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THE OC, Ca. – The NCAA’s second July “evaluation period” gets underway across the U.S. of A., at 5 o’clock area time on Wednesday and – also like the first and third periods – concludes at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Southern California has three NCAA-certified events, two (“The Big One Tournament” and the Double Pump Best of Summer) of which tip off Wednesday evening.

The Full-Court Press Cream of the Top Challenge doesn’t get underway until Friday (at 8:30 a.m.) at the eight-court MPA Complex in Garden Grove (12552 Western Avenue).

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – Each of the three major “evaluation events” held in Southern California offered college coaches and hoopaholics-alike plenty to admire during the NCAA’s first July “evaluation” period that began last Wednesday at 5 p.m. and wrapped up at the same time four days later.

Here are some highlights on each:

*West Coast Elite 100 All-Star Camp (at Pomona-Pitzer College in Claremont): There were 300-plus players in attendance, from coast to coast, with action climaxing with five all-star games on Sunday, for the players from the classes of 2018, ’17 and ’16, as well as Top 40 and Top 20 contests (for those chosen best in class, regardless of classification).

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ALL OVER SOCAL, Ca. – The last day of the NCAA’s first July evaluation will be a busy one, indeed, in Southern California.

Three events, The Asics Double Pump Summer Tip-Off (in Anaheim’s American Sports Centers), the Pangos Summer Sweet 16 (in Norwalk’s Cerritos College) and the West Coast Elite/Under-Armour Elite 100 (Pomona-Pitzer College in Claremont), conclude Sunday.

Highlighting the Pumps’ event will be the 17’s Open Division semifinals and championship game.

The semifinals tip at 10:10 a.m., with the Double Pump Elite squad taking on the Southern California All-Stars/Red on Court B-1 and The Big Ballers VXT Black facing New York-based Black Mambas on Court B-2.

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NORWALK, Ca. – The two-day Full-Court Press All-West (presented by Pangos) offered up a nice mixture of the best of four classes of high school players in Southern California.

And there was a hefty spattering of non-SoCal-based prospects at Cerritos Community College, as well.

The last major “summer event”, prior to the first NCAA July valuation period (Wednesday-July 12) wrapped up Saturday afternoon with Top 50 and Top 25 all-star games.

Six-foot-five Omaje Smith (El Cajon, CA/Foothills Christian) made a strong case that he should have been selected to the Top 25 game while leading the “White” squad to an 82-59 victory over the “Black” team in the Top 50 game.

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SANTA MONICA, Ca. – Even the most casual of basketball fans would immediately recognize the names of the “headliners” at the Nike Basketball Academy that wrapped up Monday night.

After all, I’m sure all of you have heard of fellows like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan, right?

The first three, of course, are three of the four preeminent “faces” of the Nike Basketball “brand” – the fourth, of course, being Michael Jordan, who has his Nike “brand” as those who worship at the Church of “Jordan Brand” will say a quick “amen!”

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