Frank Burlison

LAS VEGAS – The 2013 LeBron James Skills Academy was a wrap Monday night at the Cashman Center in the northern part of this sun-baked city.

But – unfortunately — for a couple of reasons, the camp ended with a bit more chill than sizzle.

A plethora of pre-camp and in-camp injuries of various degrees robbed the event of what promised to be some very deep and gifted team rosters, and some terrific individual matchups.

By the time “Florida”, led by point guards Lourawls Nairn and Quentin Snider, had held off Duke (and Chris McCullough and outstanding underclassmen Ivan Rabb and Isaiah Briscoe), 59-53, for the championship, Monday night, the numbers of those watching and those playing had dwindled considerably.

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LAS VEGAS – It might not have been audible to the human ear.

However, in at least figurative fashion, there was a collective sign of disappointment in the building Sunday afternoon as the camp squads Syracuse and Connecticut warmed up on Court 2 for the start of games’ action during the 2013 LeBron James Skills Academy.

Why? Because what promised to be one of the more intriguing individual matchups of July – much less the camp – was short-circuited before the opening tip.

Six-foot-10 Myles Turner (Euless, TX, Trinity), who had gone from relative “unknown”, at least nationally, until climbing tear the top of the ratings in the national Class of 2014 post prospects during the spring and early summer, is on the Connecticut roster.

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LAS VEGAS – Day I, highlighted by drills, practices and some limiting scrimmaging, got underway Saturday morning during the LeBron James Skills Academy.

For those who are asking . . . yes, the best player in the world – sure, let’s expand that territory to the universe – was among those in the building, watching 90 or so of the better prep hoopsters in the US of A, and about 25 college players get in on the action.

Workouts for the college players resume Sunday morning at 8:30 with their college counterparts getting the 9:45 staggered start and going to about 11.

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BELLFLOWER, Ca. – The 2^nd Braves Varsity Boys Basketball Classic, presented by Muscle Milk and hosted by St. John Bosco High, tips off at 1:30 Monday afternoon, and doesn’t wrap up until late Saturday afternoon.

The 24-team field, divided into six pools, is sprinkled with a healthy portion of the premier programs in Southern California, including the top seeds in pools A-F: St. John Bosco, Santa Ana Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly, Compton, Gardena Serra and Redondo Beach Redondo.

Fifteen of the pool-play games will be contested in Thompson Park’s gymnasium – located, literally, right across Bellflower Blvd.

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REDONDO BEACH – The “Battle At The Beach, Part II”, hosted by Redondo Union High, gets underway Friday afternoon with a 16-team field, including some of which should be among the better hoops teams in Southern California during the 2013-14 season.

Among the schools represented will be Santa Ana Mater Dei, Torrance Bishop Montgomery, L.A. Windward  and, of course, the host.

Action gets underway at 3 p.m. with pool-play competition.

Play continues on Saturday at 10 a.m. and Sunday morning at 9.

The championship semifinals are set for 11:20 a.m.

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