Cali High's Top 20 for 2012 Countdown

[Buffnik]

I'm just going to copy a photo, the basic info and the summary "next level" projection into this thread. Please follow the links for the complete write-up on each player.

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#20 - Josh Hearlihy

Position: Small Forward
Height: 6'6
Weight: 210
Schools Considering: Arizona State, Stanford, Notre Dame, Portland (interest but no official offers)

The next level?: Hearlihy definitely fits the profile of a big time Division 1 player. Between his pedigree, fundamentals and surprisingly strong athleticism he has all the tools necessary to be a successful wing player in college. He is a legitimate 6’6 and is still growing into his frame.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/305

 

[Buffnik]

#19 - Nick Stover

Position: Small Forward
Height: 6'5
Weight: 190
Schools Considering: LMU, Boiste State, USF (offers) Pepperdine, Washington, UCLA (heavy interest)

The next level?: Nick would be well served to work on his quickness and ball handling so he can make the transition to being a 2 guard at the next level. He could pass as a three but if he is able to make the move to the 2 spot his rebounding ability and length could make him an elite player.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/309

 

[Buffnik]

#18 - Julian Harrell

Position: Small Forward
Height: 6'6
Weight: 185
Schools Considering: Penn, Stanford, UCLA, Boston College, Colorado

The next level?: Harrell profiles as a 3 at the college level but early in his career could be used at different positions depending on defensive matchups. The number 1 thing Julian needs to improve on before he hits college is his three-point shot and once that shot comes along, he really will be a dynamic offensive player.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/310

 

[Buffnik]

#17 - Victor Robbins

Position: Small Forward
Height: 6'5
Weight: 180
Schools Considering: UCLA, Portland, USC, Washington (no offers, heavy interest)

The next level?: Look for Washington and UCLA to become the two biggest contenders for Victor’s services. The Huskies have shown they know how to work with athletic swingmen and Victor could grow into a stronger version of Justin Holliday down the road. UCLA is really in need of athletic wings, especially with the loss of Tyler Honeycutt, and Victor’s defensive potential could make him a star on that side of the ball under Ben Howland.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/315

 

[Buffnik]

#16 - Donovan Johnson

Position: Point Guard
School: Palisades
Height: 6'0
Weight: 160
Schools Considering: Arizona, USC, Gonzaga (no offers, heavy interest)

The next level?: Donovan’s skill set should translate very well to the next level. He has good size for a lead guard and his rapid improvement in high school makes you think that in a college program he could continue to improve by leaps and bounds.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/316

 

[Buffnik]

#15 Brendyn Taylor

Position: Shooting Guard
School: Fairfax
Height: 6'2
Weight: 170
Schools Considering: Penn (verbal offer) USC, San Diego State, Colorado (heavy interest, no offer)

The next level?: Brendyn could be a star at the Ivy league level. He has an offer from Penn and more interest across the league, and could make a Miles Cartwright type impact as a freshmen. However, Taylor is more then capable of being a very good D1 point guard.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/318

 

[Buffnik]

They haven't posted #s 1 through 14 yet. But it's a good bet that CU will be recruiting a good number of them. We've got at least 2 more spots open for the 2012 recruiting class and it is likely that at least one of them will come from California.

 

[Buffnik]

#14 Matt Shrigley

Position: Shooting Guard
School: La Costa Canyon
Height: 6'5
Weight: 175
Schools Considering: San Diego State (leader), Oregon, Boston College, Colorado, Washington State

The next level?: Shrigley has ACC and Pac 12 offers but says he currently has San Diego State near the top of his list.

“I’m still looking at everything, but they are kind of on top right now. I see them as a big time program, they are a top team, I love the campus and the location, and it is really just an excellent program that is establishing itself nationally.”

