Summer 2006

Over the summer, whenever I saw someone with ties to the JC world, I posted the highlights on this page.

This summer began with the Beach Basketball Camp at the Long Beach Pyramid June 24-25. Then it was off to the LA Pro City College League, which had a division in West LA and a division in Pomona. I dropped in for Day 1 of the Fullcourt Press JC Camp July 8th at the SCBA Center and for a playoff game in the San Francisco Pro City league at historic Kezar Pavilion. And of course there was also the 3 Stripe Showcase, which took place July 30-31 at the Great American Sports Center in Anaheim.

In addition, there were a pair of fall showcases: the Fullcourt Press event at LBCC 9/24 and Gerry Freitas' showcase at Azusa Pacific 9/30. They're on the links (below).

Summer Highlights:

Leon Jacob (Compton/LA Pierce/Utah Valley State) had a double-double with 11 pts and 10 rebs and Joseph Taylor (LA City/Wyoming) had 5 points and a team-high 11 boards to help Hank's Team to an 89-82 win and the championship of the LA Pro City College league.

Hank's Team fell behind the Franchise Boys, led by USC stars Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young, 21-10 in the first quarter before recovering and leading most of the second half.

With the win, Hank's Team finishes with a perfect 11-0 record for the summer.

It's not the first championship for Jacob; he was a part of Compton College's 2004 California State champs.

Taylor, who won a pair of SCC-Northern Division championships at LACC, was the 2005-06 JCHoops.com Defender of the Year.

August 8 - San Francisco Pro City
@ Kezar Pavilion

Alfonzo Williams (CCSF/Skyline/KY Wesleyan) poured in 24 pts and dished out 5 asts to lead the Dream Team to a 111-101 win over East Bay in a first-round playoff game.

Williams, a starter on Dream Team's 1998 league champion team, made 3 threes and tied for team scoring honors. After scoring a game-high 14 points in the first half, he scored a FG+FT 3-point play early in the third quarter to give his team a 57-56 lead, their first lead since the game's opening minutes. The Dream Team extended their edge to 11 by the end of the third quarter, and then held off a late East Bay charge to hold on for the win.

Dante Sawyer (Southern Idaho) came off the bench for the winners and had 8 pts, 5 rebs and a game-high 9 asts. Sawyer led his McAteer HS team to the San Francisco City Championship on the Kezar floor in 2001 with a 30-point, 13-rebound, 8-assist performance before heading off to CSI.

Mike Travis (CCSF/Jackson State) had 8 pts and 4 rebs. Bill Shannon (CCSF), who has played for Dream Team since at least 1997 (before his stint at CCSF), also saw some brief action in the victory but did not score.

August 6 - LA Pro City College
@ West LA College

Barry Barnes (Long Beach City) had 23 pts and 4 asts and JuShay Rockett (Arizona Western/Texas State/Alaska-Fairbanks) posted a double-double to enable the SoCal Warriors to become the first Pomona division team to win a playoff game with an 89-72 victory over Salvatori's Squad Up.

Barnes came off the bench to provide energy, and ended up leading the team in scoring. Rockett had 19 pts and a team-best 11 rebs while also coming in off the bench. Thurman Sutton (LA Harbor/Kent State) started and had 19 pts in the win. Chris Hart (Long Beach/Sacramento State) also had a strong game with 7 pts and a team-high 5 asts. Dominic Freeman (Long Beach City/Long Beach State) had 4 pts and Demetrius Hazel (Long Beach/Sacramento State) had 4 rebs.

For Squad Up, Kejuan Johnson (Long Beach City/Long Beach State) had another huge game with 26 pts, 8 asts and 6 rebs. Mark Dawson (Pasadena/Long Beach State) had a double-double with 15 pts and 11 boards. But they were the only Squad Up players to reach double figures in the scoring column. Jayme Miller (LA Valley/CS Northridge) had 6 pts and 4 rebs while Jabir Jinna (Rio Hondo/CS Northridge) had 3 pts and 3 rebs off the bench.

In other playoff action, Michael Earl (Fullerton/Utah State) and Larry Dew (Chaffey) each had 22 pts in Pasadena's 76-63 loss to Hank's Franchise CTS. Pasadena led, 27-13, after a Dew shot from the corner bounced into the basket as the buzzer sounded at the end of the first quarter. But the final three quarters belonged to CTS, which erased all but one point of the Pasadena lead by halftime and pulled away in the second half.

