Over the summer, whenever I saw someone with ties to the JC world, I posted the highlights on this page. This summer began with 3 games of the San Francisco Pro City league, and ended with the final game of their league championship series in August. There was also the LA Pro City Pro & College Leagues (the college league was previously known as the Say No Classic) at West LA College in Culver City, and I managed to get down to the pyramid for a day at the SPL on July 13th, as well as a day at the beach in Venice on August 8th.
I also atttended the Long Beach Jamboree June 26th at the Pyramid, the JC Summer Showcase at Azusa Pacific July 16-17 and the Fullcourt Press Showcase on July 31st. Those get their own pages since there is so much to talk about.
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August 11: San Francisco Pro City:
Dante Sykes (Skyline/Hawaii Pacific) came off the bench and scored 9 pts to help East Bay top #1-seed SF City, 94-88, in game 2 of the league championship series of the SF Pro City league. The win completed a two-game sweep and gave East Bay their second league championship; Sykes is one of two players (along with A.J. Rollins) to have played for both East Bay league champs. John Schrader (DeAnza) came off the bench for the winners for some brief action as well. SF City lost despite a strong game from E.J. Rowland (Hartnell/St. Mary's), who led City with 19 pts. Marek Ondara (Skyline/Mira Costa/UC Irvine/Denmark) also started for City and contributed 7 pts and 5 rebs.
August 8: Nike Battlegrounds League @ Venice Beach:
Alex Carcamo (Santa Monica/E Washington) started at Ctr and scored 8 pts to help Pasadena to a 70-68 victory in the final of the Nike Battleground League at the legendary Venice Beach Courts. James Lee (Ventura/San Francisco) came off the bench for Venice Beach and ended up in the middle of some controversy; he appeared to score the go-ahead basket with 9 seconds remaining in the game only to be called for an offensive foul. The prize of $30,000 hung in the balance, but the official made the call immediately, even before the ball went through the basket. In any case, Lee finished with 10 pts, which led Venice reserves - though that's probably not a lot of consolation for the loss of a piece of the $30,000. My full box score for this game is available - click on the link at the bottom of the page.
August 1: LA Pro City College:
2 pm: The league quarterfinal day got started when Jason Harris (Chaffey/Sacramento State) led the Funn Squad to a resounding 72-60 win over Sinclair's Bruins, a team featuring most of the heralded incoming UCLA recruiting class. Harris has a marvelous all-around game, posting a game-high of 19 pts and adding 7 rebs and 5 asts. But there were a lot of JC players and alumni on this team. Will Funn (San Bernardino Valley/Portland State) had 5 pts, 6 rebs and a game-high 7 asts. Paul Miller (San Bernardino Valley) had 6 pts and 7 boards, as well as the unenviable task of guarding McDonalds All-American Arron Afflalo (Afflalo had 16 pts but needed a lot of shots to get those points). Larry Dew (Chaffey) came off the bench to add 8 pts, 7 rebs and 3 asts. Sam Funn (San Bernardino Valley) saw some brief action for the winners as well. For the Bruins, Leon Jacobs (Compton CC) came off the bench to contribute 6 pts and a game-high 4 asts. Jason Goodman (Riverside CC) scored a basket in brief action. Tommy Clayton (Cerritos) also saw limited playing time.
3:30 pm: Danny Lambert (Irvine Valley/CS Fullerton) scored 15 pts and grabbed 7 rebs for CABC but it wasn't quite enough as they surrendered an 8-point lead in the last 4 minutes to lose to defending champion Hank's Team CTS, 74-71. Midwin Francis (LA Valley/Northeastern State OK) came off the bench for the winners, contributing 2 pts, 2 rebs and his usual inside defensive presence.
5 pm: Gaston Essengue (Compton CC) posted a double-double with 17 pts and 11 boards to help Hank's Top Prospects to a 93-89 overtime win over Hank's Big Time. Essengue had a particularly strong first half with 13 pts and 9 rebs before intermission, helping his team build a 44-36 halftime lead. Kevin Lewis (Compton CC/Wyoming) added 8 pts and 4 rebs. And Jason McKinney (Southern Idaho/CS Northridge) came off the bench to contribute 11 pts and 7 asts. Allan Purnell (Fullerton/Pacific) started for Hank's Big Time and finished with 7 pts and 5 rebs. Chris Jones (LA Pierce) saw very brief action and grabbed a rebound.
