Frank Burlison

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – Southern California’s high school basketball Class of 2019 proved every bit impressive this past season as it did a year ago.

The likes of the Chino Hills High duo of Melo Ball and Onyeka Okongwu as well as guards Ethan Anderson (Fairfax), Cassius Stanley (Harvard-Westlake), Gianni Hunt (Bishop Montgomery and Jarod Lucas (Los Altos), along with forwards Jaime Jaquez (Camarillo) and Jake Kyman (Santa Margarita), each made strong impacts on their programs in 2015-16.

And, as the case a year ago when my choice for BurlisonOnBasketball’s top Southern California Freshman of the Year came from among Ball, Okongwu and Stanley, the same three lads were the top candidates this time around for Sophomore of the Year.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – The Class of 2020 (current freshmen) was among the better ones in recent hoops memory, across and from top to bottom of California.

Among the most notable – some would suggest the best – of those are Kyree Walker (Hayward Moreau Catholic) and Jalen Green (Fresno San Joaquin Memorial).

But only players from the Southern, L.A. City and San Diego sections of the CIF are eligible for the BurlisonOnBasketball all-Southern California Top Freshmen/Class of 2020 selections.

So, sorry Green (Central Section) and Walker (North Coast Section) .

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GARDEN GROVE, Ca. – Many of the better “club” boys’ basketball programs from California were on display this past weekend during the SoCal Spring Tip-Off and Pangos Spring Spectaculars held in a few Orange County communities.

Several of them had head-up showdowns on Sunday.

Among them, at the SoCal Tip-Off at the Next Level:

*Two of the better programs on the Nike/EYBL (Cal Supreme) and Under Armour (Earl Watson Elite) met in the “17s” (top) division Sunday evening.

And Cal Supreme, with its balance of skilled big frontcourt players and two of the best Southern California guards from the Class of 2018, knocked of Earl Watson Elite, 76-54.

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GARDEN GROVE – The “spring season” for Southern California high school basketball begins in earnest this weekend via a couple of travel ball events.

The Dinos Trigonis-fronted ‘Pangos Premier Spring Spectacular” tips off Friday night at 7 o’clock at the MAP Sports Complex (12552 Avenue, Garden Grove) with three sets of games spread over eight courts at 7, 8:10 and 9:20.

The most notable of the scheduled first-night clashes are (8:10, Court 3) Compton Magic Elite vs. Orange County Pride Blue and (9:20, Court 3) Belmont Shore vs.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – The six state championship games will be played on Friday and Saturday in Sacramento.

But the results of those games aren’t going to impact the Southern California BurlisonOnBasketball Top 25 ranking for the 2016-17 season, which is why you’re about to take a look on the final Top BurlisonOnBasketball Top 25 that is made up of teams from the CIF Southern, Los Angeles and San Diego sections.

And, based on what happened in both sectional and regional play, the choice for the top spot couldn’t be any easier.

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