Alijah Arenas, other prep stars show out at Flight Club Invitational 2024

10/14/2024 07:19 PM

This past weekend, Crossroads High School in Santa Monica, CA played host to the second year of the Flight Club Invitational. A partnership between sneaker consignment store Flight Club and Crossroads, the event showcased several of the top high school basketball teams and players in Southern California, including Alijah Arenas, the son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas.

The event featured several showcase games as well as a tournament-style bracket with a championship game that was won by Mater Dei High School. There was a lot of great basketball being played with a few superlative awards handed out by ClutchPoints.

There were a few big NBA names on hand such as Crossroads alum Baron Davis, Arenas of course, former Los Angeles Lakers five-time champ Derek Fisher and current Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell who stopped by to talk with the players.

Here's a quick recap of some of the top storylines at the Flight Club Invitational.

Mater Dei caps off weekend with championship

Winning the tournament side of the Flight Club Invitational was the Mater Dei Monarchs, led by head coach Gary Knight. Knight is one of the winningest coaches in CA during his time at Mater Dei.

Mater Dei held on against a tough Roosevelt Eastvale team that was without top 2025 prospect Brayden Burries who as attending USA basketball's junior national team camp, and New Mexico commit Issac Williamson. The Monarchs were led by junior guard Luke Barnett who holds offers from Arizona State, UNLV, UT Arlington, UC Riverside and UC San Diego.

Also standing out for Mater Dei was Nevada commit Blake Davidson, St Joesph's commit Owen Verna and sophomore wing Demarcus Henry. Davidson took home the Dunk Detonator award presented by ClutchPoints. Davidson is a tough cover in the paint with his efficiency around the basket.

Although Williamson did not suit up the second day for the Eastvale Mustangs, his defensive skills during Day 1 were good enough to take home the Clutch Clamper award. Also showing out for the Mustangs was senior point guard Myles Walker. Walker is a tough player with tenacious defense of his own. Does a good job pushing the pace and seeing the entire court.

Julien Gomez, La Mirada squeak past in 3rd place game

In the matchup for third place at the Flight Club Invitational, the La Mirada Matadors edged out the Inglewood Sentinels, 66-64. Inglewood was without star point guard Jason Crowe Jr. who was also in attendance at Team USA camp. But with incoming senior Parker Jefferson, who put up 31 points and 15 rebounds, the Sentinels put up a tough fight.

But in the end it was too much Julien Gomez and Gene Roebuck. Both players made big plays throughout the game to keep La Mirada ahead. Gomez, Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) commit, is a true combo guard capable of setting his teammates up for easy scores and knowing when to look for his own shot. He took home the Human Sniper award due to his shooting skills from three-point range.

Alongside Gomez in the backcourt is Roebuck, one of the top prospects in the class of 2027. He is a versatile scoring wing and already holds offers from Kansas, UCLA and USC, among others.

Host Crossroads edges Westchester in sixth place game

Getting a win on the final day of the Flight Club Invitational was host team Crossroads who knocked off Westchester, 59-52. Westchester was powered by one of the top 2027 prospects in Tajh Ariza, the son of former NBA player Trevor Ariza.

While Crossroads was without senior point guard Coco Britt, the Roadrunners used strong efforts from seniors EJ Vernon and Lucas Boze to grab a win. Vernon showed off his scoring ability from anywhere on the court. He created shots for himself on the perimeter and was able to attack the basket and get to the free-throw line.

Bozze did a little bit of everything on the court. He ran point guard, made good reads and got his teammates involved, and was able to knock down three-point shots consistently off the catch. He's a good ball-hanlder able to get to his spots on the court.

Showcase matchups highlighted by Alijah Arenas

There were three showcase games on the final day of the Flight Club Invitational with Alijah Arenas and his dad Gilbert Arenas stealing the show. With Gilbert in attendance courtside, Alijah and Chatsworth made short work of Beverly Hills, 68-38.

Alijah continued to show why he is considered one of the best prospects in the class of 2026. His offensive game is very polished and advanced, but he can lock up on the defensive end as well. He holds offers from major D1 programs such as Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Texas, UCLA and Xavier, among others.

In another showcase matchup between SoCal Academy and Crespi, SoCal Academy held on for a win despite a valiant effort by the Celts. Trent McLean, the son of former NBA player and UCLA star Don McClean was a big part of the Rams win with his all-around play. He holds a few D1 offers and is only getting better. The player of the game though was senior guard Alexandros Alexakis. Alexakis showed off a deep scoring bag and hit several big shots down the stretch as Crespi was mounting a late threat.

Coached by Derek Fisher, Crespi was powered by Nevada commit Peyton White who is a force on the inside. With a strong combination of size and skill, White is looking to dunk it each time he's around the basket. He's also a very good passer whether he's passing out of the paint or in the high post.

The Celts also got strong play from the Barnes twins, Carter and Isaiah, the sons of former NBA player Matt Barnes. Both of them are up and coming wings who can put the ball on the floor and create, but are also knockdown shooters from three-point range.

The third showcase game of the day saw Sherman Oaks Notre Dame get a win against DNA Prep. Notre Dame was led by Rutgers commit Angelino Mark who is a talented guard that can score when needed and also act as a facilitator.

Girls matchup featured several future stars

As part of the early portion of the Flight Club Invitational, there was a couple of highlighted girls showcase games between Windward and Bishop Montgomery followed by Mater Dei and Ontario Christian.

In the second game, Ontario Christian got the win against Mater Dei, with the Knights' young stars leading the way. The Knights feature top 2027 prospect Kaleena Smith who already has offers from powerhouses such as South Carolina, UCLA, USC and UConn. The Knights also got major reinforcements with freshmen Sydney Douglas and Tatianna Griffin. Both are among the absolute best in the class of 2028 and both hold several D1 offers.

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