Big Zimm’s Big Bang Theory and more from Pangos

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LONG BEACH, Ca. — In basketball, some players assume that “asserting yourself” and “playing hard” equates “pounding the ball incessantly” and/or “getting up as many shots as I can”.

I guess I should have written “mistakenly assume”.

Fortunately, there are more than enough guys who understand the true meaning of “playing hard”.

And plenty of those young men were on display Saturday afternoon and evening during Day II of the 11th Pangos All-American Camp at Cabrillo High.

Among those were:

*Stephen Zimmerman (6-foot-11/Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High/”Team Stanford”). He’s the No. 1 big post in the West, and the top prospect in the Class of 2015 in the West — and, perhaps, beyond.

Big Zimm certainly has backed up my claim over his first three games at Cabrillo this weekend.

Big Zimm’s Big Bang over Idrissa Diallo was the most attention-grabbing play of the Saturday night session. But he also has demonstrated his dominance in other fashions, as a both efficient and forceful scorer (both from the perimter and the low post), rebounder and defender (his shot blocking is a rapidly evolving weapon in his expanding arsenal).

*Dwayne Morgan (6-7/Baltimore St. Francis/”Team Maryland”). He caught my attention Friday night while playing on Court 2 (I was fixed on the games on Court 3) and then he rewarded my full focus Saturday afternoon.

Morgan, who said he will sign a UNLV letter of intent in November, locked into one of the camp’s best offensive players (Daniel Hamilton) early in the game with Georgia Tech, hindering Hamilton’s offensive “comfort” about as well as possible on the high school level.

And he scored effectively in transition, off the drive and via offensive rebounds — and hit just enough jumpers to force defenders to chase him as well.

*Jalen Lindsey (6-6/Nashville, TN, Christ Presbyterian and soon-to-enroll at Huntington Prep in WV/”Team Stanford”). He’s perhaps the smoothest and “subtle” scorer that I’ve seen in the camp. His mid-range jumper is spot on and his ability to get to the rim without an excess of dribbles or changes of directions borders on the fluid.

*Leland Green (6-1/Redondo Beach, CA, Redondo/”Team Arizona”). No one, at least at his size, has had more impact on the first sessions of games, at both ends of the floor, than this freshman.

I’ll give Joel Francisco of ESPN.com his props on this one: He does remind me a bit of Jrue Holiday at the same stage, in body and athletic-type and effort.

*Michael Humphrey (6-9/Phoenix, AZ, Sunnyslope/”Team Georgia Tech”). I’ll toss out some more props to Arizona Magic Elite Coach Kenny Mullins, who has been raving about this senior-to-be for at least a month (he was injured and didn’t play when the Magic was last in SoCal).

He’s an aggressive and effective rebounder and has a soft touch from the low- to mid-post areas. And he freakin’ looks like he’s about 15 years old. Oodles of upside, baby, for this A+ classroom warrior.

*Marquese Chriss (6-7/Elk Grove, CA, Pleasant Grove/”Team Stanford”). No player in the camp has done more over his first two games to elevate his “stock” in the Class of 2015, regionally and nationally.

The most overt thing noticeable about him Saturday was the energy (Leland Green-like) he exudes the minute he steps on the floor.

The less obvious but just as impressive aspect of his performances Saturday was his offensive skill level — it’s well advanced for a player his age and size.

Is he the No. 2 “rising junior” in Northern California behind Ivan Rabb of Oakland Bishop O’Dowd? Hmmmm . . . could be.

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Game action resumes at 9 o’clock Sunday morning, with the Top 50 All-Star game set to tip at 12:15 p.m. and the Top 25 game to follow approximately an hour later.