Prep hoops action all Pumped-up in Anaheim

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ANAHEIM, Ca. – NCAA men’s basketball coaches were free to sit, watch and evaluate high school hoopsters, beginning at 5 o’clock Wednesday evening.

And that’s exact what dozens of them did, once the first “evaluation period” of July, running from Wednesday at 5 until Sunday at 5 p.m., tipped off with action in the Double Pump Summer Tip-Off Tournament at the American Sports Center.

There were some competitive and entertaining games – including the San Diego All-Stars Pump-N-Run and Oregon Ambassadors, won by the Trey Kell-led San Diego squad, 63-61, in a contest that wasn’t on the books until about five minutes before 11 p.m.

But, of course, the recruiters were on hand to get closer looks at some of the better prospects from the prep classes of 2014, ’15 and ’16 that dotted the rosters of those teams.

Among those players in the 17U Division:

*In essence, the entire roster of the Pump-N-Run Elite, with at least eight players from 2014 – guards Kyron Cartwright (Compton, CA, Compton), Maleke Haynes (Woodland Hills, CA, El Camino Real) and Jeremy Lieberman (Calabasas, CA, Calabasas); and posts/wings Devenir Duruisseau (Sylmar, CA, Sylmar), Evan Fitzner (San Diego, CA, Francis Parker), Max Hoetzel (Calabasas), Sam Jones (Gilbert, AZ, Gilbert Christian) and Jack Williams (West Hills, CA, Chaminade) – likely to sign with NCAA Division I-affiliates next November or April;

*Junior-to-be guards Jeremy Hemsley (La Verne, CA, Damien) and Kendall Small (Lakewood, CA, Mayfair); and 2014 wing Ron Freeman (Gardena, CA, Serra) of Superior Athletes Black;

*Elite Prospects (of Los Angeles), led by one of the best big juniors-to-be in the West in 6-foot-10 Chance Comanche (Los Angeles View Park);

*Team Eastbay (based in Mission Viejo in Orange County), which has one of the players who has helped his stock the most with recruiters in the spring in 6-6 Chandler Hutchison (Mission Viejo);

*QJZ Elite (from the Chino area, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, proper), which is led by one of the best 2016 prospects in the country in 6-4 point guard Lonzo Ball (Chino Hills);

*San Diego All-Stars Pump-N-Run, led by 6-3 Trey Kell (San Diego St. Augustine) who is among the very best shooting guards prospects in the West;

*Aim High Pump-N-Run, which has a multitude of very good prospects, including 6-5 Evan Wardlow (Woodland Hills El Camino Real), and;

*Arizona Power Basketball Black, which has two players from Tempe Corona del Sol already committed to Pac 12 programs (point guard Casey Benson to Oregon and center Connor MacDougall to Arizona State), as well as another Corona del Sol player who may be among the best juniors-to-be in the West in 6-6 Dane Kuiper.

There are two teams in the 16U Division with exceptional rosters, the Las Vegas Knicks (led by 6-6 Nate Grimes of Desert Pines and 6-2 Darrian Traylor of Centennial), and Double Pump Elite (with 6-9, sophomore-to-be Trevor Stanback of West Hills Chaminade, as well as juniors-to-be in 6-0 Michael Oguine of Chaminade and 6-5 Tyler Burch of Huntington Beach Ocean View).

Thursday’s schedule presents what could be some compelling matchups, including:

Las Vegas Knicks vs. Cal Supreme (6:20 p.m., Court D3); Team Eastbay vs. Elite Prospects (7:30, Court 1) and Arizona Power Black vs. QJZ Elite (7:30, Court B1).

Games begin at 4 p.m., with the final sets of contests getting underway at 8:40.

The American Sports Center is located at 1500 South Anaheim Blvd.