The 2005 California JUCO Showcase was held July 30-31 at the American Sports Center in Anaheim. The event featured players from both Northern and Southern California. As always, since it was a summer event, teams played under their summer travel-team names. However, each team was comprised of players who plan on attending a specific school in the fall, and the team was coached by that school’s staff. For example, the host team was known as “The Buzz” but was comprised of players who are slated to attend Fullerton College in the fall, and the coach was Fullerton head coach Dieter Horton; I’ve listed them as The Buzz (Fullerton).
Anyway, I managed to attend 15 games over the two-day event, featuring a total of 27 different teams. Since there were usually 6 games going on more-or-less simultaneously, some tough decisions had to be made but most (though not all) of the better teams are included:
Saturday, 11 am: Glendora (Citrus) 61, South County (Saddleback) 57
SF Tron Smith had a superb all-around game with 15 pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts and 4 steals to lead Glendora to a win over traditional power South County. It was a close game pretty much the whole way, but Glendora held a narrow lead most of the time. PF Chad Allen chipped in with 10 pts and a team-best 9 rebs. Reserves SG Aaron Arango and SF Jeremy Black also had strong games; Arango had 10 pts, including a pair of threes, while Black had 9 pts and 6 rebs. PG Anthony Kidd had 6 pts, 6 asts and 3 steals for the winners. For South County, Ctr Tim Miller led the way with 16 pts and 9 rebs. PFs Richard Cobbs and Damien Stokes each added 10 pts; Stokes also led all rebounders with 14 boards.
12 noon: Pier Pressure (LA Harbor) 47, The Pier (Santa Monica) 46 – OT
SG Allen Harris scored 4 of his 8 points in OT to lead Pier Pressure to an OT win over The Pier. Harris finished the game with 8 pts, 4 rebs, 4 asts and 3 steals in the win, but it was his clutch performance in the extra time that proved the difference. PF Chris Campbell led Pier Pressure with 12 pts and 8 rebs. For The Pier, PG Aaron Harris led with way with 12 pts while SF Marcus Wilson had 10. SG Anthony Lomello sent the game to OT with a 3-pointer at the buzzer and finished with 5 pts and 3 asts. The Pier got strong games from a pair of inside players: PF Kenneth Michaels had 8 pts and a team-high 7 rebs, while Ctr Shakir Johnson had 6 pts, 5 rebs and 4 blocked shots.
1 pm: Cucamonga (Chaffey) 76, The Beach (Long Beach) 62
PG T.J. Smith had a remarkable game with 28 pts to lead Cucamonga to a surprisingly decisive win over The Beach. Smith made 10 of 16 shots, including 4 threes, while also contributing 3 rebs, 3 asts and 3 steals. PF Joseph Bonner also reached double figures with 10 pts on 5/6 shooting. Ctr Jason McClure had a strong game inside with 6 pts, 6 rebs and 3 blocked shots. For The Beach, SF Chris Fields led the way with 13 pts and 9 boards. Ctr Eric Williams posted a double-double with 12 pts and 11 rebs, while SG Brandon Nevens was perfect from the field and from the line and also finished with 12 pts. But the Cucamonga pressure was too much for The Beach as Cucamonga generated 15 steals and forced 21 Beach turnovers.
3 pm: San Bruno (Skyline) 52, The Cats (Canyons) 41
Ctr Jabari Davis and SG Jeremiah Williams each scored 14 pts to lead San Bruno to an 11-point win over The Cats. Davis made 6 of 8 shots from the floor, and Williams drained a pair of threes in the game. PF Filip Popovic had 8 pts and a game-high 8 boards. San Bruno jumped out to a 20-4 lead early on to take control of the game. The Cats closed the gap to 4 points at 42-38 but then San Bruno went on a 10-0 run to put the game away. SF Andre Murray led The Cats with 16 pts, 4 rebs and 4 steals. SG Marquis DuBose added 12 pts and 3 asts.
