but needs to extend range of his offensive skills.
* Daddy Ugbede 6’6” Serra (Gardena CA)
Energetic and physical forward is very productive on both ends of the floor. Mid-major prospect.
2012 Wing Forwards/Off-Guards To Track (in alphabetical order)
* Ronell Abaekobe 6’4” Dorsey (Los Angeles CA)
Rapidly improving SG has nice length, productive scoring skills and is a hard-worker.
* Michael Alvarez 6’3” Calvary Chapel (Downey CA)
Strong off-guard has really improved the accuracy of his perimeter shot. Gahr (Cerritos CA) transfer is also an underrated defender. Very good student.
* Michael Avery 6’5” Crespi (Encino CA)
One-time Kentucky commit (gave a verbal as an 8th grader) is finally eligible at Crespi (his original school) after transferring back to the school last year. While not overly swift or horizontally athletic, Avery is a smart player with good overall scoring skills. Low-mid major prospect is a good student.
* Dreon Bartlett 6’3” Edison (Huntington Beach CA)
Sleek off-guard is very effective getting to the basket off the bounce and is a hawking defender.
* Terrence Fulton 6’4” Cerritos (Cerritos CA)
Scoring swingman had 30 points against Tesoro in an early season win.
* Blake Hamilton 6’4” Pasadena (Pasadena CA)
Athletic wing plays with confidence and is a streaky shooter.
* Marvelle Harris 6’3” Eisenhower (Rialto CA)
Underrated SG attacks the basket with passion and can pull-up for mid-range jump shot as well.
* Isaiah Hicks 6’4” Washington (Los Angeles CA)
Long Beach Jordan transfer runs floor like a deer but his perimeter skills need improvement.
* Anthony January 6’7” Taft (Woodland Hills CA)
Athletic and wiry small forward has improved immensely over the past year. Although committed to UTEP since last summer, January did not sign and is still technically a recruitable prospect with some scouts believing that JUCO could be a destination before he arrives in El Paso or another D-I location. Mid-major-plus or higher prospect.
* Reece Lemon 6’6” JSerra (San Juan Capistrano CA)
Shooter with size moves well without the ball.
* Braiten Madrigal 6’3” St. John Bosco (Bellflower CA) Excellent student has legitimate 3-point range.
* Darryl Mathews 6’4” St. John Bosco (Bellflower CA) Strong wing can score in spurts but his “consistency” is an area worth monitoring this season.
* Brendan Otero 6’6” Palisades (Los Angeles CA)
Long swingman has improved his mid-range game. Solid student.
* Josh Ramirez 6’4” Ayala (Chino Hills CA)
Spot-up shooter is an underrated defender. Good student.
* Tevin Polk 6’2” Muir (Pasadena CA)
Crafty scorer is quick to the cup off the dribble.
* Jared Ponce 6’2” Ayala (Chino Hills CA)
Long-range shooter with range is a terrific student .
* Tyler Ponce 6’2” Ayala (Chino Hills CA)
Tough off-guard can slash to the basket and score. Very good student.
* Austin Pope 6’4” Burbank (Burbank CA)
Versatile player can play a variety of perimeter positions. Low-mid-major prospect.
* Victor Robbins 6’5” Compton (Compton CA)
Strong swing-man has always had the physical package but has shown signs since last summer of finally acquiring the overall skills and feel for the game that could make him a hot spring 2012 recruit. Mid-high major potential.
* Dakarai Tucker 6’4” Serra (Gardena CA)
Agile wing can score in a variety of ways and has excellent long-term upside.
* Ahmad Walker 6’4” Culver City (Culver City CA)
Efficient off-guard can score at a high clip.
* Dion Wright 6’5” Mayfair (Lakewood CA)
Skilled swingman has a very nice basketball IQ, but needs to improve the mechanics and accuracy on his jumpshot to garner interest above the low-mid major level.
* Ryan Wright 6’5” Palmdale (Palmdale CA)
Very strong and athletic small-forward is an intriguing prospect that mid-major programs should closely track this season.
