The 2025 Pangos All-American Camp, top to bottom, was deep in talent and competitive players, but it wasn’t a difficult decision to name the camp’s two Most Outstanding Players. When the dust settled, forward Quinn Costello of The Newman School (Boston) and guard Kaiden Bailey of Santa Margarita (Calif.) were named MOPs. Nine underclassmen chosen for the Cream of the Crop Top 30 All-Star Game at the camp’s conclusion.
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Are three days of fairly unselfish play and competitive games, rewarding the top players by a selection into the Cream of the Crop Top 30 and Top 60 All-Star contests was no easy task for Pangos All-American Camp Director Dinos Trigonis and his advisory committee. There were plenty of standouts, some under-the-radar players trying to enhance their national stock and some underclassmen who couldn’t be denied.
Trigonis wanted to reward as many deserving players, and admittedly may have contributed to the lack-luster nature of the two Cream of the Crop games by selecting 40 deserving players for the second (Top 60) game. In that contest, the Blue-Jersey wearing club rolled to a 124-96 victory over the Red-Jersey wearing club, as 6-foot-5 2026 (rising senior) Andrew Williford of AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), one of the most unsung players entering the event, led the way with a team-high 22 points, including 4-of-7 3-pointers. He shared team MVP honors with 6-foot 2027 point guard Micah Gordon of Plainfield (N.J.). Gordon, built similar to 1999 NCAA Final Four hero Khalid El-Amin of UConn, scored 15 points, dished out five assists and had three steals.
The MVPs for the Red club were lanky 6-foot-8 2026 wing Shane Pendergrass of Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.) and 6-foot-9 2026 Drew Anderson of Santa Margarita (Calif.). Pendergrass made 4-of-9 3-pointers en route to a game-high 27 points and stood out with his under control attack. And in case you are wondering, yes, he is related to the late Soul/R & B legend Teddy Pendergrass. Anderson, who easily could have been selected for the Top 30 game (reserved for the most deserving campers), made 7-of-8 field goals and finished with 14 points.
The Blue club also rolled to victory in the Cream of the Crop Top 30 Game with a 145-133 win over the Red in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Leading the way for the victorious Blue club among eight double-digit scorers with 19 points was 6-foot-5 2026 wing Bryson Howard of Heritage (Frisco, Texas), the son of former NBA forward Josh Howard. He was solid and efficient on both ends of the floor throughout the camp and has been a standout on the Nike EYBL circuit with Pro Skills.
Setting the tone for the Blue club when it took its lead in the first half was 6-foot-6 Jacob Lanier of Parkview (Little Rock, Ark.), who nailed four 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 18 points. For Lanier, he made a bit of camp history when he was named Top 30 Game MVP for the second consecutive year. In the 2024 contest, Lanier nailed all six of his 3-point attempts and finished with 20 points in a highly-competitive game. He was also a MVP when he played at the Pangos All-South Frosh-Soph Camp as a rising sophomore in 2023.
The MVP for the Red club was 6-foot-8 2026 Brayden Kyman, Anderson’s teammate at Santa Margarita. Kyman made 6-of-8 field goals, including 3-of-5 3-pointers, to finish with 15 points along with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. All camp long Kyman played his game, didn’t force things and showed his wares as a skilled passer. Leading the Red among six double-digit scorers was unheralded forward Zion Green, a 6-foot-9 2027 (rising junior) from Camden (N.J.), who had a quiet demeanor and let his play do the talking. He finished with 16 points.
Even though the Cream of the Crop games didn’t live up to the billing of the 2024 all-star games that might have been the most competitive in the camp’s 23-year history, the camp games certainly were played with fire. It culminated in Duke, representing the ACC, taking down UCLA, presenting the Big 10, 82-62 in the Pangos Camp Team Championship Game, as 6-foot-10 2026 Quinn Costello of The Newman School (Boston) and 6-foot-5 2026 Elias Obenyah of Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) led the way to victory.
Costello closed out his fine team play by nailing 5-of-8 3-pointers and finishing with 23 points. Obenyah continued his unselfish approach and mid-range onslaught with 19 points. Obenyah’s hard work and team-first attitude paid off in this camp setting.
Green led UCLA with 20 points before following up with a fine performance in the Cream of the Crop Top 60 game.
