Frank Burlison

LA GRANGE, IL – Saturday’s Day I of the “Midwest” stop on the Pangos All-Frosh/Soph Camp circuit put a nifty bunch of sophomores and freshmen – as well as one eighth-grader who quickly demonstrated he was worthy of his pre-camp hype – on display at the Park District Sports facility in this Chicago suburb.

Where to begin?

OK, let’s go with Patrick Baldwin Jr. (Milwaukee Hamilton), a who made a strong impressive on those who watched him at the same event a year ago when he was a 6-foot-5 freshman.

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NORWALK, Ca. – Nine boys’ basketball programs that played in either the CIF Southern or Los Angeles Sections’ Open Division playoffs last season highlight the eight-game field for the Rolling Hills Prep Fall Classic Saturday at Cerritos Community College.

Defending State Open Division-champion Bishop Montgomery – led by three returning starters in seniors David Singleton (committed to UCLA) and Fletcher Tynen (Boston University) and junior Gianni Hunt – faces Temecula Rancho Christian in the 8 p.m. event final.

Rancho Christian is led by the Brothers Mobley, junior Isaiah and sophomore Evan.

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LEWISVILLE, TX – The Sunday afternoon wrap-up of the 12^th Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp delivered a delightful – and oh-so-competitive – Top 30 all-star game at the MAC Sports Center.

When the 30 players were selected (caveat: I was one of those helping with the selections) from the 220 or so athletes in attendance at the two-day event in this Dallas suburb, it was discovered that half of those attended high school in Texas.

So, sure, why not have a “Texas vs. the USA” format for the game?

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LEWISVILLE, TX – Texas wasn’t the only state with strong representation among the 200-plus athletes on hand Saturday for the first day of the annual Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp at the Mac Sports Center in this suburb of Dallas.

Approximately 40 of the campers were, collectively, from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Tennessee, giving the event perhaps its strongest-ever non-Texas presence since its 2006 debut.

Among the first-day standouts from the group were Class of 2020 products Moses Moody (6-foot-5/Little Rock, AR, North) and Gerald Doakes (6-1/Jacksonville, AR, Lighthouse); Chris Moore (6-6/West Memphis, AR, West Memphis), Jordan Tilmon (6-0/Pine Bluff, AR, Watson Chapel), Caleb London (6-4/Conway, AR, Conway); Chanse Robinson (6-1/Grambling, LA, Lincoln Prep), Matthew Murrell (6-3/Memphis Whitehaven) and Rodney Mason (6-5/Bartlett, TN, Bartlett), as well as soon-to-be Class of 2021 standouts in Sekou Kalle (6-10/Louisville Aspire Academy) and Devon Barnes (5-11/Lawton, OK, Christian).

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COLORADO SPRINGS – The USA Basketball National Junior Men’s team minicamp was an ideal showcase for some of the very best in the high school classes of 2018-20, roughly six weeks before the start of the “real” season.

Saturday and Sunday’s drills and scrimmages produced multiple standouts, relative to consistency of effort and production, and improvement (since the last time I watched them play, mostly in the spring or summer).

My choice as the best player from the Class of 2018 at the event was – no surprise – Zion Williamson, who was measured at 6-foot-5 (without shoes) and weighed in at 272 pounds.

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