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SoCalHoops High School News

7th Annual adidas Rockfish Spring League
Set To Begin This Weekend--(Feb. 26, 1999)

Spring is on the way.  Actually, this is a sign that the high school season is almost over, because as teams start to drop out of the playoffs, the top prospects begin to show up at the Rockfish Spring League.   This weekend marks the first series of games, and there's a lot to see if you're a college coach looking for the top unsigned talent, or if you're a hoop junkie wondering what to do now that most of the high school games are ending.  Mark Mayemura, who together with Dave "Rockfish" Benezra, runs the league, sent us an announcement, and rather than try to paraphrase it, here's the announcment: 

(Los Angeles, CA)- The 7th Annual adidas Rockfish Spring League, a high exposure all-star boys high school basketball league, which last year hosted over 100 Division One college basketball coaches who came to the league to discover potential recruits, will begin with a slate of games at Los Angeles City College (855 North Vermont Avenue/Located just north of the Vermont Avenue off-ramp of the Hollywood (101) Freeway, south of Santa Monica Blvd and north of Melrose Avenue) this coming weekend, February 27-28.

Sanctioned by the NCAA, the invitation-only adidas Rockfish Spring League (RSL) has established itself as the nation’s top spring exposure league for college basketball recruiters. The RSL is designed to be as recruiter-friendly and as player-friendly as possible. In surveying past RSLs, the league is so stocked with talent that at least 45% of the RSL players will go on to play Division I college basketball.

The teams play 40-minute stop-time game officiated by college referees. Many of the teams will play twice a day, maximizing their exposure before the college coaches/recruiters. Each team is loaded with height and plenty of talent; the majority of the players are at least All-League caliber players.

There will be five teams competing under the Los Angeles Rockfish banner along with many of the area’s elite traveling team programs (Pump N Run, Branch West Basketball Academy-BWBA, Belmont Shore, Elite Basketball Organization-EBO, Inland, and Inland Empire Basketball Program-IEBP).

After this weekend, the RSL will continue on March 6-7, March 13-14, March 20-21, April 3 and April 10-11.

Expected to play in this year’s RSL is the West Coast’s top junior prospect, 6’4 off-guard Deshawn Stevenson from Washington Union HS (Fresno, CA). Southern California’s top junior prospect, 6’8 Travon Bryant (Jordan HS/Long Beach) will also play in the RSL. And a couple of the West Coast’s top juniors, 6’8 Julian Sensley (Kalaheo HS/Kailua, HI) and 6’2 point guard Luke Ridnour (Blaine HS/Blaine, WA) are expected to make at least one weekend of the RSL to showcase their respective talents.

A sampling of the nation’s top college programs who came to the RSL last year in search of recruitable talent included: UCLA, USC, Stanford, Cal, Utah, Kansas, Arizona, Clemson, Michigan, Michigan State, Gonzaga, West Virginia, Florida, Florida State, Providence, Miami-Florida, Xavier, Ohio State, Indiana, UNLV, New Mexico, Notre Dame and Illinois.

The Los Angeles Rockfish Basketball Club, which runs the Rockfish Spring League, is one of the country’s top all-star basketball traveling team programs. Since it’s founding in 1984, the Los Angeles Rockfish have competed across the country, in an effort to upgrade the recruiting exposure of its members and improve their basketball ability by competing against the top high school players in the country. Over 170 Rockfish have gone on to receive basketball scholarships and play Division One basketball. The Rockfish program is also the only team west of the Mississippi to ever win the National AAU Jr. Olympics 17 & Under Championship. There are currently six former Rockfish playing in the NBA (Keith Closs-Los Angeles Clippers, Austin Croshere-Indiana Pacers, Marlon Garnett-Boston Celtics, Sean Rooks-Los Angeles Lakers, Derek Strong-Orlando Magic, Scott Williams-Philadelphia 76ers).