* Jalen Young 6’4” Roosevelt (Corona CA)
Much improved lefty off-guard is a productive wing scorer. Very good student.
2012 Point Guards/Combo-Guards To Follow (in alphabetical order)
* Chass Bryan 5’9” Oaks Christian (Westlake Village CA)
Small, but quick point can score and has plenty of basketball savvy.
* Justin Childress 6’1” Loyola (Los Angeles CA)
Steady lead guard makes sounds decisions and never stops competing. Good student.
* Chris Croom 5’9” Poly (Long Beach CA)
Speedy point can penetrate defenses.
* Trey Dickerson 5’10” Price (Los Angeles CA)
Quick point guard plays with swagger but the Montclair Prep transfer needs to display the sound decision-making necessary to generate the D-I respect he believes he deserves.
* Landon Drew 6’0” Fairfax (Los Angeles CA)
Younger brother of UNC/UCLA point Larry Drew II is not flashy, but just a solid playmaker that needs a big year this season to prove he is more than just a low-D-I prospect.
* Patrick Gonzalez 6’2” Providence (Burbank CA)
High-scoring combo-guard has three-point range.
* Max Guercy 5’9” Alemany (Mission Hills CA)
Small but very confident floor general makes plays and has extended range on his perimeter shot. Love his intensity and ability to put up big numbers.
* Demetrius Harris 5’11” Morningside (Inglewood CA)
Very good defender has a solid handle.
* Jacob Hazzard 6’0” Loyola (Los Angeles CA)
Grandson of the late Walt Hazzard is a combo-guard that possesses one of the sweetest shooting strokes on the West Coast.
* Jimmy Jackson 6’0” Cypress (Cypress CA)
Scrappy PG has quick ball skills that allow him to handle defensive pressure well.
* Shawn Joseph 6’2” Roosevelt (Corona CA)
Combo-guard has perimeter scoring ability.
* Steven Jones 6’0” Taft (Woodland Hills CA)
Strong and athletic combo-guard is a definite SoCal sleeper in this class.
* Chris Kapano 6’0” Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos CA)
Heady combo-guard is a tough competitor.
* Kajon Mack 6’2” Serra (Gardena CA)
Very underrated combo-guard is a dangerous perimeter shooter that must be guarded. Mid-major sleeper is an excellent defender.
* Anthony Martinez 6’0” Gahr (Cerritos CA)
Under the radar lead guard has an excellent pull-up jump shot and a reliable handle that keeps opposing defenses at bay. Held his own with many top national recruits while playing with the Latin American squad at last June’s adidas Nations event.
* Austin Mills 6’1” Beverly Hills (Beverly Hills CA)
Combo-guard is a terrific three-point shooter that has improved his ability to run a squad. Good student.
* Cameron Osorno 6’2” La Verne Lutheran (La Verne CA)
Sharp-shooting combo is also an underrated defender. Osorno’s 3-point shooting was a huge reason why La Verne Lutheran knocked off Arizona-bound Brandon Ashley and Bishop O’Dowd last March to capture the California State Division III title. Good student.
* Matt Ponce 5’10” Ayala (Chino Hills CA)
Small but scrappy point guard plays to win and his 3-point shot is a weapon that must be dealt with by opposing defenses. Very good student.
* Keywon Powns 6’2” Westchester (Los Angeles CA)
High-scoring combo has the athleticism to be a factor at both ends of the floor.
* Eli Stalzer 6’3” Mater Dei (Santa Ana CA)
Cerebral combo-guard is deceptively athletic and is a very good perimeter shooter with range that extends to the 3-point arc. Mid-major prospect.
* Brendyn Taylor 6’2” Fairfax (Los Angeles CA)
Younger brother of former Oregon star Bryce Taylor has developed into a bona-fide D-I combo-guard prospect in his own right.
* Jordan Walker 6’0” Santa Monica (Santa Monica CA)
Quick point has nice ability to evade defensive pressure.
