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SoCalHoops High School & Prep News

ARC At YBOA Tournament
This Weekend--(May 22, 1998)

Not all the action is going on this weekend in Fresno at the EBO or in San Diego. Well most of the good high school boys' hoops is going down in those two locations. But for 8th graders (i.e, incoming high school freshmen), the best stuff will be occurring this weekend at the YBOA Third Annual Western Regional Qualifying Tournament, which will be held May 22-25, 1998 in Irvine, Costa Mesa and Cypress. The tournament will involve tons of teams (more than 150 teams) from all over the West Coast in all age brackets, and will be played at 19 different gyms throughout the area.

The 14U division will compete at two gyms primarily, Estancia High in Costa Mesa, and Corona Del Mar High in Newport Beach. We don't have complete schedules yet, but will be getting them tomorrow. What we do know is that there are some 14U teams who will be very competitive, and one in particular that we know a great deal about: The ARC-Valley team

Valley ARC is led up front by two big men, future Mater Dei player Harrison Schaen (6'-6" 8th gr. C), Montclair Prep's Greg Jones (6'-8" 8th gr. PF), and by backcourt players Buckley point guard David Gale (5'-10" 8th gr. PG), and future Harvard-Westlake player Craig Weinstein (5'-9" 8th gr PG/SG). Also up front is Charlie Kranzdorf (6'-0" 8th gr. F) from Montclair Prep, Henry Pitt (6'-5" 8th gr.) from Los Angeles Loyola, and Brian Trump (5'-11" 8th gr.SG/SF) who will be attending either Montclair or Chaminade. Also playing in the backcourt will be Aaron Stein (5'-10" 8th gr. SG) from Buckley who will be transferring to Montclair next year.

Harrison Schaen (6'-6" 8th C) is one of the few 8th graders ranked nationally by most scouting and recruiting services, and he recently moved to Orange County in order to attend Mater Dei; he won't go there next year, but will repeat the 8th grade as he just turned 13 last month and needs a bit of maturing before playing high school ball; he also currently plays for Pat Barrett's Southern California All-Stars who won the AAU regional qualifying tournament two weeks ago. He will be traveling this summer with Southern California All-Stars, and will also play (in the tradition of David Abramowitz and David Bluthenthal) in the Maccabi Games for Orange County's 13-14 team at the Maccabi Games in Detroit from August 13-23. Also on that same Maccabi team are David Gale, Brian Trump, Craig Weinstein, Aaron Stein, Will Sheslow (Rockfish), David Entin from Calabasas, Charlie Kranzdorf, and Matt Susson and John Munz from Orange County.

Greg Jones (6'-8" 8th PF/C) is truly a project; he is the younger brother of LA Clipper Keith Closs, but has a totally different body type; Greg is thick, strong and "big", whereas Keith is wiry, thin and almost emaciated looking for someone who is 7'-3" and still growing. Greg is a powerful player who still has yet to learn how to effectively block shots, or to play with his back to the basket, but he just has tremendous potential and upside. He really doesn't have much footwork either yet, and if he can develop some fundamental skills, he should be a major force at Montclair.

David Gale (5'-10" 8th gr.) is a smooth, quick passer, with good ball knowledge and court vision, a solid handle, a quick first step and the ability to take a player off the dribble and effectively penetrate; between he, Stein and Weinstein, the three can bomb three's or hit the long j all day. Gale is definitely more of a "pure-point" than the other two (more of a pass-first type player) and he plays better off the up-tempo transition and fast break, pushing and getting the ball up court than he does in the the half-court game, so look for a lot of running and breaking with this team. He also plays good defense, and has quick hands on the steal. He will be playing varsity during summer league, at the Pump West Coast All-Stars, and in a several tournaments in Palm Springs and the Vegas Grand Finale, in addition to the Maccabi Games this summer in Detroit with Schaen, Weinstein, Trump, et.al.

