We took in the first two days of the Classic at Damien and The Holiday Classic presented by SBLive and reviewed our notes to highlight six players who saw their stock rise at the two talent-laden events. These players have a wide range of suitable playing levels, but should all see their recruitment pick up in the coming months.
The Classic at Damien Platinum Division Semifinals (12/29)
Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) vs. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 7 pm
Damien (La Varne, Calif.) vs. Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.), 8:30 pm
The Holiday Classic National Division Semifinals (12/29)
Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas) vs. St Augustine (San Diego, Calif.), 7 pm
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) vs. Carlsbad (Calif.), 8:35 pm
Alec Blair, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 6-7 SF 2025
He's more than a terrific athlete; he could be one of the best two-sport stars to come down the pike from the CIF North Coast Section in quite some time. In fact, we can't recall a basketball-baseball combo from California bound to be a high MLB draft pick who was this good at basketball. MLB sluggers Aaron Judge (Linden) and Giancarlo Stanton (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks), among others, were no where near the basketball player Blair is. Going back further, Hall of Fame writer Frank Burlison noted that 1980 No. 1 MLB draft pick Darryl Strawberry of L.A. Crenshaw was not the hooper Blair is. Like The Straw, Blair is a sweet-swinging lefty outfielder who is big-time on the hardwood. In fact, Blair was all-state last season as a sophomore and has made a big jump this winter. He looks taller than he did last year and his elite footwork, jump stops and feel has been on display at The Classic at Damien. Blair is also an elite passer and has a nasty streak on the glass, too. His Top 100 level game was on full display in De La Salle's 72-62 victory over Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.) in the first round of the Platinum Division with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. He didn't have quite that statistical output in the 51-42 quarterfinal loss to host Damien, but there is no doubt he'd be on the radar of even more P5 schools if basketball was surely in his future. In looks like he'll give baseball a try after high school, but it's never easy to forecast how a pro career goes and we've seen many instances where players try football or basketball later on. Regardless, Blair's future is bright.
Aidan Fowler, JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) 5-11 PG 2024
The more one watches this cat-quick point guard, the more one wonders why Fowler doesn't have more college interest. Big Sky programs and high level D2s would be smart to take a deeper look and pull the trigger on JSerra's floor general. He can shoot the deep ball and sprint into a pull-up jumper, something that is rare among high school guards that are not going to P5 schools and even some of them can't do it. His sprinting with the ball and hustle without hit is a major plus for a college looking for a dependable guard. Fowler had 18 points and a handful of assists in JSerra's 72-45 first round victory over host Torrey Pines (Del Mar, Calif.) at The Holiday Classic. Even though JSerra suffered its first loss of the season in a 60-42 quarterfinal setback to battle-tested Faith Family, Fowler hit big shots en route to 16 points. Most impressive was how well he stayed in front of Faith Family's primarily ball-handlers defensively for the entire game.
Lamont Hartfield, Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas) 6-5 W 2025
Faith Family is a battle-tested team with many contributors and this physically strong and talented junior is one of the key cogs. Colorado-bound big man Doryan Onwuchekwa is the ring-leader, but a number of players can make big shots and have so far in leading the Eagles into the National Division semifinals at Torry Pines. Hartfield has plenty of upside with his nice frame and ability to shoot off the catch. The talented lefty had eight points in a 62-54 first round win over O'Dea (Seattle, Wash.) and eight more, including two big 3-pointers in the second half, in his team's big 60-42 quarterfinal win over previously unbeaten JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.). With his combination of size, skill and knock down ability, he'll be a hot commodity to track during the spring travel season.
Luke Isaak, San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.) 6-4 SG 2025
This sharp-shooter was the Most Valuable Player of the Gold Division at The Classic at Damien last season and is off to a strong encore, as the defending divisional champ Wolves are in the semifinals after a 70-60 quarterfinal victory over Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.). Isaak went for 26 points after netting 16 points in his team's 54-52 first round win over Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) that came down to the last possession. As we're seeing in the NBA, teams that don't have consistent perimeter shooters struggle and college coaches can't have enough of them on their ever-changing rosters. Isaak foots the bill and should be getting serious D1 looks as he's one of those threats where the ball looks like it's going to drop every time. Isaak has faced good competition and puts up solid numbers while being a team-first player. One aspect of his game that really stands out to us is he's always under control and has his feet under him on the release. He is good on the catch and also moves well without the ball.
D'Marco Johnson, Santa Margarita (Calif.) 6-3 CG 2025
This lengthy guard just recently transferred in to Santa Magarita from academy-type program SoCal Academy and has been a shot in the arm for the Eagles. He can play on the ball with good slashing ability and can create for teammates, or off it and score with a versatile offensive skill set. Johnson has terrific length and uses it to finish around the rim, where his bounce allows him to get fouled at a high rate or finish over bigger defenders, or uses it to defend the perimeter with vigor. Johnson has plenty of legit D1 interest and if he continues to play as he did in the first two games down at Torrey Pines, it will continue to grow. He had nine points in the Eagles' 43-38 first round loss to Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) and came back for 16 points in the consolation victory over Waxahachie (Texas).
Gene Roebuck, La Mirada (Calif.) 6-4 WF 2027
This high-scoring wing is already one of the best bucket-getters in Southern California and gets our early vote as the best freshman in the Southland. Now, we haven't seen all of them in a highly-competitive environment just yet, but in terms of production in high-level games, he is deserving of the accolades he's compiling and will compile at the end of the season. Roebuck is skilled with the ball and can beat defenders in a variety of ways by using his strong frame and body control in the mold of former UCLA forward Kris Johnson. Roebuck also has the innate ability to get to the line, as we've already seen him get to the line more than 10 times on multiple occasions. Roebuck is also getting it done vs. high-level competition. He had 34 points in a 64-57 first round setback to Owyhee (meridian, Idaho) in the Platinum Division at The Classic at Damien. He then went for 44 points in a 82-80 loss to Branson (Ross, Calif.) in the consolation bracket. There is always the question of long-term potential (which is still obviously to be determined) vs. high-level production, but there is no question Roebuck is playing the game at a high level a month into his high school career.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores