Centennial vs. Mater Dei highlights first-day action in Anaheim Saturday

October 9, 2021 By Frank Burlison Leave a Comment

ANAHEIM, Ca. – The two-day, Open Gym Premier Fall Preview tips off Saturday morning at 8 o’clock, with a large field that includes not only most of the best teams from Orange County but throughout Southern California.

Among those in the field are CIF Southern Section Open Division playoff teams Corona Centennial (the champion last June), Damien, Mater Dei and St. John Bosco.

Games will be played in the Open (which includes the aforementioned four programs), Varsity, Junior Varsity and Freshman divisions.

Noteworthy first-day clashes include Sherman Oaks Notre Dame vs. Capistrano Valley (10:30 a.m./court C2), Mater Dei vs. Centennial (11:45/court A1), Fairmont Prep vs. Riverside Hillcrest (4:45 p.m./court B1) and Crean Lutheran vs. St. John Bosco (7:45/B2).

Games are played at 1500 South Anaheim Blvd.

Complete schedules can be found on the Grassroots 365 app (via Apple or Google).

Frank Burlison is a well-regarded basketball writer who was inducted into the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame in 2005. His opinions on the potential of high school and college players are widely respected and sought by college coaches and NBA scouts, personnel directors and general managers from coast to coast. Oh, yes – he can offer plenty of thoughts on movies, television and pop music. Yes, he can rank those, too. Hint: He’s a big The Godfather, Larry Sanders, The Wire and The Beatles loyalist.

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George Raveling

I’ve known Frank for at least 35 years and have the utmost respect for his writing as well as his understanding of, and insight into, basketball. His ability to evaluate basketball prospects is almost impeccable. Most coaches and scouts watch a player and can tell you how good he is NOW. What separates Frank from the others is that he can watch the same player and tell you how good he can be two or three years down the line.

George Raveling

3x Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer

Director of International Basketball, Nike

Gary McKnight

Frank Burlison is one of the most knowledgeable basketball people in the business! His passion for the game puts him at the top of the list. There are very few people whose evaluation skills I trust like I do Frank’s!

Gary McKnight

Winningest coach (892-81) in California boys’ basketball history during his 29 seasons at Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei

Marques Johnson

I have been a fan of Frank Burlison’s skills as a talent evaluator for over twenty years. He stands out as one of the absolute best in the business.

Marques Johnson

1977 National Player of the Year, 5x NBA All-Star

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