High school ballers show off their skills
By Andres Cardenas
Daily Forty-Niner
Hundreds of high school players came to
Long Beach City College last weekend to showcase their talents for college
and professional scouts.
The Seventh Annual Long Beach Fall Hoops
Classic hosts 36 teams that come from as far as east as Phoenix and as
far north as San Francisco.
More than 360 athletes participated in
the event at the main and sub gyms at LBCC and the Millikan High School
gym.
Fullcourt Press scouting director Dinos
Trigonis started the Long Beach Hoops Classic seven years ago when the
NCAA allowed an additional two-week span in September to evaluate high
school talent.
Current NBA players that have played in
the Long Beach Hoops Classic are former UCLA Bruin and current Charlotte
Hornetsí point guard Baron Davis and Boston Celticsí forward Paul Pierce,
Trigonis said.
One top local high school player trying
to join that group is Long Beach-Jordan High School's Travon Bryant. College
coaches from Kansas, UCLA, Stanford and Arizona, to name a few, attended
a game in which Bryant participated.
In addition, pro scouts attended the event.
Stanford assistant coach Tony Fuller said,
"It's great for everyone," about events like the Long Beach Hoops Classic.
"It's great for coaches because for three
days we can see all this talent and it's great for players since they can
be seen by a lot of programs," Fuller said.
Neil Dougherty, an assistant coach at Kansas
agreed.
"This is a different talent level," Dougherty
said. "It is in between the high school level and college level since most
everyone playing has college ability."
Trigonis said all the teams participating
have five to seven players that have the ability to play in college.
In the games, each player had a look of
determination. The players knew that if they did not give it their all
someone else would take away their chance at receiving a college scholarship.
Bryant said he was not worried. He has
several schools interested in such as Kansas.
"My first visit is to Kansas," Bryant
said enthusiastically. Bryant said he would be in attendance on Oct. 15
for the Jayhawks' Midnight Madness, which begins the first team practice
of a college, just after the clock strikes midnight.
However, for every player like Bryant,
there are 30 others who only hope to be so lucky. Upland High School junior
Sheldon Pace is one of them who made the trip.
After a game, Pace confidently said, "I
feel that I have made an impression on some coaches."
It costs a lot of money for players to
participate in events like these. Players from out of town have to stay
at motels.
However, the exposure they receive can
bring a large return on their investments -- sometimes as much as $80,000
for private tuition with room and board.
Some teams receive corporate sponsorship.
Companies like Adidas and Nike have players wear their company trademarks
on their jerseys in exchange for their support.
Clark Francis, publisher of Hoop Scoop
magazine and one of nationís top scouts, said it is the only way teams
can afford travel expenses and meal for players.
"For every team here, there are 30 to
40 teams that could not afford to be here." Francis said. "If there are
no sponsors for the teams, the kids lose.
Indeed, the true winners were the kids that
participated.
This weekend is the final chance to see
these games at LBCC.
For more information, one may call Trigonis
at (562) 984-8355. |
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