Frank Burlison

LAS VEGAS – Day II of the “prep school/academy” portion of the 10^th Tarkanian Classic at Bishop Gorman High once again was a showcase for a couple of the prime prospects in the national Class of 2023.

Robert Dillingham, as gifted a guard as there is in the junior class, sparked the recently-formed Donda Academy squad (based in the San Fernando Valley area of Southern California), to a 76-64 victory over Denver Prep.

The 6-foot-1 Dillingham (originally from Charlotte, he was the linchpin of the CP3 EYBL team at the Peach Jam last July), got plenty of help from 6-5 Zion Cruz – especially after intermission.

[Click to continue reading]

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Ca. – Only three public high school programs are in the updated BurlisonOnBasketball Southern California boys’ ratings.

Corona Centennial, following a 33-point beatdown of the defending top-division, state-champion from Arizona Saturday in Phoenix, maintains the top spot it will likely hold on to until the Huskies are beaten by a Southern California-based program.

The other two public-school programs in the Top 15 are No. 7 Riverside Poly and No. 15 Ontario Colony.

Damien (now No. 3) and Harvard-Westlake (4) swapped spots in the Top 15 after Harvard-Westlake suffered its first loss (to Mountain Pointe in the same Hoophall Classic Centennial and Sierra Canyon played in last week) and Damien – as R.J.

[Click to continue reading]

SCOTTSDALE, Az. – A whole lot of eyes were upon the Duncanville High basketball team Thursday night in the Chaparral High gymnasium.

And the squad from just outside of Texas held up quite well, thank you very much.

Coach David Peavy’s Panthers, taking on a Montverde (FL) Prep team that may have assembled for “talented” players than any other program in the sport, got a sensational performance from a relatively unknown junior to knock off the Eagles in the second night of the Hoophall West.

Point guard Aric Demings, the linchpin behind Duncanville pulling to a 13-point advantage in the third quarter, took a cross-court pass from Davion Sykes and – after pump faking Jalen Hood-Schfino into Phoenix – nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing two seconds before the shot expired to give the Texans a 67-66 victory.

[Click to continue reading]

SCOTTSDALE, Az. – Wednesday’s first night of the Hoophall West – not held a year ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic – tipped off its boys’ action with a showdown between the two Arizona-based national “prep school” hoops powers.

It turned out not to be as much of a showdown as a beatdown.

Compass Prep (with a campus located in near-by Chandler) used its individually – and collectively – terrific perimeter players to build a 15-point advantage at intermission and then coast to an 81-47 victory against Glendale’s Dream City Christian.

[Click to continue reading]

DUBLIN – The top-two ranked (by Cal-Hi Sports) boys’ basketball teams in Northern California looked the part Saturday night during their season openers in the eight-game, 14^th NorCal Tip-Off Classic at Dublin High.

Moraga Campolindo, which hasn’t lost since the CIF Sectional playoffs in February of 2020, used a 15-zip spurt in the first quarter to take command and then held off the host Gaels in the event’s finale, 50-42.

In the day’s seventh game, Modesto Christian got 29 points from sophomore Jamari Phillips and 27 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals from junior B.J.

[Click to continue reading]