Las Positas Shootout in the Books

Kevin McCarthy
 

We don’t know if Las Positas Coach Tony Costello has a dog but, if so, we’re sure the pooch is well fed and taken care of and thinks of its master as a god. As for the latter, we’re right there too, if only because of two capital letters -- AC -- the abbreviation for air-conditioning.

Costello hosted the 2010 Las Positas Shoot-Out over the weekend in Livermore and the campus gymnasium stayed cool and comfortable despite all the exertions from the multitude of players and the usual hot air emanating from the stands which, as we all know, is the only spot where unquestionable visual accuracy is available. Oh yeah, there was some basketball played.

The participants were Butte, Contra Costa, Consumnes River, San Joaquin Delta, Diablo Valley, Foothill, Fresno City, Mendocino, Napa Valley, Ohlone, Reedley, Sacramento City, San Jose City, Shasta, Sierra Skyline, Solano, West Valley and Las Positas.

Here are the players we noticed, the host school going first:

• Jordan Knox, 6-foot-0 sophomore guard, Las Positas (Heritage, Academy of Art University) - Put him in ink as the starting point as his ballhandling and passing were excellent. We didn’t see much in the way of shooting attempts but his dribble-drives will make the Hawks’ bigs and catch-and shoot-smalls productive.
• Evan Sanzo-Davis, 6-foot-9 sophomore post, Las Positas (Bishop O’Dowd) - Not a lot of athleticism was displayed but he uses his bulk and strength to bang well offensively -- looks to be a D-2 talent.
• Shawn Grant, 6-foot-4 sophomore wing, Foothill (St. Francis, Maryland Baltimore County) - He played unselfishly -- look for more assertion come the regular season as he’ll be the leading scorer for the Owls and back in D-1 after his season in Los Altos Hills -- quickening his feet defensively is job one.
• Kyles Hypes, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, Foothill (St. Francis) - He didn’t attempt many shots but displayed quickness and good ball handling skills in distributing to others -- easily a D-2 player with lower D-1 possibilities.
• Edwin Prins, 6-foot-7 freshman forward, Foothill - A skilled power forward type who knocks down jumpers and make things happen on the court offensively. He has a good feel for the game, is good at using his body for screens and he has a way of making the correct basketball play all of the time.
• Darell Gordon, 6-foot-1, Sierra (Burbank) - THE prototypical point, he sees the floor, handles extremely well and is good sized -- he rarely attempted a shot on Sunday so his range and accuracy cannot be commented upon -- a definite D-1 prospect who bears some facial resemblance to Kobe Bryant.
• Casey Arent, 6-foot-10, Sierra (Del Oro) - The best player on display, Arent is going to have many D-1 suitors to choose from -- his hands are very good, he shoots with either hand inside and possesses range out to the three-point line, he is mobile and runs the floor well, he can block some shots but needs more bulk and strength to stay on balance at both ends of the floor, he is an in-his-area rebounder.
• Colin Johnson, 6-foot-1, Sierra (Oak Ridge) - He possesses one very good skill -- the ability to catch, shoot and score from outside as Johnson was the best long range marksman on display and that may get him a scholarship offer at one of the levels.
• Shaheed Young, 5-foot-10 sophomore, San Jose City (San Leandro) - Jet-quick, he penetrates well offensively and displays quick hands on defense, he scored on floaters in the paint and we saw him pop an 18-footer -- but can he do the latter consistently?
• Quincy Hill, 5-foot-11 sophomore guard, San Jose City (McClymonds) - Another backcourter with cat-like hands, he will take it inside on dribble-drives but can he be an outside threat? -- FYI, he did pop 35 treys in 31 games last season.
• Lee McCain, 6-4 sophomore wing, Napa JC (Vallejo High) - An athletic and slashing wing, who did it all on Saturday from knocking down jumpers, soaring to the rim for dunks and scoring at will in transition. McCain would be an impact player for Napa this year, but grade issues may force him to take a red-shirt year this season.
• Chris Webber, 5-foot-10 sophomore guard, West Valley JC (Mitty) - The diminutive guard ran the team, stroked jumpers and made plays. Webber is not playing with Drew Gordon, Colin Chiverton, David Andoh and the other multi-talented players he had in high school. But he was able to make the other players on his team better with his heady guard play.
• Felix Mapanda, 6-foot-6 sophomore wing, Fresno City College (Patterson High) - A run and jump activity player, Mapanda plays hard all of the time. A strong driver, he is hard to stop going to the basket in transition.
• Quentin Watkins, 6-foot-5 freshman guard, Fresno City College (Compton-Dominquez) - The former Southern California high school standout is a freshman in college after sitting out a few years. While rusty on the court, Watkins showed his versatility as a combo-guard, running the point, knocking down jumpers and scoring in transition. His impact on the court may help Fresno make a deep run into the Junior College playoffs.
• AJ Bridges, 5-9 freshmen guard, Fresno City College (Monterey Trail, Sacramento) - Bridges is a floor general who ran the Fresno City team in its half court offense. He is feisty and aggressive on the court on offense as he drives to create opportunities for himself or others. Defensively, he is very determined and creates havoc with his on the ball defense.
• Art Foder, 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, Skyline JC - Foder was Skylines most consistent performer on both days of the shootout. He showed an expanded shooting range knocking down jumpers from beyond the three-point stripe. He also was very good scoring in transition and in the paint. Foder’s inside-outside play will be critical for Skyline this season.
• James Lake, 6-foot-3, San Joaquin Delta (Fairfield) - Call him Mr. Explosion as he nailed alley-oop flushes twice in one Sunday game along with a distant three-pointer but there were also times of no effect -- the irony here is that he plays for Delta and someone near us in the stands described him as a faucet, sometimes a few drips, other times a full blast -- he scored 17.8 points per game last season, with a high of 46, and 61 treys but just 50 made free throws despite a body built for dribble-drives -- a D-1 prospect but at what level it turns out to be will be fascinating.
• Ryan Salmonson, 6-foot-9, Consumnes River (Colfax) - “Where’s the beef?” definitely applies to him but he’s just a couple of months removed from high school so patience is required -- he looks to have a nice shot -- by the way, 6-foot-8 freshman Tony Gill (Oakmont) is also on the Consumnes roster but we didn’t see him play on Sunday.
• Mario Pascal, 5-10 sophomore guard, Mendocino (Piner) - “Skill level” is the first thing that pops out when you see Pascal run the point for Mendocino. A scoring point guard, Pascal, has an aggressiveness that helps him. While he is light in the tail, his craftiness helps him get off shots against larger opponents.
• Heyvis Jackson, 6-4 freshman wing, Mendocino - An athletic run and jump wing, Jackson is an energy level player for Mendocino. He rebounded the ball well, scored in transition and was always around the ball on both ends of the court.