A SoCal Scouting Notebook
It isn’t too often I get to head home to Southern California. I grew up just outside the city of Los Angeles, and this winter break I was able to leave my new home of Lincoln, Nebraska, and go see my family for the holidays. My holiday plans consist of the normal rounds of getting to see all my cousins and grandparents and sitting around eating probably too much food for my own good. But once the family activities end, it becomes basketball time for me.
My new home of Nebraska isn’t always known for elite basketball talent, with the only player in the association from the state being Baylor Scheierman. More might be on the way with the pair of high school teammates Hunter Sallis and Saint Thomas currently floating around the draft board, but returning to Los Angeles gives me the chance to go see some of the most elite talent in the entire country. Fortunately for me, a wealth of talent in the 2025 and 2026 classes are currently sharpening their craft in the City of Angels. Much of this talent met at the Damien Classic out in La Verne, and I was able to go see their skills. Let’s jump into it.
Alijah Arenas (Class of 2025, Uncommitted)
Perhaps the most pressing player to see for me was Alijah Arenas. Son of NBA All-Star and All-NBA selection Gilbert Arenas, Alijah has always been an interesting name to follow. He recently reclassified up to the class of 2025, and he talent is so clear with Arenas. His ability to score is second to none at the high school level, and it isn’t just the numbers with Arenas that impress, it is the way he gets those numbers that are so impressive. Arenas faced off with Jason Crowe Jr. a top ten prospect in the class of 2026, and a kid who has had cameras following him his entire high school career.
Arenas rolled out on the court about 90 seconds before tip-off while the rest of his squad had been warming up already, took about 3 shots, and then lined up for tip-off. I was a bit worried about this at first, and I was a bit concerned that for whatever reason Arenas wasn’t taking basketball seriously today and I wasn’t going to get to see the best from the electric guard.
This lack of warming up seemed to show itself at first. Arenas shot just 3-16 from the field in the first half, but he easily got to all his spots. Arenas's handle is special for a 17-year-old. People like to say a player has the ball on the string more than they probably should, but Arenas fit this description to a tee. His ability to handle pressure from defenders is not normal for a high schooler. His ability to combine that with creativity with the ball is likely the best among all high schoolers. It is reminiscent of elite NBA initiators like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or LaMelo Ball. This creativity and his flexibility as a driver is what makes Arenas a truly special prospect for me, and someone who I will likely have in my top 10 for the 2026 Draft to start the cycle.
While Arenas didn’t make shots in this first half, he had an understanding of how defenses load up on him. He would wait for defenders to entrap him and then easily make skip passes across the court to open shooters, and he can make quick whip passes off of either hand. He occasionally gets a bit wild in the passes he throws, but he displays clear vision and the ability to shake defenders with his eyes, often looking down at his defender to fake isolation before quickly throwing a pass to an open teammate.
Once the second half started Arenas seemed to have warmed himself up and the shots began to fall. He showed off his ever-deadly spin move that he uses to lure defenders in and quickly leave off balance, along with a high-level understanding of step-throughs and turnarounds that aren’t common among younger scorers who tend to play off of one foot.
Arenas ended with 34 points and led a second-half comeback that ultimately ended in a loss for his Chatsworth squad. Arenas was the prospect who impressed me the most on this first day of the Damien Classic, but let’s get to his opponent.
Jason Crowe Jr. (Class of 2026, Uncommitted)
Social media darling and top 10 recruit in the class of 2026 Jason Crowe Jr. transferred from Lynwood High School in South Central Los Angeles over to Inglewood High School after his father took the job from head coach of Lynwood to Inglewood. Crowe’s game is one I wasn’t too familiar with, but it was very quickly obvious how talented the young guard is.
Crowe is incredibly flashy both as a personality and scorer. He took about 5 logo threes through the contest, only draining one late in the shot clock. He also tended to play to the cameras quite a bit, getting into it with a young Chatsworth player tasked with guarding him, and frequently rolled his eyes or pointed at his opponents after scoring. That being said, Crowe lit up his opponents. He finished with 55 points and impressed me with his late-game poise.
