Frank Burlison

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The first session of games of the 20^th NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp is history.

And if what took place on Thursday morning was an indication, Thursday night’s action – and what is in store for the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena on Friday and Saturday – should be special, indeed.

Where to begin?

Let’s go to Court 2, where I watched the “Grizzlies” take on the “Heat”.

Each had one of the more high profile point guard, Arizona-bound Parker Jackson-Cartwright (Los Angeles Loyola) and future Florida Gator Chris Chioza (Memphis White State).

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SAN DIEGO – Some of the very best high school hoopsters in San Diego – as well as west and north – were on display Sunday afternoon during the Pangos San Diego Super Showcase in the Canyon Crest Academy gymnasium.

Among the 85 or so players who completed in during the four sets of two games was 6-foot-10 Deandre Ayton.

Is there a better prospect in the Class of 2017 – anywhere – than Ayton?

If there is . . . wow.

Ayton is a remarkably gifted athlete with skills well beyond those usually found in a player his size — much less age.

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SANTA ANA, Ca. – The Mater Dei Summer Varsity Tournament, one of the better ways to sneak a peek at some of the better programs in the Southland for the following season, tips off Friday afternoon at 3 o’clock.

Games will be played, simultaneously, on the three courts in Mater Dei’s Meruelo Athletic Center (1202 W. Edinger, Santa Ana), Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Games tip off on each court at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Games will also be played at Orange Lutheran (2222 North Santiago, Orange) on Friday and Saturday.

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LONG BEACH, Ca. – The 11^th version of the Pangos All-American Camp wrapped up mid-Sunday afternoon at Cabrillo High.

A couple of years’ worth of hindsight – at least two college seasons and one NBA draft – will provide some reasonable perspective as to really how “good” No. 11 was.

But the immediate inclination – at least on my part – is to suggest that the players in the camp, as a collective, could end up holding up pretty well against those in attendance at the first 10 sessions.

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LONG BEACH, Ca. — In basketball, some players assume that “asserting yourself” and “playing hard” equates “pounding the ball incessantly” and/or “getting up as many shots as I can”.

I guess I should have written “mistakenly assume”.

Fortunately, there are more than enough guys who understand the true meaning of “playing hard”.

And plenty of those young men were on display Saturday afternoon and evening during Day II of the 11th Pangos All-American Camp at Cabrillo High.

Among those were:

*Stephen Zimmerman (6-foot-11/Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High/”Team Stanford”).

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