Paul Miller (San Bernardino Valley) had 4 pts and 8 rebs for Pasadena, while Dino Wilburn (Mt. San Antonio/Alaska-Fairbanks) had 4 pts and 2 boards. Charles Carter (West Hills) saw brief action for CTS but did not score.

In the day's second game, M'Jumbe Williams (West LA/Fresno CC/Arkansas-Monticello) had 2 pts and 2 asts and J.R. Lewis (Compton) saw some action as well in Sinclair's Bruins' 82-68 loss to the Franchise Boys.

And in the day's finale, Leon Jacob (Compton/LA Pierce/Utah Valley State) had 5 pts and 7 rebs while Joseph Taylor (LA City/Wyoming) had 4 pts and 4 rebs for Hank's Team in a 76-71 win over Hoops Family. The win ran Hank's record to 9-0 on the season and earned a berth in the league semifinals. DaShawn Strong (LA Valley) had 6 pts and 4 rebs for Hoops Family while Jerard Moret (West LA) had 4 pts and 4 rebs. Keilon Fortune (Long Beach/Compton/USC) did not score but had 4 asts coming in off the bench.

August 5 - LA Pro City College
@ West LA College

Kejuan Johnson (Long Beach City/Long Beach State) had 22 pts, 10 asts and 7 rebs to lead Salvatori's Squad Up to a 78-65 win over Etiwanda & Associates, a team led by UCLA point guard Darren Collison, in a first-round playoff game. Johnson was helped by LBSU teammate Mark Dawson (Pasadena CC), who had 17 pts and a game-high 11 rebs. Jayme Miller (LA Valley/CS Northridge) and Jabir Jinna (Rio Hondo/CS Northridge) also saw action; Miller had 2 pts and 2 rebs while Jinna dished out 2 asts.

In other playoff action, DaShawn Strong (LA Valley) had 10 pts and Jerard Moret (West LA) had 6 pts and 3 rebs to help Hoops Family to a 73-65 comeback win over Dominguez Hills. Dominguez led much of the game until a fourth-quarter rally by Hoops Family, which took its first second-half led on a basket by Keilon Fortune (LB City/Compton/USC). Fortune finished with just the 2 pts but dished out 4 asts. Jamal Barnes (Compton CC/CS Dominguez Hills) had a team-high 16 pts and Trevon Bryant (Compton CC/CS Dominguez Hills) had 10 in the loss. Carlos Rivers (LA Valley/CS Dominguez Hills) and Gabe Bernard (LA Pierce/CS Dominguez Hills) each had 6 pts; Rivers also dished out 6 asts.

J.R. Lewis (Compton CC) had 7 pts, 5 rebs and 3 asts to help Sinclair's Bruins to an easy 78-54 win over CABC in another playoff game. Sinclair jumped out to an early lead and was never challenged in improving its record to 6-3. Todd Follmer (Irvine Valley/Hawaii) had 8 pts and 5 rebs for CABC.

July 23 - LA Pro City College
@ Cal Poly Pomona

JuShay Rockett (Arizona Western/Texas State/Alaska-Fairbanks) had 24 pts and 8 rebs to lead the SoCal Warriors to a 94-88 win over CABC in the day's marquee game, boosting the team's record to 7-0 on the season. A foursome of Long Beach City alumni also played a big role in the win: Demetrius Hazel (Sacramento State) had 11 pts, and Dominic Freeman (Long Beach State) had 8 pts and 5 rebs. Chris Hart (Sacramento State) also started and had 2 pts and 2 asts. Barry Barnes came off the bench to add 6 pts and had the game-clinching steal with 22 seconds remaining. In addition, Thurman Sutton (LA Harbor/Kent State) saw action for the winners, adding 2 pts and 3 rebs.

For CABC, Danny Lambert (Irvine Valley/CS Fullerton) led the way with 23 pts and 7 rebs, including 17 points in the first half as CABC built an 8-point halftime lead. But when Lambert went to the bench in foul trouble in the third quarter, that opened the door for the Warrior comeback. Todd Follmer (Irvine Valley/Hawaii) came off the bench to add 13 pts and a game-high 9 rebs.

In the day's first game, James Silvie (Cabrillo/Santa Ana) and T.J. Smith (Chaffey/Kentucky Wesleyan) posted double-doubles to lead Say No to a 96-64 win over Powerhouse Basketball. Silvie had 22 pts and 11 rebs while Smith had 21 pts and 10 asts in the win. Terrance Hundley (Santa Ana/UC Riverside) had 15 pts, 6 rebs and 9 asts. Jason McClure (Citrus/Chaffey) came off the bench and did not score but managed 7 rebs.

