Frank Burlison

BEVERLY HILLS, Ca. – Some of the better high school hoops players from across Southern California gathered at Beverly Hills High Saturday morning.

The occasion was “Double Pump Media Day”, an opportunity for the players directly or indirectly part of the teams overseen by David and Dana Pumps to scrimmage and run through drills in front of 10 or so reporters from Internet sites or newspapers – and then to learn a little about how the soundest ways of dealing with “media” members.

They were also offered insight about the caution that must be used in interacting in “social media” outlets, most notably Twitter.

[Click to continue reading]

NORWALK, Ca. – Collectively, the Southern California high school classes of 2014-16 are quite deep in backcourt talent.

And a lot of that talent was display Sunday at Cerritos College during the Pangos Spring Showcase.

Among the members of the Class of 2015 who played exceptionally well Sunday was the Superior Athletes trio of Kendall Small (Huntington Beach Ocean View), Jeremy Hemsley (La Verne Damien) and Stephen Thompson Jr. (Torrance Bishop Montgomery).

Their chemistry was quite evident while playing on the same squad Sunday. Each is both a capable playmaker and scorer.

[Click to continue reading]

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Ca. – Eight hours of hoop-di-do at Marina High Saturday during the Southern California Spring Showcase culminated they should have – with the two best teams having at each other.

In a game of “runs”, the Los Angeles-based Elite Prospects Inc. pulled away down the stretch for a 61-56 victory over South Orange County’s Team Eastbay.

Elite Prospects was up by 11 points before the Orange County club scored the final six points of the first half to get to within 31-26 at intermission.

[Click to continue reading]

LONG BEACH, Calif. – If you showed up at Cabrillo High over this past weekend, hoping to see some of the top prep hoopsters from the classes of 2014 through 2016, you shouldn’t have disappointed.

Heck, there was even a player knocking in shots from the Class of 2019 – yes, a current sixth-grader.

Yet, almost more than anything else, especially in the two top divisions (the Invitational and Platinum), players from the Class of 2013 dominated the proceedings.

Now, debating the “should players with no remaining high school or even prep school eligibility be competing in the same divisions with current juniors, sophomores and freshmen” is something for another place with a lot of time to play around with.

[Click to continue reading]

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA – Before offering a rundown on three days of some very high-quality high school hoops that I witnessed, up close and personal, I’d like to thank the clear sailing I had on the west-bound 22, north-bound 405 and north-bound 605 freeways, as well as my smooth trek east-bound on Alondra Boulevard in Norwalk on Sunday morning,

That mix of freeway good fortune – courtesy the fact that I was traveling during a the narrow window of day and time when such a thing is possible – enabled me to go from the Next Level Sports Complex in Garden Grove to the new-look Cerritos College Gymnasium in Norwalk in about 15 minutes, give or take.

[Click to continue reading]