Frank Burlison

SAN DIEGO – Most of the first 22 Torrey Pines Holiday Prep Classic events can easily be classified as among the very best of the post-Christmas boys hoops tournaments – both regionally and nationally.

And the 23^rd version of the event – sponsored by Under Armour – figures to slip neatly into that category as well.

Five separate tournaments – the National, American, Mayor’s, Governor’s and Senator’s – will once again be held under the banner of the TPHPC, with the National Division stacked with its usual cache of top-flight programs, from within California and beyond.

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LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Friday night, the entire Mater Dei High team and coaching staff remained seated on the Monarchs’ bench after the team’s victory over Savior of New York in a semifinal of the inaugural Jerry Tarkanian Las Vegas Classic at Bishop Gorman High.

Why? Coach Gary McKnight wanted his players and staff to pay homage to Tarkanian when the 82 year-old coaching legend was honored in between the event’s semifinals.

And, Saturday night — when Tarkanian watching from court-side — the Monarchs paid their respects to Tarkanian in another fashion:

They put on a marvelous display of dominant basketball while breaking out to a 14-zip advantage and then easing their way past the host Gaels, 76-60.

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LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Appropriately enough, the final game of the evening was the most compelling during Friday’s Day III of the inaugural Jerry Tarkanian Las Vegas Classic at Bishop Gorman High.

Trailing by as many as 10 points very late in regulation the host Gaels – behind the magnificent play of scintillating senior wing Rashad Muhammad and sensational sophomore Stephen Zimmerman – pulled out an improbable 83-80 overtime-victory over Morgan Park of Chicago.

I write “improbable” because, like so many other states (unfortunately), games in Nevada are played without a shot block and, with a 10-point deficit late in the game, a whole lot of things had to go right for the Coach Dave Rice’s team to pull the thing out.

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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Ca. – The “Challenge Night” of the 14^th Mission Prep Christmas Classic didn’t provide any challenges from one perspective:

One didn’t have to struggle to find any major college prospects on the floor.

From the tip to start the 2 o’clock game between San Marcos (CA) Mission Hills and Highland Ranch (CO) ThunderRidge, until the final buzzer of the 8 o’clock contest between Torrance (CA) Bishop Montgomery and the host Royals, outstanding players – and, of course, exceptional teams – were on display.

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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Ca. – My high school hoops travels this week take me to the California central coast town of San Luis Obispo and then on to Las Vegas.

The respective events, the Mission Prep Christmas Classic and Jerry Tarkanian Las Vegas Classic, both get underway on Wednesday.

I’ll be at Mission Prep Wednesday and Thursday, before busting South-bound on the 101 Freeway very early Friday morning – as in 12:30 or 1 – for LAX and a 5:40 a.m. flight to Las Vegas, where I’ll be on Friday and Saturday.

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