Rotary, FOH Split at Rose City Showcase

In one of, if not the best, summer select basketball events held on the west coast Rotary Select and Friends of Hoop split their opening round games at the second annual Adidas Rose City Showcase Friday at Grant High School in Portland.

Rotary advanced to the championship game a year ago in the inaugural Showcase before losing to the Atlanta Celtics, one of the nation’s top programs. Rotary got a 65-46 win over Portland's Inner City Players in their opener.

Meanwhile Friends of Hoop lost a tight one, 52-50, to SoCal’s Pump and Run and studly guard Mario Chalmers. Chalmers, who had verballed to Kansas, is rated the top point guard in the nation by some services.

Portland’s Panthers, that’s UW commit Artem Wallace’s club, stunned the Atlanta Celtics 79-77 and Portland Elite Legends also came up with some serious representing as they took out the Playaz Basketball Club from New Jersey 54-53.