Early in the game, Crowe took a lot more midrange jumpers than I would’ve liked. Crowe’s antics didn’t persist down the stretch of a close game, and late in the game, he showed a willingness to attack downhill toward the rim. His ability to hop inside the lane and extend just that little extra inch is very high, and his second burst once he gathers towards the rim is that of a future NBA scorer.
His creativity at the rim was also on full display. He had two up-and-under finishes through contact that had myself and the rest of the crowd letting out our collective OOOHs and AHHHs. He didn’t get to match up against a big man with real rim protection ability or strength, so the next step in Crowe’s game with be adding strength.
His passing ability also left me with some questions. It is clear to not only Crowe but the rest of his teammates that the best way to win is for Crowe to go score, but at his size of 6’3” it will be important for Crowe to pass at a high level to make it in college basketball. He is definitely an interesting prospect, and a guy who if he makes the leaps as a passer and finisher, has potential outcomes as an NBA starter.
Parker Jefferson (Class of 2025, Minnesota)
Crowe’s teammate is big man Parker Jefferson, who is committed to playing for the Golden Gophers once his senior season ends. Jefferson left me underwhelming against a smaller Chatsworth team he should have a field day with. He struggled to finish and rebound, and as an already smaller big at 6’9” these must improve for Jefferson to have an impact in the Big Ten. He did display good mobility and ran the floor well.
Christian Collins (Class of 2026, Uncommitted)
McCoy’s teammate and fellow top 10 recruit in the class of 2026 is 6’8” wing Christian Collins. The junior struggled in his first game but showed very high-level offensive flashes for a player of his size. Collins can be a bit stiff right now and may still be growing into his body, but he is incredibly twitchy when he moves. Something simple like grabbing a simple rebound is very quick for Collins.
His offensive game mainly is off the ball right now. He doesn’t pass at a high level but uses his size to attack closeouts very hard and dominate as a finisher in the lane. He can finish below or above the rim and has good touch. His handle is creative and he has some wiggle, but he can get loose with the ball at times. His jumper didn’t fall and was the main reason for his offensive struggles, but in both warmups and in-game his release is quick and repeatable. He has minimal movement with his left hand when he shoots, and his touch on other spots on the floor looks good. I think Collins is probably a good to great shooter with time, and that adds a lot of intrigue to his game.
On the defensive end, I have some concerns with Collins. St. John Bosco is well coached on that end, and at times it just looked like an inferior Sunnyslope team was a bit too quick for Collins to process. He was a bit late to most of his rotations and was worse in transition, where he guarded his own man too often instead of stopping driving lanes. He has the size and length to be a great help defender, but right now the speed of the game looks fast for Collins. He is undoubtedly a great prospect for the 2027 draft, but Collins showed me more flash over true production.
Elize Harrington (Class of 2025, USC)
Harrington operated as John Bosco’s primary ball handler in the game that Brandon McCoy missed, and Harrington was quality in a game where he and his teammates couldn’t make jump shots. Harrington has a great offhand when he drives to the rim, and he finished well there against a Sunnyslope team with good size.
When operating out of ball screens he is wired more to score, but he made good kickouts to shooters and operated well as an impromptu point guard when his team needed it. The shot didn’t fall but it looked good and I liked Harrington’s shot prep. His feet were always ready to shoot and he gets it up quickly with a high release. Numbers indicate he is a quality shooter despite the poor night.
On the defense, Harrington showed more smart basketball play. He was a good communicator with his teammates, frequently pointing out rotations and operating as a mini-coach on the court. On the ball, he knew how to use his length and cut off drives early.
At the end of the tournament Harrington flipped his commitment from Harvard to USC, and he could come into the Big Ten and play immediately due to his overall IQ and shot-making.