Fullcourt Press Southern California Pre-Summer Class of 2009 Rankings (July 5, 2008) This is the last of a five part series of 2009 rankings that has been released over the last week.  Unlike some other media sources that don’t fully understand that the college and pro game positions are inherently different for many reasons too detailed to discuss here, the Fullcourt Press has always broken down its rankings into 5 different position areas: (a) Centers/Post-Forwards, (b) Combo-Forwards, (c) Wing Forwards/Off-Guards, (d) Combo-Guards and (e) Point Guards.  These position categories reflect how multidimensional the college game has become and how much the concept of “versatility” is valued by college coaches.  These rankings reflect both current player talent level/skills as well as their “upside” or potential.  We have ranked the best of the bunch from 1-10 with others deserving consideration listed further below.  For purposes of these rankings: “Southern California” is the area bordering the Fresno area to the north and the Mexican Border to the south. We will update these 2009 rankings in late August/early September – after we get a chance to digest how much all of these players either improve or digress over the July recruiting period. Listed below are the top Point Guards in Southern California’s Class of 2009.  Morris edges out Smith and Cobbs for the top spot due to his significant upside while Williams has the potential to the July “sleeper” at this position and LaCoste is a promising prospect that is a great student.                      2009 Point-Guards

1.         Darius Morris                       6’3”     Windward (Los Angeles CA) Talented playmaker has the size and skill set to be a high-major starting point.   Although he doesn’t have textbook mechanics, Morris is a very improved shooter and knows how to use his length and quickness to get to the basket.  Very underrated passer (was among the leading assist leaders at the recent NBPA Camp in Charlottesville VA) but not yet fully appreciated among national scouts.  Other than Abdul Gaddy and Peyton Siva there is not a better West Coast 2009 PG prospect.  Showed he could compete effectively against the heralded Gaddy by scoring 16 points and handing out 7 assists in Belmont Shore’s OT win over Gaddy’s NW Panthers at the Arizona Cactus Classic and also played well against Rivals #1 2009 prospect John Wall at the Pangos All-American Camp in June – outscoring Wall 27-22 in a camp game.  Morris’ list

of schools include Michigan, Stanford, Arizona, Kentucky, USC, Wake Forest, Marquette and Oregon State.  Scheduled to be at the LeBron James US Skills Academy (July 6-9 @ Akron OH), Fullcourt Press All-West Camp (July 11-13 @ The Hangar/Hawthorne CA) as well as with his Belmont Shore squad at the Fullcourt Press Cream of the Crop Challenge (July 14-15 @ The Hangar/Hawthorne CA), Rbk Summer Championships (July 22-26 @ Las Vegas NV) and Fullcourt Press End of the Trail Classic (July 28-30 @ Cabrillo HS/Long Beach CA).

2.         Robert Smith                       6’0”     Perris (Perris CA) Extremely quick first step off the dribble makes Smith very hard to guard.  Fine passer is also a legitimate three-point shooter.  Cal, Arkansas, USC, Gonzaga and Santa Clara among the schools involved with this solid student. Scheduled to be at the Fullcourt Press All-West Camp (July 11-13 @ The Hangar/Hawthorne CA) and with FBC-Perris at the Fullcourt Press Cream of the Crop Challenge (July 14-15 @ The Hangar/Hawthorne CA), Rbk Summer Championships (July 22-26 @ Las Vegas NV) and Fullcourt Press End of the Trail Classic (July 28-30 @ Cabrillo HS/Long Beach CA). 3.         Justin Cobbs                       6’1”     Bishop Montgomery (Torrance CA)

Strong and cerebral lead guard plays to win!  Underrated shooter is a very good student that has many schools in the hunt including Cal, Stanford, Colorado, Washington, Santa Clara, San Diego and Indiana.  Scheduled to be at the Reebok All-American Camp (July 7-10 @ Philadelphia PA) and with California Supreme at the Nike Peach Jam (July 12-15 @ North Augusta SC), Main Event (July 22-26 @ Las Vegas NV) and Fullcourt Press End of the Trail Classic (July 28-30 @ Cabrillo HS/Long Beach CA). 4.         Michael Williams                 5’11”  Taft (Woodland Hills CA) Williams could be among the top summer surprises this month.  Still just 16 years young (he will enroll as a college freshman in the Fall of 2009 at 17), Michael is a terrific (albeit unorthodox) shooter with very deep range.  Slippery with the ball, the upside is there for mid-majors to take a long and hard look.  Late bloomer reminds me of

former CS Fullerton star Bobby Brown.  Scheduled to be at the Fullcourt Press All-West Camp (July 11-13 @ The Hangar/Hawthorne CA). 5.         Dominick LaCoste             6’0”     Dominguez (Compton CA Excellent student (3.7 GPA) is a very dependable ballhandler that plays with impressive poise.  Underrated athlete has ability to get to the cup off the dribble.  Princeton, Montana, UC-Santa Barbara, Yale, Brown, Columbia and Penn are among schools showing interest.  Scheduled to be at the Fullcourt Press All-West Camp (July 11-13 @ The Hangar/Hawthorne CA) and with The Hood at the Fullcourt Press Cream of the Crop Challenge (July 14-15 @ The Hangar/Hawthorne CA) and Fullcourt Press End of the Trail Classic (July 28-30 @ Cabrillo HS/Long Beach CA). 6.         Derrick Flowers                  5’11”  Pacific Hills (Los Angeles CA)

