The562’s coverage of Cabrillo Athletics is sponsored by the Cohn Family. Photo by Janet Steele Christian Verdugo knows better than anyone the interplay between sports and culture. Verdugo, who grew up in Long Beach and is a Cabrillo High School alum, was raised by parents from Mexico. He began playing basketball in 2nd grade and was […]
Basketball
Flag Bearer Award 2024: Asia Edwards, Jordan & Ryan Pellum, Millikan
The562’s coverage of Jordan Athletics is sponsored by former LBUSD superintendent Chris Steinhauser. The562’s coverage of Millikan athletics in the 2023-24 school year is sponsored by Curtis Boyer. The562’s coverage of football in 2023-24 is sponsored in part by the MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center Foundation and Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital Foundation. Most athletes […]
Viral Moment of the Year 2024: Cabrillo Grabs Last Playoff Spot
The562’s coverage of Cabrillo Athletics is sponsored by the Cohn Family. The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009. The end of the Moore League boys’ basketball season was unforgettable. With the final playoff spot up for grabs, Wilson and Cabrillo ended up playing on back-to-back nights at […]
Clutch Performance of the Year 2024: Jovani Ruff, Long Beach Poly & Ryann Bennett, St. Anthony
No one was surprised when local basketball stars Jovani Ruff and Ryann Bennett took over CIF postseason games and carried their teams to victory. That’s because they’d been doing it all year. It didn’t look like Bennett had brought her A-game when St. Anthony took on Moreno Valley in the CIF Southern Section Girls’ Basketball […]
Heartfelt Moment of the Year 2024: St. Anthony’s Alan Mitchell Dedicates Title to Father
Every year features emotional highs and lows, and 2023-24 was no different. But no moment moved us more than seeing St. Anthony boys’ basketball coach Alan Mitchell pointing to the sky in memory of his father after leading his Saints to the CIF-SS Division 2AA championship. Mitchell lost his father just a month prior to […]
2024 Top 10 Long Beach Sports Moments: No. 2 St. Anthony Basketball Doubles Up
It’s rare for a high school to have its boys’ and girls’ basketball teams win CIF Southern Section championships in the same season and St. Anthony has now done it twice. Both Saints basketball teams won titles in 2000, and not only did they repeat the feat in February, they did it on the same […]
Top 10 Long Beach Sports Moments: No. 5 Lakewood’s Historic CIF Runs
The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013. The Lakewood boys’ soccer and girls’ basketball teams made school history with deep CIF playoffs runs, but that success didn’t just start this year. Both programs have dedicated coaches who prioritized effort. That helped develop strong groups of upperclassmen who used their […]
STORY: Long Beach AAU Team ‘The 562 Select’ Wins Crossover Classic Tournament
Forming AAU basketball teams in the summer has become a trend amongst high school friend groups in recent years. But for one group of Long Beach friends, it’s become an opportunity for basketball players across the Moore League to conjoin into one team to get work in during the offseason. The 562 Select was created […]
Ron Palmer Hosts 20th Annual Basketball, Academic Camp This August
Legendary Long Beach Poly basketball coach Ron Palmer is hosting his 20th annual Ron Palmer Summer Basketball and Academic Camp next month at Browning High, August 5-8. Palmer’s camps run from 8am to 5pm and have been popular for the last two decades because of their mix of basketball and academic instruction. Boys and girls […]