6:30 pm: Justin Burns scored 18 pts and grabbed 7 rebs to help unbeaten Salvatori's Spirit overcome a horrible start to claim an 86-82 decision over Salvatori's Young Guns. The Young Guns, featuring Eto Onyenegecha (Contra Costa/CCSF/CS Northridge), jumped out to a 12-0 start in the game's opening minutes and held a 5-point lead at halftime before the Spirit found their game legs. Eto started at Center opposite 7-1 Chad Bell, but contributed 9 pts and 7 rebs (Bell had 5 pts, 7 rebs) despite foul trouble. With the win, the Spirit moves to 9-0 and advances to the league semifinals.
8 pm (Pro League): Matt Houser (Irvine Valley/Chico State) scored 15 pts and grabbed a team-high 9 rebs to help Moore Management to a 95-91 win over Team Baseline. It was a strange game in that Baseline played the last 17:12 with only four players since they had no subs and one of their starters got injured. Baseline had led by 12 when Derrick Dye sprained his ankle, and Moore pulled ahead early in the fourth quarter. Still, Baseline hung tough and the game was tied at 88 in the final minute. After a three by Moore's William Morris broke the tie, 2 FTs by Houser helped seal the win.
July 30: LA Pro City College:
8 pm: In the game to determine the league's final playoff team, a trio of Cerritos College current and former players helped West Coast Elite to a surprisingly easy 57-38 win over Hank's Panthers. Stanley Gill started at Ctr and had 6 pts plus 5 rebs while Matt Reid came off the bench to contribute 4 pts and 2 asts. Tezzaray Banks (headed to Boise State) added 4 pts and tied for game honors with 6 rebs in a reserve role. Gary Looney (Compton CC) dished out a team-best 4 asts for the Panthers, while Brian Pruitt (El Camino/Cal State San Bernardino) had 8 pts and 5 rebs. Maurice Wright (LA Trade Tech) had 4 pts and a team-best 6 boards. Chris Reaves (Citrus/Chaminade) and Robert Neal (LA Harbor) each had 2 pts in limited action.
July 24: LA Pro City College:
12:30 pm: Tyler Newton (Shasta/Pacific) scored 13 pts and grabbed a game-high 13 rebs to help Hank's Big Time to an 84-61 win over Grace Ford's Coyotes. Dandrick Jones (Trinidad State/Idaho) came off the bench to add 13 pts. Kenny Sims (American River/CS-San Bernardino) led all scorers, pouring in 21 (including 2 threes) for the Coyotes.
2 pm: Jason Harris (Chaffey/Sacramento State) scored 10 pts and grabbed 7 boards to help the Funn Squad to an easy 50-27 win over an undermanned Playmakers team. Harris got help from several JC players and alumni, including Larry Dew (Chaffey) who also scored 10 pts. Will Funn (SBVC/Portland State) had just 2 pts but dished out a game-high 7 asts. Paul Miller (SBVC) had 2 pts and 5 boards. And Greg Johnson (SBVC) had a pair of assists. Robert Dorsey (LA Trade Tech/Florida A&M) had 7 pts and a game-high 8 rebs for the Playmakers. Jon Folonis (Sequoias/Cal State LA) had 4 pts and 4 rebs. The Playmakers' 5th player showed up midway through what would have been the first quarter, and they had no subs the entire game, most of which was played in running time since the Funn Squad's lead was 20+ points.
3:30 pm: John Clemmons (El Camino/CS Fullerton) scored the winnning basket on a 20-foot runner as time expired to give IEBP Platinum Vault a thrilling win in the day's best game. Clemmons' shot came after IEBP had lost all of a 10-point lead in the last 4 minutes to fall behind, 68-67, on a 4-point play by Jahsha Bluntt. Clemmons finished with 10 pts and 3 asts. Jaqay Carlyle (LA City/UC Davis) led IEBP with 16 pts and added 8 rebs and 4 asts. Damon Knight (Mt. San Antonio/CS-San Bernardino) had 6 pts and a team-best 6 asts. Matt Reid (Cerritos) had 10 pts for West Coast Elite, while Falcon teammate Stanley Gill had 4 pts plus 7 boards. Dominic Freeman (Long Beach CC) had 2 pts and a rebound in brief action. Aaron Mitchell (LA Southwest) got in long enough to grab 2 rebounds.
