Many of San Diego’s best hoopers on display Saturday

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SPRING VALLEY, Ca. – Many of San Diego County’s most high-profile boys basketball players didn’t take part in the first-ever “Clash of the Classes” Saturday at Mount Miguel High.

But that didn’t prevent the event – very well organized and run by Glen Worley and Aaron Burgin – from being a terrific success.

Even with the likes of sophomore centers DeAndre Ayton (Balboa City Prep) and Brandon McCoy (Morse), as well as junior post T.J. Leaf (El Cajon Foothills Christian), sophomore guard Jaylen Hands (Chula Vista Mater Dei) and freshmen posts Taeshon Cherry (St. Augustine) and Miles Norris (Chula Vista Mater Dei) among the no-shows (for a variety of reasons), there were more than enough quality prospects on hand for the six games to get a nice sampling of the talent in the county for the coming season.

Let’s start with some of the kids who played in the two games representing the Class of 2017 (sophomores):

Ed Fenzi (Army-Navy) and Michael Diaz (Escondido Orange Glen) were each very good, as scorers and playmakers, in the Top 20 Game.

And two of the better athletes – in any of the games played Saturday – were the J.J. Overton (Rancho Bernardo) and Reed Farley (La Jolla). Both stand in the 6-foot-3ish range.

The best of the “big guys (posts)” in the Top 20 Game was 6-6 or so Robby Robinson (Kearney).

Also impressing in that game were four guys who are actually freshmen (2018): 6-8 Jesus Garcia (San Ysidro); 6-1 Alex Cho (La Jolla Country Day); and the El Cajon Foothills Christian duo of the left-handed Jordan Starr (equally good from deep range and on the drive at 6-4) and 6-3 T.J. Lowery.

The Top 20/Class of 2016 was highlighted by the three best junior point guards in San Diego County: 6-4 Justin Moore (Mission Bay), 6-1 Eric Monroe (St Augustine) and 6-2 Marcus Hentley (Escondido).

Six-five Justin Davis (Morse) showed off a nice inside-outside set of skills.

But the focal point of that game, though, was the low-post battle between 6-8Tommy Rutherford (El Cajon Grossmont) and 6-9 Keegan Cummins (Escondido).

Rutherford has more mobility and is quicker off his feet than Cummins at this stage of their oh-so-still-evolving-development, and tossed in either-hand hooks while blocking a half-dozen or so shots.

The best performances in the Top 20/Class of 2015 (seniors) contest were turned in by, among others, 6-6 Brady Twombly (Carlsbad La Costa Canyon); 6-1 Torin Webb (Temecula Great Oaks); 6-5 Jordan Alexander (Diego Hills); 6-7 Justin Young (Madison); 6-3 Khy Kabellis (Escondido); and 5-8 Lynard Stewart (San Ysidro).