points of 2003

socalogo.gif (8739 bytes)
SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Top SoCal Players: Best Point Guards In
The Class Of 2003--(Sept. 1, 2002)

Given our extremely busy June, July and August this year, we decided to wait until all the dust had settled on the summer before posting our listings of top players in SoCal. It's been a while since we've updated the lists for the class of 2003 and 2004 (coming soon) but as we say, better late than never. As in our prior lists, we've broken the players down into various categories, with the most talented and promising (in our very humble opinion) listed first, followed by the next best, and so on and so forth. We've sort of changed the last category (which used to be called "Best of the Rest"), and we're now calling it "Players to Watch For This Season," and we actually think that more aptly describes why we have these guys listed in the first place. Our lists are not intended, as some others apparently are, as expressions of who we think has reached the pinnacle of achievement, not by any stretch. All we're doing is listing players that we think are talented, to one degree or another, some more than others. But everyone we've listed has shown potential and if you don't know all of these guys, then you may want to make it a point to check them out during the upcoming high school season or at one of the fall tournaments taking place in the next few weeks. Not everyone plays club or travels during the summer, so some of these names may seem a bit surprising or may not be as well known as others, but everyone listed has shown us some good things when we've seen them play. In other words, there are enough sleepers out there that someone may just have a fantastic high school season and blow up even if they're not too well known right now.

As some will also notice as you read through all of the lists, the names of some players one might expect to see are not listed, and we're talking about those guys who have opted to attend prep schools in the east. For example, the name of Marcus Williams, formerly of Crenshaw, isn't listed with the point guards because he's going to be attending Oak Hill in Virginia. But if he was still at Crenshaw, there's no doubt he would be listed among our top 10 point guards. And he's just one example of several. Anyway, we don't want to make this intro any longer than necessary, so if you really want to know why we've listed someone somewhere, read the explanatory notes below.

Top 10 Point Guards of 2003
(Listed Alphabetically)

Mark Bradford 6'-1" LA Fremont
Khalif Ford 6'-0" Diamond Bar
Drew Gibson, 5-10 LA Dorsey
Jerome Ireland 5'-9" Fresno Edison
Brian McFadden 6'-0" Mayfair
Trevante Nelson 5'-10" Mater Dei
Paul Porter 6'-2" Bishop Amat
Gino Riney 6'-0" LA Grant
Deon Simpson 5'-8" Corona Santiago
Mikel Watson 6'-0" San Diego El Camino

Next Top 20 Point Guards of 2003
(Listed Alphabetically)

Iren Anderson 5'-10" LB Milliken
Carlton Arnwine, 6'-0" Canyon Springs
Barry Barnes 5'-9" LB Poly
Kevin Bell 5'-10" LA Fairfax
Mark Burns 5'-11" San Diego Chula Vista
Davis Cantor 6'-0" Loyola
Shaun Davis 5'-9" SD Lincoln Prep
Dino Fekaris 6'-0" Crespi
Isaiah Freeman 5'-9" LB Poly
Billy Hofman 6'-1" La Canada
Kevin Houston 5'-10" San Gorgonio
Kejuan Johnson 6'-2" Artesia
Eric Lane 6'-0" St. John Bosco
Robert Locke 6-0 Crossroads
Corey Miller 6'-0" Villa Park
Brandon Peace 6'-0" Bishop Montgomery
Terrell Powell 5'-11" LA Fremont
K.D. Rockett 5'-10" San Diego HS
Paul Simon 5'-11" Price
Cedric Smith 5'-8" LA Washington

Other Point Guards of 2003 To Watch For This Season:
(Listed Alphabetically)

