Frank Woodford:
Regional Analyst Covering SW & West Coast
Flagstaff, AZ (Future150) -- As the high school basketball season concludes on the west coast, it’s time to take a look back at some players that made the most of their season. Out west, winning is the most important thing a player can do on the court, and these players did a lot of that over their young careers to date.
Kris Yanku – 2013 Combo Guard, William Howard Taft HS (CA)
Yanku is a 6’3 combo guard that won city championships as both a sophomore and junior while at Taft High School in Los Angeles, California. He hopes to add more this season; Yanku and
Taft play this Tuesday night in a regional play-off game. The do-it-all guard is averaging nearly 24 points, nine rebounds and four steals a game this season.
He had a host of offers from several Division I programs, but ultimately chose coach Jack Murphy and Northern Arizona
University over the rest. He is a skilled guard that can handle the ball and get into the paint with ease. He will be expected to contribute right away next year at NAU. He could become an
All-Big Sky caliber player and will be a great addition for the Lumberjacks next season.
Jaylyn Juan – 2015 Small Forward from Salpointe Catholic HS (AZ)
As one of the top sophomores in the state of Arizona, much was expected of Jaylyn Juan this season. The 2015 forward did not let anyone down; Juan was a major factor in Salpointe Catholic High School’s 22-11 record and appearance in the Division II State Championship game this past Saturday.
The rising sophomore scored nearly 10 points per game to go along with over eight rebounds and one block per game this season. Juan has good size for a small forward at 6’4 and 190 pounds and is a sneaky good athlete. Even though he is only an underclassman, Juan is receiving interest from a good deal of west coast schools including Portland, San Francisco, Rice, Northern Arizona and Washington State.
Although his goal of a state championship came up short this season, Juan say’s he is hungry to improve and get back next year.
Marcus & Malcolm Allen – 2013 SG/PG from Centennial HS (NV)
Nowhere is the term student-athlete better personified than in the Allen twins from Las Vegas, Nevada. The brothers each carry GPA’s of above 4.0 and have already committed to play basketball together next year at Stanford University. But, don’t let the grades fool you, the Allen brothers can play ball.
Marcus is a 6’4 shooting guard that averaged 29 points and five
rebounds a game in helping to lead Centennial High School to the Nevada Division I state championship game this season. Malcolm, a 6’2 point guard, scored 24 points a game while dishing out over six assists per contest. The senior back-court is proud of the impact and attention that have brought their school, in a state who’s basketball glory is dominated by Findlay Prep and Bishop Gorman High School, the Allen twins have made Centennial High School a force to be reckoned with.
Marcus and Malcolm Allen are looking forward to the challenges Stanford and the Pacific-12 Conference will bring; they also noted that the opportunity to play against great teams like UCLA, Arizona and Colorado each and every game allows them to compete at the highest level.
Jalen Young – 2013 SG from La Jolla Prep (CA)
Jalen Young is a player out of Southern California that is really flying under the radar. The prep senior is a 6’5" lefty shooting guard that can score on all three levels. While La Jolla Prep has
been dealing with off the court issues as of late, Young gave his all on the court. The shooting guard averaged over 22 points a game this year, but more important than that, Young is more
than just a scorer.
His size and skill set allow him versatility on the basketball court. He can play lead guard through small forward, his outside shooting makes him a hard cover for post players, but he is too big for most guards to handle. As of right now Young is mainly receiving interest
from DII colleges like Notre Dame College, University of Minnesota-Duluth and Emporia College. Young carry’s a 3.83 GPA and would be a steal for any Division II program.
Dylan Bliss - 2013 SG from Gilbert Christian HS (AZ)
Bliss has been the consummate winner at the high school level in Arizona. The 6’4 shooting guard has played in the state Division III championship game all four year while at Gilbert Christian High School. Bliss captured a title as a skinny freshman off the bench, then two more with back-to-back championships as a junior and senior starter. The senior wing is an inside-out player. He had four first half three-pointers in the state title game this year in helping his team pull away for a lopsided victory.
His size gives him an advantage over small guards, but his
range makes him a threat from the perimeter. The senior has no favorite school right now, but has several options. Bliss plans on visiting Westmont College soon, and also has high interest
from Arizona Christian University, Rhodes College, Macalester College, Jamestown College and Grinnell College, which gained mass acclaim early this year when sophomore guard Jack Taylor
scored an NCAA record 138 points in a single game. No matter where Bliss decides to attend college, he ended his prep career as one of the more decorated players you will find on the west
coast.
Comments:
Great article! Very well written and informative. Can’t wait to see these kids play in college now!