San Diego Grassroots preview

There is a palpable sense of change in the air of the San Diego hoops community.

Players are getting bigger, stronger, faster. Teams are getting more respect. Shoe companies are taking notice. Colleges coaches are offering.

Starting with this weekend’s major showcases, including the Southern California Hoop Review, the rise in the level of San Diego hoops will be on full display for the rest of the region to see.

Full-Time Hoops, your one-stop shop for all things HS basketball in San Diego, will be at the Southern California Hoop Review and will be covering the grassroots travel circuit during the spring and the summer, starting with the release next week of updated 2015, 2016 and 2017 rankings.

Our coverage will focus on the major travel basketball organizations in San Diego – Gamepoint, San Diego All-Stars, Top Gun, Coastal Elite, San Diego Cougars, San Diego Warriors, Supreme Court and Force Athletics and Next Generation – and regional teams that have San Diego players on their rosters, including Compton Magic and Earl Watson Elite. Players who are ranked in the new rankings that are not on any of the aforementioned club teams will also be given priority.

Here are  some of the major storylines entering the travel circuit season:

1. Who’s No. 1 in 2015?

A solid, yet unspectacular class of 2015 recruits have done little to separate themselves over the past season. Which one of the prospects will elevate their game above the rest?

As many as seven prospects could wind up being San Diego’s top for the 2015 class, including LCCs Tommy McCarthy (Earl Watson Elite) Brady Twombly  (Gamepoint) and Travis Fuller (Cal Supreme); Poway’s Dalton Soffer (Gamepoint), ex-Hoover SFJordan Alexander (SDA), Escondido PG Khy Kabellis(Gamepoint) and 2015 San Ysidro PG Lynard Steward (SDA).

A dark horse for the 2015 crown is 6’8” F Abdul Shanun, who recently moved to San Diego from New York (Redemption Christian Academy). Coastal Elite Director Dante Carey described Shanun, who will play for Coastal Elite, as an athletic “freak” who can finish in the post with either hand and runs the floor well. Look for Shanun to crack the Full-Time Hoops 2015 rankings following a viewing at the Hoop Review. Shanun holds an offer from Umass, per published reports.

2. 2016 and 2017 brimming with talent

The rising sophomore and junior classes in San Diego are among the most talented the region has ever seen. 2016 is headlined by a quintet of players who will be recruited at basketball’s highest levels – TJ Leaf (Foothills Christian/ Compton Magic), Brandon Cyrus(Torrey Pines/ CIA Bounce), Justin Moore (Mission Bay/ SDA),Johnny McWilliams (San Marcos/ CM) and Tim Harrison(Francis Parker/ Gamepoint).

Other 2016 standouts include the Nash-like Eric Monroe (St. Augustine/ Gamepoint), 6’9” post prodigy Tommy Rutherford(Grossmont) and forward Martin Tombe (St. Augustine/ CM).

2017 ups the ante, as the region is home to the nation’s top recruit, 6’11” PF DeAndre Ayton, who will be playing with Supreme Court/ Force Athletics. Mater Dei PG Jaylen Hands, who burst onto the scene first as an 8th grader at the SD Super 80 and as a freshman with his performance at the Under Armour Holiday Classic, will suit up with the Compton Magic, alongside fellow 2017 F Robby Robinson (Kearny). Morse C Brandon McCoy, who will be one of the most coveted bigs in the nation, will participate with Ground Up, a team coached by local basketball figure Shaun Manning. Orange Glen PG Michael Diaz, who is reminiscent of a young Russell Westbrook, will play with Coastal Elite. Richard Polanco of Army Navy, a powerful wing/post, will play with SDAs 15u and 16u. Finally, 6’9” C Jake Gilliam, an emerging young center at Torrey Pines, will play with Gamepoint.

3. Gamepoint a member of Adidas Uprising

The North County-based basketball program made waves earlier this spring when it scored a coveted sponsorship from Adidas. Several Gamepoint teams will participate in the Adidas Uprising tournament series, which kicks off April 25-27 in Dallas, TX for the VIP Exclusive Run.

Gamepoint has put together 3 impressive teams on the 17u level, which include five-star PG recruit Justin Simon (Temecula Valley), La Costa Canyon F Brady Twombly and PG Patrick Fisher, St. Augustine PG Eric Monroe Escondido PG Khy Kabellis and Poway SG Dalton Soffer, among others.

