All about cars

The candy paint sparkled as drop-tops pulled up to Cabrillo High on a beautiful 75-degree January day in Long Beach, as some of Southern California’s best teams—and a handful of the region’s top DI commits and prospects—met for a one-day showcase at the Pangos Dream Classic in the LBC.

It was just as bright inside the gym, with future stars heading to schools like USC, Cal and Stanford battling head-to-head, making their case for West Coast bragging rights, and proving why they’ve attracted the attention of scouts nationwide.

While the overall level of play was as high as you’ll see anywhere in the country, there were clearly a few future superstars that stood taller than the rest. While juniors such as Byron Wesley of Etiwanda (USC) and Davon Potts of Gahr (undecided) showed promise that made local basketball fans drool, it was seniors like Allen Crabbe and Richard Solomon of Price (both headed to Cal), Anthony Brown of Ocean View (Stanford) and Deonte Burton of Compton Centennial (undecided) that set the place on fire.

In the Classic’s opening game, the 6-7 junior forward Wesley led his Etiwanda team to a mini-upset in a 58-52 battle over Compton Centennial despite 20 points from 6-2 star Burton. A super athlete whose skills have improved drastically since last season, Burton slammed home a vicious two-handed alley-oop and then nailed a three-pointer to give Centennial a 48-42 lead, but Etiwanda ended the game on a 16-4 run behind Wesley—who scored six points in the final two minutes, including a swift glide to the basket that sealed the victory. Wesley finished with 19 points and 6 rebounds.

The most impressive ballers of the day were on display later that night, however, as a powerhouse Price team faced off against an undersized but swarming Gahr High in a matchup between two of Southern California’s most electrifying teams. Using unrelenting full-court pressure, Gahr jumped out to a 28-11 lead and looked to be running away with the game. Junior 6-2 guard Davon Potts’ jumper was on fire and 5-9 Ervin Ware used his impressive strength to run the offense from the high post, racking up assists and rebounds like they were on sale.  Price began to figure out the press, though, and went on a run of their own to cut the lead to three at halftime. From there on out, it was all about Price senior Allen Crabbe.

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