Some of the current college players who are RSL alumni include: Andre Miller/Utah; Billy Knight/UCLA; Mark Seaton/Stanford; Gordon Scott/Idaho; Jason Hart/Syracuse; Justin Mott/Florida State; Keith Bean/North Carolina State; Frank Brown/Penn; Solomon Hughes/California; Josh Greer/St. Mary’s; Ruben Douglas/Arizona; Ben Jones/UC Irvine; Jeffrey Berokoff/San Diego State; Jan-Michael Thomas/Washington State; Elton Mashack/Loyola-Marymount; Eric Holmes/Alabama-Birmingham; Drew Gaulden/New Mexico; Mike Simmons/Miami-Florida; Delano D’Oyen/Santa Clara; Jeff Trepagnier/USC; Rico Harris/Cal State Northridge; Tony Bland/Syracuse.

10 high school seniors, who traveled and competed for the Rockfish this past spring/summer, have already signed scholarship national letters-of-intent with Division One colleges. These Rockfish players and their respective college choices are: Brian Wethers (Murrieta Valley, CA)-Cal Berkeley; Shantay Legans (Goleta, CA)-Cal Berkeley; Nick Vander Laan (Sacramento, CA)-Cal Berkeley; Dalron Johnson (Los Angeles, CA)-UNLV; Rafael Berumen (Simi Valley, CA)-New Mexico; Koko Archibong (Pasadena, CA)-Penn; J.J. Todd (Chatsworth, CA)-UC Santa Barbara; Adam Parada (Alta Loma, CA)-UC Irvine; Jake Dederer (Rolling Hills, CA)-Missouri Kansas City; and Nick Dodson (Los Angeles, CA)-Howard.

The league is free of charge to the public.

For more information regarding the RSL, call (818)783-2244

1999 7th Annual adidas Rockfish Spring League (RSL)

Los Angeles City College - Los Angeles, California

Schedule For The First Weekend

Head Coaches in Parenthesis

Saturday, February 27, 1999

9 a.m. IEBP (Keith Howard) vs Belmont Shore (Dinos Trigonas)
10:30 a.m. Barracudas (Erik Harden) vs Orcas (David Benezra)
12:00 noon Marlins (Hernando Planells) vs. Hammerheads (Mark Berokoff)
1:30 p.m. Branch West (Bob Gottlieb) vs. Tiger Sharks (Guy Margo)

Sunday, February 28, 1999

9 a.m. Orcas (David Benezra)vs. Branch West (Bob Gottlieb)
10:30 a.m. Barracudas (Erik Harden) vs. Belmont Shore (Dinos Trigonas)
12:00 noon Orcas (David Benezra) vs. Hammerheads (Mark Berokoff)
1:30 p.m. Marlins (Hernando Planells) vs. Barracudas (Erik Harden)
3 p.m.

Hammerheads (Mark Berokoff) vs. Tiger Sharks (Guy Margo)

4:30 p.m. Marlins (Hernando Planells) vs. Inland (Elvert Perry)
6 p.m. Pump N Run (Dave Goosen) vs. IEBP (Keith Howard)
7:30 p.m. Tiger Sharks (Guy Margo) vs. Inland (Elvert Perry)

Other 1999 RSL Dates

Saturday, March 6 Sunday, March 7
Saturday, March 13 Sunday, March 14
Saturday, March 20 Sunday March 21
Saturday, April 3    Saturday, April 10

Sunday, April 11

1999 7th Annual adidas Rockfish Spring League (RSL)

Los Angeles City College - Los Angeles, California

Expected to Partipate

Unsigned Seniors

Aaron Abrams 6’3 senior Rancho Buena Vista HS (Vista)
Chris Bennett  6’10 senior Marshall Fundamental HS (Pasadena)
Jacquay Carlisle 6’6 senior J.W. North HS (Riverside)
Kent Dennis   6’2 senior Cleveland HS (Reseda)
Trenell Eddings 5’9 senior Eisenhower HS (Rialto)
Noel Felix 6’8 senior Inglewood HS
Gabriel Hughes 6’10 senior    Bishop Montgomery HS (Torrance)
Tito Maddox  6’4 senior Compton HS
Richard Manning 6’8 senior Edison HS (Fresno)
Jack May 6’7 senior Ayala HS (Chino Hills)
Chris Monroe 6’8 senior Granite Hills HS (El Cajon)
Garreth Read 6’9 senior Montclair HS
Dustin Schultz 6’9 senior Exeter HS
Eric Siess 6’3 senior Redlands HS
Ryan Sims 6’9 senior Crenshaw HS (Los Angeles)
Bradley Jackson 5’9 senior Bridgeton Academy (Bridgeton, ME)

