ORANGE, Calif. -- The Magic Memorial Day Classic is one of the best venues on the circuit for scouting West Coast talent and 2020 shooting guard Ian Martinez took advantage of the spotlight.
Martinez put himself on the national map while others impressed on opening night.
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MARTINEZ UNDER THE RADAR NO LONGER
During the winter, fellow national analyst Corey Evans was impressed by what he saw out of junior combo guard Ian Martinez who he saw light it up for his high school team. But, it was just one game and we wanted to see more of him. Friday night I had my first opportunity to see Martinez in person and needless to say I was very impressed.
Playing for the SoCal All-Stars, Martinez did it all. He swished deep jumpers, made crisp and clever passes and when the time called for it he dialed up his athleticism to go over defenders. Simply put, Martinez is as explosive off the floor as any other guard I've seen in the class of 2020 and he's a guy we need to make room for in the national rankings as a four-star prospect when we update here in the near future.
A native of Costa Rica, Martinez is also an impressive communicator and plays with an energy that is infectious. Arizona, Mississippi (where he's going to visit in June), USC and Utah have put a lot of work in on him already and the word about how good he is will be making way out of Southern California and the West Coast soon.
SILVA EMERGING AS ONE OF THE TOP 2021 POINT GUARDS OUT WEST
Another player I would be good with moving into the national rankings as a four-star, this time in 2021, is Sacramento (Calif.) Jesuit point guard Isael Silva.
He runs with the Compton Magic's Premier team and he is impressive playing up in the 17U level.
Silva has great pace, he can make shots, he's athletic off the dribble and he has outstanding body control. He gets to his spots at will, makes proper reads and has improved significantly since I first saw him back in September at the Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph camp.
Utah is his first high major offer and has made an impression. Stanford hasn't offered yet but has hosted him unofficially multiple times and Virginia recently jumped in after Tony Bennett watched Silva during April. I could see Silva reminding UVA fans some of Ty Jerome and the state of California has been good to them for point guards so the Cavs could be a program to watch here. Fresno State, Montana and UTEP are among his other early offers.
FRIDAY NIGHT NOTES
.... Due to injuries and different schedules, I've not gotten to see Arizona power forward Jason Harris in some time. I finally caught up with him again last night and he has all the tools to be a high major player. Physically, he's a sleek and strong athlete who looks very similar to Nassir Little at the same age. Here's the rub, though, Harris is also a four-star defensive end and has big time football offers from programs like Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Texas, USC and many others. Could he get high major offers in hoops if he focused there? Absolutely. But, it's hard to see him going the hoops route with such impressive football options.
.... I liked what I saw from 2020 combo guard Jalin Anderson of Team Harden. Anderson is a bouncy athlete, has a good looking shot and does a nice job forcing the action as an aggressive combo guard. Grand Canyon and UTEP have offered and I would expect many more mid to upper mid major West Coast programs go get involved with the three-star guard.
.... Finally, Dream Vision may be one of the most talented teams on the grassroots circuit regardless of affiliation. They have size, they have skill and they have athleticism. One of their top players is four-star power forward Isaiah Cottrell from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman. Not only is Cottrell getting the strength he needs to compliment his soft hands, skill and athleticism, he's starting to improve his consistency. Playing with others like five-stars Makur Maker and Kyree Walker is making him learn how to be effective while playing alongside stars and it is paying off. He's been to Kansas, Rutgers and West Virginia officially and LSU, Texas Tech, UNLV, Wake Forest and Washington round out his final eight.
