Belmont Shore Starts Spring Season On Right Foot By Capturing 2008 Las Vegas Easter Classic By Dinos Trigonis (April 3, 2008)   The 2008 Las Vegas Easter Classic kicked off the spring season recently (March 20-22) and it was Belmont Shore outlasting a 64 team field (which included top national-caliber teams like 2008 runner-up Las Vegas Prospects, Houston Hoops, Team Odom LA and Branch West-Team Reebok) to bring home the hardware. Tourney MVP 6’3” senior Kyle Fogg (Brea-Olinda/Brea CA) pumped in 30 points and elite 5”11” freshman point guard Cezar Guerrero (St. John Bosco/Bellflower CA) added 28 more

to power Belmont Shore to a narrow 86-85 win over the Las Vegas Prospects.  6’9” junior Stephan Van Treese (Lawrence North/Indianapolis IN) battling the flu contributed 15 points/11 boards to Belmont’s winning effort.  Belmont Shore’s 7-0 run to the title included a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Fogg to edge Branch West 56-53 in the semi-finals as well as a memorable 74-69 OT win over Team Odom in the quarter-finals. Scouts/media on hand this year were Dinos Trigonis (Fullcourt Press & Hoop Scoop), Clark Francis (Hoop Scoop), Van Coleman (Hoopmasters), Chris Cook (Nevada Prep Report & Hoop 101) and Etop Udo-Ema (Fullcourt Press & Hoopmasters).  Below we focus on several of the event’s top players. Kyle Fogg         6’3”     2008   Brea-Olinda (Brea CA) Nationally unknown prospect served notice that scouts should not close the chapter on the Class of 2009 top prospects yet!  Versatile combo-guard has great ability to knock down shots in transition, attacks the basket with authority and is a terrific defender.  Fogg had 40 points (25 in 1st half) in a first-round play-off win over Salt Lake Select and 27 points (including 8 game-clinching points) in the OT win over Team Odom.  Fogg is starting to see his recruiting pick-up tremendously and is also exploring attending a prep school next year.

Mason Plumlee     6’11”  2009   Christ School (Arden NC) Recent Duke commit is an intriguing prospect to say the least and has as much upside as any prospect in 2009.  Long, skilled and mobile (as well as multi-dimensional), Plumlee is a player that defies the normal stereotypical basketball positions and has the ability to be used everywhere on the floor, including beyond the 3-point line.  Plumlee anchored Belmont Shore’s infamous 2-3 zone defense and his tremendous shot-blocking ability gave opposing teams fits all tourney long.

Jordan Hamilton      6’7”     2009   Dominguez (Compton CA) Although battling illness, Hamilton is too much a competitor to not give 100% and he sparked Team Odom to 4 straight wins before falling to Belmont Shore in what proved to be a great OT quarter-final match-up.  Nobody has deeper range on his jump shot than Hamilton. Stephan Van Treese    6’9”     2009   Lawrence North (Indianapolis IN Athletic blue-collar post workhouse performed under the weather here, but there is no question that he has the heart and the motor to be a productive high-major player.   Van Treese has deceptive range on his jump shot and runs the floor like a deer.  Indiana, Kansas, UCLA, Louisville, Duke and many others in pursuit.

James Dean   6’3”     2008   Hargrave Military (Chatham VA) Aggressive wing provided plenty of leadership and passion during Belmont Shore’s championship run.  Underrated shooter and defender is simply a winner.  Great student (4.75 GPA) was a key player on the two most recent titles (2007 Rbk Summer Championships & 2008 Las Vegas Easter Classic) that Belmont Shore has won.  Las Vegas native is starting to attract interest from the likes of Long Beach State and UC-Riverside. Anthony Marshall  6’2”     2009   Mojave (North Las Vegas NV) Crafty and athletic scorer poured in a game-high 32 points (including 4 “threes”) to knock out tourney #1 seed Houston Hoops in the semi-finals.  You won’t find a better underclass competitor on West Coast.

