Wednesday, July 31: As if to signal the end of the summer open period, it actually turned a little windy and cold on the Loyola Marymount campus today.

There wasn't much energy left in the gym from either players or fans, and being LA, they probably needed to be passing a beach ball around to get some excitement going.

There were still about 20 die-hard coaches on hand, justifying their time by hanging on until the bitter end.

As for us,there is no more fitting end to the summer than going over to nearby Marina Del Rey to enjoy Aunt Kizzie's soul food.

Our beautiful waitress only enhanced the mood as we tore into some really good jambalya, fried chicken, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, creamy red beans and corn bread all washed down by their refreshing lemonade.

After all the evaluating is over with you always want to leave the scene with a good taste on your mouth.

Bon appetite and bon voyage.

Tuesday, July 30: The beach is almost too nice a place to hold a tournament. The Best of Summer Tournament is held at Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university that sits partly on a bluff overlooking land once owned by the famous billionaire recluse, Howard Hughes.

At LMU, you could actually put on sweats once the late afternoon ocean breezes start coming in.

LMU is right next to Marina Del Rey, a popular area for many professional athletes and entertainers. The coaches, who have enjoyed the beach and some good Mexican food between games, have seen enough and their ranks are dwindling.

Teams are saying good-bye as they are eliminated and the intensity that surrounds the playoff games in Vegas has given way to a more laissez faire attitude among players and coaches who know that there isn't much gas left in the tank. But being in LA is a great way to end the summer basketball travels.

David Benezra and Mark Mayemura cover the national college basketball recruiting scene. E-mail at: hoopsusa@mindspring.com or call (818) 783-2244 or (818) 783-2212 for subscription information.