INLAND FIELDHOUSE

1. Paulin Mpawe, Center (Redlands East Valley) — Committed to Pepperdine University, the 6-foot-8, 190-pound senior averaged 9.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game last season. See a video of him here. Mpawe’s combination of skills and raw physicality make him the area’s best big man, and projects as a combo 4/5 the next levels. 

2. Justin Gudger, Forward (Murrieta Valley) — The reigning CIF-Southern Section Division 2-AA Player of the Year, the 6-4, 205-pound senior averaging 18.4 points per game and has the Nighthawks off to a 5-0 start. See a video of him here. Extremely versatile, Gudger can be a bully in the post or from beyond the three-point arc. It’ll be big news when he makes his four-year commitment.

3. Dorian Cason, Forward (Fontana Summit) — Committed to University of Portland, the 6-6, 210-pound senior is just beginning to tap enormous potential. A force on the perimeter as well as the low block, Cason averaged 12.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game as the Sunkist League Player of the Year last season.

4. Mervyn Lindsay, Forward (Moreno Valley Canyon Springs) — Though his shot has proven streaky, the 6-6, 190-pound senior is the best catch-and-shoot player in the Inland Area. His length is an under-utilized asset, and he’ll have to improve his ball-handling and defense, but Lindsay projects a premier shooter at the next levels.

AND MORE: Raymond Nelson, Guard (California School for the Deaf/Riverside) — The starting shooting guard on the United States’ Under-21 Deaf National Team that won the 2010 World Championships, the 6-3, 180-pound senior played last season at Riverside King before transferring back to CSDR during the summer. He averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in limited time at King, but will likely be the Inland Area’s scoring leader this season.