Here are the talents who stood out but do remember not all teams/players were seen and that rosters in July aren't necessarily going to be the same come November -- there will be both additions and subtractions.
American River College
* Chad Haysbert
The Center High grad is back for his second season with Coach Mark Giorgi and showed good mobility and the ability to put the ball on the floor and head to the basket. The interesting element of his game is that he plays more as a wing but stands 6-foot-9.
* Marcus Reeves
At 6-foot-10, the former Johnson (Sacramento) High player is a newcomer but came out with the starting five. He's a little slim but athletic and one whose development is worthy of monitoring.
6-foot-2 freshman backcourter Daniel Smith, also out of Center High, is also on the ARC roster.
Contra Costa College
The most noteworthy element emerging from viewing the Comets is how just animated the players on the bench are in encouraging the five on the court. Playing physical, aggressive defense is close behind.
* 6-foot-6 Tyler West, 6-foot-7 Juan (Sacramento High) Parker and 6-foot-6 Joshua (Bethel High) Bynum are going to provide solid frontcourt options for Coach Miguel Johnson this coming season. Plus, he'll have a bevy of diminutive but extremely quick guards at his disposal.
* 6-foot-1 Davion Mize and 6-foot-4 Daseion Cole are Contra Costa freshmen from Salesian High and Bethel High respectively.
DeAnza College
* Denzel Copeland
The 5-foot-9 sophomore out of Santa Teresa High demonstrated he could take it to the hoop and also shoot from outside. He'll be surrounded by more weapons this season.
* Nolan Williams
Out of Chicago, the 6-foot-5 sophomore is very smooth with his ballhandling and maneuverability inside. Look for Williams or Copeland to be the top scorer for the Dons this season.
* Abu Tratter
From St. Francis High, nobody displayed greater physical abilities than the 6-foot-6 Tratter -- from a standstill, he sprang up from a pack of players around the hoop, missing the dunk but demonstrating his ultra explosiveness.
Diablo Valley College
The Vikings are Goins-less this coming season but have loaded up on newcomers along with a couple of holdovers.
* Mike Harris
The 6-foot-4 transfer from Cal Lutheran is going to be the top scorer for Coach Steve Coccimiglio and a more-than-likely All-state selection come March. He's an inside-outside scorer and solid rebounder.
* Juwan (Liberty High) Blakely, Conner (Northgate High) Jean, Jelani (Freedom High) Hardaway, Justin (El Cerrito High) Johnson, John (Fairfield High) Ocon and Noah (Deer Valley High) LaBonte are all incoming frosh to the Vikings team and each will contribute in the 2012-13 season.
Foothill College
Coach Rosenberg has more players coming in once school begins in the fall but 6-foot-6 former Serra frontcourter Stephen Grossy, while needing to add strength, displayed the capability of handling a point forward role.
Fresno City College
Coach Ed Madec's bunch didn't shoot all that well from outside but penetrated and passed unselfishly and well as a collective. Ex-Deer Valley guard Olajuwon Garner is a new freshman Ram.
San Jose City College
Coach Percy Carr is back for another season and there is a distinct current lack of height on the Jaguars, with nobody over 6-foot-4. The "Speed City" jerseys worn by SJCC were the best on display all weekend.
Santa Rosa Junior College
* Max (Analy High) Fujii might make his listed 5-10 if placed on a rack but he's back as hard-nosed and clever as before. But Fujii was playing in a new role, more at the point and relying more on dribble-drives than than catch-and-shoots.
* 2011 ex-Del Oro High big Luke Cochran is now a freshman Bear Cub. At 6-foot-9, he still needs weight and strength in order to put his stamp on the game.
Yuba College
* 6-foot Akachi Akugo has come up from Jesuit High and displayed quickness going to the left and the right with the ball. Coach Doug Cornelius also landed 6-foot-2 Darrell Polee out of Global Youth Charter High (Sacramento), 6-foot-2 Derrick West from Kennedy High as well as former Center High star 6-foot-3 Chris Smith. That's a quartet of frosh talent, inexperienced but with prime potential.
Like with San Jose City College, there's a dearth of height on the Yuba roster
Now College of the Sequoias is admittedly a bit out the Nor Cal region but Coach Rusty Smith enjoys two of the most effective players witnessed.
* Troy Norris is a 6-foot-0 sophomore point guard out of Atascadero High and he demonstrated excellent court vision, the ability to create his own shot, range from three-point land and solid defensive play. D-I's should be looking at him.
* 6-foot-6 Bill Borekambi is a native of Germany and look like he would be right at home as a D-1 wing. Most of his shots were of the mid-range variety and usually involving a dribble or two.
++++++++++
Other comments:
Yes, it's a dribble-drive game today, generally concluding with a kickout pass or a take-it-to-the-rim effort. However, there seems to be more resulting misses than makes.
Additionally, certain players shouldn't be attempting to go all the way because of the lack of the necessary elevation and/or the strength needed to provide the balance to succeed. Light a candle for the poor discarded jump stop.
Sure saw a number of guys who were aces from outside during warmups but it was a different story during game when a defender came flying at them.
It was only summer but the number of charges taken was already at the mid-season level.
Posts
