The 2021 Pangos Frosh/Soph Camp series got underway with the first of four stops across the country out West. Over the years, this series of showcase camps has served as a national coming out party for a plethora of high caliber young players, such as Trae Young (South), Cade Cunningham (South), Evan Mobley (West) and Lonzo Ball (West). This year's camp at McBride (Long Beach, Calif.) was no different, as a handful of players will be certain elite college prospects and ultimately chosen for the McDonald's All-American Game.

We decided to take a look at this year's deep camp with a look at trios of players who fit a specific category of evaluation.

CREAM OF THE CROP - This is the trio of players who will be recruited by blue bloods all across the country and will be remembered down the line for playing in the camp just as Cunningham, Ball, etc., before them.

Elzie Harrington, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 6-4 2025: The top overall prospect at this year's All-West Frosh/Soph Camp, Harrington has a combination of size, feel, passing and scoring ability that quickly draw attention. His explosiveness can easily be under-valued because of his smooth skills and level-headed demeanor, but make no mistake Harrington can explode off first step under control and had a dunk in traffic that had the camp buzzing. Harrington also has deep range on his jumpshot and doesn't take poor attempts very often. Gets the early nod as the top 2025 player and prospect in the Golden State.

Jovani Ruff, Poly (Long Beach, Calif.) 6-5 2025: Expected to be a heavy contributor for one of the best programs in SoCal and was one many national scouts were eager to get a look at. They didn't come away disappointed, as Ruff has a variety of offensive skills that translate well as a wing guard. Ruff has a terrific pull-up game, makes the right reads and loves to attack gaps. Some would like to see him more assertive at times, but his unselfishness is a terrific trait and that consistent stamp on each game will come with maturity. Rates favorably to former Villanova All-American Kerry Kittles.

Zoom Diallo, Elite Prep (Issaquah, Wash.) 6-3 2024: Was matched up against the top guards in the camp in Sunday's Cream of the Crop Top 30 game and did not disappoint, stamping himself as one of the best guards on the West Coast with his dominant performance. It was evident right away nobody could handle his combination of strength, downhill driving ability and ball skill, as he helped his team to a 112-99 "upset" victory. Diallo had 15 points and six rebounds and excelled in pick-and-roll situations while pushing the ball every time he could in the open court or off the glass. He excelled at Section 7, the NCAA June live period scholastic event in Phoenix with Curtis (Tacoma, Wash.), and will have a plethora of Pac-12 and WCC schools on his tail in short order.

STAT STUFFERS - This trio was productive all throughout the two-day camp and rate as quality D1 prospects.

Adam Njie, Eduprize Prep (Gilbert, Ariz.) 6-1 2024: This point guard has a deadly combination of speed and quickness and used it to his advantage to make a huge imprint on the Cream of the Crop Top 30 game. He helped the White jersey team to a 112-99 victory (after leading 62-61 at halftime) over the Black jersey team that had a majority of the camp's "name" players by scoring a game-high 25 points and grabbing four rebounds. Njie sometimes can get caught in the moment of trying to do too much or gets locked in on scoring, but in this setting he simply took what was given as nobody tried to, nor displayed the ability, to keep him in front defensively. He was just too creative and explosive in the open court. He also does a good job of moving his feet on defense and is receptive to coaching and wants to get better.

Malick Diallo, Juan Diego (Draper, Utah) 6-9 2024: This camp's top pivot player proved to be too much to handle inside, as he just worked and got better as the camp wore on while other interior players tired out. Diallo has solid touch and finishes with authority around the rim. Diallo is also a tireless rim protector who goes after loose balls and doesn't try to do too much out of his comfort zone. Had 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to lead his team to victory in the Cream of the Crop Top 30 game.

DeShawn Gory, Hillcrest (Riverside, Calif.) 6-6 2024: This wing just loves to compete and it's always nice to see a young prospect literally get better every time out. A little less than a year ago, Gory was all athlete who was a bit unsure of himself offensively, but now he's developing a nice mid-range shot and can keep defenders honest with a deep ball. Gory is terrific slashing to the rim and most important, his activity level remains high throughout games regardless of how his team is playing or how he is performing offensively. Gory was solid in every aspect of the game in this camp and had eight points and eight rebounds to close it out in the Cream of the Crop Top 30 game.