4 pm: The Dawgs (East LA) 52, The Wolverines (Contra Costa) 39
PG Steve Monreal led The Dawgs to a surprise win in the next game over a talented but erratic Wolverine squad. Monreal scored 20 pts, including 5 threes, and added 6 rebs and 5 asts to lead the way. SG Daniel Vasquez came off the bench to add 10 pts including a pair of threes. SG Dejon Grant led the Wolverines with 9 pts. PG Duane Jones had 8 pts and 3 asts while PF Marqus Holland had 7 pts and a game-high 8 boards.
5 pm: Sehorn’s Summer Squad (Yuba) 58, 17th Street Basketball (Santa Ana) 57
PG Courney Tyler nailed the winning shot in the final seconds to lift Sehorn’s to a thrilling 1-point win over 17th Street. Tyler’s 12-foot jumper proved to be the difference in a tightly-contested game that was close throughout. Tyler finished with 6 pts, 5 rebs and 4 asts. Ctr B.J. Visman had a huge game for Sehorn’s with 14 pts and 6 boards while PF Trevor Pitts posted a double-double with 10 pts and 10 boards. SF Drew Terry led 17th Street with 14 pts. PF Sean Lucke added 12 pts.
6 pm: The 99 (Sequoias) 56, Hayward (Chabot) 34
Ctr Andrew Green scored 12 pts to lead The 99 to an easy win over an overmatched Hayward squad. Green made 6 of 8 shots from the floor and grabbed 5 rebs in the win. PF Demarcus Hall grabbed a game-high 9 boards, while the team’s other Ctr, Carey Majors, scored 8 pts and pulled down 7 rebs. SF Jose Sanchez, a high school teammate of UCLA’s Lorenzo Mata, and PF Greg Walker each scored 9 points. PF Terrell Scott led Hayward with 12 pts. But Hayward shot just 29% from the floor and was outrebounded 45-22, largely because they had just one player taller than 6-3.
Sunday, 11 am: We Play Hard (San Bernardino Valley) 57, Saratoga (West Valley) 41
SG Brent Humphrie scored 15 pts, including 3 threes, and the defense did the rest as We Play Hard rolled to an emphatic 16-point win over a very good Saratoga team. With giants like the 6-10 Jerome Habel and 6-9 Keith Darden controlling the inside, and defensive specialist SF Jamal Vandy (5 steals) patrolling the perimeter, the Saratoga offense shot just 25% in the second half after trailing by just a point at the break. PG Rishawn Norwood added 11 pts for the winners. Ctr Ken Alexander and SF Ivan Elliott each scored 9 pts to lead Saratoga; Alexander also grabbed a game-high 8 rebs.
12 noon: Valley Blue (Irvine Valley) 49, Champion Springs (Desert) 45
PF Marcus Blackshire scored 15 pts, grabbed 6 rebs and dished out 4 asts to lead Valley Blue to a narrow win. PG Ceylon Elgin Taylor also had a strong game with 6 pts, 6 asts and 4 steals for the winners. SG Bryan Emanuel led Champion Springs with 12 pts, making 5 of 7 shots from the floor. But Champion Springs suffered an amazing 23 turnovers (the most I saw any team commit over the weekend).
1 pm: Speed City (San Jose) 42, Team Inland (Riverside) 25
PF Rodrick Craig scored 14 pts and grabbed 6 rebs to lead Speed City to a surprisingly easy win over Team Inland. Craig made 5 of 9 shots from the floor, including 2 threes, and was the game’s only double-figure scorer. A pair of PGs named Johnson had strong games for the winners: starter Kentrell made 2 of 2 shots from the floor (for 4 pts) and dished out 5 asts, while backup Chad had no points but registered game-highs with 7 rebs and 6 asts. Ctr Armando Cosio led Inland with 6 pts. SF Terrell Norwood had 4 pts and team-bests of 5 rebs and 3 asts. But Inland shot just 27% from the floor and was outrebounded 31-19 for the game.
