Frank Burlison

GARDEN GROVE, Ca. – Teams made up exclusively of high school underclassmen will play for the championship of the adidas Nations Monday night (6 o’clock PT) at Long Beach City College.

In Sunday night’s semifinals at the Next Level Sports Center, Team (John) Wall overcame a three-point deficit at intermission to knock off Team (Dwight) Howard, 106-89; and Team (Dwight) Howard rolled past Team Europe, 78-50.

Team Europe and Team Howard will play in the third-place game that tips off at 4 o’clock.

Both games will be televised by ESPNU.

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GARDEN GROVE, Ca. – Team Wall zipped to 3-0 Saturday night as the second day of the adidas Nations wrapped in the Next Level Sports Center.

Nine teams – four representing the United States and five others representing other regions across the world – are participating in one the last of the high-profile and super-competitive “national” events this summer that are made up of high school players.

Team Wall – named for John Wall of the Washington Wizards, one of the major players endorsing adidas products – continued to get strong efforts from Billy Preston, Maverick Rowan, Kobi Simmons and Rawle Alkins.

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GARDEN GROVE, Ca. – The last of the major high school basketball “camps” of the summer of 2014 got underway Friday, for the third year in a row, at the Next Level Sports Complex.

Nine squads – four representing the United State and five more from international regions – are part of the adidas Nations that wraps up Monday night at Long Beach City College with third-place and championship games.

Also taking part are approximately 30 current college players who serve as “counselors”, practice with the high school players and also scrimmage in front of a large turnover of NBA scouts and decision makers (general managers and scouting directors).

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LAS VEGAS – There were three championship options in 17-year-old divisions for me on Sunday’s final day of the NCAA’s basketball evaluation period.

I opted for the adidas Super 64 final between Dream Vision and Indiana Elite.

And, unlike the Big Football Vegas Classic at Spring Valley High (with Chicago Mac Irvin Fired edging Houston Hoops, 74-70) or the Fab 48 finale at Bishop Gorman High (DC Premier eking out a 50-46 victory over Louisiana Dynasty), the championship game at Rancho High didn’t have much in the way of suspense over the course of the 40-minute affair.

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LAS VEGAS – My Saturday, Day 4, stop on the final NCAA evaluation week for this month was the Cashman Center, home to the adidas Super 64.

It was fitting, I supposed, that the last complete game I watched Saturday night was one of the best I saw all week in town.

Dream Vision seemingly had things well in hand, with a 14-point advantage, in the second half against the Atlanta Celtics in the last of the quarterfinals in the 17s division.

But a rash of turnovers and a few ill-advised shots attempts twisted the momentum and, following one of those turnovers, Braxton Blackwell was fouled and hit both free throws with 38 seconds to go in regulation to put the Celtics, 63-62, with 38 seconds to go.

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