For Powerhouse, Gio Valentine (Clark WA) had 17 pts and 3 asts. Julius Clark (Glendale/Cypress) had 8 pts and a team-best 8 asts. Charles Fossett (Glendale) had 6 pts and 5 rebs.

In the 2 pm game, Victor Michel (Chaffey) had 11 pts and Rashad Austin (NE Colorado) had 8 pts and 4 rebs to help Etiwanda & Associates to a 75-48 win over Bakersfield. The duo started alongside UCLA's Darren Collison and Ryan Wright for the winners, who led wire-to-wire.

For Bakersfield, Dwuan Rice (LA City/CSUB) led the way with 16 pts and 4 asts. Demarcus Hall (Sequoias/CSUB) had 10 pts and 6 rebs. Brandon Allen (East LA) had 9 pts and 4 asts while Chris Minardo (Citrus/CS Fullerton) had 5 pts and 2 rebs off the bench.

July 22 - LA Pro City College
@ Cal Poly Pomona

Prentice Harris (Chaffey) scored 17 pts to lead The Coyotes, a team made up mostly of players from Cal State San Bernardino, to a 74-61 win in the day's first game. The Coyotes led virtually wire to wire, buoyed by Harris' 14 first-half points. Lance Ortiz (Orange Coast) had 5 pts and a game-high 8 asts for the winners. Geoffrey Clayton (Fresno) chipped in with 7 pts and 4 asts off the bench. Reggie Brown (Orange Coast) had 6 pts and 4 rebs while Marlon Pierce (Cuyamaca), Joe Tillman (Mt. San Jacinto) and Mike Banks (El Camino) each had 4 pts. Khorry Lewis (Porterville) saw brief action but did not score. Tim Denson (Fullerton/Colorado State) had 7 pts and 7 rebs for The Cougars in the loss.

In the day's second game, Michael Earl (Fullerton/Utah State) had 12 pts and 9 rebs, helping Pasadena improve its record to 7-0 with a 72-59 win over host Pomona. The win extends Earl's personal winning streak to 44 games; he was the JCHoops.com SoCal Player of the Year with the undefeated state champion Hornets. Larry Dew (Chaffey) added 10 pts and 5 asts. Paul Miller (San Bernardino Valley) had 5 pts while Dino Wilburn (Mt. San Antonio/Alaska-Fairbanks) had 4 pts. Devon Thomas (Pasadena CC/Angelo State) didn't score but dished out a pair of assists in a reserve role.

In the next game, Demarcus Hall (Sequoias) had a huge game with 16 pts and 15 rebs for Bakersfield, a team made up of players from Cal State Bakersfield, in a come-from-behind 73-67 win over CABC. Dwuan Rice (LA City) had 11 pts and 4 asts for the winners. Danny Lambert (Irvine Valley/CS Fullerton) led CABC with 21 pts, 10 rebs and 5 asts. Todd Follmer (Irvine Valley/Hawaii) also had 21 pts and 10 rebs in the loss.

And in the nightcap, Gabe Bernard (LA Pierce) had 16 pts and Carlos Rivers (LA Valley) had 13 pts and 9 asts to lead Dominguez Hills, a team made up of players from Cal State Dominguez Hills, to a 71-51 win over Powerhouse Basketball. Trevon Bryant (Compton CC) had 11 pts and 8 boards in the win. Gio Valentine (Clark WA) had 15 pts for Powerhouse, and William Evans (Irvine Valley) had 8 pts and 3 asts. Julius Clark (Glendale/Cypress) had 6 pts and a team-best 4 asts. Charles Fossett (Glendale) did not score but grabbed 4 rebs.

July 16 - LA Pro City College
@ West LA College

In the day's marquee game, Derrick Clark (LA Harbor) set what is believed to be a league record, going 14-for-14 from the free throw line in Hoops Family's 90-87 win over Salvatori's Spirit. All of Clark's 14 points in the game came from the line, including 6 in the final 30 seconds to help ice the win. DaShawn Strong (LA Valley) and Keilon Fortune (Long Beach/Compton/USC) also saw action for the winners.