Bobby Capobianco    6’8”     2009   Loveland (Loveland OH) Strong as an ox inside with soft hands that allow him to be a potent post threat, Bobby goes to war on the boards and is a solid defender.  Marquette and West Virginia are among a growing number of schools to value his services. Cezar (CJ) Guerrero   5’11”  2011   St. John Bosco (Bellflower CA) Dynamic point guard had a coming out party in Vegas, dazzling on-lookers with his terrific skill package as well as impressive scoring ability.  CJ’s 28 point/7 assist performance in the championship game was as good a frosh effort in a 17 & under game as I have witnessed in a long time!  Although Cezar has plenty of room for improvement in his game (e.g. decision-making), there is no question that he is the #1 point prospect in California’s Class of 2011.

Jeremy Tyler            6’10”  2010   San Diego (San Diego CA) Young monster post was inconsistent at times here but there is no denying his immense potential to be an impact player at the elite college level. Hollis Thompson   6’7”     2009   Loyola (Los Angeles CA) Hollis sprained his ankle early in pool play and was sidelined the rest of the event.  Nobody on the West Coast personifies the term “student-athlete” better than Thompson (a Georgetown commit). Keith Gallon     6’8”     2009   Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson VA) Huge post scored 26 points in Houston Hoops’ semi-final loss to Las Vegas Prospects.  Remarkably agile for his size, Gallon is a force to be reckoned with in the paint. Eric Wise      6’5”     2008   King (Riverside CA) Undersized but physical power-forward simply produces and wins.  Father Francois played for Tex Winter at Long Beach State. Darius Morris    6’3”     2009   Windward (Los Angeles CA) Point guard with much upside showed off an improved perimeter jump shot here.  Losing Morris (and his court savvy) at the end of regulation hurt Team Odom’s chances in its OT loss to Belmont Shore. Austin Morgan      6’0”     2009   Reno (Reno NV) Cerebral point has a nice feel for the game and is an excellent team player.  Morgan had a team-high 17 points in a quarter-final 68-61 win over West Jordan UT. Justin Cobbs   6’1”     2009   Bishop Montgomery (Torrance CA) Solid defender has a steady handle and plays with intensity.  Cobbs has the kind of strong body coaches crave in a PG as well as accurate perimeter range. Raveon Samuel    6’5”     2008   Canyon Springs (Las Vegas NV) Strong and very athletic wing forward also showed off a very improved jump shot here.  Evan Smith   6’7”     2009   Calabasas (Calabasas CA) USC commit is an agile swingman with a consistent and dangerous three-point stroke.  One of SoCal’s top sleepers in this class. Tyler Honeycutt   6’7”     2009   Sylmar (Sylmar CA) Intriguing forward is oozing with potential.  Athletic as well as agile, Tyler has tremendous upside. Mike Elliott   6’0”     2008   El Dorado (Las Vegas NV) Elliott is a quality lead guard with an underrated perimeter stroke. Moses Morgan   6’5”     2010   Palo Verde (Las Vegas NV) Young wing prospect has very nice basketball instincts and can score in a variety of ways. Chris Cunningham   6’9”     2009   Diamond Ranch (Diamond Bar CA) Hard-working power forward rebounds well and has the physique to be a factor on the next level. Ben Vozzola   6’4”     2010   Centennial (Las Vegas NV) Vozzola has a high-major perimeter stroke and is a very good student (3.4 GPA). Michael Avery  6’4”     2012   Lake Sherwood CA Avery is an 8th grader playing up with the big boys in the 17 & under division and he fared well – knocking down opportunity jump shots as well as impressing onlookers with his nice court instincts.  A future star, Avery contributed to Belmont Shore’s 7-0 run to the title. Jonathan Loyd   5’8”     2010   Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas NV) Fiesty playmaker has excellent drive-and-kick ability. Christopher Perry              6’4”     2010   Desert Pines (Las Vegas NV) Athletic wing played well in the championship game –slashing to the basket with success as well as using his length to defend well.