April Standouts Pt. 2

It’s been an interesting month of April in Southern California. High school basketball regular seasons have been given the green light to get underway, but this is the same time that AAU programs and events are usually starting up. Due to the fluid situation, the CIF has allowed players to play for both their high school team and AAU team concurrently. Here’s a little look at some of the players who have been standouts this month either with their HS team, AAU team, or both. <strong>1. JuJu Watkins - Windward 2024</strong> Watkins is a player I first saw in the summer of 2019 before she played her first high school game. She was a phenom then and has only gotten better since. She’s yet to play a game with Windward this spring and has suited up with Cal Swish on the EYBL circuit. She’s a flat out scorer and a threat to score from anywhere on the court. She can attack the rim and can go either right or left off the dribble. She’s strong and can finish through contact. Can pull up and shoot on the break. Good outside shooter. <strong>2. [player_tooltip player_id="49275" first="Jyah" last="Lovett"] - Muir 2022</strong> LoVett is an intriguing wing prospect. She’s started off the spring HS season with Muir (Pasadena) with a bang, dropping 55 points in Muir’s opener against Pasadena Poly. She’s been playing with Cal Sparks too on the AAU circuit. She’s got a very strong off the dribble game. She can finish at the rim through traffic. Comfortable with the ball in her hands. She’s solid in transition, she can go all the way in for an easy two or stop and pop with a jumper. She has a nice little step back jumper too. <strong>3. [player_tooltip player_id="54096" first="Chloe" last="Briggs"] - Ontario Christian 2023</strong> Briggs is a player I first saw at a Cal Storm event right before she had played a real high school game and she was a standout as a playmaker. She’s been playing with Cal Storm this spring as well as with her HS team. She started off the spring HS season with two triple doubles. She’s one of the best playmakers in SoCal. Very unselfish and team first. She can break down the defense and find cutters as well as kick out to open shooters. If a teammate is open, she’ll find them. A real point guard. <strong>4. [player_tooltip player_id="103359" first="Gabriela" last="Jaquez"] - Camarillo 2022</strong> Jaquez has gotten off to a strong start this spring both for Camarillo and for Cal Stars on the AAU circuit. She’s really improved her ball-handling from the first time I saw her play and she’s more comfortable making plays off the dribble. She shot up in size too and can effectively use it to her advantage playing around the rim against smaller defenders. She’s very mobile and runs the floor well. Range out to the three-point line with a quick release. <strong>5. [player_tooltip player_id="166838" first="Layla" last="Davis"] - Paraclete 2024</strong> Davis is looking like a freshman to watch this season. She’s started the season with her HS team and has suited up for West Coast Elite on the AAU circuit. What stands out the most to me is defensive ability. She’s a physical presence in the paint and can switch out on the perimeter. Uses her defense to lead to fast break opportunities. Offensively, she can handle the ball and is solid in transition. A solid catch and shoot player.