5 pm: Gaston Essengue (Compton CC) had 8 pts and tied for game honors with 11 rebs for Hank's Top Prospects in an 84-70 loss to CABC. A teammate from last year's state championship squad, Kevin Lewis (Compton CC/Wyoming) had 4 pts and 5 rebs. Jason McKinney (Southern Idaho/CS Northridge) had 16 pts and 4 asts for the Prospects.
6:30 pm: Les Norman (Long Beach CC/Coppin State) helped Salvatori's Squad overcome a 14-point second-half deficit to post a 74-66 win over defending league champion Hank's Team CTS. Norman had 2 pts, 6 rebs and a game-high 11 asts coming off the bench. He played most of the second half at PG, rallying his team from a 50-36 deficit early in third quarter. Andrew Bruckner (Canyons/UC Irvine) had 2 pts and 4 rebs for the winners. Midwin Francis (LA Valley/NE (Okla) State) equalled that with 2 pts and 4 rebs for Hank's Team CTS.
8 pm (Pro League): Eric Knight (LA Southwest/Portland) started at PG for the Orange Express, scoring 2 pts but adding 7 rebs and a team-best 9 asts, in a 102-90 loss to Hoosier Daddy.
July 23: LA Pro City College:
6:30 pm: Justin Burns (Cypress/CS Fullerton) scored 10 of his 12 pts in the first half as Salvatori's Spirit built a double-digit lead en route to a 97-87 win over The Playmakers to run their record to a league-best 8-0 Friday night. Jeremiah Turner (Moorpark) came off the bench and grabbed 5 rebounds for the winners. Carlos Rivers (LA Valley) started at PG for the Playmakers and had 17 pts. DaShawn Strong (LA Valley) started at Ctr, facing 7-0 Chad Bell of Nevada. Despite giving away 7 inches in height, Strong ended up with 14 pts, 9 rebs and 4 asts, far superior to Bell's 8 pts and 7 boards. Jon Folonis (Sequoias/Cal State LA) started at PF and posted a double-double with 12 pts and a team-best 10 rebs. Robert Dorsey (LA Trade Tech/Florida A&M) came off the bench to add 8 pts and 5 rebs. Tim Nichols (Long Beach/West LA) saw brief playing time as well.
8 pm: Kia Griffin (Colorado Northwestern CC) came off the bench to score 16 pts and grab 5 rebs, helping Mark One to a 76-70 comeback win over Team Say No. Mark One trailed virtually the entire game until the final 3 minutes before pulling out the 6-point win. Hardy Asprilla (Sequoias/CS Fullerton) had 6 pts, 8 rebs and 4 asts for the winners. Mike Ford (LA Southwest/Southern Mississippi) had 14 pts for Say No. Deon Davis (LA Southwest/Southwest Baptist MO) added 4 pts while Ivan Jackson (LA Southwest/Cal State LA) had 3 pts. Chris Childress (Santa Ana) had 2 pts, 3 rebs and a team-high 4 asts.
July 18: LA Pro City College:
3:30 pm: Justin Burns, a Cypress transfer to CS-Fullerton, started at SF and had a strong game to help Salvatori's Spirit to a 94-69 win over Salvatori's Young Guns as the Spirit moved to 7-0 as the league's only undefeated team. Burns displayed excellent athleticism en route to 14 pts and a game-high 9 rebs plus 3 asts. Lloyd Walls (Irvine Valley/Wright State/CS-Fullerton) started at Ctr and had 2 pts and 5 boards. Jeremiah Turner (Moorpark) came off the bench to contribute 6 pts and 3 rebs. For the Young Guns, Cameron Goettsche (Salt Lake CC/UC Santa Barbara) started at Ctr and had a solid game with 8 pts, 4 rebs and 3 asts. Eto Onyenegecha (Contra Costa/CC San Francisco/CS Northridge) came off the bench and threw down 2 thunderous dunks for 4 pts and also grabbed 2 rebs.
