Long Beach, Calif. — Dinos Trigonis’ involvement with grassroots basketball now spans four decades, but it was the January 2003 “Dream Classic” held at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion featuring LeBron James and St. Vincent-St. Mary (OH) High School against national power…

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That landscape, as well as Trigonis’ influence, have certainly grown over the years but the “Pangos” founder continues to immerse himself in the search for the game’s next greats. In June 2003, Trigonis launched the Pangos All-American Camp, intended as a platform to host the nation’s top boys high school prospects.
“I wanted something separate from my scouting service, Full Court Press, a different name for the events that I was running. I knew the name should be unique; something that nobody else is likely to use,” said Trigonis. “Pan- comes from the Greek pâs, meaning, all. And Cos- meaning, to bring together, as in a cosmopolitan place for basketball, for the game, for the players. In Greek, the letter C is pronounced more like a G, and so that’s how Pangos came about,” Trigonis explained.
Now in its 10th year, the Pangos Jr. All-American Camp is similar to its predecessor, with the intent of highlighting some of the game’s top youth talents. This year’s event is scheduled to take place this weekend at McBride (CA) High School in Long Beach, where more than 150 players in grades sixth through eight from nearly twenty states will gather, hoping to catch the eye of Trigonis and other invited media in attendance.
“I don’t like to talk about rosters before the event. I want the players to earn it. Some people may talk about the kids before they show up but guys need to come to compete,” Trigonis proclaimed. “The Pangos Jr. All-American Camp started when DeAndre Ayton was an eighth-grader. He was here and then we have had a lot of other NBA players start here; a lot of college players, too,” added Trigonis.
My previous trips to the West Coast for the Pangos Jr. All-American Camp have certainly proven worthwhile as names like Skyy Clark, Jalen Green, Johnny Juzang, Evan Mobley, Moses Moody, Julian Strawther, and others have popped onto my radar thanks in part to this event. Be sure to click those linked names for some fun and check back at the conclusion of the weekend for coverage of this year’s camp.
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