I got a chance to watch the game tonight, and was impressed overall. It was pretty well-played for a HS game and came down to the final possession before Mater Dei won 61-58.
My thoughts on the D1 prospects mentioned above (there are a couple of other solid prospects, like Elijah Brown, but those 4 were the standouts):
Xavier: He started slow, but found a groove as the game wore on. He was a little out of control early and missed a couple of lay-ups, but eventually made two contested lay-ups to get him going. Later in the first half, he hit a good looking 3, then closed the half with a really nice floater from 10-12 feet to put Mater Dei up with 4 seconds to go. He closed out the 3rd by taking a nice pass from Stanley Johnson and dunking over Thomas Welsch (who the announcers noted was a "legit" 7 footer), getting fouled in the process. Finally, he helped seal the game when he made 2 FT's to put Mater Dei up by 3 with 16 seconds left. He actually looks more comfortable on the perimeter, and his ball-handling was better than I expected. While his rebounding is strong (and he does a good job boxing-out), Xavier really looks mis-used in the post right now. Finally, I can see where he gets the label as a bit of a "floater", as he didn't always move his feet on defense and got caught jogging back in transition a couple of times. He has a nice, well-rounded game, though, and should contribute immediately. He isn't quite the explosive athlete I expected, but he's got length and more than enough athleticism to play the 3 at the next level. Overall, X finished with 23 points (6-7 from the line), and he and Stanley Johnson were the offensive standouts for Mater Dei.
Katin Reinhardt (2012, UNLV): I was a little disappointed in Reinhardt. He's a good athlete and creative playmaker, but he tries to do too much at times, and really played out of control much of the game. Early in the 2nd half, he already had 6 turnovers. He also looked for the refs to bail him out quite a bit. He can be a good one, but he needs to play within himself and limit the mistakes.
Stanley Johnson (2014, CU target): He came out of the gate strong, hitting a 3 and making a couple of nice moves around the basket early. He then picked up 2 offensive fouls in the 1st quarter and set the rest of the half. After coming back, he was fairly quiet in the 3rd, before finding XJ underneath after bringing the ball coast to coast. Early in the 4th, he had the ball on the break and made a nice crossover to earn himself an easy layup, then made another 3 shortly afterward. He's a big sophomore, and has a really solid build. He'll definitely be a top prospect in 2014 and, imo, has more upside than XJ. He could be a skilled SF who checks in around 6'8, 225 and has a well-rounded game. Note: the announcers confirmed he and Xavier are not related.
Parker Jackson-Cartwright (2014, CU Offer): Jackson-Cartwright's an interesting prospect. He has a really nice handle and feel for the game. He's a good distributor, excels in transition, and is a creative finisher with a nice touch. He also showed a solid jumper, hitting a couple of 3's, including a clutch contested 3 with about 30 seconds left to keep Loyola in it. The downside is his size- he's listed at 5'7" and is obviously the smallest player out there, even at the HS level. He's quick, but not at the level of, say, 'Ski. He's just a clutch player with a great feel for the game. He's a lot of fun to watch.
