California notebook: The Buzz is loaded

The 2005 Fall California JUCO Showcase took place October 1-2 on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills. Some 17 teams attended the event, including eight that made the playoffs last year. Teams played under their travel names, but since we're well into the school year it should be an accurate reflection on what to expect to see on the court this year. Games were 40 minutes running time. JucoJunction managed to attend 13 games featuring all 17 teams, and took notice of the results of most of the other games. Here's a team-by-team highlight summary:

The "Buzz" was cleary about the loaded Fullerton team, and not just because their travel name is "The Buzz". They won all four of their games, and their margin of victory averaged around 32. But the most amazing thing was when they held the Santa Monica team scoreless for the entire first half! They may be hard-pressed to do that again, but this is clearly a very talented team. Coach Dieter Horton describes them as the most talented group he's ever had, and that the team camaraderie makes them even more special.

The frontline of 6-9 center Michael Earl, 6-7 power forward Roderick Johnson and 6-9 center/forward Sean Phaler is hard to match. Earl is one of the South's premier post players, Johnson brings energy and athleticism and Phaler is one of best shooters among big men in the state. Earl had 17 points and 13 rebounds in the two games I saw, and Johnson had a combined 20 and 10. Phaler, who recently committed to Charlotte, didn't play in the showcase due to illness but will be ready in plenty of time for the season.

The rest of the team is made up of solid players, and the pieces seem to fit together quite well. In the backcourt, the point is shared by a pair of transfers: 6-0 Corey McIntosh (Pasadena) and 5-11 Jibri Taylor (Orange Coast) were starters for other schools in 2003-04. McIntosh had seven points and eight assits in the two games while Taylor sat out the event to focus on some academic issues (but should be in good shape for the start of the season according to Coach Horton). Returning 6-0 sophomore Tim Denson starts at shooting guard, basically giving the team an extra point guard; he had 19 points and seven assits in the two games. And rugged small forward Phil Jones is the team's defensive and rebounding specialist; he grabbed 11 boards in the 58-19 win vs. Santa Monica.

Off the bench, 6-4 freshman Alex Mallari, who played the point in high school, is a scoring wing with 3-point range. He poured in 18 points, including a pair of treys against Southwestern. 6-5 freshman Andre Lyons is another live body on the boards and combined for 17 points and nine boards in the two games. 6-9 Kurt Graeber, an Arizona State bounceback, provides depth here though he would start for most other teams. He had 14 points and 8 rebounds in the two games.

Other highlights from the Showcase:

East LA may not have much size, but their backcourt of Steve Monreal< and Arcenio Ramirez, Jr. is one of the South's better combinations. Monreal, an all-conference selection last year, had 21 points while Ramirez added 15 in a 49-45 win over Southwestern of San Diego. Monreal went 8 of 13 from the floor and grabbed a team-high six rebounds en route to Most Outstanding Player honors from the Showcase.

One of the better teams this season in the South will undoubtedly be Long Beach City. Top scorer Demetrius Hazel, a 6-6 small forward, had a strong showcase with 15 points and 9 rebounds in a 52-50 win over a good San Diego City team and 13 points (three threes) against a solid Santa Ana squad. LB City also has two more returning starters: 6-6 forward Chris Fields (13 pts, 2 asts, 3 steals vs. SDC) and creative point guard Chris Hart (7 asts vs. SA). Add versatile Isaiah Bridgette (16 pts, 12 rebs, 8 asts in the 2 games combined) and hustling two-guard Pearson Smith (25 pts in the 2 games) and LB City looks like the team to beat in the SCC-South.

San Diego City isn't rebuilding; it's reloading. Small forward Cornel Williams, a 6-5 freshman from San Diego High School, had 16 pointts and center Ervin Dunson, a 6-6 freshman, added 10 in the loss to Long Beach. Coach Mitch Charlens brought 15 players to the showcase so it would have been understandable if they had struggled a bit, but they did anything but struggle. The two-point loss to a loaded LB City team is no disgrace, and they posted wins against LA Southwest, LA Harbor and Canyons. They look like a heavy favorite in the PCC.

Pasadena split their squad for the showcase, but there is plenty of talent on hand in the Crown City. For the "A" squad, super-quick point guard Hasan Moody had 12 points and six steals in a game vs. Antelope Valley, while shooting guard Travis Smith had 10 points, four rebounds and two steals. For the "B" squad, 6-3 wing Jamaal Hall (who played at Saddleback in 2003-04) was the standout with 17 points. Power forward Paul Mitchell, a 6-5 freshman, showed a lot of game inside with 10 points, five boards, four blocked shots and four steals. 6-10, 338-pound center William Perkins saw some actioin, and though he wasn't productive, his upside is considerable. He mainly needs to get into better shape.

LA Southwest may have lost Eddie Dawson (to Garden City KS), and there's not an Ivan Johnson-type player on the roster, but Coach Morris once again has a lot of talent on hand. Rawlston Charles, who spent 2004-05 at Wilberforce College, came up with several big plays to help Southwest top West LA. The talented forward was the M.V.P. of the San Gabriel-Pasadena All-Star game as a senior in high school when he scored 34 points (to break the event record previously held by Keith Van Horn). 5-10 sophomore Craig Walls and 6-2 shooting guard Gerrell Finney, a super-scorer from Muir High School in Pasadena, combined for 24 points in a win vs. West LA.

West LA has Michael Martin, a 6-7 forward from Chicago, transferring in from LA Valley. He did fairly well with nine points and five rebounds vs. Southwest, and even more importantly seemed more interested in playing near the basket, where he is quite effective, than last year at Valley. But combo guard Joseph Bolden, a 6-2 sophomore from Palisades, was the standout with 19 points. He showed quickness and skill, both as a scorer and as a creator (three assists).

