Author Archives: Harold Abend
Preseason All-CCS Football Team
One of the things that always seems difficult in choosing a preseason team is finding offensive linemen, but in a bit of a twist from most years the Preseason CIF Central Coast Section has a load of them. In fact, as the old expression goes, “they’re coming out of our ears.” In another bit of...
Preseason All-East Bay Football Team
After our Preseason State TOP 50 team rankings and all athletes of the year for 2022-23 are done, we’re back to this annual tour of the state through preseason all-area or all-section football teams. This one also includes the CIF Oakland Section to go with all of the schools in the East Bay region of...
Girls of Summer: Player Rankings
Here’s a chart of the 125 top players viewed by the Girls of Summer Caravan during all events attended in person. It starts with the only player to get a 9.5 mark out of 10 down to everyone with 7.0 or higher. This isn’t a ranking of the top 125 players in the state because...
Special national title for Kinnebrew & Cal Sparks girls
Cal Sparks founder and director Elbert Kinnebrew led the charge to a crown in Chicago in July despite an ongoing fight against cancer. FOR A LOOK AT THE FINAL TWO STOPS IN HAROLD ABEND’S GIRLS OF SUMMER TOUR (GOLD CLUB), CLICK HERE. Because it was not possible to be in Orange County and Nevada at […]
Girls of Summer: Final stops of tour
The actual player rankings derived from these trips to see some of the most promising girls basketball players in the state this summer are still to come. Here’s a recap of where we went with a focus on the final two destinations for events in Seal Beach and Ladera Ranch in Southern California. Several returnees...
Girls of Summer: Return to Oregon City
Bay Area teams show strength at End of the Trail tourney, but much has changed in the girls basketball summer recruiting season since the last time our girls hoops lead analyst went there in 2005. North Bay Elite & San Jose Cagers shined most, but Bulldawgs Basketball Black of Daly City also did well. FOR […]
Girls Cali Live 23: Top Player Ranks
Connecticut-committed Morgan Cheli from Archbishop Mitty of San Jose and Brazilian transplant and newfound phenom Taissa “Tissa” Queiroz of Santa Rosa Cardinal Newman were the top two players among some pretty impressive talent that performed for around 75 college coaches at the Roebbelen Center in Roseville two weeks ago. We have starting top five, next...
Girls of Summer: Tahoe Kickoff
The first stop for the Girls of Summer Caravan was on the south shores of beautiful Lake Tahoe in an event prior to the NCAA July viewing period for club teams where girls played for their high school. There were no surprises at the 39th Lake Tahoe Girls Basketball Jamboree held June 23-25 at the […]
SoCal/NorCal Players of the Week
The baseball and softball seasons still have a week remaining as we move into the third year of the CIF Southern Regional playoffs and the second year of the Northern Regional playoffs, but this will be the last edition of the Player of the Week features for the 2022-2023 school year. There’s still a lot […]
