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LA GRANGE, Ill. – A year ago, at this same location, then-freshman Jaylen Drane – who had yet to play in a real game at Simeon High in Chicago – was among the best of the back-court players at the Pangos All-Midwest Frosh-Soph Camp.

Fast forward 12 months at The Park District facility to Saturday’s day of the 2019 version of the camp and the obviously has been no stagnation in the 6-foot-2 Drane’s game – quite the opposite, in fact.

Drane (pictured) bordered on the un-guardable during the two games the “Xavier” squad played in the most impressive performance I saw Saturday with 200-plus players spread across 22 teams.

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COLORADO SPRINGS – A likely sizeable chunk of 2020 McDonald’s All-American team was on display over the weekend at the USA Olympic Training Center during the USA Basketball

Twenty-one of the 84 players who showed up (some didn’t play, or were limited in activities, because of injury) are seniors.

Ten of those fellows did a nice job of convincing me that – barring injury or any other calamity – I’ll vote for when I cast McDonald’s All-American ballot

The first and foremost among thing, of course, is Evan Mobley (Rancho Christian in Temecula, CA).

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COLORADO SPRINGS – Saturday’s Day II of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Minicamp is in the book after several nifty individual match-ups – and a spectacular sequence by one of best guards in the Class of 2020.

Six-foot-four Josh Christopher (Mayfair High in Lakewood, CA) provided the latter in an evening session scrimmage in the U.S. Olympic Training Center’s Sports Center 2 gymnasium.

Another like-sized and California-based guard, Jalen Green (Prolific Prep in Napa by way of Fresno), did his usual “dang, it’s like he’s bouncing on a trampoline!”

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COLORADO SPRINGS – The heaviest concentration of high school talent in one place for the foreseeable future is in town for the annual USA Basketball Junior National Team October Minicamp.

Approximately 80 players – spread across all of the high school grade levels – were spread across eight teams, with drills beginning Friday morning and drills continuing, with some scrimmaging, taking place in the evening in the USA Olympic Training Centers two basketball facilities.

Twenty-one of those athletes are members of the Class of 2020 (seniors), notable among those being the consensus No.

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DUNCANVILLE, Tx. – The Dallas-based Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy boys’ basketball program won the Texas State 4A championship last spring.

Based upon what transpired during the Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp Saturday and Sunday in the Duncanville Fieldhouse, it may be something like “Thank you, Texas .  . . may we have another?” in 2020.

Three sophomores from the program, Trae Clayton, Dallas Hobbs and Jordan Walsh, were among the “best of the best” at the event and were among my choices for the Top 25 performers in the camp.

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