Quick ballhandler is an effective penetrator of defenses.  UC-Irvine (offer), UC-Santa Barbara, Louisiana Tech, Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge are among the schools showing interest. Scheduled to be at the Fullcourt Press All-West Camp (July 11-13 @ The Hangar/Hawthorne CA) and with Team Blue Chip at the Fullcourt Press Cream of the Crop Challenge (July 14-15 @ The Hangar/Hawthorne CA), adidas Super 64 tourney (July 22-26 @ Las Vegas NV) and Fullcourt Press End of the Trail Classic (July 28-30 @ Cabrillo HS/Long Beach CA).  7.         Julian Wheeler                    6’1”     Leuzinger (Lawndale CA) Shifty point is a lefty with a Nick Van Exel-type game.   Beverly Hills transfer has excellent ability to beat defenders off the dribble and kick the ball to the open man.  Scheduled to be at the Fullcourt Press All-West Camp (July 11-13 @ The Hangar/Hawthorne CA). 8.         Andrew Bock                      5’11”  Eisenhower (Rialto CA) Solid but not spectacular point guard makes heady plays but doesn’t have the size or the overall scoring skills to be more than a mid-major prospect.  Good student. 9.         Brandan Walton                   6’0”     King-Drew (Los Angeles CA) Smooth point has a nice mid-range game.  A true “sleeper” in this class, Walton is scheduled to be at the Fullcourt Press All-West Camp (July 11-13 @ The Hangar/Hawthorne CA). 10.       Michael Mayes                    6’1”     Poly (Long Beach CA) Harassing defender can also take good care of the rock.  Scheduled to be at the Fullcourt Press All-West Camp (July 11-13 @ The Hangar/Hawthorne CA).

Other 2009 Point Guards To Keep An Eye On   *           Chris Adames                     6’0”     Diamond Ranch (Diamond Bar CA) Assertive point guard is a fine passer.   *           Matt Bailey                           6’0”     Tesoro (Las Flores CA) Very solid point does not turn the rock over.   Very good student. *           Brandon Bibbins                 5’8”     Bishop Montgomery (Torrance CA) Small but scrappy floor general excels in the classroom and has a very good basketball IQ.   *           Daymond Cowlah              5’10”  Montclair Prep (Van Nuys CA) Quick point guard pushes the ball quick in transition. *           Sam Ferguson                    5’10”  Mayfair (Lakewood CA) Excellent defender plays hard. *           Damar Hill                             5’9”     Serra (Gardena CA) Hard-working PG is a tough defender.   *           Mark Hills                              5’9”     University City (San Diego CA) Quick and explosive point has a nice pull-up jump shot.   *           Jeff Jefferson                      6’0”     Brethren Christian (Huntington Beach CA) Heady point has nice ball-handling skills. *           Stephon Lamar                   6’0”     St. Augustine (San Diego CA) Strong and fast point guard has been heralded for sometime but has not taken his game to the next level yet.   *           Randy Newell                      5’10”  Joel John (Los Angeles CA) Super fast PG is a very good defender. *           Prince Obasi                        6’3”     Cleveland (Reseda CA) Big lead guard has very good court vision.   *           Dominique O’Connor        5’10”  Westchester (Los Angeles CA) Extremely quick PG just missed making my Top 10.   Could break-in after a strong July. *           Zach Ramirez                      5’11”  San Marcos (San Marcos CA) Tough point runs a team well.   *           Malik Speed                         5’9”     St. Francis (La Canada CA) Speed has ability to break down defenders off the dribble.  Excellent student.   *           Sam Stapleton                    5’10”  Palisades (Los Angeles CA) Very good student (3.5 GPA) is a solid ball-handler and passer.   *           Bernard Tyler                      5’9”     Jordan (Long Beach CA) Quick PG is a pesky defender. *           Brandon Ward                    5’11”  Woodcrest Christian (Riverside CA) Strong lead guard can handle the rock and is a pin-point passer. *           Malcolm Washington        5’9”     Windward (Los Angeles CA) Improved point is the son of legendary actor Denzel Washington.   Photos of Darius Morris, Robert Smith, Justin Cobbs and Dominick LaCoste by Nick Koza (www.SportsAmp.com).

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