The 2002 California Juco Summer Showcase event took place on July 12-13-14 at Azusa Pacific University. Some 40 teams attended the event, including two from outside California. By all accounts it was a resounding success, and the credit goes to Coach Dieter Horton at Fullerton College, who set it all up. I can attest that it was quite an event. I thought it was a lot of fun to be there, and I also believe I learned quite a bit about the upcoming season.
In the two days I attended, I managed to see 15 games featuring 25 different teams. I tried to concentrate on teams in the neighborhood and teams that are usually among the better teams around. But if I happened to miss your school, please try not to take it personally. Since there were always 3 games going on simultaneously, I had to make some tough choices!
On Team Names: Since these are, strictly speaking, travel teams and not official school teams, they played under names not associated with any school. However, each team was made up of players who are expected to attend the same school in the fall, and most if not all were coached by members of that school's coaching staff. So...to make it easier to find what you're looking for, I've listed the team's showcase name but also put the school name in parentheses. For example, the team from Nevada is as follows: Las Vegas (Southern Nevada). That is, they played under the name "Las Vegas" and it was made up of players who are expected to attend Southern Nevada this fall.
What's Posted: There are box scores from the games I saw, a brief game-by-game summary for all 15 games, and an overview of the entire event. The latter includes a list of top teams, teams that should be improved this winter, an all-Showcase team and the event's top 100 players. As you might expect, it's just about impossible to keep records on the 400 or so players involved without there being some mistakes. I've made an effort to be accurate, but if anyone finds any mistaken identifications, please tell me! I'll change them as soon I as know better!
What I missed: I knew I wouldn't be able to see all 40 teams. And I knew I couldn't even see all the teams I hoped to see. But I think I saw quite a few teams and got an excellent preview of the coming season. Two good local teams I missed were Compton Magic (San Bernardino Valley) and The Pier (Santa Monica). The reason was that these teams played on only one day I was there (Friday), which meant I had to pick between them and Team 605 (Cerritos) since they all three played their final game of the day at the same time. I picked Team 605. I've already seen enough of players from Compton Magic and The Pier to know their schools will be among the best teams in the Southland next year. Roberto Stukes, Marko Milailovic and Ronald Eskridge are among the players I've seen at the Say No Classic, and each has held his own or better in a league usually dominated by Division I players. When having to make tough choices, I usually looked for teams that I didn't know as much about or might not see play during the regular season. However I also missed Arizona (Scottsdale CC) due to a scheduling squeeze on the Saturday, so sometimes that didn't work either. And for various reasons, most having to do with the fact that there were so many teams to choose from, I also missed a few others. That's the way it goes...
On the Box Scores: The game format was two 20-minute halves with running time. Each game took about an hour and obviously the stats are going to be affected by the shorter playing time. As a rule of thumb, I'd recommend multiplying all the numbers by 1.5 to get an accurate comparison with a regular season game. So if someone scored 10 pts in a Showcase game, it would be comparable to 15 pts in a regular season game. The same goes for rebounds and assists. I only counted points, rebounds, assists and free throws in this event. This should give you a rough idea of what the player's performance might have been in a regular season game. Another thing to mention is the free-throw format. In 14 of the 15 games I attended, free throws were condensed to keep the game moving. If a player was awarded 2 shots (or a 1-and-1), he got just one shot but if he made it the shot would be worth 2 points. If the player was fouled when attempting a 3-pointer, the free throw would be worth 3 points.
On Mistakes: Again, I've tried to be accurate on the box scores but I'm sure there are mistakes. And again, if I've misidentified a player, I'd be happy to correct any errors if someone lets me know about it. (If you think my point totals or whatever are wrong, well, that may be something we all have to live with - this is meant to give an idea rather than serve as an official statistical record).
To Coach Freitas: On Friday, we discussed some roster matters for SA Hoyas. I later found out that a number of the listed numbers were incorrect (when I talked to someone associated with the team). The info listed in the box score should be correct. My apologies for my role in spreading the confusion.
For More Information: Contact Dieter Horton at Fullerton College - (714) 992-7395. This was his show. I was just part of the audience.
And finally: Much thanks and appreciation to Coach Horton at Fullerton College for not only organizing this entire event, but letting me know about it and getting me set up with the information I needed to know what was going on. I had a great time, and can hardly wait for the season to begin!
Summary, Game-by-Game and Box Scores Available
Summary of the 2002 Showcase
Game-by-Game summary of the games I saw
Saratoga (West Valley) 35, Westside (West LA) 32
Walnut (Mt. SAC) 59, San Diego (Grossmont) 43
The Buzz (Fullerton) 57, CBL (San Jose) 52
S.A. Hoyas (Alameda) 47, The Bolts (Cypress) 35
San Marcos (Palomar) 63, Hayward (Chabot) 56
Team 605 (Cerritos) 59, High Desert (Victor Valley) 56
Hayward (Chabot) 66, Mojave Green (Barstow) 48
Cucamonga (Chaffey) 50, The Seals (Monterey) 28
Las Vegas (S. Nevada) 70, The Buzz (Fullerton) 55
South County (Saddleback) 80, Las Vegas (S. Nevada) 71
Print Pro (Antelope Valley) 58, The River (American River) 38
North Bay (Seqouias) 46, The Cats (Canyons) 41
Knights (Shasta) 47, San Diego (Grossmont) 45
Hooptown S.O. (LA Valley) 67, Valley Blue (Irvine Valley) 65
Vaqueros (Santa Barbara) 59, High Desert (Victor Valley) 50