Duke took on Florida St., the only team to enter Tuesday with a 3-0 mark, in its Tuesday morning game and came away with a 86-84 victory. Obenyah had 22 points, 6-foot-8 2026 Sammy Jackson of Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) 19 points and 6-foot-6 2027 Dooney Johnson of Juneau (Milwaukee, Wis.) added 14 points in the key victory over a team that featured six all-star game selections, including 6-foot-3 2026 Kaiden Bailey of Santa Margarita (Calif.). He went for 30 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a losing effort.
For Bailey, it was his second triple double of the camp and his stat line was very similar to his four game camp averages of 21.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg, and 9.5 apg. And even though it wasn’t easy to peg down the Cream of the Crop selections, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to name Bailey, last year’s co-MVP in Southern California’s Trinity League and an all-state player, and the fast-rising Costello (14.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.6 apg) as the camp’s co-Most Outstanding Players.
For Costello, it has been a meteoric rise since May’s NCAA live period and for Bailey it was a culmination of three years of experience at the NBA certified camp. Bailey wasn’t chosen for an all-star game as a rising sophomore, made the Top 60 game last year, and then put together a historic camp performance. In terms of production, it was one of the best three-day performances in the event’s history from a guard.
“Experience absolutely played a big part of my performance,” Bailey said afterwards while taking pictures with Costello and his Santa Margarita teammates Kyman and Anderson. “I felt that confident coming in, as assists are so big in a camp setting and the rebounds was just an effort thing. I really felt I took a leap up this year and I am coming with the mindset to win everything, whether it be the Trinity League or at this camp.”
Bailey is being recruited heavily by Purdue and San Diego St. and USC are also in the mix.
As for Costello, his offer sheet is growing, as he was offered by Minnesota on the day camp concluded.
“After the live period, my recruitment picked up and I’m now getting Big 10 and ACC looks and I just got an offer from Vanderbilt,” Costello said. “I came in with a confident mindset because I knew there was going to be a ton of talent here. I was 6-foot-4 my freshman year and have been adding about two inches per year. I’ve been getting a lot of reps in and I believe I am the best shooter here.”
Pangos Camp All-Time MOPs
2025: (co): Kaiden Bailey, Santa Margarita (Calif.) 6-3 PG2025 (co): Quinn Costello, The Newman School (Boston) 6-10 PF2024: Meleek Thomas, Lincoln Park (Midland, Pa.) 6-4 SG2023: (co): Flory Bidunga, Kokomo (Ind.) 6-9 PF2023: (co): Cameron Scott, Lexington (S.C.) 6-6 SF2022: Xavier Booker, Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) 6-11 PF2021: Jalen Duren, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 6-10 C2020: Jabari Smith, Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Ga.) 6-10 PF (Festival)2019 (co): Cade Cunningham, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 6-7 G2019 (co): Evan Mobley, Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) 7-0 C2018: Charles Bassey, Aspire Academy (Louisville, Ky.) 6-10 C2017 (co): Cole Anthony, Archbishop Malloy (Queens, N.Y.) 6-2 PG2017 (co): Charles Bassey, St. Anthony (San Antonio, Texas) 6-10 C2016 (co): Trevon Duval, API (Dallas) 6-2 PG2016 (co): Michael Porter Jr., Father Tolten (Columbia, Mo.) 6-9 SF2015 (co): Rawle Alkins, Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 6-5 SG2015 (co): Mustapha Heron, Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.) 6-5 SG2014 (tri): Isaiah Briscoe, Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) 6-3 PG2014 (tri): Tyler Dorsey, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 6-5 SG2014 (tri): Stephen Zimmerman, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 7-0 PF2013: Stanley Johnson, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 6-7 SF2012: Cliff Alexander, Currie (Chicago) 6-9 PF2011: Shabazz Muhammad, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 6-6 WF2010: Myck Kabongo, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 6-2 PG2009: Harrison Barnes, Ames (Ames, Iowa) 6-7 WF2008: John Wall, Word of God Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) 6-3 PG2007: Brandon Jennings, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 6-1 PG2006: James Harden, Artesia (Lakewood, Calif.) 6-5 SG2005: Davon Jefferson, Lynwood (Calif.) 6-8 WF2004: CJ Miles, Skyline (Dallas) 6-6 WF2003: Robert Swift, Bakersfield (Calif.) 7-0 C
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
