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SPRINGFIELD, Ma. – A day after many of the very best seniors in the country showed off their wares, it was the Class of 2017’s turn to do the same thing Sunday during the continuation of the 15^th Spalding HoopHall Classic in Blake Arena at Springfield College.

Jump shooter-deluxe Markus Howard and skilled power forward P.J. Washington (Henderson, NV, Findlay Prep); 7-footer Mohammed Bamba (Westtown, PA, School); swingman Tugs Bowen (La Porte, IN, La Lumiere); another 7-footer, Nick Richards (Elizabeth, NJ, The Patrick School); and explosive wing Hamidou Diallo (Putnam, CT, Science Academy) each no doubt not only impressed the mostly capacity crowd but also the assortment of college head coaches in attendance.

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SPRINGFIELD, MA – Saturday’s action during the 15^th Spalding HoopHall Classic turned out to be a nifty preview of sorts to Sunday’s announcement of the 2016 McDonald’s All-American team.

Five players with strong likelihoods of being part of that honor squad were on display on Saturday.

And guards Frank Jackson (Highland, UT, Lone Peak) and Kobi Simmons (Alpharetta, GA, St. Francis), forward V.J. King (Fairfax, VA, Pius VI) and post T.J. Leaf (El Cajon, CA, Foothills Christian) and swingman Mustapha Heron (Waterbury, CT, Sacred Heart) more than looked the part of McDonald’s AAs on Saturday.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – Four of the top five teams in the latest BurlisonOnBasketball Southern California High School Top 25 ratings will be headed for Springfield (MA) later this week.

Top-ranked Chino Hills and No.’s 3 (Sierra Canyon), 4 (Mater Dei) and 5 (Foothills Christian) are among the participants in the 15^th Spalding HoopHall Classic.

The games will be played at Springfield College, located near the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame facility.

The “national” portion of the event will include 21 games over Saturday, Sunday and Monday (Martin Luther King Day).

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At least four (that I’m aware of) high school hoops “one-day events” will be held on Saturday, stretching north to the San Fernando Valley and south to San Diego County.

The Sierra Canyon Super Showcase features the most intriguing if the Saturday matchups, Chino Hills (No. 1 in the most recent BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal rankings) playing El Cajon Foothills Christian (No. 8) at 6:45 p.m.

The teams met on Dec. 5 for the championship of the Battle Zone Tournament at Corona Centennial, with the unbeaten Huskies prevailing, 106-86.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – The top-two teams in the updated BurlisonOnBasketball Southern California high school rankings are set to play during the James “Sam” Sampson State Preview at L.A. Fairfax High on the evening of Jan. 30.

But let’s hold our collective horses before becoming too giddy about the possibility that Chino Hills (13-0) and Torrance Bishop Montgomery (14-0) will both still be unbeaten when they finally meet on the court at Fairfax.

And here’s why:

*The Lonzo Ball-led Huskies play No. 8 Foothills Christian on Saturday; Highpoint Christian (of North Carolina; led by Kentucky-bound Edrice Adebayo) in the HoopHall Classic in Springfield, MA, on Jan.

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