This past weekend, AVAC United hosted their Labor Day Classic at AIM Sportsplex in Seal Beach, CA. The event ran from Sept 4-6. I was able to attend the event on both the 5th and the 6th and here’s a quick look at some additional top CA standouts that I saw.
<strong>1. Nicole Chuang - West Torrance 2023</strong>
This was my first time watching Chuang play and she is a very solid wing prospect. She has some solid ball-handling skills and she can be the primary ball-handler in transition or in the half-court. She can break down the defense off the dribble and get into the paint to finish. She can also pull-up from three or shoot off the dribble. Good drive and kick player. She has the ability to get hot quickly from three-point range. Good defensive player. High upside.
<strong>2. Alina Johnson - Murrieta Valley 2022</strong>
Johnson was one of the top post players I saw all weekend. She has good size and she finishes strong in the paint. She has good hands catching passes and has a soft touch around the rim. She’s able to draw contact and get herself to the free-throw line where she shoots it well consistently. She’s able to get good post position and can take advantage of small defenders down low. Good rebounder.
<strong>3. Amiyah Garcia - G1 Elite</strong>
Garcia is another player that I wasn’t able to get her year or HS, but she played for G1 Elite this weekend. She’s a good ball-handler who is always looking for her teammates. She wasn’t playing point guard, but she looked comfortable at times with the ball in her hands. She can attack the rim and she’s not afraid to challenge bigs. She gets her shot off over the defense and can get to the free-throw line. Good defender who reads the passing lanes well.
<strong>4. [player_tooltip player_id="104192" first="Makayla" last="Rutledge"] - Murrieta Valley 2023</strong>
Rutledge stood out as being more of a shooting guard with some point guard abilities. She can be the primary ball-handler if necessary. She can see the court well and makes the right passes; doesn’t hold on to the ball for too long. She pushes the pace well in transition. Solid give and go player; able to relocate to where the pass is going to come. One of the few players I’ve seen able to make a good post-entry pass.
