The Classic: Bernard rises to next level; Lucas impresses

LA VERNE, Calif. -- Four-star junior shooting guard Jules Bernard enjoyed a strong performance at The Classic at Damien High while four-star sophomore shooting guard Jarod Lucas was among those putting themselves on the map.

There is a new look overall at Los Angeles (Calif.) Windward this year after some talented players transferred out, but four-star shooting guard Jules Bernard is still there and the No. 46 ranked player in the 2018 class is looking to take his game to a new level.

Offensively gifted, Bernard is a smooth 6-foot-4 scorer who can shoot with range, handle the ball and create for others. On Monday, he made some winning crunch-time plays that showed he’s ready to be a leader.

Leadership has certainly been his junior season focus.

“The year is going pretty good so far,” Bernard said. “Our senior point guard got injured so I’m trying to do my best to lead and to take more of the game onto myself.

“I want to take that challenge and go with it”

So far this season, Bernard -- who runs with the Compton Magic during the summer -- has had Stanford, USC, Utah, Oregon, Alabama, UCLA and Harvard in to see him. He took a trip to Utah and as part of a trip with his school he was able to stop by Harvard and Columbia. Bernard said he’s in no rush to cut his list and that he is looking into a possible trip up to Oregon before the end of the season.

We are continuing to expand our list in the class of 2019 and four-star combo guard Jarod Lucas of Los Altos (Calif.) High is definitely one who has caught our eye when it comes to considering ranking the sophomore class.

Tough and skilled, Lucas is a deadeye shooter from deep who has much more to his game than catch and shoot. He navigates the high ball screen with savvy, shows some burst off the dribble and at 6-foot-2 he shows promise as a lead guard with good size.

So far, Lucas says that he has offers from UNLV, Tulane, Cal State Northridge, UC Irvine and Albany. Gonzaga, UCLA, USC, Stanford, California and Boise State are all keeping close tabs and he’s already seen the campuses of UNLV, USC, UCLA and UC Irvine.

As college programs cast a wide net to unearth available 2017 talent, 6-foot-4 shooting guard Devante Doutrive of Lake Balboa (Calif.) Birmingham is positioning himself nicely. A three-star prospect, Doutrive has toughness, good athleticism and a nice balance to his game between attacking off the dribble and shooting jump shots. UTEP and Loyola Marymount are his first two offers and Arizona State is watching.

A bonus with Doutrive is that he has a class of 2018 brother Devonaire Doutrive who also has big upside. Slightly taller than his older brother, Doutrive is a lanky 6-foot-5 wing and perhaps a slightly better jump shooter than his older brother. Devonaire listed offers from UTEP, LMU and New Mexico State to go along with interest from Arizona State.

Senior wing Justin Hemsley of La Verne (Calif.) Damien is the younger brother of San Diego State sophomore guard Jeremy Hemsley. At 6-foot-5 with high end athleticism, Hemsley is a young senior (turned 17 in October) who really looks to be coming into his own. Hemsley grabbed some rebounds in traffic, scored on strong drives to the rim – including a huge dunk in a defender’s face off the baseline – and looks like a kid with a huge upside. His stock could explode during his senior season.

Even though he’s only a freshman, 6-foot-4 guard Kyree Walker is already a mixtape crowd favorite. As it turns out, the product of Hayward (Calif.) Moreau Catholic has legitimate game, too. His team took a pretty bad beating at the hands of Damien, but Walker was quite impressive in the loss. He is bouncy near the rim, was very creative for himself and others off the dribble and looked more than comfortable taking deep jumpers. It’s quite early, but he’s on the early radar as a potential high-level prospect in 2020. Arizona and St. John’s offered early.

Another wing who looks to have big upside is Etiwanda (Calif.) High junior Kessler Edwards. The 6-foot-6 junior did a little bit of everything on Monday night. He hit mid-range jumpers, scored in the post, came up with huge rebounds and seemed to be in the middle of every key defensive play in a win over Las Vegas (Nev.) Centennial and Oregon-bound five-star guard Troy Brown. Grand Canyon and Rice have offered and more offers should be on the way.

Corona (Calif.) Centenial’s centerpiece is four-star power forward Jalen Hill, who is ticketed for UCLA. On Monday, Hill was active as a rebounder and tough four man who looked to attack the rim whenever possible. The Bruins may not need big scoring from him early, but he can get himself playing time off the bat with his willingness to do the dirty work. Hill has some talented teammates too. Senior point guard Isom Butler has tremendous quickness, gets to the rim and can really sit down and defend. Butler told Rivals.com that UC Bakersfield was on him hard during the fall but he wanted to wait and it took another point guard. He’s wide open and will consider running with Team Eleate during the spring to help his recruitment if needed. Also, keep an eye on freshman wing Jalen Clark. He’s got a solid 6-foot-4 frame, some good athleticism and doesn’t look at all nervous playing big minutes at a young age.

Last week at the Tarkanian Classic, Eastvale (Calif.) Roosevelt’s senior duo of four-star California bound combo guard Jemarl Baker and three-star Cal-State Fullerton Matt Mitchell was torching the nets. On Monday, they showed no signs of letting their feet of the gas as they combined for 66 points in a first round win at The Classic. A dangerous jump shooter with range and 6-foot-4 size, Baker looks ready to step in and provide a deep threat in Berkeley as a freshman. He’s also a good enough playmaker to spell star freshman Charlie Moore some at the point. One of the most improved seniors we’ve seen this year, Mitchell has transformed himself from a tough, but somewhat undersized, four man into a guy who can play the wing and is also a dangerous shooter. He looks to be a great pickup for Fullerton.

The West Coast’s 2018 crop of big men looks to be a little bit thin, so evaluations on guys like three-star frontcourt player Riley Battin of Oak Park (Calif.) High will be critical. At 6-foot-8, Battin has good strength, shoots the ball well and has a nice bag of tricks around the rim. He is not a big-time athlete and has to show he can defend at the level he scores. He had a 22-point first half on Monday before foul trouble got the better of him late, but he can score. Utah and Northwestern are high majors that have offered while mids like San Francisco, Santa Clara, Davidson and others are hoping they can hang in there with him.

Finally, Loyola Marymount-bound power forward Zafir Williams of Long Beach (Calif.) Poly had a big day. The 6-foot-6 senior was hitting jumpers, using his strength to power his way to hoops around the rim and he played with tons of energy. Also, keep an eye on his senior teammate Myles Johnson. After battling injuries for much of his high school career, the 6-foot-8 center looks like a potential sleeper. He is a good positional defender, blocks shots, has good hands and shows some touch on offense.