Tarkanian Classic: Bossi's Wednesday takeaways

LAS VEGAS -- The Tarkanian Classic jumped into full swing on Wednesday and USC bound five-star Isaiah Mobley appears to compare very well to a current college star.

The more I watch USC bound Isaiah Mobley, the more I can't help but compare him to how current Kansas star Dedric Lawson plays the game.

Like Lawson, Mobley is an angular four man who plays a game that is built upon skill and craft. He doesn't jump the highest, but the way he processes the game, makes decisions and has counters to every move thrown at him, he becomes quicker than you would expect him to be.

Also like Lawson, Mobley is a volume rebounder, gets to the free throw line and has to be accounted for as a deep jump shooter and terrific passer who offense can be run through.

Because it's Las Vegas, there were probably some fans on hand Wednesday morning who were feeling a little less than 100%. If that was the case, the scoring exhibition put on by five-star shooting guard Josh Christopher of Lakewood (Calif.) Mayfair and top 40 small forward Julian Strawther of Henderson (Nev.) Liberty helped to cure any ills.

Christopher and Mayfair got the win and he was relentless in scoring 34 points. It's hard to classify him as anything but a pure scorer. Some days he hurts you with the jumper, sometimes it's with the drive and others it's a little bit of everything. Christopher manufactured one bucket after another and then iced the game with some crucial free throws. He gave the latest on his recruitment in this update.

Just a few weeks ago I saw Strawther at the Hoophall West and while he racked up points, it wasn't his best effort. He even admitted so. On Wednesday, though, Strawther had it cooking early and often as he scored 30 of his game high 48 in the first half. He's s sneaky guy off the dribble but it's his jump shot that travels. He visited Marquette officially a week ago and heads to Florida State in January.

Four-star junior Noah Taitz had it rolling from deep on Wednesday and his Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman teammmates followed right along with him.

Taitz played both the one and the two and did the other things needed along with his jump shooting. He moved the ball, was an active communicator and generally played fast and efficient during an impressive 26 point outing.

Last month, Taitz took his first official visit to Washington and he also saw Stanford and USC during the fall. He discussed those trips with us earlier this week.

.... His Henderson (Nev.) Coronado team took a loss, but freshman guard Richard Isaacs caught fire late and almost helped to engineer a big comeback. What I love about Isaacs is his dangerous pull-up jumper, his overall court vision and that for such a young player he's not afraid of any moment and carries himself like a seasoned veteran.

.... Five-star senior Jaden McDaniels gets the headlines but four-star junior Tari Eason is backing up the ranking he earned because of his summer play. On a day when McDaniels was saddled by foul trouble, Eason took over on the interior and led Federal Way (Wash.) High to a win. Eason is very bouncy, has tremendous length and just seems to be scratching the surface of what I think is high major potential.

.... Once four-star big man Isaiah Cottrell plays with consistent physicality, he has a chance to improve on his current ranking of No. 76 in the class of 2020. At about 6-foot-9 he moves very well, has soft hands and can run the floor. He's got some scoring polish and when he's physical, he's a load to handle. He saw Rutgers, Texas Tech and West Virginia during the fall.

.... Not to be outdone by his older brother Isaiah Mobley, 2020's No. 2 ranked player Evan Mobley put on a show himself on Wednesday. He dunked, hit some jumpers and protected the rim. To me he's looking more and more like a Marcus Camby type of big guy and he's really putting some heat on Jalen Green for the No. 1 spot in 2020.