For Salvatori, Dejean Prejean (LA City/Florida International) continued his sensational play with a 25-point, 8-rebound effort. Prejean tied for game honors in scoring and led his team in rebounding. Loren Leath (LA Valley/Sacramento State) had a solid game with 11 pts and 5 asts. Prejean's LACC teammate, Terrell Powell (headed to Lamar), came off the bench to add 9 pts, and Justin Williams (Santa Ana/Sacramento State) had 8. Rai Colston (LA Valley/CS Northridge) and Curtis Battle (West Hills/CS Fullerton) also saw some action.

In an earlier game, Aaron Nixon (SBVC/Long Beach State) had 17 pts, 6 rebs and 4 asts to help Entertainment Tonite to an 82-72 win over Hoosier Days Hoops. The game wasn't nearly as close as the final score looks; E.T. held a 23-point lead at halftime and was in control the whole way. Matt Cook (LA Pierce) led Hoosier Day with 16 pts, and he also grabbed 8 rebs. Shakir Johnson (Santa Monica) had 11 pts and 5 boards, and Robert Dorsey (LA Trade Tech/West Virginia Tech) had 9 pts and a team-high 13 rebs. Arnie Hollis (Santa Ana) had 2 pts and 3 asts. Raymond Lester (El Camino) and Justin Allen (Saddleback/Southern Utah) also saw action but did not score.

In the day's first game, Kejuan Johnson (Long Beach/Long Beach State) and Mark Dawson (Pasadena/Long Beach State) each scored 17 pts and Jayme Miller (LA Valley/CS Northridge) posted a double-double, but their Salvatori's Squad Up team nonetheless dropped a 72-69 decision to Hank's Big Time. Johnson also had 6 rebs and a team-high 5 asts; Dawson also had 8 boards. And Miller contributed 12 pts and a game-high 15 rebs.

In the third game, Joseph Taylor (LA City/Wyoming) had 7 pts and a game-high 10 rebs as Hank's Team remained undefeated with an easy 77-47 win over Hank's Top Prospects. Leon Jacob (Compton/LA Pierce/Utah Valley State also started and had 6 pts for the winners. Jason McKinney (Panola TX/LA Southwest) started for the Prospects and had 9 pts and 4 asts. Mike Martin (LA Valley/West LA) had 4 pts and 3 rebs. Raymond Lester (El Camino), acting as an "in-house free agent", played his second straight game and had 4 pts off the bench.

July 15 - LA Pro City College
@ West LA College

Kejuan Johnson (Long Beach City/Long Beach State) scored 24 pts and dished out 12 asts to lead Salvatori's Squad up to a 79-70 victory over BTI in the final game of the day, lifting his team to 3-3 on the season and keeping its playoff hopes very much alive.

Though Squad Up was a little shorthanded with just five regular players and a pair of USC walk-ons, it had little trouble posting the win. Mark Dawson (Pasadena/Long Beach State) had a huge game with 23 pts and 11 rebs, while Jayme Miller (LA Valley/CS Northridge) added 8 pts and 8 boards.

For BTI, Gerard Anderson (Saddleback), pressed into service at point guard due to several absences, had a strong game with a game-high 25 pts plus 5 rebs and 5 asts.

In the day's first game, Leon Jacob (Compton/LA Pierce/Utah Valley State) and Joseph Taylor (LA City/Wyoming) helped Hank's Team run its record to a perfect 5-0 with an 89-81 win over Sinclair's Bruins. Jacob had 4 pts and 4 rebs while Taylor, despite being plagued with foul trouble, managed 4 pts and 3 boards.

In the second game, a pair of LA City alumni led Salvatori's Spirit to an easy 86-67 win over Hoosier Days Hoops. Dejean Prejean (headed to Florida International) had 16 pts and 3 asts while Terrell Powell (headed to Lamar) had 12 pts and 2 asts. Loren Leath (LA Valley/Sacramento State) started at PG and had 4 pts for the winners. Justin Williams (Santa Ana/Sacramento State) added 6 pts and 3 rebs while Curtis Battle (West Hills/CS Fullerton) contributed 4 pts and 4 boards.

For Hoosier Days, Arnie Hollis (Santa Ana) led the way with 16 pts. Matt Cook (LA Pierce) came off the bench to add 6 pts and 3 rebs, while Shakir Johnson (Santa Monica) had 3 pts and a team-high 8 rebs. Justin Allen (Fullerton/Saddleback/Southern Utah) added 4 pts in a reserve role. Robert Dorsey (LA Trade Tech/West Virginia Tech) and Raymond Lester (El Camino) also saw action.