College of the Canyons edged Trade Tech, thanks largely to their new set of wings. It's a major rebuilding job at COC this year with most of last year's WSC-South champion squad having graduated, but Andre Murray (Cleveland HS) and Marquis DuBose (Crenshaw HS) combined for 34 points in a 54-49 win. The entire offense goes through Murray, who replaces two-time WSC-South Player of the Year Carlton Spencer as the facilitator of the Cougar offense.

LA Harbor returns all-state selection Thurman Sutton, but he has a little more help this season than last. 6-7 freshman Keith Mason (Carson HS) had a huge game with 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in a 57-37 win over LA Valley. Sutton was solid as well with 13 points, four rebounds and three blocks. And backup wing Brandon Russell, a 6-3 freshman from Palo Alto, caused a buzz in the crowd by making seven of his eight shots, including a pair of threes and a couple of loud dunks, en route to an 18-point performance.

LA Valley has a good one in Kevin Thomas. The 6-7 freshman four-man posted a double-double against Harbor (12 pts, 13 rebs) and was the team's top scorer (16 pts) in a 51-46 loss to Trade Tech. Solid point guard Rai Colston also returns, but after that there are a lot of question marks.

Trade Tech has one of the top three-point shooters in the state in Sean Terrell, who made 5 of them in a pair of games. Trade Tech lost a close one to Canyons and just edged Valley, but has a fair amount of talent, especially in the backcourt. Point guards Kenneth (Scooter) Maye and J.L. Lewis return, and two-guard Derrick Hankins had 16 points, six rebounds and four steals in the two games combined. Up front, 6-5 freshman Tarif Purdom was perfect from the floor against Valley, going 6-for-6 for 12 points.

Santa Ana looks solid and went 2-2 in the showcase with wins over Cuyamaca and East LA. 6-2 shooting guard Terrence Hundsley, is the big scorer (30 pts and 6 threes in the two games I saw). 6-4 small forward Drew Terry, who played at Saddleback in 2003-04, is very versatile and had 16 points, five rebounds, two assits and two steals vs. Cuyamaca. 6-6 center Sean Luecke (a freshman from Orange Lutheran) totaled 20 points and 11 rebounds in the two games. And Chris Childress, younger brother of the NBA's Josh, provides muscle on the boards as well as passing prowess. The 6-6 power forward had five boards and three assists vs. Cuyamaca.

Santa Monica had an up-and-down weekend, going 2-2 despite the nightmare game against Fullerton. Center Shakir Johnson, a 6-8 freshman from Dorsey of LA, showed a lot of promise (8 pts, 3 blocks vs Fullerton). Point man Marc Brathwaite was definitely the team's best player in a win vs. Grossmont. The 5-11 freshman scored 13 points, including three triples, grabbed four rebounds and dished out five assists. Power forward Rondell Eskridge, the younger brother of former Santa Monica standout Ronald Eskridge, went 4-for-4 from the floor and grabbed three boards versus Grossmont.

It is a major rebuilding year for Antelope Valley with just three sophomores returning. And when 6-4 wing Deonte Huff didn't play on the event's second day, the result was two Sunday losses and a 2-2 overall record. But that doesn't mean there isn't some talent on this team. In addition to Huff, who scored 41 points in a game vs. Chaffey last year, there are several very promising freshmen. 6-6 freshman Raphael Harris had a strong game in a 39-37 loss to Pasadena; he had ten points on 5-of-6 shooting plus five blocks. Point guard Javon McIver had three assists in that game, but showed his ability earlier in the summer with seven points and three assists against a strong Pierce team in a July showcase. Shooting guard Donte Bell was solid with seven points, four rebounds and three assists vs. Pasadena. And 6-6 Robert Hughes, a returning sophomore, showed energy and blocked three shots. His development as the season progresses will be worth watching.

Grossmont lost three games, including the 49-47 setback to Santa Monica, but had some players show some ability. 6-5 freshman small forward James Haley had 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting while 6-5 sophomore center Troy Valencia showed his playmaking ability from the high post with six points, six boards and five assists. And 5-10 freshman Maurice Clady arrived a bit late, but was spectacular with a pair of threes, two rebounds and two assists in about 15 minutes (running time). The super-quick guard played on a strong Crawford team last year in San Diego and figures to be the starting point this year for Grossmont.

Cuyamaca had a rough time of it, going 0-3. 6-2 freshman small forward Luke Kelley led the team in scoring against Santa Ana with 12 points while 6-3 sophomore wing James Francisco provides a little of everything (7 pts, 6 asts, 3 rebs) including competitiveness. 6-8 sophomore power forward Erik Johnson did well on the boards with 11 rebounds.

Southwestern also had a rough time, and also went 0-3. In their game vs. East LA, a 49-45 loss, the standout was a skinny freshman named Roman Leon. Entering the game as a sub, he made 4 of 4 shots from the floor (including a three), grabbed three rebounds, dished out an assist and registered three steals. 6-6 small forward George Skrelja had nine points and five boards vs. East LA. Nobody did much against Fullerton in a 64-27 loss, but 6-6 freshman power forward Chris Tyson showed some athleticism and blocked three shots.

One recruiting update: Standout guard Carlton Spencer from College of the Canyons is now at San Jose State. The 2-time WSC-South Player of the Year who led COC to a pair of division titles had originally signed with the University of Houston.

We will run a weekly notebook on California junior college hoops throughout the season. It will appear on JucoJunction every Wednesday morning.

JucoJunction will continue to follow junior college basketball recruiting across the land. To talk about this story with other juco hoops fans, check out the JucoJunction Board or our premium forum.