SACRAMENTO – The first-ever, Northern California Boys’ Basketball Frosh-Soph Camp tipped off Saturday afternoon at Foothill High.
And, appropriately enough, a player from Sacramento was among the first-day standouts.
Six-foot-four Ben Roseborough, a sophomore who attends Sacramento High (located about 12 miles to the south of the Foothill campus), hit seven 3s en route to a 27-point effort in his “Santa Clara” team’s 88-82 loss to “University of Pacific” in one of the first two games – played in the main and auxiliary gymnasium.
Not a shabby performance for a kid who suffered a fracture in his right pinky – yes, he’s right-handed – more than a month ago and had only recently begin using that hand in interaction with a basketball.
“I wasn’t supposed to be cleared to play until the 25th (of October; Monday),” he said afterward in his “one and done” effort, showcasing the thick tape that bound the last two fingers on his right hand.
“But I wanted to come out here and see how it felt and how I would do (against the quality competition.”
Mission accomplished in the one-game appearance for a member of Cal High Sports 2021 All-Freshman team.
He’ll return to his home gym on Monday to continue the hand’s return to “normal” but it’s difficult to imagine shooting a whole better this coming season than he did Saturday.
Besides knocking in the seven 3s – most of which were off the dribble and well behind the arc – he also bullied his way into the lane and muscled in a couple of layups while also dropping in a “catch-and-shoot” jumper a foot or two inside the arc in the first half.
Roseborough (pictured) and his Sacramento teammates will make a Southern California appearance as part of the field for the Dec. 27-30 Classic at Damien.
Some of the other sophomores (from among the 75 or so players who participated Saturday) who impressed were 6-4 Tyler Thompson (Fairfield Vanden High), 6-3 Mikey Lewis (Denver Prep), 6-3 Amani Johnson (Richmond Salesian), 5-8 Quentin Bundage (San Francisco Riordan), 6-5 Zion Wilburn (Pinole Valley) and 6-7 Amari Davis (Sparks, NV, Spanish Springs).
Thompson and Lewis (who attended St. Mary’s in Berkeley as a freshman) were teammates on the Oakland Soldiers’ 15U EYBL team last summer and were often spectacular Saturday in two games with the Stanford and Sacramento State camp teams, respectively.
Standouts from the Classes of 2025 (freshman) and 2026 (eighth grade) were 6-4 Alec Blair (Concord De La Salle) and 6-6 Tyran Stokes (Rancho Meadows Middle School in the Oakland suburb of Pittsburg), respectively.
The left-handed and multi-skilled Blair (a terrific passer) could have more impact on his team’s success than another other first-year high school player in the region this season.
And Stokes was outstanding last month during the Pangos All-West Frosh/Soph Camp in Long Beach.
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