However Shrigley was quick to add that he “loved” all the schools he is talking to, specifically mentioning that he played “a tournament up in Colorado” and had a chance to visit to school and he loved “the facilities, the coaching staff and the style of play.” Shrigley also mentioned his affinity for Oregon and Boston College, and said that Oregon has come to visit him at La Costa Canyon.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/322

 

[Buffnik]

#13 Chris Reyes

Position: Power Forward
School: Damien High School
Height: 6'7
Weight: 220
Schools Considering: No information at this time

The next level?: Chris is an excellent mid-major prospect who has high Division 1 potential. All school need skilled big man, and expect many suitors to come calling soon.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/323

 

[Quattro]

#18 - Julian Harrell

Position: Small Forward
Height: 6'6
Weight: 185
Schools Considering: Penn, Stanford, UCLA, Boston College, Colorado

The next level?: Harrell profiles as a 3 at the college level but early in his career could be used at different positions depending on defensive matchups. The number 1 thing Julian needs to improve on before he hits college is his three-point shot and once that shot comes along, he really will be a dynamic offensive player.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/310

Damn this dude looks like he's 30.

 

[Buffnik]

#11 Anthony January

Position: Small forward
School: Home School
Height: 6'7
Weight: 190
Schools Considering: USC (offer), Colorado, UCLA, Oregon (heavy interest, none of those three have offered)

The next level?: January currently has an offer from USC and will almost surely see offers from Oregon and Colorado in the next few months. UCLA has been keeping tabs on January and will probably offer if they lose some of the other wings they are recruiting.

At the next level Anthony will be an ideal 3 who can also play some 4. At the very least he can be a Tyrus Thomas type who affects the game with his athleticism but under the right system with the right coaches he could really blossom into an All-American type player. The sky is the limit for this kid.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/327

 

[Buffnik]

#10 Ryan Wright

Position: Small forward
School: Palmdale
Height: 6'6
Weight: 200
Schools Considering: Colorado, Penn State, UC Irvine, UC Riverside

The next level?: Wright holds offers from Penn State and Colorado but should see one of Washington, Washing State or USC offer over the summer. While Wright wants to add to his list of options, he could be a very good fit at Colorado where he could thrive as an energy small forward in Tad Boyle’s uptempo system.

Boyle needs great athletes who can run the floor and while Wright still needs to work on his shooting and ball handling, he could be a menace finishing in transition and creating transition opportunities because of his ability to crash the boards.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/353

 

[Buffnik]

#9 Skylar Spencer

Position: Small forward
School: Price
Height: 6'8
Weight: 200
Schools Considering: Gonzaga, USC, Colorado, UNLV (offers)
Interest From: Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, Florida State, Washington

The next level?: Spencer has strong offers from many different conferences. Skylar’s natural athletic ability seems to make him a great fit in offenses like Colorado and UNLV, but Gonzaga has shown a propensity for developing players in his mold (Austin Daye for example). USC has the hometown advantage when it comes to recruiting Spencer and has an obvious hole at the swing man position.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/355

 

[Buffnik]

#8 Tyrone Wallace

Position: Point Guard
School: Bakersfield
Height: 6'4
Weight: 175
Schools Considering: Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Florida State, Gonzaga, Oregon

The next level?: Tyrone boasts strong offers while he has a huge number of elite programs that are interested but haven’t yet offered. Of the schools on his offer list, Arizona State, Cal and Oregon seem to be the best fits. Colorado already has two great lead guards with their 2011 class in Askia Booker and Spencer Dinwiddie and it isn’t known if Wallace would want to move across the country to play at Florida State, especially when Pac-12 basketball is just as competitive right now as ACC basketball.

Arizona State coach Herb Sendek likes having big athletes at the guard positions and is going to need players of Wallace’s caliber to compete with Sean Miller’s program at Arizona and with Gary Franklin’s mid-season departure last year, Mike Montgomery could use a big, scoring point guard like Wallace. Oregon is rebuilding its program with elite athletes and Wallace certainly fits that mold.

