The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009. Wilson got a piece of great news last week as the school announced that Erin Carey is returning to coach the Bruins’ girls’ basketball team after a year away from high school sports. Carey led the Bruins to the CIF […]
Basketball
Ron Palmer Hosting 15th Annual Basketball and Academics Camp
The 15th Annual Ron Palmer Summer Basketball & Academic Camp will take place this August 9-12, offering young hoopers a unique all-day camp both in the classroom and on the court. The camp is open to students ages 8-14 and will be hosted at Browning High School in Long Beach. The camp’s slogan, “It’s not […]
COLUMN: Long Beach Rolled Deep in NBA’s Summer League
Mike Guardabascio “You can take the Summer League out of Long Beach, but you can’t take Long Beach out of the Summer League.” That was the thought I had as I was driving my family home from Las Vegas last weekend, after 72 hours of nonstop basketball action at the NBA’s Summer League, hosted at […]
All-City Gritty Performers of the Year: Sone Aupiu, Nala Williams
A certain level of toughness and grit is required to play any sports, but every year an athlete or two catch our eyes and distinguish themselves as having found another gear. That’s true of both of this year’s honorees, who played through injury and led their teams both emotionally and in terms of production. Sone […]
All-City Freshmen of the Year: Jovani Ruff, Jillene Wetteland
The All-City Freshmen of the Year award has been a great predictor of success the last two years, with previous winners Camille Lindsay, Maya O’Dea, Jason Parra, and Sammie Hamilton all continuing to dominate the Moore League this year (all four won Moore League Player of the Year or individual championship honors in 2021-22). We […]
All-City Multi-Sport Athletes of the Year: Nico Colchico, Jackson Cryst
As athletes begin to specialize in a sport or even a position within a sport at earlier and earlier ages, the era of the multisport star has largely come to a close. It’s no longer the norm for the city dominant high school athletes to earn Player of the Year consideration in multiple sports the […]
Long Beach Sports Top 10 Moments Of 2021-22: St. Anthony Boys’ Basketball Defies Expectations
NUMBER SEVEN St. Anthony had a solid season under first-year head coach Alan Mitchell, and really continued to improve all the way through the postseason. After a third-place finish in the Del Rey League, the Saints weren’t expected to do much in the Division 1 bracket, opening up on the road at Dominguez. All the […]
Long Beach Sports Top 10 Moments Of 2021-22: Poly Basketball’s CIF Playoff Run
NUMBER NINE Long Beach Poly came up 10 points short of the program’s 21st CIF-SS championship in a 78-69 defeat at Village Christian in the Division 2AA final, but it was still a memorable season for the state’s all-time wins leader. The Jackrabbits’ thrilling 50-45 win over Foothill on the road–behind 25 points from senior […]
Long Beach Poly’s Peyton Watson Taken By Denver In NBA Draft
Growing up in Long Beach, playing basketball at the JCC as a kid and at Long Beach Poly as he grew, Peyton Watson dreamed of the moment that happened last night. The Long Beach and Bixby Knolls native was in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn where he heard NBA commissioner Adam Silver announce his name […]
Basketball Coach Tony Thomas Leaves Compton After 16 Seasons, Hired at Rancho Dominguez Prep
One of Compton High’s best coaches of the last half-century has left the school after a highly-successful 16-year tenure, citing the difficulties of the longterm campus construction as well as frustrations with administration. Longtime basketball coach Tony Thomas won a CIF-SS championship at Compton, as well as the school’s only Moore League titles in the […]