2008 Fullcourt Press Spring League: Report II (March 15, 2008)   The 2008 Fullcourt Press Spring League has been in full swing the past three Sundays at Cabrillo HS (Long Beach CA) and has consisted of 12 individual (“Select”) teams as well as 10 club (“Elite”) squads such as Belmont Shore, Compton Magic, 2D1 Basketball Academy and West Coast Academy.   In our last report, we touched on just ten of the many talented players participating.  Below are several more that have stood out during the course of the league.

Cezar Guerrero     5’11”  2011   St. John Bosco (Bellflower CA) Dynamic point guard may be as talented at that position as any freshman from SoCal since Brandon Jennings!  Great ball skills, blazing speed and legitimate ability to score both from the 3-point line as well as driving to the hoop make him a dangerous lead guard guaranteed to command serious future high-D 1 attention.  CJ has the work-ethic and attitude to keep getting better.   One to track closely in 2008.   Joe Burton             6’8”     2009   West Valley (Hemet CA) Wide-body had a great junior year – leading WV to a CIF title.  Burton has really improved his physique by slimming down compared to last year, is very agile for his size and is an extremely underrated passer.  Burton is quickly becoming the object of high-major attention.

Justin Hawkins       6’3”     2009   Taft (Woodland Hills CA) UNLV commit is an excellent defender and underrated offensive threat.  More importantly, he is a bonafide winner!   Michael Atwater      6’7”     2010   Villa Park (Villa Park CA) Excellent student is a skilled combo-forward and an improved rebounder and defender as well as an underrated athlete.   LaBradford Franklin   6’1”     2009   Vista del Lago (Temecula CA) Smooth point has solid handle and nice arch on jump shot.

Willie Hankins                       6’2”     2010   Van Nuys (Van Nuys CA) Young wing has nice scoring skills and is an excellent defender.   Travis Ballard                       5’11”  2008   Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley CA) Smart point has impressive ability to score from the perimeter and is very good running a team.   Kyle Boswell                        6’2”     2009   Edison (Huntington Beach CA) Hardnosed lead guard has a dangerous three-point stroke.   Matt Hankins                        6’1”     2009   Van Nuys (Van Nuys CA) Quick combo-guard has real ability to beat defenders off the dribble.   D’Angelo Scott                    6’7”     2009   Lynwood (Lynwood CA) Long combo-forward is very improved and has great upside.   Quamaine Crymes             6’4”     2008   Joel John (Los Angeles CA) Strong wing is an excellent slashing scorer.   Skyler Vaden                       6’2”     2008   Washington (Los Angeles CA) Athletic combo-guard is an annoying defender.   Amir Bell                               6’4”     2008   City of Angels (Palmdale CA) Strong athlete can really elevate above the rim.   Chris Bearden                    6’1”     2009   Sonora (La Habra CA) Athletic lead guard can scorer in bunches and gives great effort.   Benjamin Ates                    6’1”     2008   Muir (Pasadena CA) Strong combo-guard has rock-solid handle and makes good decisions.   Shaun Norum                     6’3”     2009   Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos CA) Improving off-guard has the “midas touch” from the 3-point stripe.   Andre Marquez                  6’1”     2010   Lakewood (Lakewood CA) Skilled combo-guard has sturdy frame and nice athleticism.   Niko Walter                         6’2”     2008   High Point Prep (Denver CO) Strong off-guard is an excellent on-ball defender.   Phil Gruber                         6’6”     2009   Westview (San Diego CA)  Skilled combo-forward is a solid rebounder with good offensive “face-up” skills.   Nathan Bullock                 6’4”     2010   Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood CA) Hard-working wing has 3-point range and is an able defender.   Eric Zickefoose                 6’5”     2009   Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos CA) Scrappy wing forward has nice touch on jump shot.   Trevor Warren                   6’6”     2009   Santa Clara (Oxnard CA) Good looking athlete runs floor well and can finish in transition.   Donovan Jackson           6’3”     2009   El Toro (El Toro CA) Long wing has the tools to be an excellent defender.   Jeff Jefferson                   6’0”     2009   Brethren Christian (Huntington Beach CA) Savvy PG pushes the rock well and is a pin-point passer.   Johnny Ryan                   6’8”     2010   El Segundo (El Segundo CA) Aggressive post-forward bangs well in the paint.   Billy Keller                       5’10”  2011   Ocean View (Huntington Beach CA) Heady lead guard has nice outside stroke.   Justin Brown                   6’0”     2008   Loara (Anaheim CA) Tough combo-guard handles defensive pressure well.

Christian Garrett       6’2”     2010   Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood CA) Active off-guard plays hard and makes plays on both ends.   Michael Avery           6’4”     2012   Crespi (Encino CA) One of California’s top 8th graders is an outstanding perimeter shooter that has a big basketball IQ.   Chris Croom              5’7”     2012   Hoover MS (Lakewood CA) Quick as a cat, Croom is a clever ballhandler and impressive scorer for his size.  Potential is enormous if he gets anywhere close to 6’0”.