Look for Tyrone to wait before he makes a decision but he is the type of player that could help shift Pac-12 balance.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/359

 

[Buffnik]

#7 Katin Reinhardt

Position: Shooting Guard
School: Mater Dei
Height: 6'5
Weight: 175
Schools Considering: Arizona, Arizona State (offers) Syracuse, Washington State, Baylor (heavy interest, no offers)

The next level?: Reinhardt has made big news in the past few months by first committing to USC then de-committing from the Trojans as both parties publicly claiming no continued interest in the other.

While USC will have trouble reeling in a guard of Katin’s caliber, Reinhardt has no shortage of colleges vying for him. Arizona and Arizona State immediately offered when Reinhardt hit the market and Baylor, Syracuse and Washington State have all expressed heavy interest.

Katin’s game should translate really well at the next level as he has the requisite size to play shooting guard while also possessing the potential to play a little point guard. Katin will be a great scorer wherever he goes and his aggressive style of play should serve him well anywhere.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/362

 

[Buffnik]

#6 Zena Edosomwan

Position: Center
School: Harvard-Westlake
Height: 6'9
Weight: 235
Schools Considering: Colorado, Harvard, Penn, USC (all offered)
Schools Interested: Arizona State, Vanderbilt, Stanford (Vanderbilt closest to offering)

The next level?: Edosomwan currently has offers from Colorado and USC but is receiving heavy interest from Arizona State, Stanford and Vanderbilt, with the Commodores the most likely of that group to offer next.

You can’t teach size and the fact that Zena is still growing while his game continues to rapidly improve gives scouts the impression that he will be very effective at the college level.

While plenty of schools will end up in the mix for Zena, he already has two potential good fits in Colorado and USC. The Trojans are the hometown team and while they have signed tons of athletic wings and guards in recent seasons, they are still looking for that dominant young big man who can control the paint. Colorado signed Zena’s teammate Damiene Cain to their 2011 class and their up-tempo style under new Head Coach Tad Boyle plays perfectly into Edosomwan’s strengths.

http://www.calihighsports.com/articles/363

 

[MtnBuff]

#6 Zena Edosomwan
....

Would love to see him follow Cain to CU, would fit right in to Boyle's system.

 

[mattrob]

#6 Zena Edosomwan

....

Any other time, I'd love to see Edosomwan in black and gold, but I'm not sure how he fits going forward. As it is, SHT and Roberson will be Juniors in 2012, Cain will be entering his Sophomore year, Mills should be a sophomore, and Scott and Gordon will provide more depth at PF/C. There just doesn't seem to be enough minutes to go around for the 4 returning players, plus 3 incoming freshmen. Personally, I think the Buffs would be better off with Scott, Gordon, and two of Shrigley/Johnson/York/House/Wright.

 

[Buffnik]

You almost can't have enough quality big men on a basketball team. I really love this player. I'd be pretty excited if we were able to land him. We definitely need a wing (or two) in the 2012 class, but if we bank the scholarship we were holding for Daniels it looks like we have 5 spots.

 

[JRK1212]

Any other time, I'd love to see Edosomwan in black and gold, but I'm not sure how he fits going forward. As it is, SHT and Roberson will be Juniors in 2012, Cain will be entering his Sophomore year, Mills should be a sophomore, and Scott and Gordon will provide more depth at PF/C. There just doesn't seem to be enough minutes to go around for the 4 returning players, plus 3 incoming freshmen. Personally, I think the Buffs would be better off with Scott, Gordon, and two of Shrigley/Johnson/York/House/Wright.

(To a certain extent) get the best players you can then worry about where they fit in later, the NFL draft philosophy. Especially in this case with us seemingly having a very good chance of getting Zena (unlike Johnson, York, and House) and with it being much harder to find quality big men then quality guards.