5 pm: Andrew Bruckner (Canyons/UC Irvine) started at Ctr for Salvatori's Squad in a 69-64 win over Hank's Panthers. Bruckner finished with 4 pts and 1 rebound for the winners. Brian Pruitt (El Camino/CS-San Bernardino) had a double-double for the Panthers with 10 pts and 11 boards. And PG Gary Looney. (Compton CC) had a tremendous game, flirting with a triple-double before settling for 11 pts, 8 rebs and 9 asts. Bobby Neal (LA Harbor) grabbed 3 rebs in limited playing time. Maurice Wright (LA Trade Tech) saw some action as well for the Panthers, finishing with 6 pts and 3 rebs.
6:30 pm: Danny Lambert (Irvine Valley/CS Fullerton) was the hero for CABC in their 61-60 win over Hank's Bakersfield Boys in the night's finale. Lambert's three gave CABC a 59-58 lead, and his putback basket moments later made it 61-58 and proved to be the winning margin. He finished with 12 pts, 3 rebs and 4 asts. For Bakersfield, Dwaun Rice (LA City/CS Bakersfield) had a superb game with 11 pts, 8 rebs and 4 asts. Ctr Stephin Booth (Long Beach CC/West LA/CSUB) had 5 pts and 6 boards. And SF Michael Schnyder (Glendale CA/CSUB) came off the bench to add 4 pts and 3 rebs.
8 pm - Pro City Pro: Richard Jeter (Atlanta Metro CC) scored 20 pts and grabbed 9 boards for Orange Express in their 100-86 win over Real Run in the pro division. Jeter was his team's second-leading scorer behind former Spur and recent Bobcat signee Jason Hart. Jelani Dukes (Hagerstown CC/Duquesne) came off the bench for Real Run and had 2 pts plus 3 asts.
July 13: LA Summer Pro League (@ the LB Pyramid):
Chris Booker (Tyler JC/Purdue) scored 16 pts and grabbed 6 rebs to help the Warriors to a 91-87 win over the NBA Stars, a team that included New Orleans Hornets #1 draft pick J.R. Smith. Booker made 8 of 12 shots from the floor and also had a pair of assists. Randy Holcomb, one of only three players to have his number retired at LA City College (he then moved on to San Diego State and has played professionally in the Phillippines), had 4 pts in limited action for the NBA Stars.
In an earlier game, Tony Bobbitt (Southern Idaho/Cincinnati) scored a team-high 18 pts for the Lakers in their 91-86 loss to the Kings. Bobbitt was a first-team JC All-American at CSI and has a decent shot of making the Lakers' NBA roster this fall. Phillip Ricci (Delta/Oregon State/NBDL) saw some limited action for the Kings. Ricci, the 2000 Northern California Player of the Year, got in for about 3 minutes and grabbed a rebound.
In a matchup of "agent" teams, Jelani Dukes (Hagerstown CC/Duquesne) scored 12 pts and handed out 4 asts to help The Ticket to a 120-94 win over ISME Sports. Gene Shipley (San Jose CC/Canada West Univ) saw some action as well, grabbing a rebound and a couple of steals in about 11 minutes. Tony Roberts (Fullerton College) came off the bench for ISME and contributed 6 pts and 4 rebs.
July 3: LA Pro City College:
11 am: Andrew Bruckner (Canyons/UC Irvine) started at Ctr for Salvatori's Squad in their 56-49 win over The Highlanders in the day's opening match. Bruckner had 2 pts and 6 rebs. David Jobe (Diablo Valley/UC Riverside) came off the bench to have a solid game for the Highlanders, contributing 6 pts, 7 rebs and 3 asts. David Misko (Sequoias/UC Riverside) started and grabbed 5 boards.
