Jeremy Russotti/Sacramento Valley's Finest

Here is Jeremy Russotti once again with another of his training events. Get to one of these especially if you are a guard or wing, Jeremy's specialty training areas.

Sacramento Valley's Finest Player Evaluations
December 7, 2010
   
October 2 and 3 marked the 3rd Annual Sac Valley Finest Showcase Event. Once again it was a huge success with approximately 125 players in attendance from the Central Valley.

The drills sessions were impressive and each guy worked very hard, was attentive, and reaped the knowledge the training staff had to offer. Evaluation games followed the drills sessions and below is a write-up of the top players from the event.

Sac Valley Finest Notable Players

# Demetri Dartis - 2011 - 6'4 Guard - McClatchy HS

Has a great body for a wing player at the next level. Big, strong and very quick first step to go along with his improved skill level. His shot has gotten tremendously better from last year, but still needs to work on his mechanics. If he can continue to develop and put in the time in the gym he can play at the next level in college.

# Thomas Fitzgerald - 2014 - 6'7 Forward - Pleasant Grove HS

A young freshman, Thomas had a good start to the camp before he got hurt. He has size and length and obviously is still maturing. His skill set is pretty solid; he has great potential and showed very well in the skill training sessions. He was coordinated and athletic and needs to keep working so he can play both inside and outside. Thomas has a bright future if he continues to work.

# Austin Johnson - 2011 - 6'6 Forward - Amador HS

Austin is very long and uses his length to his advantage. His footwork has improved a ton from the previous year, and he now is finishing around the rim better too. He still needs to work on his outside shot but if he can improve that throughout the year he has the ability to be a really good player for Amador this year.

# Jimmy Keating - 2012 - 5'11 PG - Foothill HS

Jimmy is a very tough-nosed get after it type of player. He used his quickness to either get by players or his savvy to get them up in the air and draw a foul. He shot it very well from three during the weekend, and also was a solid distributor when getting into the lane. Look for him to have a big year at Foothill.

# Jerrell Green - 2011 - 6'6 Forward - Bear Creek HS

Jerrell is a big body post player who has some good bounce in his legs. He is a strong kid who has gotten better at finishing around the rim this year. He still needs to work on his passing out of the post, but that will come with more experience and playing time. For him to continue to get better he needs to keep playing against better competition at the post spots.

# Mitesh Patel - 2012 - 5'9 Combo - Christian Brothers HS

Mitesh was very good throughout the weekend.  He had a very high IQ for the game and shot the basketball really well.  He played both the 1 and the 2 and really shot the ball well from 3. Mitesh had a great feel for the game and had a great passion for the game. He did not look imposing but simply made play after play and his play stood out.

# Ota Okung Dowa - 2011 - 6'3 Wing - Monterey Trail HS

Ota might have been the best athlete at the camp. He has a college body and played extremely hard. He was a great finisher and when aggressive was nearly impossible to stop. He possesses great lateral bounce and was extremely aggressive to the basket.  If he continues to work on his outside shot he will be a good player at the next level.  Big time rebounder from his wing position and can really defend.  His on ball perimeter defense caused a lot of players problems when he guarded them.

# Andre Beard Jr. - 2012 - 6'4 Wing - Weston Ranch HS

Andre continues to show improvement in his game. He has a big strong body and when he is aggressive is very hard to guard.  Andre attacks the basket very well and finishes pretty well. Andre needs to continue to work on his mid range game so he will be harder to guard. When Andre wants to, he really rebounds well for his position. Andre has to play with a lot of energy on both ends and under control and he will be really hard to contain. He possesses great size and strength and had a great weekend.

# Andre Jones 2011 - 6'3 Wing - Rocklin HS

Andre has a personality to go with his game. He plays with relentless energy and simply makes plays on both ends of the floor. His all around game continues to get better and better. Andre finishes at the rim and is very hard to guard. He has a solid handle and when he shoots it consistently he will be extremely hard to guard. Andre is long and has great size for his position. He's very coachable and picks up things extremely quickly.  Andre was simply outstanding over the 2 days and one of the better players at the camp. He is going to have a  huge year this upcoming season and should be one of the better players in the Sacramento area.