 

[dyemeduke]

Any other time, I'd love to see Edosomwan in black and gold, but I'm not sure how he fits going forward. As it is, SHT and Roberson will be Juniors in 2012, Cain will be entering his Sophomore year, Mills should be a sophomore, and Scott and Gordon will provide more depth at PF/C. There just doesn't seem to be enough minutes to go around for the 4 returning players, plus 3 incoming freshmen. Personally, I think the Buffs would be better off with Scott, Gordon, and two of Shrigley/Johnson/York/House/Wright.

sorry man, but couldn't disagree more. You need quality depth at all position first off, and we don't even have a quality starting frontcourt really. SHT is unproven, Roberson had a great first season (still waiting to see how he continues to develop as an undersized PF), Cain is unproven in college, Mills is a huge project (do NOT expect anything from him at least until he's a junior), Scott is more of a face-up player (he will not be a PF) and still unproven in college, and Gordon is unproven in college as well (still can't find too much about HS even).

Now, SHT and Cain seem like legit frontcourt players. I think Gordon will be good in time too. That gives you two solid, proven frontcourt players going into 2012. That is not good at all. Endosomwan has the chance to play early in my opinion. If you have the chance to add a player at a position of need like Zena, you pull the trigger. Also, like someone else stated, a good coach will take quality players and learn how to fit them together on the court. I know a lot of what I said runs contrary to what I said about Daniels, but watch interviews with Zena - the kid seems like a solid player and person.

 

[GoBuffs!!]

Schools Considering: Colorado, Harvard, Penn, USC (all offered)

That is a hell of a offer list, academic wise. It is always hard to tell how good a player will be athletically with the jump to college, but I would say based on those offers, he will at least be a legit guy in the classroom, and hopefuly be a good influence in the lockerroom.

I will also chime in on getting big guys. If you look at the number of recruits out there, there are many many more guards, maybe not Blue Chip guards, but there are a lot of quality guys, but very few big guys. Based on the types of teams Boyle talks about, I really dont think the guard position is as important compared to Bz's system.

 

[MtnBuff]

That is a hell of a offer list, academic wise. It is always hard to tell how good a player will be athletically with the jump to college, but I would say based on those offers, he will at least be a legit guy in the classroom, and hopefuly be a good influence in the lockerroom.

I will also chime in on getting big guys. If you look at the number of recruits out there, there are many many more guards, maybe not Blue Chip guards, but there are a lot of quality guys, but very few big guys. Based on the types of teams Boyle talks about, I really dont think the guard position is as important compared to Bz's system.

And this is a big guy who looks to have the mobility to function in a variety of systems including what Tad has shown at CU and UNC. Big guys who play without slowing you down or getting in the way are rare. If you can get one, you take him.

 

[GoBuffs!!]

And this is a big guy who looks to have the mobility to function in a variety of systems including what Tad has shown at CU and UNC. Big guys who play without slowing you down or getting in the way are rare. If you can get one, you take him.

I completly agree, I look at Turgeon's teams, figuring they both are simular coaches/recruit simular teams. I expect a lot of long lanky guys that can move. Such as Andre Roberson, I think that is the mold of a player that tad is looking for, and I think many of the players he is going after fit that (Scott and Gordon). And even to a lesser extent (because he is a PG) Dinwidde.

Guys like SHT and Cain are not guys I think you will typically see Tad go after, but for their sizes, they do both move very well. What you will not see IMO is someone like that giant that was on Nebraska last year.

 

[mattrob]

sorry man, but couldn't disagree more. You need quality depth at all position first off, and we don't even have a quality starting frontcourt really. SHT is unproven, Roberson had a great first season (still waiting to see how he continues to develop as an undersized PF), Cain is unproven in college, Mills is a huge project (do NOT expect anything from him at least until he's a junior), Scott is more of a face-up player (he will not be a PF) and still unproven in college, and Gordon is unproven in college as well (still can't find too much about HS even).

