King for a day

The Martin Luther King one-day basketball event Monday at Riverside King was an enjoyable occasion. And having watched 3 1/2 games during the marathon, the Prep-dog had plenty of time to soak up the ambiance.

It was a first-class event, with the King band playing throughout, a nicely stocked hospitality room and a little audio of MLK Jr's "I have a dream" speech just to remind everyone why we were there.

Norco's 6-10 center Andrew Castro played well under the watchful eye of coach Jon Cabrera. Of course, Cabrera literally had his hands full - holding his young daughter in his arms for more than a quarter as he coached. That's a new one on the Prep-dog; never seen that before.

Perris was too much for Cajon, though Cowboys sharpshooter Marquis Green had his moments. Perris 6-8 center Kevin Young scored 27 points, looking unusually agile and impressive. He had the attention of the Boise State scout seated next to the Prep-dog.

Arroyo Valley was down to eight players because guard Robert Fuller is preparing for a football all-star game and Chris Bradford was sick. Then foul trouble - including an early exit by star center Joseph Richard - cast some doubt as to whether the Hawks would finish with five players. They did, but just barely.

Colony won by four and Richard, Jermaine Anderson and James Saunders all shined or Arroyo Valley. Tyler Lamb looked good for Colony. Neither coach held any toddlers in this one.

College scouts were all over the place, including representatives of UCLA, USC, Washington etc. If they stayed any amount of time, they probably heard the King band play the same Green Day song and Beach Boys/Ventures medley half a dozen times. No matter, it was a good time. The dog commends King High School.