RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif.—The kickoff to any club season wouldn’t be complete without a trip to California and the West Coast Premier Spring Invitational. In its 10th year the month of May staple annually offers a good look at some of the premier Pacific Coast talent. This year’s edition featured 80 teams with players from five different states across the rosters including three Nike EYBL clubs. Add in the always competitive Wiggins Waves, an impressive Fresno Heat squad, the Cal Ball Soldiers and Ballaz and you know there was plenty to see in SoCal over the weekend.
Champions were crowned in four different divisions of play including the Super Elite Division claimed by the visiting Texans from the DFW Elite. Making their win even more impressive was standout senior Zay Green being sidelined after pool play with a bruised tailbone. DFW got by host West Coast Premier in a low scoring 44 – 36 final Sunday afternoon. West Coast shouldn’t shed too many tears as their 15’s claimed the Silver bracket among the Super Elite. The Elite title went to the Cal Storm National squad while the Open Division was claimed by the 805 Family 15U team. The actual 15 U bracket hardware went home with the SoCal Wolf Pack.
For complete pool scores and results as well as Sunday’s brackets, follow the link below.
https://basketball.exposureevents.com/86994/west-coast-premier-spring-invitational/schedule
Here’s a quick look at some of the standouts from the 10th annual West Coast Premier Spring Invitational.
One player you have to be excited about seeing again is Jillian Archer of the Cal Storm Team Taurasi. Each time out she’s elevating not just her skill set but the assertive application with which she puts them to work. The 6-2 forward is coming into her own as she approaches her senior year and the best may well be still to come. There’s a new fluidity to her play and not many are putting more effort in on either end of the floor. She’s showing off a lengthy first step and a willingness to go into to traffic that will serve her well down the road. The 15 footer went down a couple of times necessitating tight close outs from the opposition. Make no mistake, Archer is still a work in progress but if this spring is any indication of where she’s going you better keep watching.
Salesian Force Elite won just a single game on the weekend but did get an eye catching effort from point guard Stefanie Berbeabe. A 5-4 senior, she simply made plays time and again with the ball in her hands. Despite her small stature and slight build, she handled contact and created options off the drive time and again. Her passing was dead on as were her reads both on the break and off penetration. Getting to the rim wasn’t an issue for her but the pull up looked sound on occasion when the helpside came her way.
The West Coast Premier made their way to the finals with some strong contributions from 2019 guard Cailyn Crocker. The athletic 5-9 attack specialist can find her way to the rim versus strong halfcourt pressure or within the structure of a well executed break. She mixes up both speed and direction and can deliver some sharp interior passing as she gets deep in the paint. The consistency on her jumper is evolving and she’s getting a good look at the rim with some impressive elevation on her shot. On the weakside of the floor defensively she anticipates well and sees the action as it happens.
One of the more impressive efforts of the weekend came from Dreaunna Edwards of the Fresno Lady Heat. A 6-0 swing player, she’s a beast with the ball in her hands and a challenge for any defender. From game one she was looking to attack on every possession and went to the rim with a physical attack that made most opponents have second thoughts about taking a charge. Though she has a solid build the first step is there and the frame makes her difficult to recover against. The mid range touch is sound and a floater is in the repertoire as well. A 2018 class member, she’s a presence on the boards and more than willing to put a body on the opposition as they come her way defensively.
Kianna Hamilton had a strong effort over the weekend for the Cal Stars-Valley elite. A versatile perimeter threat at 5-10, she’s got solid skills and an understanding of her role. The 2018 grad moves well with and without the ball and has the tools to weigh in at the guard spot or out on the wing. Hamilton attacked in transition or off the drive in the halfcourt. Her shot is compact one time, off the shoulder another but the basic form is sound and a threat. Defensively she’s active and puts her length to good use on ball.
The East Bay Tigers enjoyed some productivity from 2019 backcourt standout Destiny Jackson. The 5-5 Jackson has all the speed and quickness to make her a threat on the catch in half and full court scenarios. Her hesitation move is deceiving and gets defenders out of their stance time and again. Defensively she’s assertive on ball and has both the hands and feet to take away options. Jackson will only get better as the summer progresses.
Each time we see Kiara Jefferson of the California Soldiers we’re more and more impressed…and we were impressed to begin with. The lean, athletic 5-9 guard is constantly on the attack and playing at a pace opponents must match or pay the price. Her change of speed plus acceleration gets her by defenders with either quickness or size. In the paint she elevates on both the pull up or floater, though she sometimes drifts to a degree. Without the ball she has that rare ability to make herself an option off the cut coming off screens or simply by way of a well executed backdoor effort.
Not many guards play with the physicality of the Peninsula Elite’s Stella Kailahi. The 5-10, 2018 combo, is a handful for any defender. She can create her own looks as well as improve the options for her teammates around her. Her attack is methodical and measured and more so…effective. Kailahi is smooth on the attack and the hesitation dribble serves her well time and again. Her strength and size also allowed her to post up on a few occasions and she may have put some of the bigs on opposing rosters to shame.