Now, SHT and Cain seem like legit frontcourt players. I think Gordon will be good in time too. That gives you two solid, proven frontcourt players going into 2012. That is not good at all. Endosomwan has the chance to play early in my opinion. If you have the chance to add a player at a position of need like Zena, you pull the trigger. Also, like someone else stated, a good coach will take quality players and learn how to fit them together on the court. I know a lot of what I said runs contrary to what I said about Daniels, but watch interviews with Zena - the kid seems like a solid player and person.

Fair enough, and I probably should have expanded on that point a little more. If Zena signs, will both Scott and Gordon honor their commitments? If so, and the Buffs do have 5 scholarships available next year, I'd be pretty happy. If not, would we lose both Scott and Gordon? It sounds like their friendship was a big part of both commiting.

 

[MtnBuff]

Fair enough, and I probably should have expanded on that point a little more. If Zena signs, will both Scott and Gordon honor their commitments? If so, and the Buffs do have 5 scholarships available next year, I'd be pretty happy. If not, would we lose both Scott and Gordon? It sounds like their friendship was a big part of both commiting.

I think tha Scott and Gordon would be fine with Zena coming. He would be a pure 5, Scott and Gordon are more face the basket types of guys, Scott I see as an athletic pure 4 and Gordon as a hybrid 3-4. Zena would actually compliment their games by freeing them up from having to bang on the muscle guys in the middle.

 

[mattrob]

I think tha Scott and Gordon would be fine with Zena coming. He would be a pure 5, Scott and Gordon are more face the basket types of guys, Scott I see as an athletic pure 4 and Gordon as a hybrid 3-4. Zena would actually compliment their games by freeing them up from having to bang on the muscle guys in the middle.

I'll admit I haven't seen much of Scott or Gordon but from what I did see, neither will be playing the 3. Scott looks like a solid post scorer and should be nice, athletic 4 in college. I know Gordon is listed as a 6'7" SF here, but he looks taller to me and his offensive game is pretty limited. I think he'll turn into a shot-blocking, rebounding 4, maybe growing into a 5.

 

[MtnBuff]

I'll admit I haven't seen much of Scott or Gordon but from what I did see, neither will be playing the 3. Scott looks like a solid post scorer and should be nice, athletic 4 in college. I know Gordon is listed as a 6'7" SF here, but he looks taller to me and his offensive game is pretty limited. I think he'll turn into a shot-blocking, rebounding 4, maybe growing into a 5.

I don't think either turns into a true 5. Scott looks like a solid true 4, Gordon looks like a slasher type of 3. He needs to develop a bit more range on his shot but has the ability to do so and could turn into one of those guys who beats up on 3s and goes around 4s. A HS coach I know in the Springs says he has room to keep growing but doesn't see him as an inside player on the next level but one who can move inside from the outside to rebound and score.

Given the guys to do it I think that Tad would like to run a system that is uptempo enough that a number of big guys can contribute and feel good about it.

 

[dyemeduke]

I think tha Scott and Gordon would be fine with Zena coming. He would be a pure 5, Scott and Gordon are more face the basket types of guys, Scott I see as an athletic pure 4 and Gordon as a hybrid 3-4. Zena would actually compliment their games by freeing them up from having to bang on the muscle guys in the middle.

In my opinion, the pure five is all but dead - you see a few here and there, but pure fives are luxuries these days that most teams can do well without. Zena would not be a pure five, but pure four in my opinion.

I have not seen anything of Gordon, but I've been intrigued by the comments about him ever since first hearing about him. He sounds to be an athletic four after some seasoning - sort of like KMart, limited offensively but athletic enough to bang around and guard the 3/4. Scott seems more of a tall three or skinny four to me. I wonder if he's going to grow? He needs to gain some mass if he's going to be a "pure 4"...which I don't think of him as. I see him more as a hybrid 3-4 than Gordon. However, there's so little known about them that it's hard to say.

 

[Buffnik]

Scott's a 4. He has bulked up in recent photos. Give it another 16 months before he hits the court and he's going to be a beast. Variety of post moves with either hand. Could be a star.