Arizona basketball: On the LeBrawl, Josh Green's injury, Hal Pastner's plan

LeBrawl

It wasn’t just parents filing in to see a bunch of 13-year-olds play a showcase basketball game Wednesday night at Liberty High School’s auxiliary gym.

That’s because one of those parents was named LeBron James.

The basketball superstar was on hand to watch his son Bronny play for Ohio’s 13U North Coast Blue Chips, creating a mob scene. Hundreds of fans crammed near the entrance door, many turned away by security guards in an effort to keep the game under control.

It didn’t work. An unruly fan wearing a Bulls jersey began heckling LeBron and, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a brief altercation with security followed. James and the players were escorted outside, and the game was then canceled.

Revisiting their roots

What's going on? Chris Paul attends LeBron James, Jr.'s AAU tournament in Las Vegas - Rockets Wire https://t.co/qiE9Ll73uX Get found -> https://t.co/8ax8i6UnXs

— Las Vegas oGoing (@LasVegasoGoing) July 26, 2018

LeBron is hardly the only NBA star in Las Vegas this week. USA Basketball is holding a men’s senior national team mini-camp on UNLV’s campus that involves many of the league’s best players, which gives them a chance to take in some travel-team ball on the side if they want.

Hal Pastner, who directs the massive Las Vegas Classic, took advantage by arranging Team CP3 to face Team Melo in 17U action on Thursday evening.

The sponsors of both teams, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, both took the game in. Paul even sat on his team’s bench, while a near-capacity crowd at Spring Valley High School watched.

“We planned it that way,” said Pastner, the father of former UA assistant coach and current Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner.

Moonlighting

While Bronny’s game was canceled, the Oakland Soldiers tried to put on a show next door in the main gym. But they lost easily, with standout guard Boogie Ellis limping through the second half with leg cramps.

That was probably no surprise. He was playing his second game of the night within a three-hour window.

Already playing a full-time schedule in the Las Vegas Classic, the Soldiers had taken on an invitation to play in a MadeHoops showcase event on Wednesday night.

That meant playing their MadeHoops game at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Liberty High School – after playing a 7:20 game in the Las Vegas Classic that was located almost half an hour away.

Not surprisingly, after beating the Dallas Showtime Elite in the Las Vegas Classic, the Soldiers lost their nightcap.

“We’re definitely tired,” Soldiers center Christian Koloko, like Ellis a UA recruiting target. “You get tired.”

Ellis’ case was probably even worse since he was still shaking off the effects of a cold.

“Yeah,” Ellis said. “We made it here on time, but I’m fighting off a sickness so I haven’t gotten my wind back.”

Josh Green injured

One of Arizona’s top 2019 targets, guard Josh Green of Australia and Florida’s IMG Academy, is out this week after dislocating a shoulder last week.

Still, Green’s teammates on the West Coast Elite, including fellow UA target Nico Mannion, won their first two games without Green.

“It’s a big loss,” Mannion said of Green. “He’s obviously one of our best players and best defenders. Him going down means everybody has to step up a little more.”

Green attended both games and tried to keep an upbeat tone.

“It’s definitely tough, but it’s a team game,” he said. “I’m happy with the way the season ended.”

The big number

1,229 – Teams (not players) in the Las Vegas Classic, playing on 63 different courts.

He said it

“This is the biggest (NCAA) certified event in the United States. It isn’t easy. It doesn’t just happen.” – Hal Pastner