2 pm: Sehorn’s Summer Squad (Yuba) 55, Valley Fever (Bakersfield) 49
PG Courtney Tyler had 11 pts and 3 asts to lead Sehorn’s to a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Valley Fever. Sehorn’s trailed by as many as 13 late in the first half as Valley Fever’s hot shooting and transition game allowed them to take a big lead early. But in the second half, Ctr B.J. Visman (8 pts, 7 rebs) and PF Matt Brocker (6 pts, 4 rebs) came alive, not only scoring 12 of their combined 14 pts but dominating the inside and forcing Valley Fever to the outside, setting the stage for the Sehorn’s comeback. At one point in the second half, Valley Fever was shooting 57% from the floor from the game. But they made just 4 of their last 13 shots as Sehorn’s mounted its comeback. Ctr Tony Harris led all scorers with 14 pts and also grabbed 7 rebs. SG Maurice Lane added 10 pts for Valley Fever.
3 pm: Team Valley (LA Pierce) 52, Kingsley Glass (Antelope Valley) 33
SF Leon Jacobs, a transfer from 2004 state champion Compton, scored 16 pts to lead Team Valley to a decisive win over Kingsley Glass. Jacobs not only led all scorers, but also matched up with Kingsley’s Deonte Huff. The result was a runaway victory for Team Valley, which led virtually all the way. SG Jonathan Johnson and PF Camel Drummond each scored 10 pts for the winners. PF Donald Lee grabbed a game-high 11 boards. Kingsley was led by Huff and his 12 pts, while PG Javon McIver had 7 pts and 3 asts. But no other player scored more than 4 points for what appeared to be a rather tired Kingsley squad.
4 pm: The Buzz (Fullerton) 66, Glendora (Citrus) 30
PF Sean Phaler scored 15 pts, including 3 threes, and Ctr Michael Earl scored 9 while grabbing 8 rebounds as the Buzz completely dominated a solid Glendora squad. Eleven Buzz players scored as the Buzz demonstrated their dominance with an unheard-of 36-point victory. SG Tim Denson had a solid game with 7 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts and 3 steals. PF Rodrick Johnson added 8 pts and 7 rebs. But even more impressive was the Fullerton defense, which allowed just 4 Glendora players to score in the game. PF Chad Allen led the way for Glendora with 13 pts and 8 rebs. But overall Glendora, which defeated South County (Saddleback) earlier in the showcase, shot just 29% from the floor and committed 18 turnovers (compared to just 7 for The Buzz).
5 pm: The Cats (Canyons) 47, Spot Up (El Camino) 46
SG Marquis DuBose’s three late in the final minute of OT proved to be the difference in The Cats’ narrow victory over Spot Up. DuBose finished with a team-best 15 pts, including 3 threes, plus 4 rebs and 4 asts. And there was some controversy at the finish as Spot Up’s Kelvin Wilson appeared to score what would have been the winning basket with 4.6 seconds left in OT but was instead called for a charging foul, negating the basket and allowing The Cats to hold on for the win. SF Kelly Hubbard had a huge game for Spot Up with 21 pts and 9 rebs, but missed a free throw at the end of regulation time that would have won the game.
6 pm: Gowing & Associates (Rio Hondo) 51, Team 605 (Cerritos) 39
Gowing jumped out to a 19-0 lead, watched Team 605 rally to cut the margin to just 4 late in the second half, and then pulled away for the win in the event’s final game. SG Jabbir Jinna led the way with 14 pts, including 4 threes. SF Matt Chagolla and SG Uriahn Barragan each added 9 pts for Gowing, which went 4-0 on the weekend. SF Aaron Thompson led Team 605 with 13 pts and 9 rebs, and his three brought his team to within 4 at 41-37 before Gowing pulled away again. PG Cortez Ward added 8 pts.
