mlk sophs

SoCal High School & Prep Report

MLK Challenge: SoCalHoops' Sophomore
Player Recognition Selections--(January 21, 1998)

Here's our list of top Soph players from Monday's MLK Challenge, with stats and some commentary. Each of them stood out from the crowd in one way or another, and we think they're all deserving of some special attention:

Sophomores Deserving of Special Recognition

Keith Brooks (6'-5" So. F/C), Dominguez-- Brooks only scored two points, but did double duty, subbing in for Tyson Chandler and had 4 rebounds in five minutes. His defensive pressure showed up well, and he forced a number of turnovers. He' a very strong player, and a developing sophomore, who will, together with Tyson make an impact on this team in years to come.

Travon Bryant (6'-6" So. F/C), Long Beach Jordan--Travon played well, but a bit inconsistently yesterday. He had 10 rebounds, but only scored 9 points. He did manage two steals though, and if he can stay focused and let the game just come to him, he'll develop very well along with his junior classmates at LBJ.

E.J. Harris (6'-2" So. SG/PG), Crenshaw-- E.J. scored 8 points, had 4 assists, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds. Not bad for a perimeter player on a team with a bench as deep as the 'Shaw. E.J. was playing tremendous team ball, combining with Hawkins on the perimeter, moving the ball well, alternating from the wing to the point, hitting from outside and on the fast break, and playing effective defense on Colbert for much of the game. While the "official" scorer had him at only 4 assists, we would have given him twice as many, and his passing was excellent. He is a major force in driving the team bus, the only big question for the team is whether they're all going on the trip with him, Hawkins and Garrison.

Dylan Mathis (6'-4" So. SG/F), Redondo Union-- Dylan is a nice player with good size who has the potential to develop nicely but must learn to play better under pressure. He passes well, has good fundamentals, and has very good court vision, and he has the size to see things on the court that other smaller guards might not. His size also gives him greater versatility on defense, and he's very mobile and agile. A good rebounder, we think that in a couple of years, Dylan could be a top prospect.

Jason Morrissette (6'-4" So. F), Fairfax-- Jason had 12 points 6 rebounds and one steal, at least according to the "official" stats, and played a good, but not great game, but still deserves to be listed here with the best of the tournament in his class. He was a big presence in the first half, but then, along with the rest of the Fairfax defense, just broke down, and in the overtime Jason managed to play very tough, even with four fouls, pulling the game back to a tie after Poly had pulled away early in the extra period. A tough, tough player. On our list for sure.

Jon Schwenke (6'-2" So. G), South Torrance-- We like this kid a lot. He showed tremendous hustle, and even though his team got hammered by Redondo, he proved he can shoot and play defense, breaking the press, and hitting a couple of key shots. If he works on his game and stays solid, quick and accurate, he could be a nice small guard on many college teams. It's somewhat hard to evaluate his true potential, since South Torrance seems to have a team filled with guards, but he was one of the better ones we saw. He scored 8 points yesterday against Redondo.

Steve Scoggin (6'-1" So. SG/PG), Mater Dei-- Steve is a very tough, competitive player, with great speed, the ability to pass well, drive, take a player off the dribble, and create for others on his team. He's developing nicely in this program, and in a couple of years should be one of the top guards in SoCal.

Chris Walton (6'-7" So. F), USDHS-- Chris played about 6 fewer minutes than Kam did, but hit for four more points, 7 total, and had 6 rebounds and one steal. We think the pretty much the same thing about him as we do about Kam, i.e., that he was having an off-day, and that he'll one day be a major prospect, if for no other reason than his basketball heritage. But he's a bit more athletic than Kam, plays a looser style of ball, and seems to react quicker to changes in the flow of the game. A very nice, athletic and fundamentally sound player, who in two years will be a major pick for some lucky D-1 school.

Kam Walton (6'-8" So. C/F), USDHS-- Kam was not much in the scoring column yesterday in the game against Compton, knocking down only 3 points total and 5 rebounds in 27 minutes, but we assume that he was just having a bad day, and that Compton was having a great day at his expense. He has pretty good moves, nice footwork, and like the rest of the clan, knows the game. We don't think this game was indicative of his capacity to play the game, and when the whole team is healthy and on-track, he can be much better. And besides, he's still got two years to go before he takes his game to the next level. Will certainly attract a lot more attention in coming years.

Walter White (6'-4" So. SG/PF), Redondo Union-- Walter scored 8 points yesterday, which doesn't make him anywhere near the high scorer in Redondo's game against South Torrance, but he also had 4 blocked shots, and played very well on defense. Another good player, with hustle, a great attitude, and fine skills. Two years to work on being a top prospect should be enough time for him. He's pretty strong, likes to bang around inside the paint, and plays the game smart and aggressively.

Andrew Zahn (6'-9" So. C), Redondo Union-- Zahn is huge. He got off to a good start yesterday, and just kept getting better. He scored 24 points and the "official" stats --there actually weren't any for most of the games and that's something that Phil Gatton absolutely must work on for next year's event-- had him at 8 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots and 3 steals. Zahn is young, and did make some mistakes, he played very well. The game with South Torrance was a bit of a mis-match for Redondo who clearly overpowered. Zahn will clearly develop to be one of the top prospects in SoCal and will definitely take his game to the next level.