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it  LONG BEACH –  One hundred players – from 18 states – were on hand at McBride High Saturday for the “Pangos All-American Preview” boys’ basketball camp.

How many of those athletes will end up attending The Pangos All-American Camp, set to return to Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, June 2-4?

Well, that will be up the Pangos/Belmont Shore CEO, Dinos Trigonis.

But here are some of the guys whose play caught my attention over the course of 13 games Saturday (including The Top 30ish All-Star clash that wrapped things up), starting with those who are Southern California-based.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – Deprived of his sophomore season, Brayden Burries was determined to make the most of his 2023-24 junior campaign.

And that he did – to the nth degree.

Burries (pictured, courtesy that fabulous media renaissance man, Greg Stein) is the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Junior of the Year after averaging 28 points per while helping propel Eastvale Roosevelt to a 31-4 finish this past season.

Two of those losses came to CIF Southern Section and State Open champion Harvard-Westlake, in the sectional and regional finals.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – This isn’t going to be a “game-by-game, my pick-by-my pick”-type of NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket overviews.

But . . . here are some observations about the makeup of the 2024 Field of 68, and how I think some things might play out before the April 8 championship game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale (not, no matter how many teams your hear it or read it, “Phoenix”), Arizona.

*First things first: Getting the “pet peeves” out of the way.

1. The four games played in Dayton on Tuesday and Wednesday night are “First Four games” not “play-in games”.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – Southern California’s boys’ basketball Class of 2026 has more “star power” ­– current and future – than any of the region’s other three classes

And, from start to finish of the 2023-24 season, no star shinned any brighter than Brandon McCoy Jr. – especially over the final month.

The 6-foot-5 McCoy capping a terrific sophomore campaign by helping the St. John Bosco Braves win the program’s second-ever CIF State title with a 78-62 victory over San Ramon valley in the Division I final in Sacramento on March 9.

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LAGUNA NIGUEL – There were  more than a dozen players in Southern California who started as freshmen for quality high school teams and turned in exceptional seasons.

But only one of them led their squad to a CIF Southern Section championship.

And that’s why Jeremiah Profit of Temecula Valley High is the 2023-24, BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Freshman of the Year.

The 6-foot-5, multi-skilled Profit scored a game-high 18 points with three rebounds, five assists and three steals to lead the Golden Bears past Northview, 53-40, on Feb.

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