Nor Cal JUCO Summer Jamboree

The Nor Cal JUCO Summer Jamboree concluded Friday evening at Skyline College. In viewing the play that day, the following facts and observations were formed. Do keep in mind that the rosters on Friday may or may not look like those which will appear in November:

* Dribble-drives resulting in circus-like shot attempts (with prayers usually not answered) were visible although thankfully not in the number generally appearing at travel team tournaments. Has Congress secretly passed legislation outlawing jump stops? (Or am I just too old?)

*It's seems amazing that the rosters of some teams consist of zero high school qualifiers but then again that's one of the reasons for community college basketball.

* Cañada College is young -- just three sophomores at this point -- but a trio of skilled freshman are 6-foot-7 or taller. They just need to add weight plus strength in order to have a more consistent effectiveness. Also, Coach Mike Reynoso's 'get' of 6-foot-3 Khareym Watson out of Tracy High is promising.

* Borrowing a football term, Contra Costa College has a quarterback and team leader as Bobby (El Cerrito, 2011) Syvanthong will be Comet-ing this season. He didn't shoot much nor look to score but unselfishly set up teammates for good attempts. 6-foot-7 sophomore  Deonte (International Studies Academy, 2009) Smith looked impressive inside. Also suiting up for Coach Miguel Johnson is 6-foot-1 freshman Rae (El Cerrito High, 2013) Jackson.

* Coach Rich Ressa and San Joaquin Delta College are missing the big three of last season and still lack size but the drive-and-kick-to-cutters offensive element is already working well for the Mustangs.

* From the eyes playing tricks department: The passing prowess of DVC's living large 6-foot-6 sophomore Damien (Newark Memorial, 2014) Banford is at the level of Rico Nuno (now at Eastern Washington). Nuno displayed greater shooting range but Banford is a bigger threat down low. His court vision and ability to hit cutters is remarkable for a big and, oftentimes, the DVC's ran its offense through him. Perusing the roster, look for Geo (El Cerrito, 2014) Carleton to be the leading scorer for the Vikings this season -- he finished second at Merritt with 13.3 points per game. Carleton was also utilized in bringing the ball up the court.

* Foothill College still likes those corner jumpers. Coach Matt Stanley has brought in redshirt freshman guard Matt McAndrews from Archbishop Mitty.

* Easy prediction: MPC's 6-foot-2  Isaac (Independence High, Bakersfield, 2014) Clark will be the leading Lobo scorer this season (just as in 2014-15) but he very well could end in the Top 10 in the state. Coach Blake Spiering brought just seven guys to the event so more will be added prior to the season opener.

* Liked two guys on Coach Justin Mora's College of the Redwoods crew: 6-foot-2 point Justin (Fortuna High, 2014) Claus and 6-foot-3  Will (McKinleyville High, 2015) Ingersoll. Simply put, Claus can shoot. The former averaged 13.3 points as a freshman while the latter was the Times-Standard Most Valuable Player last season and showed an adeptness at putting the ball in the basket on dribble-drives.

* City College of San Francisco didn't have Jalen Canty, Shon Briggs or Trevor Dunbar on the court but did show plenty of athleticism, scoring ability and a defensive novelty (at least for summer ball) with a trapping press that definitely hindered opponents. The whereabouts of 6-foot-8 Kendall McIntosh of Freedom High is now known -- Phelan Avenue.

* It's a new season for San Jose City College Coach Percy Carr and a reversal in that, unlike 2014-15, it's both a freshman dominated roster and the Jaguars have two bigs who will play a lot of minutes at the four and five. 6-foot-10 Akil (Evergreen Valley High) Douglas is the only sophomore back and he will team up with 6-foot-9 Jonah (Willow Glen High/Bellarmine College Prep) Underwood. Douglas still needs weight and strength but contains a world of potential and is so long. The lefty can also shoot from the perimeter. 6-foot-9 freshman Deondrick (Salesian High) Wright did not play Friday but is another promising prospect. A pair of frosh, 6-foot-2  Brian King Jr. out of Fresno's Roosevelt High and 6-foot-4 Jonell Burton of MIssion Oak High (Tulare) enjoyed their dribble-drive moments from the backcourt. The Speed City crew will need time to gel and needs a point to emerge. That position may be filled by 5-foot-10 sophomore transfer DeVante Baisa.

* Skyline College is also a young squad but impressive team play was on display play for so early on. Offensively, Coach Justin Piergrossi's bunch employed a series of screens and cuts, followed by passes which resulted in a bevy of Trojans garnering layups.

As always, thanks to Gerry Freitas for another fine event and Skyline College for hosting it.