Wright's Basketball Report. Nor Cal Players at The Bigfoot Classic, Las Vegas
I completed the grassroots travel season in Las Vegas Nevada. I was in attendance at the Big Time Event. Jalen Green the top prospect in Nor Cal, and one of the top prospects in the Country was playing alongside another top prospect, Josh Christopher for Vegas Elite EYBL. That was awesome. I was also at the Bigfoot Classic Event. That's where I was able to evaluate some of Nor Cals prospects who were playing with their respective club teams. There were a lot of games spread out over Vegas. Here are some prospects I saw a couple of times and thought played well in Vegas.
Jalen Green 6'6 2020 Prolific Prep did a good job of mixing his talents with an already established Vegas Elite EYBL team, lead by Josh Christopher who dominated in all the games I witnessed. Green didn't do anything that would change his status as a top prospect in the country. I know what he can do.
Mahmoud Fofana 6'4 2020 Santa Teresa H.S. San Jose Ca.
Mahmoud plays for West Coast Xtreme a team I have ties to. He's a long lanky slashing type prospect who attacks the basket and finishes on most occasions, he's a quick leaper on the put back, and very difficult to guard when he's locked in. His defense stood out in Vegas, he showed that he's capable of defending athletic players in the open court, and he had several blocked shots.
Michael Mitchell 6'3 2021 Archbishop Mitty . San Jose Ca.
This prospect has been running with the Oakland Soldiers EYBL U16 for the entire grassrooots season. Been playing against quality competition in the EYBL. He is progressing nicely handling point guard duties. He's done a good job of settling the team in half court. He runs the pick and role pretty good, he's a willing passer, penetrating and finding open team-mates, and can finish. When he moved over to the off guard spot he knocked down the 3pt shot with some consistency. Combo guard maybe. He's still growing and will get stronger.
Lee Hubbard III. 6'1 2021 Riordan H.S. San Francisco Ca.
Played up with SF Soldiers 17U 4 games, and then contributed quality minutes coming off the bench in playing three games with the Oakland Soldiers EYBL 16u squad. When he entered one game for the Soldiers 16 in the 2nd half, they were down ten, when exited they were up by one. During that five minutes, his efforts on both ends contributed to the comeback, his long arms and defensive tenacity got him a couple of steals and turnovers. On offense his speed with the ball in the open court led to a few more buckets for team-mates. His ability to draw, and dump it off to the bigs or open corner shots can't go unnoticed, he has a mid-range shot and can hit the 3. A solid Nor Cal point guard prospect in the 2021 class, he had a good week in Vegas.
Malik Merchant 6'0 2021. San Leandro H.S. San Leandro Ca.
Played with SF Soldiers 16u. He plays the game hard and is a prospect who seems to be at his best on the defensive end. His aggressiveness in defending his man up court with good lateral movement and tight coverage without fouling stood out to me. He did a good job defending the passing lanes, and defended bigger players with a certain toughness. He helped lead SF Soldier 16 to the semifinal round. Although his defense stood out, he showed me a mid-range shot, and he did knock down a couple of 3's in one game.
