Christmas Classic boasts area’s best players

Cameron Walker is one of the most gifted high school scorers this county has ever seen… and he’s a junior. By Owen Main

Three of the area’s top players squared-off in back-to-back-to-back games on Wednesday night in the “Challenge” round of the Mission Prep Christmas classic. Here’s a quick break-down and photos from three of Wednesday night’s games.

Photos by Owen Main

Cameron Walker – Righetti

Walker is a physical beast. The junior had 30 points in the challenge game on Thursday and looked pretty tired after the overtime victory. In the days when the Lakers had Shaquille O’Neal, I used to call every possession that Shaq didn’t touch the ball a bad one.

I probably feel the same way about any team Walker is on at this level. I’m pretty sure Walker has grown since I saw him last year. The team Righetti played looked pretty solid as well, but they just didn’t have an answer for the offensive juggernaut that Walker was all game long. Someone said to me it was the “quietest 30 points they’ve ever seen.” Walker makes his free throws and consistently gets himself good shots. Look for him to lead the Warriors to a really good season this year.

2) Robbie Berwick – Atascadero

Robbie Berwick is the reigning Tribune SLO County Player of the year. The senior guard committed to Florida State during the fall and will be playing in the ACC next year.

Friday night’s game against perennial power Campbell Hall was the second game I’ve seen him play this year. Two things strike me about Berwick. First, he plays will high levels of intensity on both ends of the floor. He is responsible for scoring the ball, but he plays defense and rebounds as well on an undersized Greyhounds team. Second, the elevation Berwick consistently gets on his jumper is a unique thing. Many high school and college players don’t jump that high on their 3-point shots. Berwick’s elevation allows him to get a shot off anytime he wants.

Berwick’s team is really fun to watch, too. Coach Matt Knudsen has a small team, but they play effectively by putting pressure on opposing defenses and shooting the 3-pointer very effectively. Their style was enough to beat Campbell Hall on Wednesday night.

3) Quinton Adlesh – Mission Prep

Like Walker, Adlesh is also a junior. Also similar to Walker, the point guard from Mission Prep has also grown over the past year. In the nightcap on Wednesday, Adlesh’s Royals gave themselves a chance to win against a pretty solid all-around team in Crespi.

Adlesh showed why several Division 1 schools have shown interest and why Cal Poly has already made an offer. His court game and vision are very good. Physically, he’s gone from a sophomore who looked like a really strong and potentially undersized college guard to a right-sized guard who doesn’t have to dominate the ball all the time. Balancing clutch shooting at appropriate times with getting teammates involved has to be a tough thing for a player like Adlesh, but it seems like he’s figuring it out pretty quickly and Mission will once again be a very good team this season.