Mark Banks 5'-6" San Diego Crawford
Bryan Burrell 5'-11" Ontario
Chris Calloway 5'-8" LB Jordan
Patrick Carney 6'-0" El Toro
Eric Chamblee 6'-0" San Diego Morse
Matt Coleman 5'-11" Escondido
Kevin Dillon 6'-1" Apple Valley Christian
Tommy Diullard 5'-10" Fresno Washington Union
Devon Drain 6'-0" Rio Hondo Prep
Sean Downing 6'-0" San Marcos
Carlos Evangelista 5'-10" LB Poly
Matt Fournier 5'-9" Chadwick
Jason Gan 5'-8" Brea Olinda
Mike Gentry 5'-11" Hart
Navid Gharavi 5'-9" Cerritos
Dwight Gooding 5'-9 San Diego Bonita Vista
Dwayne Harris 5'-10" Riverside MLK
Levi Henry 5'-11" LA Cleveland
Garrett Hetherington 6'-1" Scripps Ranch
Drew Howard 6'-0" Loara
Jeremy Jackson 5'-9" Santa Barbara HS
Terrence Johnson 6'-0" Sonora
Colin Kennedy 5'-10" Arroyo Grande
Bobby Koczon 5'-10' SD St. Augustine
Brad McConaghy 6'-0" Servite
Avery McKinney 5'-9" San Diego Serra
Tyrell McLauren 5'-11" Lakewood HS
Ryan Morell 5'-11" Capistrano Valley
Deonte Nelson 5'-11" Eisenhower
Benjamin Paine 6'-1" Righetti
Khalif Parker 5'-11" Santa Monica
Jay Rasch 6'-0" Upland
Ryan Read 5'-11" San Diego HS
Kyle Robinson 5'-10" SD St. Augustine
Tyrone Rollins 5'-8" Oceanside
Quincy Rogers 5'-0" Montebello
Kris Silvas 5'-11" Cajon
Cody Simioli 5'-10" Corona Santiago
Ricky Simpson 5'-11" Clovis West
Gregor Suzuki 5'-9" La Palma Kennedy
Jibri Taylor 5'-9" Artesia
Myron Terrell 5-'10" LA Washington
Clarence Viray 5'-11" Bell-Jeff

Now here's the long explanatory note about the list above (and the other lists of other position players that you'll see posted shortly):

Classifying guards in high school as either "points" or "combos" or "shooting guards" can be a tricky, and really, a lot of these guys could have wound up on either of the other lists. For us it's just mostly a matter of how we've seen these guys play in the games we've watched. Some players who play the point (or who think of themselves as point guards) can instead be found on the combo guard or shooting guard lists, and one can quibble with our picks, but hey, these are our lists. Disagree? Do your own. But the bottom line is, if you don't see someone on this list, look at one of the other guard lists.

We don't think it's really necessary to define the position, since most people understand what a point guard is, but it never hurts to at least share at a rudimentary definition: The point guard, or "lead" guard is typically the guy who brings the ball up the floor on offense, sets up the offense, paces the game, and usually guards the other team's ballhandler. Points, at least the better ones, are usually playmakers, a guy who is looking to get the ball to the open man but will also score himself if the opportunity is there. That can come off of dribble penetration, drawing the double team, or in a variety of other ways. Having a pull up jumper doesn't hurt either. And an understanding of how the game is played is essential.

Anyway, now onto the caveats about what these lists are and are not intended to convey:

Caveat 1: We have not ranked everyone based on college potential. Obviously, those we've ranked the highest and grouped into the top group, we believe are a pretty solid bet to continue their playing careers after high school at some level in college; we think the most talented of the groups have the potential to be D-I guys, but at what level that happens to be isn't for us to say. These players are clearly not finished products, and many of them will continue to grow or develop earlier or later than others. At bottom, what we are doing is simply listing
the top players in SoCal who we believe have talent, potential and have demonstrated that they are not only excellent high school players, among the best in SoCal, but also have shown skills which we think will make them good college prospects.

Caveat 2: This will sound like a broken record, but we haven't used numerical rankings for individual players. Maybe we will someday, but not for now. Others who rank players use numbers to distinguish who their "No. 1" guy is. We don't necessarily think anyone sees enough of any of these players on a consistent enough basis to make such a statement. We've heard a lot of good reasons to do numerical rankings, but we think there are just too many subtleties to any kid's game, and besides, these are still just high school guys, and we don't want to add to the "head blowing up" syndrome. Our purpose is simply to recognize talented players. Let others pick the nits, and tell us how this or that player is "No. 7" out of more than 10,000 high school players in Southern California.

Caveat 3: We have not seen every player in SoCal, and we would venture that no one has. Some of what we've done in listing these players is the result of a consensus which comes from others we speak with, high school coaches, or club coaches, and even more than a few college coaches. We can't possibly have been everywhere, and likewise, not every kid in Southern California who plays hoops for his high school played this summer. So, please try to keep some perspective on these lists when you read them and take them for what they are.

Caveat 4: Lastly, and not to be too repetitive, if we've left a player off the list, it may or may not be an oversight. It actually may be intentional. On the other hand, if you think someone deserves to be on the list who isn't, let us know. Send us an e-mail and we'll consider adding the name to the lists of top players.

Caveat 5: Remember to have fun with this. Lists like this are not the end of the world. If your name is there, congratulations, but keep up the good work. And if it's not, well, keep working. But remember to have fun.