Craig Weinstein (5'-9" 8th gr) is stronger physically than most guards his age, and he's a very tough, hardnosed player, more of a slasher, with fine defensive skills, and an agressively oriented offensive player. This is sometimes a plus and a detriment in that he has a great ability to penetrate, especially and with his handle and very quick first step, so he can break down a defender in a one-on-one isolation situation very effectively; the only problem is that this sometimes becomes the primary option if the game gets into a half-court offense, which tends to take other teammates out of it. He will no doubt correct this tendency as he matures within the Harvard-Westlake system in coming years, and he will also improve his court vision but he's one of the finest players on the West Coast and will definitely be an up-and-coming star for the Wolverines. Look for him to be playing with Russell Lakey in a year or two; in the meantime, look for him this summer at the Grand Finale and at the Pump West Coast All-Stars.

Charlie Kranzdorf (6'-0" 8th gr F), is a tenacious defender, strong and has not really yet hit his growth spurt and could go as tall as 6'-6" or 6'-7" in the next few years (his father is 6'-4" and formerly played at USC under Bob Boyd). Kranzdorf has a good handle, the ability to penetrate, and is a good rebounder. His real strength is in the medium range jumper and the power move to the hole, and he's also been known to hit the three and thus presents a threat from both inside and outside. Charlie will be playing for Montclair next year and we would look for him on the varsity probably at the 2 spot (unless he shoots up dramatically this summer) for Howard Abrams' squad.

Henry Pitt (6'-5" 8th Gr. F) who will be attending Loyola next year, is a smooth, quiet player who will go out, block about 5 or 6 shots in a game, put in about 10 to 15 points on layups and 10' turnaround j's, get his 10 or so rebounds, and yet most people won't even know he's there. He's truly a team player, very coachable, and if he bulks up a bit and boxes his man a little better, could be a major factor at Loyola in the next few years.

Brian Trump (5'-11" 8th Gr. F) is currently at A.E. Wright Middle School, and will be attending one of three schools next year; Montclair Prep, Chaminade, or Calabasas High, we're just not sure which. Trump is the "banger/bruiser" on this team, who also has the ability to spot up, play the wing, and he's just as likely to be hitting a three pointer or a smooth 15' jumper as he is to wind up on the floor from putting a body on his opponent. A very physical, smart player, Trump's real forte is on the defensive end and on the boards, and he'll also be playing for the Orange County Maccabi team (hey, why are all these LA and Valley kids playing for Orange County?-- that's another story).

Aaron Stein (5'-10" 8th Gr. SG) is currently at Buckley in Sherman Oaks but will be transferring to Montclair Prep next year. Stein is a pure 2, who can hit the three all day either spotting up, or with any kind of set look at the basket. His defensive play is fundamentally sound, with good footwork, and he can also rebound and attack the basket; of all of the players, he probably has one of the highest verticals on this team. He will also be playing this summer with the O.C. Maccabi team and like most of these guys, will be attending various tournaments and camps, including the Pump West Coast All-Stars and Snow Valley.

We've been told about some of the other teams, but don't have rosters or schedules yet. We'll be getting them tomorrow and will also post the schedule up later tonight. For now, here's who we know is coming:

Stealth--Lancaster, CA.
Saddleback Basketball Club--Saddleback Valley
Cerritos Hoyas-- Cerritos
Santa Barbara Youth Basketball-- Santa Barbara
South Central All Stars --(no, not Southern California All-Stars)--don't know anything about them
Total Impact-- Sam Alipio's team (formerly 4D)
Costa Mesa Basketball Club-- they'll be bringing 3 teams
San Diego Knights-- San Diego
Fastbreak--Sacramento
Five Cities Hornets-- San Luis Obispo
Alhambra Magic-- Alhambra
Bakersfield Basketball Academy--Bakersfield
Blue Eagle Force-- San Fernando Valley (we think??)

For those interested in attending, Corona Del Mar High is located at 2101 Eastbulff Drive, Newport Beach; take the 405 to Jamboree, go South to Eastbluff, and then go right on Eastbluff to the high school.

Estancia High is located at 2323 Placentia in Costa Mesa. Take the 405 freeway to Harbor Blvd., turn right on Adams to Placentia, turn left on Placentia and follow it around to Estancia High.

We'll try to have the results of the tournament, and some info on some of the other players throughout the weekend, in addition to coverage of some of the other events happening this weekend.