12:30 pm: The Funn Squad, a team made up almost entirely of current and former JC players from the Inland Empire, built a 20-point lead and then managed to hold on for an 84-76 win over Hank's Top Prospects in the day's second game. Blake Walker (SBVC/Portland State) led the way with 28 pts plus 4 rebs and 4 asts. But he was hardly a one-man show as PG Larry Dew (Chaffey) came off the bench to add 20 pts and 8 asts. Will Funn (SBVC/Portland State) had 6 pts and 6 asts, and also had 2 steals in the last 40 seconds to help preserve the win. Forward Johnny Dukes (SBVC/San Francisco) had 7 pts and 5 rebs, while Paul Miller (SBVC) had 5 boards and 2 asts. Sam Funn (SBVC) had 4 asts in limited action, while Anton Moore (Chaffey) and Greg Johnson (SBVC) also some some brief playing time. Gaston Essengue (Compton CC) continued his strong play in a losing cause, finishing with 21 pts and a game-high 9 rebs for the Prospects. Former Compton teammates Nick Porter (Creighton) and Kevin Lewis (Wyoming) were also in the starting lineup; Porter had 4 pts, 3 rebs and 2 asts while Lewis had 2 pts, 5 rebs and 3 asts. Jason McKinney (Southern Idaho/CS Northridge) came off the bench to add 8 pts and a game-high 4 asts.
2 pm: Brian Pruitt (El Camino/CS-SB) and Romel Beck (LA City/UNLV) each contributed 11 pts to lead Hank's Panthers to a 77-62 win over the IEBP Platinum Vault. Pruitt also had 4 rebs and 4 asts, while Beck added 3 rebs and 3 asts to his scoring total. Gary Looney (Compton CC) started at PG, and he had 4 pts and a team-best 5 asts for the winners. Phil Givens (West LA/Hawaii Pacific) came off the bench to add 4 pts and 4 asts. Maurice Wright (LA Trade Tech) had 6 pts and 3 rebs in a reserve role. And Chris Reaves (Citrus/Chaminade) nailed a pair of threes early in the 4th quarter as the Panthers extended their 4-point lead and cruised to an easy win. Reaves' shots to open the final quarter pushed the lead to 10. For IEBP, Jaqay Carlyle (LA City/UC Davis) had a huge game with 17 pts and 6 rebs, and even nailed a three as time ran out. Todd Martin, who will play at Chaffey in 2004-05, had 9 pts and 6 boards. Damon Knight (Mt. SAC/CS-SB) started at PG and finished with 5 pts.
3:30 pm: Danny Lambert(Irvine Valley/CS-Fullerton) started at PF and contributed 9 pts, 3 rebs and 5 asts to help CABC to a 70-67 win over Salvatori's Young Guns. Lambert scored all his points in the second half as CABC overcame a 1-point halftime deficit for the win. Cameron Goettsche (Salt Lake CC/UC Santa Barbara) had a superb game for the Young Guns with 10 pts plus game-highs of 11 rebs and 5 asts.
5 pm: In a matchup of 2003-04 Community College Players of the Year, Kenneth Sims (American River/CS San Bernardino), the Northern California honoree, scored 17 pts and handed out 4 asts for Grace Ford's Coyotes in an 80-60 win over Team Say No in the 5 pm game. Sims got some help from James Perkins (Cerritos/CS-SB), who came off the bench to score 6 pts and grab 4 boards. Mike Ford (LA Southwest/Southern Mississippi), the Southern honoree, led his team with 17 pts, including 3 threes (remember, the 3-point line in this league is the NBA line), and 4 asts. Steve Moore (Santa Ana/Arizona State) had 9 pts and 3 rebs, while Deon Davis (LA Southwest/Southwest Baptist) had a strong effort with 6 pts, 8 rebs and 4 asts while David Day (West LA/Alabama State) contributed 7 pts and 5 boards. Rebounding machine Mark Dawson (Pasadena) came off the bench to grab a remarkable 15 boards, and he also scored 6 pts. Ivan Jackson (LA Southwest/Cal State LA) had 2 pts and 2 asts, while Antquan James (West LA) had a 3-pointer and 3 rebs. Burly Brian Wilson (LA Trade Tech) had a basket and a rebound in limited action.
6:30 pm: In the nightcap, a trio of JC players had supporting roles in the Sinclair's Bruins' thrilling 84-81 win over Entertainment Tonight. Tommy Clayton (West LA) nailed a 3-pointer that spurred a 16-0 run which led the Bruins from a 10-point deficit to a 6-point lead; the entire rally came in the game's last 4 minutes. Jason Goodman (Riverside CC) added 5 pts, and Leon Jacobs (Compton CC) contributed 6 pts and a pair of assists for the winners. The Bruins, which feature the entire recruiting class for UCLA, were led by McDonald's All-Americans Arron Afflalo (33 pts) and Jordan Farmar (10 pts, 9 asts). For E.T., Jason Chivers (LA Trade Tech/Seattle Pacific) had a strong game with 5 pts and 6 rebs. Guards Jerry Jackson (LA Trade Tech) and Mike Gentry (Moorpark) saw limited action as well.
