San Diego hoopsters, and more, on display at Miramar

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SAN DIEGO – When it comes to high-quality high school basketball events, with an optimum in top-flight teams and players alike, displayed in easy on the eyes – and butts – viewing settings, Charlie Mercado and his San Diego-based Gamepoint program always deliver the goods.

And that was the case again Saturday during the first day of the two-day, Gamepoint- and Top Gun-hosted San Diego High School Showcase, held in the Miramar Community College Costco-like gymnasium, where, for most of the schedule that began at 9 a.m., four games were being played simultaneously.

Not only was Mercado able to attract a healthy percentage of the better San Diego Section clubs for the 2013-14 season, including La Costa Canyon and Torrey Pines, but he also got some nice representation from the state’s Southern Section – and beyond.

The Southern Section (easily the largest of the California Interscholastic Federation’s 10 sections) was repped by Westminster (and its two transfers from Huntington Beach Ocean View, Tyler Burch and Jelani Jackson), Temecula Valley (led by another transfer, junior point guard Justin Simon from Eastvale Roosevelt), Mission Hills Alemany from the San Fernando Valley (with terrific Class of 2016 members Daron Henson and Shacquille Dawkins), Temecula Chaparral, Vista and Vista Murrieta.

Also on hand from the CIF Central Section was Bakersfield Liberty while Phoenix St. Mary’s – uh, Arizona is not part of the CIF, folks – gave the event a true “regional” feel.

And my thoughts on some of the teams and players I watched:

*Escondido was just 12-17 during 2012-13 but – if what I saw Saturday is a reputable indication – look for the Cougars to demonstrate marked improvement this coming season.

Coach Paul Baldwin has a roster bursting with underclass talent, including junior left-handed guard Khyber Kabellis, as well as three sophomores who sparkled at times Saturday during wins over Temecula Valley and Santa Fe Christian: guards Marcus Hentley and Andrew Dean and 6-foot-7 Keegan Cummins.

*After losing to a “prep school” team fielded by Diego Hill (made up of post-high school graduates) to start the morning, Del Mar Torrey Pines bounced backed to knock off Westminster (56-54).

Coach John Olive’s Torrey Pines team looks as if it is going to be quite deep in quality guard play – especially in jump shooters.

But the key to the team being in strong position to win a section title will be in the play of senior forward Sam Worman and sophomore swingman Brandon Cyrus, each of which was pretty good at times on Saturday.

*Temecula Valley lost to Alemany, 44-43, on a drive and finish by mighty mite Dawkins with 12 seconds to go to fall 0-2.

But the Golden Bears averted the hat trick by rolling past Westminster, 61-43.

Temecula Valley has two quality college prospects from the Class of 2015 in the 6-3 Simon (a transfer from Roosevelt in Eastvale) and 6-8 Zavier Harris (who played quite a bit for the program as a sophomore).

The Golden Bears also have some effective perimeter shooting, led by Ryan Schaefer and Anthony Colerio.

If Simon ever develops a serviceable jump shot and if Harris gets a bit more bounce to his step and aggressiveness to his disposition, Temecula Valley will be a figurative handful to beat.

*Westminster went zip-and-3, frittering away leads down the stretch to stumble against Torrey Pines and Alemany before getting banged around a bit by Temecula Valley.

The Lions will have a pair of scorers superior to just about anyone on a high school roster in Orange County this season — other than Santa Mater Dei, of course.

But an critical key to the success of Westminster in 2013-14 will be largely dependent upon the ability of Burch (a 6-5 junior) and Jackson (a 6-3 senior) to not only score a bunch of points but to rebound and defend effectively and assertively, as well as to “make teammates better” by their sheer presence on the floor.

*Alemany lost two 2012-13 starters (forwards Bennie Boatwright and Bear Henderson) to transfer and starting guard Brandon Boyd isn’t playing fall hoops for Coach Tray Meeks while engaged in Friday night gridiron behavior.

But the Warriors should continue to be one of the better teams in the San Fernando Valley – and beyond – because of the play of not only Henson and Dawkins but of players such as the 6-4 jump shooting-specialist Garry Chivichyan who seems poised to have quite the productive senior season.

Saturday his long-range shooting helped the Warriors rally from a deficit well into double figures before falling to San Marcos (which has another one of those quality scoring duos in 6-5 sophomore Johnny McWilliams and 6-4 senior Ben Perez).

*He’s not tall at all – I’d say he’s in the 5-6ish range – but San Ysidro’s Lynard Stewart should be among the top scorers, and most dynamic performers, in San Diego County hoops this season.

Any player with the combination of being really quick and a really good jump shooter is going to be difficult to contain. And that describes Stewart, who is just a junior.

*La Costa Canyon played without four likely 2013-14 starters (frontcourt players Travis Fuller, Brad Twombly and Fritz Eibel, as well as guard Tommy McCarthy) during its first game Saturday.

But the first three were back (after reportedly taking the ACT examination) for the evening game vs. San Ysidro and helped the team overcome a five-point deficit at intermission to prevail, 43-30.

McCarthy took the weekend off while resting a knee that was tweaked during the Fullcourt Press Fall event at Gahr High in Cerritos on Sept. 14.

*And two freshmen with extremely promising hoops future were on display Saturday as well.

Six-five, 195-pound Richard Polanco was forceful for Army-Navy while 5-11 Marcus Shaver of St. Mary’s continued to show off why he could be the best playmaker in the Class of 2017 in the West.