And in the third game, Charles Carter (West Hills) got some brief action for CTS in a 77-76 loss to the Franchise Boys. Carver had 2 pts and an asts off the bench. The game was the day's most exciting, with the Franchise Boys pulling out the win on a tip-in by USC's Nick Young with 1.4 seconds remaining.

July 8 - LA Pro City College
@ West LA College

Dejean Prejean (LA City/Fla Int'l) scored 27 pts and grabbed 7 rebs to lead Salvatori's Spirit to an 88-80 win over Hank's Top Prospects in the day's first game. That game-high point total included a pair of threes, and his rebound total was a team best. Loren Leath (LA Valley/Sacramento State) added 14 pts, all in the second half, and 4 asts for the winners. Justin Williams (Santa Ana/Sacramento State) added 9 pots and Maraceo Rutledge (Yuba/UNLV) added 7.

Jason McKinney (Panola TX/LA Southwest) had 12 points and a team-best 5 asts for Hank's Top Prospects. Wayne Chambers (Mt. SAC) had 11 points and a game-high 9 boards. Rob Haynes (Porterville/CS Northridge) added 6 pts, 3 rebs and 4 asts.

In the day's second game, Aaron Nixon (SBVC/Long Beach State) had a game-high 23 pts in Entertainment Tonite's 79-76 loss to the Franchise Boys. Nixon led a late charge, scoring 15 of his points in the second half, as E.T. wiped out most of a 9-point halftime deficit.

The third game was a blowout as Hank's Team walloped Salvatori's Squad Up, 77-45. Leon Jacob (Compton/LA Pierce/Utah Valley State) started for the winners and had 6 pts and 3 asts. Joseph Taylor (LA City/Wyoming) also started and had 7 pts and 6 boards.

For Squad Up, Jayme Miller (LA Valley/CS Northridge) led the way with 17 pts and 9 rebs. Mark Dawson (Pasadena/Long Beach State) had 9 pts and a game-high 10 rebs. Kejuan Johnson (Long Beach/Long Beach State) had 6 pts and a team-best 3 asts. Jabir Jinna (Rio Hondo/CS Northridge) saw some playing time but did not score.

July 1 - LA Pro City College
@ West LA College

Aaron Nixon (San Bernardino Valley/Long Beach State) had 24 pts, 8 rebs and 6 asts for Entertainment Tonite but his team fell anyway, 90-81, in the day's first game. Nixon led his team in rebounds and assists and had 3 threes on the day. Keilon Fortune (Long Beach/Compton/USC) started at PG for the victorious Hoops Family and had 3 pts and a game-high 8 asts. His playmaking helped orchestrate a career day for CSUF's Scott Cutley, who had 50 points in the game. Raynal Watts (West LA) came off the bench to add 6 pts and 3 asts for the winners. DaShawn Strong (LA Valley) also had 6 pts and Sean Terell (LA Trade Tech) had 2 pts. Derrick Clark (LA Harbor) saw brief playing time and did not score.

Gerard Anderson (Saddleback) had 13 pts and 4 rebs for BTI in a 78-69 loss to Hank's Franchise CTS in the day's second game. Steve Shewmake (LA Pierce) saw brief action for the winners in the game but did not score.

In the day's third game, J.R. Spencer (Glendale) had 5 pts and 3 asts to help Hank's Big Time to a 101-88 win over Franchise Boys. Spencer helped UCLA's Arron Afflalo to a 42-point day as Hank's Big Time became the first Pro City team to top the 100-point mark this season. LeBoise Gladden (Santa Monica) came off the bench for Franchise and contributed 4 pts and 4 rebs.

In the day's finale, Joseph Taylor (LA City/Wyoming) started at Ctr and tied for team honors with 8 rebs for Hank's Team in an 84-78 win over Salvatori's Spirit. Taylor was joined by Leon Jacob (Compton/LA Pierce/Utah Valley State) on the winning side, while LACC teammate Dejean Prejean (headed to Florida International) had 14 pts, 6 rebs and 4 asts for Salvatori's Spirit. Jacob had 6 points for Hank's Team. Justin Williams (Santa Ana/Sacramento State) had 12 pts and 8 boards for Salvatori.

Showcases/Camps

Beach Basketball Camp 6/24-25
Fullcourt Press Camp 7/8
3 Stripes JC Shootout 7/30-31
Fullcourt Press Fall Showcase 9/24
APU Fall Showcase 9/30