Frank Burlison

SPRINGFIELD, MA. – If it was high school “star power” that you were searching out for a Martin Luther King Day’s worth of basketball entertainment, then Monday’s final day’s action of the 15^th Spalding HoopHall Classic fit the bill perfectly.

Even in defeat, St. Louis Chaminade High’s newly minted McDonald’s All-American Jayson Tatum showed why he’s a strong candidate to be the 2016 Player of the Year during his team’s game with Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha in Springfield College’s packed Blake Arena.

And, a few hours later, another McDonald’s AA selection and top POY candidate, Lonzo Ball, was every bit equal parts productive and entertaining while leading nationally top-ranked and (now) 17-0 Chino Hills of Southern California past High Point (NC) Christian, 100-75, to hit the century mark in scoring for the ninth time.

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SPRINGFIELD, Ma. – A day after many of the very best seniors in the country showed off their wares, it was the Class of 2017’s turn to do the same thing Sunday during the continuation of the 15^th Spalding HoopHall Classic in Blake Arena at Springfield College.

Jump shooter-deluxe Markus Howard and skilled power forward P.J. Washington (Henderson, NV, Findlay Prep); 7-footer Mohammed Bamba (Westtown, PA, School); swingman Tugs Bowen (La Porte, IN, La Lumiere); another 7-footer, Nick Richards (Elizabeth, NJ, The Patrick School); and explosive wing Hamidou Diallo (Putnam, CT, Science Academy) each no doubt not only impressed the mostly capacity crowd but also the assortment of college head coaches in attendance.

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SPRINGFIELD, MA – Saturday’s action during the 15^th Spalding HoopHall Classic turned out to be a nifty preview of sorts to Sunday’s announcement of the 2016 McDonald’s All-American team.

Five players with strong likelihoods of being part of that honor squad were on display on Saturday.

And guards Frank Jackson (Highland, UT, Lone Peak) and Kobi Simmons (Alpharetta, GA, St. Francis), forward V.J. King (Fairfax, VA, Pius VI) and post T.J. Leaf (El Cajon, CA, Foothills Christian) and swingman Mustapha Heron (Waterbury, CT, Sacred Heart) more than looked the part of McDonald’s AAs on Saturday.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – Four of the top five teams in the latest BurlisonOnBasketball Southern California High School Top 25 ratings will be headed for Springfield (MA) later this week.

Top-ranked Chino Hills and No.’s 3 (Sierra Canyon), 4 (Mater Dei) and 5 (Foothills Christian) are among the participants in the 15^th Spalding HoopHall Classic.

The games will be played at Springfield College, located near the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame facility.

The “national” portion of the event will include 21 games over Saturday, Sunday and Monday (Martin Luther King Day).

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At least four (that I’m aware of) high school hoops “one-day events” will be held on Saturday, stretching north to the San Fernando Valley and south to San Diego County.

The Sierra Canyon Super Showcase features the most intriguing if the Saturday matchups, Chino Hills (No. 1 in the most recent BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal rankings) playing El Cajon Foothills Christian (No. 8) at 6:45 p.m.

The teams met on Dec. 5 for the championship of the Battle Zone Tournament at Corona Centennial, with the unbeaten Huskies prevailing, 106-86.

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