TRUE FLOOR GENERALS - This trio play the game in the traditional sense of a pass-first point guard and see the game one step ahead.

Styles Phipps, St. Mary's (Pheonix, Ariz.) 6-2 2024: The top overall floor general at this event, Phipps is well known in recruiting circles after helping the Knights capture a state title as a freshman. An excellent ball handler with uncanny offensive skill, Phipps uses a pull-up jumper and a variety of instinctual moves to keep defenders off balance. His biggest strength is his ability to create from any angle, while having a nose for rebounding in the correct spot of getting his hands on balls in passing lanes. Phipps is also sneaky athletic and other elite players love him on their team. The next step is his development is to become more of a vocal leader and work on his blow-by first step.

J.J. Mandaquit Jr., Iolani (Honolulu, Haw.) 6-1 2025: At this camp, there was a host of comparable prospects after the elite crop of 12-15 players, so a handful had legitimate gripes in not being selected to the Cream of the Crop Top 60 game. In hindsight, however, only one player should have been bumped up to the Top 30 game and that's this pass-first guard from the Islands. Mandaquit drew raves from scouts for his feel, passing ability and smooth offensive repertoire. More than one camp observer commented how much they like the way he plays the game. Mandaquit was an easy choice for MVP of the Cream of the Crop Top 60 game (along with 6-foot-4 2025 prospect D'Andre Harrison of Perry in Chandler, Ariz.).

Kade Bonam, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 6-7 2025: We cheated a bit here because Boman is not a pass-first lead guard, but he is an excellent passer from his hybrid forward position. Bonam sees the floor well from both the low and high post and hardly every misses a cutting teammate from the block or triple threat. He can do a bit of everything and most importantly, wins games from the neck up with his vocal leadership and ability to direct traffic. Similar to high school teammate Elzie Harrington, it's not easy to come up with as quality NBA or college comparison because his unique game.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK - This trio didn't have a big reputation coming into camp but soon will be on the radar of D1 colleges and major recruiting networks.

Tyrone Riley, St. Pius X- Mattias (Downey, Calif.) 6-4 2024: One respected talent scout rated this smooth lefty as one of the top five long-term prospects in attendance. Riley can rebound, shoot and score and always seems to be in the right spot to make winning plays.

Dallas Washington, St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.) 6-7 2025: Impressed enough to secure a spot in the top all-star game. Although he didn't have a huge impact on the outcome of the game, he was hustling and his best days are clearly way down the line. Washington is a wing forward who can handle and shoot it a bit. Once his skills and athleticism begin to balance out, we're talking about a terrific college prospect.

Lonnie Bass Jr., Rancho (Las Vegas, Calif.) 6-6 2025: Didn't come in with alot of fanfare, but made his presence known in the camp's first game with a couple of block shots. Bass is a blue-collar worker who impacts the defensive end and knows how to draw fouls on the other end. Continued development of his shooting and scoring skill could make him one of the best players on the West Coast in his class.

CRYSTAL BALL - This trio necessarily wasn't among the top performers in camp, but it's evident down the line they will be terrific high school players and have a chance to earn a scholarship.

Tyran Stokes, Pittsburgh (Calif.) 6-5 2026: Was the only eighth-grader chosen for the top all-star game and has a bright future. Impacted the camp on both ends of the floor and is a downhill finisher. His skill development is worth tracking because he brings alot to the table.

Julius Olanrewaju, Coalinga (Calif.) 6-4 2025: This burly wing can stroke it from the outside and is a terrific spot up shooter for a young player with his size and skill ratio. He got caught up in the moment of the camp's individual offensive setting in one of his games and was forcing the action, but that's nit-picking because he has plenty of talent to offer with his physical approach to the game. How Olanrewaju develops his two-guard skills will ultimately determine his recruitment level.

DeMarco Johnson, Heritage Christian (Northridge, Calif.) 6-2 2025: This young player seems like all limbs, as his skinny frame is a long way from filling out. However, Johnson is a quality point guard with a fiery disposition and a passion to get better. Johnson can get by stronger players with crafty ball-handing and is also a terrific post-entry passer for a player at his stage of development.

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