Frank Burlison

LYNWOOD, Ca. – The third annual, two-day Ron Massey Memorial Fall Hoops Classic will eventually be looked upon as quite the primer for the 2016-17 boys Southern California basketball season.

Twenty-seven teams, including one from outside the SoCal confines (Las Vegas Bishop Gorman), participated in the event that began Saturday afternoon and wrapped up Sunday evening with the championship game of an eight-team tournament.

That field included seven squads that almost assuredly will be part of the 16-squad CIF Southern Section’s Open Division playoff field at the end of upcoming regular season, as well as Nevada- and regional power Bishop Gorman.

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LYNWOOD, Ca. – Saturday evening’s first-round of play set the stage for the semifinals – and title game – on Sunday during the third annual Ron Massey Memorial Fall Hoops Classic at Lynwood High.

Santa Ana Mater Dei (68-52 over Encino Crespi on Saturday) will take on Corona Centennial (57-51 over Long Beach Poly) at 11:20 a.m. in the first championship semifinal Sunday.

In the second semi, at 12:30 p.m., Las Vegas Bishop Gorman (72-48 over Rancho Santa Margarita/Santa Margarita) faces Torrance Bishop Montgomery (73-64 over Eastvale Roosevelt).

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LYNWOOD, Ca. – Six programs that played in the CIF Southern Section’s Open Division playoffs last season are part of the field for the eight-team tournament during the third annual Ron Massey Memorial Fall Hoops Classic that gets underway at Lynwood High on Saturday.

The eight-team tourney is scheduled to tip off at 4 o’clock when Mater Dei faces Crespi, followed by Las Vegas Bishop Gorman-Santa Margarita (5:10), Long Beach Poly-Corona Centennial (6:20) and Bishop Montgomery-Eastvale Roosevelt (7:30).

The event – which honors the memory of Ron Massey, the beloved Long Beach Jordan coach who died in early April of 2014 – also includes 13 “showcase” games among other top programs that are not part of the tourney.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – It took me until Labor Day to wrap this up but here we go:

We’re about to delve into my national all-Summer/2016 Top 30 for the senior class of 2017.

But, first off, some explanations as to why some of the very good seniors didn’t make this list . . .

Players were only eligible if they played in any of the 20 national and regional events over the summer (for the sake of this list, that’s two months – June 3, for the start of the Pangos All-American Camp, thru August 1 and the final day of the adidas Global Nations) that I watched and scouted in person.

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LA JOLLA, Ca. – The second Crème of the County, run so adroitly by San Diego-based scribe Aaron Burgin and his family, provided that – and more – Saturday at La Jolla Country Day High.

Not only were the bulk of the better boys’ basketball players based in San Diego County on hand but the event was represented by players from a lot of other area codes, as well.

Foremost among the performers among the nine games played during the approximate 10-hour event were senior Reed Farley (La Jolla High) and junior Taeshon Cherry (San Diego St.

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