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LONG BEACH, Ca. – The first “grassroots” Southern California-based boys basketball event of the spring/summer was held at in the gymnasium of the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church Saturday.

The COVID-10 pandemic has all but shut down “sports”, per se, in not only California but pretty much everywhere in the United States – and the rest of the world – since early March.

But reasonable health-related precautions were taken by event coordinator Dinos Trigonis and his staff for the Pangos Best of SoCal Summer Showcase Saturday, notably temperatures taken of each person going into the gym as well as spectators (and event personnel) abiding by the “wear a mask” edict.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – There weren’t six state championship games over March 13 and 14 in Sacramento to solidify this pecking order.

But this will have to do, as Sierra Canyon – based on its 11-1 record against the “field” – sits atop my Top 30 California high school boys’ basketball teams’ ratings for the 2019-20 season.

Three of those wins came against my choice for No. 2 in the state, Etiwanda, with Ziaire Williams’ buzzer-beating jump shot giving the Trailblazers the third of those in the State Southern Regional Open finale on March 10 at Cal State Northridge.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – There are plenty of more pressing things on our collective minds right now, I know.

But, dang, this should be Day III of the NCAA Tournament with the field having been lopped by four after the Round of 68 games Tuesday and Wednesday nights in Dayton.

Yep . . .

Anyway, here’s my BurlisonOnBasketball All-American team for the 2019-20 that will forever be marked with an *asterisk:

Obi Toppin of Dayton is an easy choice the Player of the Year, even the spectacular senior seasons turned in by the three seniors I tabbed among my five-member “first team”.

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NOTE: This is part of the column I wrote very early Friday morning for the April edition of Basketball Times.

 

LAGUNA NIGUEL – When things are back to “normal” – or whatever fits the definition in a post-COVID-19 world – here are some things that NCAA officials and presidents/athletic directors from the organization’s affiliated universities should consider:

*Men’s and women’s basketball players who were “seniors” during the 2019-20 season and whose teams were still scheduled to be involved in conference tournament action upon the shutdown of the season will be granted extended eligibility into the 2020-21 season, with “full-scholarship” status.

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NORTHRIDGE – With a little more than three minutes to go in regulation, it appeared as if the third meeting this season between the Etiwanda and Sierra Canyon boys’ basketball teams was, indeed, going to the charm for the former.

Instead, quickly unraveled into the nightmare.

Etiwanda, which dropped a couple of decisions to the top-ranked Trailblazers earlier in the seasons, held an 11-point advantage with a little less than three minutes remaining in front of boisterous, SRO-only crowd Tuesday night at Cal State Northridge during the CIF State Southern Open Regional final.

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