June 18: SF Pro City: Last year's Pro City MVP Maurice Brown (CC San Francisco) led Dream Team to a 90-81 win over the Oakland Believers. Brown posted 15 pts and 5 rebs for the winners. Chris Adams (CCSF/Fresno State) had 6 pts and 7 rebs before fouling out midway through the 4th quarter. Alfonzo Williams (CCSF/Skyline) came off the bench to add 4 pts and 2 asts, while Ron Selleaze (Fresno CC/BYU/CSUB) had a strong effort with 10 pts and 3 rebs in a reserve role. A pair of Pro City legends, Edward "Topper" Allen (Skyline/Pepperdine) and Derrick "D-Mac" Hogan (CCSF) saw brief action but did not score.
Bakari Hendrix (Solano/Gonzaga) had a superb game in defeat, leading all scorers with 33 pts, including a three, plus 7 rebs and 3 asts. Teammate Eric Crookshank (Chabot/Idaho State) chipped in 15 pts and 5 rebs, while Will Levy (Diablo Valley/E. Washington) had 8 pts and tied for game honors with 9 boards. Fabien Baker (Merritt) saw some action as well, finishing with 2 pts, 4 rebs and an assist.
June 17: SF Pro City: Johnnie Bryant (CCSF/Utah) started at PG and had 11 pts plus 4 asts to help Bay Pride to an 89-84 victory over East Bay. Among Bryant's baskets was an acrobatic up-and-under lay-up past 1999 Pro City MVP A.J. Rollins, which not only scored the bucket but drew the foul. DeMarshay Johnson (Diablo Valley) started at Ctr and had a basket plus 4 rebs. For East Bay, Dante Sykes (Skyline/Hawaii Pacific) came off the bench and had a strong game with 12 pts and 7 rebs, helping his team overcome a double-digit first-half deficit.
June 16: SF Pro City: Pro City legend Bryan Thomasson (Skyline/Nevada) sank 5 threes to lead the Bay Raiders to a 118-103 win over Bay City. Thomasson finished with 24 pts, 8 rebs and 4 asts. Jason Williams (Diablo Valley/Pacific) added 20 pts and 5 boards, while fellow Viking alumn Victor Venters (DVC/Montana) came off the bench to add 6 pts and 2 rebs. David Granucci (CC San Francisco/San Jose State) started at Ctr and had a fine all-around game with 9 pts, 3 rebs and 4 asts.
A pair of current CCSF players, Ctr Lex James and PF Harry Brown , came off the bench. James finished with 6 pts and 5 rebs despite battling foul trouble, while Brown had 5 pts and 5 boards. Chris Green (Chabot) saw limited playing time as well, grabbing a rebound.
But the big news was the appearance of playground legend Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell (Contra Costa CC/CS Hayward), who showed several dazzling ballhandling moves en route to 12 pts, 5 rebs and 5 asts for Bay City. Hook was a regular in this league several years ago, and is well-known in the Bay Area as a contemporary of Jason Kidd and Gary Payton and a star from the streets of Oakland and at McClymonds HS. (Payton and Kidd have been quoted as saying Mitchell was better than either of them - or anyone else they knew). He is also the subject of a recently-completed documentary film (out on DVD in October) - for more details check out the site linked below. Released from prison and appearing to be in excellent shape, Hook may be 35 but has a lot of game left. Be sure to catch Bay City this summer for your chance to see Hook in action.
Summer League Links
2004 Southern California Showcase (7/16-17)
2004 Fullcourt Press JUCO Extravaganza (7/31)
2004 Beach Jamboree (6/26)
San Francisco Pro City (SF Pro-Am)
LA Pro City College (aka Say No Classic) (@ West LA College)
LA Summer Pro League (@ LB Pyramid)
Hook Mitchell Documentary Site
Nike Battlegrounds Championship Game (@ Venice Beach) box score