The California Soldiers are also getting more and more solid play from 2019 wing Nia Lowrey. She’s creating more off the dribble and utilizing her size and strength to exploit smaller match ups. There’s a quick release on the jumper but she’s becoming much more adept at getting in among the bigs and finishing with contact. She’ll need to be more active off the ball to keep the opposition honest but you have to like the direction things are going for this 5-10 prospect.
Teri Bamford and the Wiggins Waves got some strong, smart play from 5-9 Kiera Oakry in Rancho Cucamonga. The 2018 swing player is strong and active making her a difficult match-up for those on the other bench. She plays with an awareness of what’s going on around her making herself and option as well as developing looks for her teammates. Her crossover serves her well and gets her to the rim while her physical build allows her to absorb the contact as the bigs come her way from the helpside.
The Cal Stars – Valley Elite made it to the Silver bracket final and a lot of their 3 – 2 weekend record had to do with the play of 6-1 Simone Overbeck. The long and athletic wing has the potential to grow more physically as well as in her game. She’s confident putting the ball on the floor and is up to the task of getting to the rim or converting off a pull up as the rotations come her way. While upright at times, the 2019 Overbeck can get by quicker defenders and knows what she’s looking for as she turns the corner. She did post a few times but the strength isn’t there to make it a college ready option…yet.
If you don’t know who Te-Hina Paopao of the Wiggins Waves is you’ve most likely been in all the wrong gyms the last two years. The highly regarded 2020 point guard is among the elite in the class and reminded everyone why last weekend, if only in glimpses. Paopao is coming off a knee injury and is still functioning around the 70 percent mark, but 70 percent of her games is eye catching enough. She’s used the rehab time to sharpen her perimeter shooting and range and is becoming more and more judicious off the drive in terms of what option she calls upon. Bad news for opponents…she’s going to get sharper and better each time out.
All the talk is about the younger classes these days and it’s no surprise that Khylee Pepe makes it into some of those conversations. A 5-10, 2021 power forward, Pepe is already a presence on the floor. She’s physically strong beyond her years and holds her ground against bigger and older opposition almost every time out for the West Coast Premier 15U Squad. Her ball skills are surprising particularly her passing that some guards may well envy at this point. Part of the faith in her future comes from her willingness to work and the effort she plays with already. An already established prospect, she still has plenty to show off as time goes by.
If you like length on the wing and an uncanny ability to slash through defense check out Kaylin Randhawa of the Peninsula Elite 17’s. The 6-1 senior to be has a long lean build she isn’t afraid to throw into the middle of the action. She makes herself an option both in the halfcourt as well as on the break. The ability is there to put it on the floor and she uses her body well to protect the ball in traffic. That length also makes her a challenge to get around defensively as does some surprising footwork for her size.
DFW has gotten consistent play thus far this spring from 2019 point guard Endyla Rogers. At 5-6 she’s got the speed and quickness to offset any size disadvantage and the confidence is showing more and more each time out. The ballhandling is sharp and efficient while the passing decisions are keeping the bench happy more and more every possession. Though setting up her teammates on a regular basis, Rogers herself is a capable scorer and accelerates off any move with a tough to defend explosiveness. On ball defensively she can be an opponent’s worst nightmare when she wants to be.
Evanne Turner had some impressive moments for The West Premier 15’s who claimed the Silver title in the Super Elite Division. A strong 5-9 guard, she has the ball skills to create both shots and passes. On the catch there’s plenty of speed with the ball in her hands and the ability is there to make effective moves without slowing down. The release is a bit low on her jumper but she has a quick shot that offsets the issue at this level. With two more high school seasons in front of her folks should be keeping a close eye on Turner.
To say that Harmoni Turner is coming into her own may well be an understatement. The 2020 DFW Elite guard is playing with more and more confidence and stepped up to the plate with Zay Green sidelined for the semis and finals. A 5-8 combo, Turner has strong individual skills applied with some impressive quickness and speed. The hesitation, crossover and step-back all led to good looks against various opponents over the course of the event. Going a step further she’s scrapping more on both ends and inserting herself into the action on virtually every possession. Stay tuned.
Tyiona Watkins was a mainstay in West Coast Premier’s 4 and 1 weekend. The athletic small forward made plays time and again against all levels of defenders. At 5-10 the 2018 grad plays with plenty of effort and gets out and runs the floor with the guards in transition. In the halfcourt she’s active with and without the ball and looks to be a factor each possession. Watkins can take it to the rim but is also able to connect from the mid to 15 foot range. Only going to get better.
Naomi Yim of Cal Storm Team Taurasi demonstrated some strong play (again) in their run to a 4 and 1 record for the weekend. The point guard has the ability to help teammates produce points or create plenty of her own. Her crossover to a step back is quick and comes with plenty of separation. The stroke, form and range serve her well and force defenders to get there on the catch. If they overplay on the catch Yim has deceiving quickness and can leave them scrambling to recover. Her change of speed is effective and serves her well both on the break or within a halfcourt structure.
