Frank Burlison

LONG BEACH, Ca. – There was so much drama in the LBC(C) gymnasium Monday night until the Don MacLean-coached Team USA 2014 Blue squad made just enough plays down the stretch to come away with the adidas Nations championship.

The 81-77 victory over Team USA 2014 Red that was likewise unbeaten over the weekend of action that was held at the Next Level Complex in Garden Grove was played in a Long Beach City College gym that has played host to some of the top high school and community college players in Southern California – and beyond – for more than 50 years.

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GARDEN GROVE – The two USA 2014 squads didn’t have to endure a lot of stress Sunday night while cruising to semifinal victories to advance to Monday night’s championship game of the adidas Nations at Long Beach City College.

Six players cracked double-figure scoring for USA 2014-Red during its 96-71 victory over USA 2015/16-Red.

Leading the way was Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei High forward Stanley Johnson, with 18 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Center Jahlil Okafor (Chicago Whitney Young) and forward Kevon Looney (Milwaukee Hamilton) added 12 points and 11 rebounds apiece for the 2014 team, which is coached by former NBA center Ralph Sampson.

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GARDEN GROVE, Ca. – The first two days of the 2013 version of the vent has demonstrated that adidas Nations is about a lot more than some of the best young hoopster who call the United States “home”:

Those two days worth of action have shown that the adidas folks lined up some pretty good talent from across the globe, too.

The team representing Africa has been quite the surprise over the first three days, collecting a win over the USA 2015-16 Blue squad on Friday night, then losing a tight contest to USA 2014 Red Saturday morning and then pounding the club from Australia Saturday night in the Next Level Sports Complex.

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GARDEN GROVE, Ca. – The adidas Nations has attracted a healthy percentage of the high school – and college – hoops talent in the United States for the four days of on-court festivities that got underway Friday at the spiffy Next Level Sports Complex.

Forty-seven players with remaining U.S. prep eligibility man four “U.S.” teams, with teams also being field made up of players from Africa, Russia, Australia, Latin America and the Philippines.

Also in attendance are 29 current U.S. college players, who are competing on four teams that are scrimmaging daily – with just about every NBA franchise having at least one representative watching intently.

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LAS VEGAS – With three travel-ball tournaments going on, more or less, at the same time in Las Vegas as the AAU National Tournament and Super Showcase were being held in Orlando, FL, the competition and overall level of talent would seem to get a tad diluted.

And what seems likely was reality – at least over the past days in the city of searing heat mixed in with the occasional deluge and head-spinning gusts of wind.

Championships in the Fab 48 (at Bishop Gorman High), adidas Super 64 (Rancho High) and Las Vegas/Big Foot (Spring Valley) were won by DC Assault, New Heights (NY) and Seattle Rotary Select, respectively.

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