Frank Burlison

Today marks the “official” start of practice for the 2011-12 college basketball season.

But “practice” – albeit much more limited in scope than what commences today – has been going on since players showed up on campus for the start of classes in August and September, via the “individual” and group workouts conducted by coaches at NCAA-affiliated programs across the country.

All the hoopla you’ll see – in person or on television – this evening has never caught my fancy.

I’m not interested in watching coaches and players wearing funny “theme-oriented” garb or dancing or singing.

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The John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 candidates list was released Monday morning.

There were nine differences from the “official” list (culled from the submissions of all of the advisory committee members across the country) and the list I turned in a few weeks ago.

Here are the nine players on the “official” list that were not on mine:

• Dee Bost (6-2, Sr./Mississippi State)
• Elias Harris (6-7 Jr./Gonzaga)
• Joe Jackson (6-0 So./Memphis)
• Darius Johnson-Odom (6-2 Sr./Marquette)
• Andrew Nicholson (6-9 Sr./St. Bonaventure)
• Peyton Siva (6-0 Jr./Louisville)

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CORONA, CA – Anyone wondering why Stanley Johnson is a consensus as one of the top 20 or so sophomore basketball players in the national class of 2014 needed only to attend the Fullcourt Press All-Frosh/Soph Camp at the Player’s Edge on Saturday and Sunday.

The 6-foot-6 Santa Ana Mater Dei standout was terrific over his four camp games, then scored just as easily when – in theory – the going got its toughest.

Johnson, jumping over the top of defenders before they could react or creating space off the dribble, jump shot and drove his was to a game-high 21 points while leading his team to a 126-91 victory in the camp’s Top 30 all-star game Sunday afternoon.

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CORONA, CA – With the best freshmen and sophomore Southern California classes in a while, along with a deep and gifted group of players from Las Vegas also on hand, the 2011 version of the Fullcourt Press All-Frosh/Soph Camp this weekend figured to be one of the best in a while.

After Day 1 at the Players’ Edge facility in Corona (just west of Riverside), it has exceeded those expectations considerably.

Where to start when pointing out some highlights from Saturday’s action?

Why not at point guard?

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HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA – The annual Fullcourt Press Basketball Coaches Clinic, presented by Team Athletics, is set for Wednesday (Oct. 5) at Ocean View High.

Head coaches Kevin O’Neill of USC (4 p.m.), Max Good of Loyola-Marymount (5), Seth Greenberg of Virginia Tech (6:30) and Dave Rice of UNLV (7:30) are the scheduled speakers in the school’s gymnasium (17071 Gothard Street).

The event is open to Southern California-based basketball coaches (on all levels of the sport) and their staff members. It’s free must RSVP (with number of staffers attending) via e-mail at bob@tagear.com

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