Findlay Prep’s Joseph stars for Canada team

In perhaps the marquee game on the first day of the adidas Super 64 tournament, Cory Joseph left little doubt who the marquee player was.

Joseph, who will be a senior at Findlay Prep next season, scored 35 points to lead Grassroots Canada Elite to an 80-72 win over the Atlanta Celtics in a Super Pools opener Wednesday at Rancho High School.

The guard helped Grassroots Canada take the first step in retaining its tournament title and, more important, dazzled in front of college coaches such as Kentucky's John Calipari and Florida's Billy Donovan.

Joseph played a key role in Findlay Prep going 33-0 last season on the way to a National High School Invitational title.

Also on the Grassroots Canada roster is Joseph's Findlay Prep teammate Tristan Thompson, and both played for Canada in the FIBA U19 World Championships in New Zealand this month, helping the team to a 4-5 record.

"I've been playing with him since I was little back at home in Toronto, so I know him like my brother," Joseph said of Thompson.

• LOCAL TEAMS -- Also at the Super 64, Las Vegas Dogcatchers Elite opened with a 70-50 win over The Dream Team (Calif.).

Palo Verde's Davion Pearson scored 25 points to lead the Dogcatchers, who will play SF Rebels (Calif.) at 3:40 p.m. today at Las Vegas High.

The Las Vegas Prospects opened with a 66-56 loss to Southern California All-Stars Red at Rancho. Bishop Gorman's Johnathan Loyd scored 13 points for the Prospects.

Later, Cheyenne's Chris McCall scored 18 points and Spring Valley's Justin Omogun 15 to lead the Prospects to a 79-68 win over Team ACCESS (Wash.).

In The Main Event tourney at Canyon Springs, Mad Moves Inc. opened with a 59-54 loss to Indiana Magic. Coronado's Brandon Glanz led Mad Moves with 18 points and 19 rebounds.

• SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS -- The Reebok Summer Championships begin today, including the highly anticipated Create-N-Finish Cup at Foothill High.

The top eight pre-seeded teams among the 136 at the Summer Championships will play a mini-tournament, culminating in the championship at 8 p.m. Friday. It tips off at 12:30 p.m. today at Foothill.

California Supreme is considered the favorite, with UCLA recruit Tyler Lamb and major prospects Gary Franklin and James Johnson on its roster.