# Kyle Peterson 2011 - 6'1 Combo - Rocklin HS

Kyle had a great showing over the weekend and simply made play after play. He simply possesses the best skill in basketball which is the ability to shoot the basketball. Kyle knocked down 3's and has a great mid range game. He handled the ball and made plays. Kyle and Andre will be compliments to each other this year at Rocklin and should be one of the better guard tandems in the Sacramento area. Kyle also is relentless in trying to make plays whether it be for himself or his teammates and he's always in attack mode.

# Xaiver Manske 2012 6-3 Wing/SF McNair High School

Xavier is an undersized small forward who has a great knack for the ball. He's very intense in and around the basket and finishes well. He was possibly the hardest working kid in the gym this weekend. Xavier has decent ball handling skills but needs to work hard on his right hand before going on to the next level. He also can spend some time working on his midrange game, as he lacks a solid jump shot. If he can continue to work on those areas, he will help a team at the next level.

# Blake Williams 2012 6-2 PG Kennedy HS

Blake had a strong showing at this year's event. He is strong and physical, but with a smooth game as well. He is also one of the more athletic guards you will find in SAC. He can defend, play his position well, but like most guards, needs to improve his outside shot. He should be one of the stronger junior point guards in the SAC area this year.

# Quinn Ryan 2015 6-4 SF (8th Grader)

We usually don't let 8th graders into our events but Quinn's future high school coach begged us and said Quinn wouldn't disappoint. And after his showing, he definitely showed enough to warrant future recognition. Quinn is 6-4, has guard skills, and only in the 8th grade. He shows a lot of potential but of course it is very difficult to gauge the potential of an 8th grader. With that said, he has the biggest advantage of any other player from the event, in that he was exposed to the high competition level and understands that his skill level will determine his future success.

# Kyron Gumbs-Cooper 2012 6-0 2G Valley HS

Like all Valley High school players, Kyron is super tough and competitive. Kyron loves the game and seemed to always have a smile on his face. He is super bouncy, loves to defend, and can get to the basket. The other Valley guys fit this mold as well, but Kyron stood out just a little more to deserve recognition.

Jeremy Russotti's SAC Town event

This coming weekend (October 2 and 3), Jeremy Russotti is holding his Sacramento Valley's Finest training event. The most appropriate message to offer is if you aren't going to be there, then you aren't serious about improving your skills set.

From Jeremy's site:

The idea for the "The Finest" Showcase events came about by Jeremy Russotti with the vision for a more positive, beneficial, and true grassroots basketball events in areas that were overlooked. Back in 2001-2002, two of coach Russotti's former players received basketball scholarships to the PAC-10 Conference. Ironically, both of them were never invited to any local or national so-called "exposure events"; overlooked mostly because of the area they resided in. At that point, Russotti knew a quality showcase event could really help draw needed attention to any area, resulting in more recruting resources for top local talent. More importantly, he realized the importance of INSTRUCTIONAL SKILL TRAINING vs EXPOSURE and the impact it had on his player's future recruitments. Therefore, the main focus of the event will be on skill building (6 total hours), with the added bonus of 4-5 games of evaluated exposure games.

Not only will the event be endorsed by various scouting services, but also will include a report written by 1% CLUB Basketball that is emailed to over 1,700 coaches at the D2, NAIA, National JUCO and California JUCO programs (free of charge). Says camp director Jeremy Russotti, "We really take pride in spreading our message about individual skill building and how it can really drive your future recruitment process. The success of Josh Akognon, has really come full circle, backing our message that was started five years ago. Also, there is a lot of talent in the Sacramento Valley region that various colleges or junior colleges never get the chance to see or read about. Furthermore, we want to help bridge these connections, while trying to build intrinsic motivation within our attendee's to the importance of skill building in their daily routines.....and not just playing games."

The two-day event, which will be held at Consumes River Junior College, will run from 11-5:30 pm.

Go here and begin checking out Jeremy's entire site. He conducts training events throughout the state.