Are you immune to the college (football) spirit?
Is the thought of being forced to watch an NFL game and listen to all the drivel flowing from the mouths of those equating it with something entertaining or important provide you with a nice definition of “painfully dull”?
Then I definitely have an entertainment option for you over a stretch of 25 hours or so this weekend in Southern California.
Three squads of players making up three of the better high school teams in the west, along with assorted other nifty prospects playing on 13 other travel squads will make up the field of the Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic at the HAX in Harbor City (1515 240th Street) this Saturday and Sunday.
“The Las Vegas Orange” (Las Vegas Bishop Gorman), “The Jackrabbits” (Long Beach Poly) and “The Trojans” (Laverne, CA, Lutheran) are the three teams that are expected to be among the top 10 or so squads in the west once the “real” high school season gets underway on the final weekend of November.
Injury, illness, family commitment and recruiting trips or home visits can always impact rosters at fall events the likes of this one.
But, if at full strength, University of Arizona-bound Grant Jerrett (6-foot-9) and Eric Cooper (6-1), a junior who is also committed to the Wildcats, will pace the Trojans.
The Jackrabbits will be led by juniors Jordan Bell (6-7) and Roschon Prince (6-5) and L.V. Orange, of course, has a roster with the kind of size and skill that would make the majority of NCAA Division I programs envious, led by the player many believe is the best in the national class of 2012 – 6-5 Shabazz Muhammad.
Belmont Shore (coached by event organizer Dinos Trigonis) is expected to have a roster including 6-5 Santa Ana Mater Dei senior Katin Reinhardt (committed to UNLV), 6-7 Chris Reyes (Laverne Damien) as well as another exceptional senior in 6-8 Zena Edosomwan (North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake).
Trigonis also said he expects sophomores Stanley Johnson (6-5/Santa Ana Mater Dei) and Bear Henderson (6-5/Mission Hills Alemany) and 6-4 freshman Tyler Dorsey (L.A. Ribet Academy) to play for him during the four-game guarantee event.
Slick and quick sophomore point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright and 6-5 senior Julian Harrel both key members of the L.A. Loyola prep program — are among those expected to play for California Supreme.
Bob Gottlieb’s Branch West Elite squad is expected to include a heavily touted Northern California junior in 6-4 Elliott Pitts (Concord De La Salle) along with one of the central portion of the state’s best senior, 6-3 Alex Fertig (Fresno Buchannan).
And Cal Select is expected to put 6-7 senior Anthony January (Woodland Hills Taft) and the Brothers Hamilton from Bellflower St. John Bosco – 6-4 junior Isaac and 6-5 sophomore Daniel.
Action is set to tip off at 3 p.m. on Saturday and reserve Sunday morning at 9 o’clock. Admission is $12 per day or $20 for the weekend.
I’ll be there. If you know what’s good for you, dang it, so will you!
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