4. SDA forms “sweet” 16u

San Diego All Stars has quickly assembled a talented 16u team that will compete in 17u divisions of tournaments throughout the spring and summer. Headlined by Mission Bay sophomore Justin Moore, the team boasts several local standouts, including Morse’sJustin Davis, La Jolla Country Day’s Bruce Edwards, Otay Ranch PG Nikko Paranada and 2017 Army Navy standout Richard Polanco.

SDA gives San Diego two nationally ranked 16u teams: Gamepoint’s 16u team was one of the top programs in the nation last year and returns its entire roster, headlined by 2016 Francis Parker F Tim Harrison, Temecula Valley SF Riley Schaefer and Vista Murrieta G/F Austin Beech.

4. International men of mystery

Several local teams will rely on an infusion of international talent on the grassroots circuit, including SDA, which has Polanco (Dominican Republic) and 2017 Mission Bay F Armstrong Ojunkwu, as well as 2018 Army Navy G Juan Carlos Canahuate, also from the Dominican Republic. Coastal Elite also has an intriguing rising senior, 6’8” F Abdul Shanun, who will attend a to-be-determined San Diego school during his senior year after coming from Africa via the East Coast.

Look for Coastal Elite to have a solid 17u team that includes unsigned senior F Khor Tut and rising seniors Joey Lagrua (G, Calvin Christian) and Will Christmas (PG, Oceanside).

5. Prep school movement hits SD circuit

San Diego had two prep schools open during 2013, and the teams will continue play this spring and summer as travel ball teams. Players from Balboa Prep, which did not play any organized games this past season, will play with Supreme Court, which will be headlined by the top 2017 player in the country, DeAndre Ayton.Balboa Prep will also have an unsigned senior team playing under the moniker “Force Athletics,” and includes such standouts as 2014 Hoover PG Miles Nolen-Webb and Temecula Valley SG Ryan Schaefer, among others.

Diego Hills Prep, which just concluded its inaugural season at both the high-school and post-grad levels, will team up with the San Diego Cougars program during the grassroots circuit. Among the players to watch in the program include unsigned 2014 Lincoln GSteve Garrett, 2015 Gompers G Kajahn Patton, 2016 Diego Hills guards David Wheeler, Morrie Neeley and Murrell Vailes, among others.

6. Small-school players take big stage 

The travel circuit does a great job of leveling the field so that players who play at small schools during the regular season have an opportunity to do big things during the spring and summer. In San Diego, look for Calvin Christian G Joey Lagrua to have a big year with Coastal Elite, Adonis Dillahunty, a rangy 6’5” athlete from the Preuss School, to play a substantial role on SDA’s 16u team, andKajahn Patton, who scored 40 points three times during the year for Gompers, to break out with the San Diego Cougars.

Other storylines to watch:

* Dem Misssissippi Boys: Kearny’s Rising seniors Austin Knox and Xavier Browne, and rising junior Takoda Browne, the reigning player of the year in the Central League, will suit up for Next Generation 17u. All three have a chance to play college basketball at some level and are coming off of a Division 3 title victory in March.

*LA influence: Several players from outside of San Diego will play major roles on local clubs, including Campbell Hall duo Kahlil Simplis and Colin Bell (Gamepoint), Fairfax G LJ Currie (Gamepoint), Long Beach Poly F Jordan Dallas (Gamepoint), Chino Hills F Nnamdi Okungwu (Gamepoint), Lynwood unsigned G Kevin Miller (Coastal Elite), Fontana Summit pogo stick Darrion Willies (Gamepoint) and Norco C Ashtin Chastain (Gamepoint).

*Earl Watson Elite has three San Diego prospects on its rosters: LCC PG Tommy McCarthy, Torrey Pines 2016 SG Jack Heller and 2018 Mater Dei Catholic F Miles Norris.

* Taeshon Cherry, a gifted 2018 F attending St. Augustine, will suit up for Gamepoint’s 15u team this summer. Top Gun also has two very good 2018 players on its 15u roster, Jordan Starr and TJ Lowery.

*Top Gun had a nationally ranked 14u team last season, and while the team suffered several key defections (Jaylen Hands to the Compton Magic, Justin Woodley to Gamepoint), the current 15u should remain competitive. Key holdovers include La Jolla High freshman standout Reed Farley (6’3” SF) and La Jolla Country Day guards Marcus Perry and Josiah Esselstrom.