2017 Fullcourt Press Spring League: Report I
(March 7, 2017)

 The 2017 Fullcourt Press Spring League tipped-off this past Sunday (March 5^th) at Artesia High School (Lakewood CA).  Opening day featured several impressive performances from unsigned seniors as well as underclassmen.  Selected games were live-streamed by Baller.tvand all games were video-taped by MOSLive.com. Ronnie Flores (Ball is Life) was among the scouts in attendance checking on the talent on-hand.

While we are still waiting for several of the league’s expected players to finish their HS seasons and join the league, listed below are just a few of the standouts from the league’s opening Sunday.  Others will be featured in next week’s report.

Joshua Phillips                               6’8”     2018   Edison (Huntington Beach CA)
Big time West Coast 2018 sleeper is a very agile and swift PF that rim-runs with the best of them in this class in SoCal and has a high motor

that allows him to be a regular visitor on the glass as well as a menacing rim-protector!  Phillips still needs to fill-out and get stronger but the upside is there to be an intriguing recruit this spring and summer.

Tony Goodwin                                6’5”     2018   Findlay Prep (Henderson NV)
Arguably as good a perimeter defender as exists on the West Coast, Goodwin is also making progress on his outside shooting which he displayed here.  Very speedy swingman is also a terrific student (4.0 GPA).

DeSean Allen-Aikens                     6’5”     2018   Santa Monica (Santa Monica CA)
Dillon Brooks-style combo-forward is bouncy and has very nice scoring instincts.  Rugged driver to the hoop can finish through contact. 

JJ Watson                                        6’2”     2017   Bellflower (Bellflower CA)
Strong lead guard with extremely confident perimeter stroke.   Very good student is hearing from UC-Irvine, South Dakota State and Hampton.

Walter Talley                                   6’7”     2019   Tri-Cities Christian (Phoenix AZ)
Strong scoring hybrid-forward can really put points on the board.  New York native is also a tough defender and solid rebounder.

Hunter Woods                                 6’6”     2018   Muir (Pasadena CA)
Very versatile swingman can score in a variety of ways.  Good student is getting interest from the likes of Nevada, Cal and Gonzaga.

Makani Whiteside                           6’3”     2019   St. John Bosco (Bellflower CA)
High-scoring lead guard is athletic and strong with deep range on his jump shot.  Whiteside had a 30 point CIF play-off outburst recently.

Payton Moore                                  6’3”     2018   Santa Monica (Santa Monica CA)
Sleek combo-guard has nice ability to score off the bounce and is a top-notch defender.

Kyle Owens                                     6’5”     2019   Crespi (Encino CA)
Lefty wing is multi-dimensional player with excellent all-around skills.  Potential national sleeper.

Michael Mensah                             6’4”     2017   Cathedral (Los Angeles CA)
Savvy guard is athletic and can score in bunches. 

Jacob Eyman                                  6’8”     2018   Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos CA)
Long post forward is active on the glass and can finish at the rim.

Shemmar Morrow                          6’5”     2020   La Mirada (La Mirada CA)
Strong WF is quick in transition and can finish through contact.  One of the West Coast’s top freshmen was invited to USA Basketball’s Mini-Camp for 2019 & 2020 players last October in Colorado Springs CO.

Daniel Boatwright                          6’6”     2019   Home School (Chatsworth CA)
Brother of USC forward Bennie Boatwright is a late-bloomer that is a very skilled offensive scorer with plenty of range on his jump shot.  Played at Village Christian (Sun Valley CA) this past season and is in process of transferring to a new school next Fall.

Jeron Artest                                     6’1”     2018   Beverly Hills (Beverly Hills CA)
Smooth point guard has a nice pull-up jump shot and nice command of the rock when he pushes it in transition.  Son of NBA player Metta World Peace.

Silas Slaughter                               5’9”     2018   Elite Prep Academy (Inglewood CA) 
Quick PG has nice ballhandling skills and is a pin-point passer.  Good student too.

Michael Ofoebgbu                         6’6”     2019   Mayfair (Lakewood CA)
Sleeper SoCal soph has very nice length and the upside to be an effective combo-forward in the very near future.

Dylan Cabs                                      6’5”     2019   Mayfair (Lakewood CA)
Intriguing young wing prospect has good length, feel and skills for an underclass player.  One to watch.

Nakial Cross                                    6’6”     2020   Bishop’s School (La Jolla CA)
Long and very bouncy forward with terrific upside.

Jadon Jones                                   6’4”     2020   Cantwell (Montebello CA)
Talented young swingman attacks the basket well off the bounce and has real ability to defend shooters on the perimeter.

Isaiah Hawk                                     6’5”     2017   Morningside (Inglewood CA)
Athletic forward runs floor well and is a very good defender.

Gary Harris                                      6’3”     2018   Price (Los Angeles CA) 
Wing scorer can score off the bounce.

Malcolm Bray                                  6’3”     2018   St. Bernard (Playa del Rey CA)
Strong WG is active on the defensive end and finish in transition.

Malachi Jones                                 6’3”     2020   Beverly Hills (Beverly Hills CA) 
Very promising young guard has nice skill set and court instincts.


* First of four weekly reports about the 2017 Fullcourt Press Spring League.