Juniors

Deshawn Anderson 6’1 junior Washington Union HS (Fresno)
Jacoby Atako 6’0 junior Santa Monica HS
Travon Bryant 6’8 junior Jordan HS (Long Beach)
Richard Bluette 5’9 junior Crenshaw HS (Los Angeles)
Nick Booker 6’6 junior Bishop’s HS (La Jolla)
Doyle Cole 6’6 junior Serra HS (Gardena)
Branduinn Fullove 6’4 junior Simi Valley HS
Josiah Johnson 6’5 junior Montclair Prep (Van Nuys)
Russell Lakey 6’1 junior Harvard-Westlake HS (Studio City)
Deverion Mackey 6’4 junior Marshall Fundamental HS (Pasadena)
Steve McMaryion 6’4 junior Palisades HS (Pacific Palisades)
Brennan Martin 6’6 junior Trabuco Hills HS (Trabuco Canyon)
Brett Michel 6’6 junior Simi Valley HS
Ryan Mollins 6’5 junior Loyola HS (Los Angeles)
Vili Morton 6’6 junior Twentynine Palms HS
Ellis Myles 6’7 junior Compton HS
Avery Queen 5’8 junior Maine Central Institute (ME)
Luke Ridnour 6’2 junior Blaine HS (Blaine, WA)
Ron Ruffin 6’6 junior Chatsworth HS
Aerick Sanders 6’8 junior Serra HS (Gardena)
Julian Sensley 6’8 junior Kalaheo HS (Kailua, HI)
Ryan Stacey 6’7 junior Santa Margarita HS
Jon Steven 6’4 junior Esperanza HS (Anaheim)
Deshawn Stevenson 6’5 junior Washington Union HS (Fresno)
Wesley Stokes 5’10 junior Poly HS (Long Beach)
Dwayne Trotter 6’4 junior Morningside HS (Inglewood)
Jordan Walker 6’6 junior Fontana HS
DeMarcus Williams 6’8 junior Upland HS
Lou Wright 6’6 junior Westchester HS (Los Angeles)
D.J. Wyatt 5’7 junior Serra HS (Gardena)

Sophomores

Torin Beeler 6’3 soph Ocean View HS (Huntington Beach)
Scott Borchart 6’8 soph Chaminade HS (West Hills)
Anthony Davis 6’5 soph Locke HS (Los Angeles)
Kenny D’Oyen 5’9 soph Bishop Montgomery HS (Torrance)
Josh Dunaj 5’11 soph Riverside Poly HS (Riverside)
Kevin Eleby 5’10 soph Venice HS (Los Angeles)
Alex Graham 6’11 soph Redlands HS
Jermaine Harper 6’3 soph Blue Ridge School (Dyke, VA)
Isaiah Fox 6’10 soph Crossroads HS (Santa Monica)
James Jenkins 6’6 soph Crescenta Valley HS
Phillip Johnson 6’11 soph Arroyo Grande HS
Matt MacGinnis 6’3 soph Villa Park HS
Shaun Michel 6’2 soph Simi Valley HS
Rory O’Neil 6’11 soph Burroughs HS (Ridgecrest)
Cody Pearson 6’2 soph Notre Dame HS (Sherman Oaks)
Douglas Thomas 6’7 soph Pasadena HS
Dijon Thompson 6’5 soph Redondo Union HS (Redondo Beach)
Jamaal Williams 6’6 soph Centennial HS (Corona)
Wes Wardrop 6’2 soph Loara HS (Anaheim)

Freshmen

DeAngelo Collins 6’9 frosh Tustin HS
Lawrence Carrier 6’6 frosh Redlands HS
Timothy Drisdom 6’3 frosh Calvary Chapel HS (Downey)
David Gale 6'0 frosh Buckley HS (Sherman Oaks)
Will Sheslow 6’0 frosh Montclair Prep (Van Nuys)
Thomas Shewmake 6’8 frosh Cathedral City HS
Donald Wilson 6’2 frosh Dorsey HS (Los Angeles)

 

The Swish Award
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