Frank Burlison

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Day I – actually, Night I – of the Under Armour Association Invitational was highlighted by a bevy of showcase game in the 17-under division.

OK, so which players made the most of their opportunity to put their skills, effort and attitude – not necessarily in that pecking order, of course – on the figurative stage Friday in the Legends Complex in this suburb of Houston?

I’m glad you asked:

*Six-foot-five Rayjon Tucker (Class of 2015/Northside Christian Academy in Charlotte) scored a night’s best 32 points to help Team Charlotte topple the Team Superstar (based in Fresno, CA), 83-67.

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FRISCO, TX – If you had the opportunity to be courtside for each of Each 1 Teach 1’s Elite Youth Basketball League games on Mother’s Day in the Fieldhouse USA, you might have come away with the same conclusion as I did by late Sunday afternoon:

Anyone aspiring to the title of No. 1 high school basketball prospect in the Class of 2015 is going to have to make a compelling on-court argument as to why he is more deserving than Ben Simmons.

The six-foot-nine left hander from Melbourne, Australia by way of Montverde Academy in Florida and the Nike-fronted E1T1 program, played on a level well beyond just terrific while helping his team to victories over The Family (101-85) and Athletes First (84-82).

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FRISCO, TX – After one and one-half sessions of Nike Elite Youth Basketball League – 2014-style – it’s apparent there is no one dominant team.

Five teams left Saturday’s competition in the spacious and spiffy Field House USA in this Dallas suburb with 5-1 records after BABC, Athletes First and Spiece Indianapolis Heat suffered their first losses of the season.

The Boston Area Basketball Club (63-46 to Team Final of Pennsylvania), Oklahoma-based Athletes First (79-78 to The Family of Michigan) and Spiece (65-62 by way of MOKAN and its Missouri and Kansas players) fell in the second game each played Saturday afternoon.

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SACRAMENTO – Forty teams combined to play 79 (give or take) games during the first weekend of the 2014 season of the Nike-fronted Elite Youth Basketball League.

Anyone who suggests that they can offer a concise rundown on the bulk of the players who showed up in the Jackson Sports Academy is either prone to considerable exaggeration or is a bald-faced liar (as opposed to a “full-bearded fibber”, I suppose).

I feel comfortable is suggesting that I don’t fall into either category.

So there will be no pretense of a complete rundown for the time being.

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SACRAMENTO – Fifty-eight games down with 30 more on tap for Sunday.

That’s how Session One of the 2014 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League stood after Saturday’s second day of play at the Jackson Sports Academy during the first week of the Nike EYBL spring “season”.

I did my very best to zero in, from courtside – from start to finish – on seven of those games Saturday.

Here are some of my observations – often of the “random” variety:

*The “Lawson Brothers” put on a nifty display while helping Team Penny (with players from in and around Memphis) the St.

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