long beach fall final

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Long Beach Fall Hoops
Classic Final Results--(Sept. 13, 1999)

Belmont Shore won the tournament, defeating EBO-EA Sports in a slightly abbreviated final, in which each team only had five players each. Wesley Stokes (5'-10" Sr. PG) and Travon Bryant (6'-8" Sr. PF) were named Tournament Co-MVP's. Belmont Shore won the final 56-38, in a game which utilized a running clock; EBO's NorCal and Sacramento players all had to leave early to make their flights (why is it that no one ever plans on sticking around for the finals of these tournaments; indeed, we heard that even Arizona, had they managed to beat Belmont in the semifinal (after defeating The Hood in a quarterfinal contest) couldn't stick around for the final either because of travel arrangements.

Well, not to be outdone by the rest of the teams, we too didn't stick around for the final either, but we heard about it later from Dinos, who told us that DeShawn Stevenson (6'-5" Sr. PG/SG/SF) played well, but not spectacularly as he had earlier in the day against Top Prospects. . . guess he used it all up in that game. We also heard that the twins, Derrick and Errick Craven (6'-2" Jr. PG/SG) were really the difference in the game, driving, penetrating and shaking and baking in their characteristic style. You've heard of "fast-twitch" muscles? Well these two guys are the epitome of "fast-twitch." Errick is perhaps the more fundamentally skilled of the two, but they're both tremendous talents. They'll be playing again in two weeks for Pump N Run at the Pump Premier Tournament, along with some other exciting players. As usual, the Stanford coaches were there watching the twins, and lots of other big time schools also stuck around to watch the final, including UCLA's Steve Lavin, who got a double-double opportunity with Stevenson and Bryant in the same game. He'll visit with DeShawn on the 14th up in Fresno and with Travon Bryant on the 14th.

In other action in the tournament on the last day, Belmont Shore beat BWBA I in a close contest which featured some of the most interesting and creative refereeing we've seen in a long time, and it had Bob Gottlieb just climbing the walls, and not without good reason. Here's an example: With the game a one point contest, BWBA leading by one, the refs decide to call "illegal defense" in the last two minutes of the game. . . i.e., a zone, because Ben Jacobsen (6'-5" Sr. SF) from Omaha, Nebraska (who reportedly may be offered by both Cal State Northridge and Fullerton) stayed on the block while his man drifted to the top of the key. . . ridiculous call. Why not let the kids decide the game. . . predictably, Belmont won and BWBA lost. . . gee what a surprise).

Belmont then proceeded to beat the Arizona Stars by more than 20. Standouts in that game for the Stars were Austin Ainge (6'-1" Sr. PG) and Andrew Pawling (6'-5" Sr. SF/SG). We also got word that there was an addition to the Arizona roster which we earlier omitted, Matt Gerome (6'-8" Sr. F/C), 195 lbs, from Gilbert High School. Stokes, Bryant, the twins, A.J. Diggs, and Scottie Stern (who scored 34 points, 19 in the first half, and he played spectacularly well, making the All-Tournament team, as did everyone else on the Belmont Shore I team), were, again, just too much for the Arizona guys, who had advanced by beating QBL (playing without Amaury, Jack, or the AWOL Sam Nadeau). In the other half of the Championship bracket, On2Hoops Future Stars, featuring Nick Booker (6'-5" Sr. SG/SF), one of the best utility-men in the senior class who was being hotly pursued by Pepperdine at the tournament, beat The Hood. Our observations of The Hood, aka Compton Dominguez after this tournament is that they are about one player short of where they were last season; it seems that this year, they're missing that one guy who can be counted on to go out and score 18-20 ppg; but then this year they don't have Marcus Moore, Ronald Jackson, or Keith Kincade, all potent scorers. Admittedly they didn't have Keilon Fortune playing (he missed practice and was in civilian clothes), but Keilon has never been known as a big scoring point guard anyway. If Dominguez is going to repeat as D-II Champions again, Tyson, Keith Brooks and the rest are going to have to really step it up a notch, something we're certain they'll do once real practice begins and Russell Otis again can take charge. Tournaments like these, where the players have had a solid month off from any play are not necessarily the best indicator of how a team will actually perform in mid-season. . . they can give us all clues, but they're just flashes of what needs to be worked on, what might be, indications of the potential of a team. Following the On2Hoops win over Dominguez, EBO-EA then beat On2Hoops.

All in all, it was a great weekend of basketball. We'll have more on the tournament, more on teams and player, even as we now gear up for this coming weekend's Fullcourt Press "Fall Showcase" on Friday, the EBO-EA 3rd Annual "Sweet 16" Invitational on September 18 & 19 in Fresno, and the following week's Pump Fall Premier Tournament at Cal State Dominguez Hills, so stayed tuned for more.