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  LONG BEACH, Ca. – There’s nothing like a Dinos Trigonis-fronted Pangos event to get one back into the prep hoops swing of things after spending 10 days in London and still going 1-on-1 with jetlag . . .

   Six games were played Saturday during the Pangos “Best of SoCal Spring Showcase” that was held in the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church gymnasium, with healthy doses of the best Southern California has to offer in the Classes of 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020.

  Here we go, working backwards in the way the games were played (they began with eighth graders at noon, and wrapped up, about six hours later, with juniors):

   Representing the Class of 2020 (current juniors), in two games, were some already well-known (to folks like myself, as well as Devin Ugland and Ronnie Flores, also in attendance from start-to-finish, and a whole bunch of college coaches across the country) lads such as Keith Dinwiddie (an all-L.A.

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  CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – Only four of the league’s 40 teams got through the first Elite Youth Basketball League session unbeaten as play wrapped up Sunday afternoon in the Lakepoint Sporting Community Champions Center.

  The Texas Titans, Alabama Fusion, Indy Heat and The Family (based in Michigan) each went 4-0 and 12 others lost just once.

  The second session will be played May 10-12 in Indianapolis with the third two weekends later in Dallas.

   EYBL competition concludes with the Peach Jam, July 10-14 in North Augusta, SC.

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  CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – The Vegas Elite 17s squad, after ringing up EYBL’s single-game scoring record in its 130-76 on Friday night, was a slowed down a bit Saturday during the second day of the Nike-fronted league in the Lakepoint Sporting Community’s Champions.

  And that was just a little bit.

   It improved to 3-0 by holding off against Texas-based Pro Skills, 98-93, Saturday morning and then running away in the second later that night’s against Florida-based Nightrydas Elite, 94-78.

   A non-Las Vegas resident, 6-foot-4 Josh Christopher (from Mayfair High in the Southern California suburb of Lakewood), continued operating at full throttle Saturday while averaging 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists on a squad that also includes two of the other very best 2020 prospects in the West (Noah Taitz of Bishop Gorman and Julian Strawther of Liberty) and elite juniors-to-be Jaden Hardy (Coronado) and Zaon Collins (Bishop Gorman).

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CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – Anyone wondering how Ziaire Williams would “adjust” to competition on the Nike/EYBL circuit got a resounding answer Friday night during opening action for the 2019 season.

  And that would be a pronounced “Quite well, thank you very much!”

   Actually, after his 25-point and 11-rebound effort in the Oakland Soldiers’ 83-78 win over All-Ohio Red, a better question might be “How are EYBL opponents going to find a way to slow down Ziaire Williams?”

   The 6-foot-8 junior from Notre Dame High in Southern California’s San Fernando community of Sherman Oaks was a standout for the BTI (Basketball Training Institute) “independent” (non-athletic apparel-sponsored) program for three sets of springs and summers.

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LAS VEGAS – There wasn’t anything approach real defense – half court or transition – and offensive patience and execution were also at bare minimums.

  Yes, the 17^th annual Jordan Brand Classic – played Saturday evening in T-Mobile Arena after moving from Brooklyn – was pretty much like every other “national” prep all-star basketball game.

   But it did provide a nice opportunity to see many of the top freshmen in the 2019-20 college season – and, no doubt, many of the top picks in the 2020 NBA draft – in action together once last time.

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