Frank Burlison

SAN PABLO, Ca. – Many of the very best high school hoopers from the Northern California Classes of 2018 and ’19 will be on display Sunday afternoon (3 o’clock) at Contra Costa College.

The eighth NorCal Clash, under the direction of Gerry Freitas, is highlighted by a 2018 squad that is scheduled to include many of the better guards in the West.

Among those are James Akinjo (Richmond Salesian), J.R. Ballard (Modesto Christian; he transferred this summer from Manteca Lanthrop), Zach Chappell (Sacramento Capital Christian), Elijah Hardy (Oakland Bishop O’Dowd), Logan Johnson (Mountain View St.

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LAS VEGAS – Some of the best very of the East Coast prep hoops talent will be on display on one court Sunday morning in western locale.

One of the four Fab 48 Invitation quarterfinal playoffs in the 17-Under division in the Bishop Gorman gymnasium will pit the Team Rio and the New York Renaissance programs.

The 9:10 showdown (on Court 2) pits an Under Armour-fronted and New Jersey-based Team Rio squad paced by Class of 2019 standouts and Tinton Falls Ranney School teammates Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine against the Nike/EYBL N.Y.

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LAS VEGAS – A potential head-up matchup of the most two heavily touted 7-footers in high school basketball – delayed by three days – could take place, after all, Saturday afternoon at Bishop Gorman High.

New York-based New Heights and the Big Red – made up of players from the Santa Ana, CA, Mater Dei program – are set to play, on Court 3, at 12:40 p.m. in a first-round game of the Fab 48 17-Under Invitational playoff bracket.

It’s a rematch of a Fab 48 Challenge game – in essence, one of 15 “showcase” games (glorified exhibitions, I’d suggest) Wednesday night at Bishop Gorman, with the New Yorkers cruising, 62-43.

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LAS VEGAS – The team that captures the adidas 17-Under title Sunday afternoon in the Cashman Center will get to celebrate a whole lot longer.

But, after just a day or so into the adidas Uprising Summer Championships, the Compton Magic Elite squad earned its right to pause and gather some props Thursday afternoon.

The Southern California-based club edged the Massachusetts-based New England Playaz late Thursday afternoon, 55-53, by way of two Jules Bernard free throws with 5.3 seconds to go, to capture the eight-team “Creators’ Cup” title.

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LAS VEGAS – There wasn’t anything on hand approaching the Big Ballers Frenzy that took over the Cashman Center and the adidas-fronted event way up on the northern side of town late Wednesday night.

All the Fab 48 Tip-Off Challenge, held at Bishop Gorman High down the southern region of the city from 5 to 11 p.m. or so, were 15 games featuring teams fronted by all the major sports apparel companies (Nike, Under Armour and adidas) and a whole lot of the very best high school basketball players in the country.

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