Honoring a local legend in Southern California, Pangos founder Dinos Trigonis got many of Southern California's best all under one roof for the Ron Massey Memorial Fall Classic. Massey, a longtime coach at Long Beach Jordan, complied 503 wins over 28 seasons and coached McDonald’s All-American Travon Bryant. Let’s not forget about the three CIF Southern Section titles and 7 Moore League Championships that he had under his belt.
However, Coach Massey was known for far more than that.
“Coach Massey was known for being a teacher,” Ballislife Editor In Chief Ronnie Flores said. “And for playing anyone, any where.”
The 2026 edition of the Ron Massey was held once again at Long Beach McBride High School, and all games were streamed on BallerTV with exceptional stats being provided by GameBook Stats. SoCal Academy joined the likes of Mater Dei, Redondo Union, San Gabriel Academy, and a host of others who are constantly amongst the best that Southern California has to offer.
While there were countless others who deserved recognition, here's a deeper look at seven standouts from day one of the 2026 Ron Massey Memorial Fall Hoops Classic.
Quali Giran, 6’2, PG, Long Beach Millikan (Calif.), 2029
The highest ranked player in day one of the event certainly lived up to his five star billing, pouring in 30 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks in 29 minutes vs. Aquinas (San Bernardino, Calif.). The shifty lead guard was elite creating separation off of the bounce, got to his sweet spots on the floor, and had no problem sharing the rock once he collapsed the defense. While it's still exceptionally early, Quali has definitely put himself in the conversation for the best point guard in the nation for 2029 early on.
Mate Khatiashvili, 6'4, PG, SoCal Academy (Calif.), 2027
As far as pure point guard play was concerned, there wasn't anyone better than Mate Khatiashvili at the Ron Massey. The incredibly heady Georgian product totally controlled the tempo of the game, made next level passes with either hand, and was able to get into the paint at will with his change of speed. Mate capped off his ridiculous 20 point, 9 assist, 6 rebound, 3 steal performance with a 35-foot game winning three pointer to knock off Belmont Shore and should be adding a number of stars next to his name sooner rather than later once scouts lay eyes on him.
Mahamadou Diop, 6'10, C, San Gabriel Academy (Calif.), 2027
In the main event of day one, Mahamadou Diop lived up to every bit of his four star billing in San Gabriel's loss to legendary Mater Dei. The super long (7'4 wingspan) center was a game changer with his length on both ends at the rim, ran the floor well when his motor was going, and showed great agility containing on the perimeter defensively. He was easily the most explosive big man at the event. Holding no shortage of high major offers, Diop recently took an official visit to UNLV, where he would have the opportunity to step in and contribute right away.
WE LITERALLY JUST WALKED IN THE GYM.
‘27 Mahamadou Diop at @Top100Camp competing with the pros. 🤨 Day 1 Skills@Mahamadoudiop34 @SgaEaglesHoops pic.twitter.com/TYBPZjZo7B
— Nate Blue (@nateblue_) June 9, 2026
Chris Sanders, 6’5, SF, Redondo Union (Calif.), 2027
The type of guy that I’d personally love to play with, Chris Sanders is an absolute coach’s dream and is the main guy for Redondo Union while he can a terrific glue guy on the next level. The incredibly strong wing can defend virtually every position on the floor, is a straight monster on the glass, and looks to go through your chest any time that he has the ball. Sanders needs to continue improving his 3-point shot, but the intangibles and versatility he brings to the table earned him nearly a dozen mid-major offers before he pulled the trigger for Western Michigan.
Godson Eyita, 6’9, C, St Joseph’s (Calif.), 2027
While he wasn't the flashiest guy at Ron Massey, Godson Eyita was one of the most efficient bigs at the event. The no nonsense big man flourished playing through contact, controlled his area on the glass on both ends, and made some great passes out of short rolls and double teams. Holding a number of D-1 offers, Eyita has the ability to contribute right away due to his strength and level of productivity at the right D1 level.
Malcolm Price, 6'0, PG, St. Joseph's HS (Calif.), 2027
Perhaps the steadiest player that the Ron Massey had to offer, Malcolm Price was the catalyst to St. Joseph's undefeated weekend. The cerebral lead guard is a scorer, play-maker and one of the best rebounding guards in the West Region. His 22-point, 8-rebound, 6-assist showing vs. St. Piux-Matthias (Downey, Calif.) proved the way he could control tempo, get to his sweet spots, and pull-up at the drop of a dime. The consistency and outstanding shot prep that Price has is why West Virginia and Oregon State put offers on the table, while mid-majors such as UC Santa-Barbara were are hoping that he falls into their laps.
Isaac Hagens, 6'7, SF/PF, Belmont Shore (Calif.), 2027
Nearly pulling off the upset of the event, Isaac Hagens paced Belmont Shore to what would have been a victory over a loaded So Cal Academy squad had Mate Khatiashvili not pulled off his magic. The inside/out forward was great out of pick and pop situations, exploited mismatches, and got to the line within the flow (7-7 FT) of the game. Hagens play at the Ron Massey grew a ton of buzz amongst the in state D-1 programs that were at McBride.
