Locker Room Talk

Sept. 1, 2010

2010 Houston Preps High School Combine      
Written by: Chechey Stacks


The Houston Preps Combine was a great success, bringing in  stome of the areas top guards and forwards to test them athletically and mentally. Houston Preps put the youngsters through a series of drills that are usually done at an invite only NBA Draft Combine. (The measurements, 40 times and shooting scores are posted in the HP Elite Combine section) The first session consisted of the top point guards, and boy was the competition heating up as pg Michael Woods (Port Arthur Memorial) scored 27pts in the curl, lay up, fade drill. This forced most guards in the gym to take notice, play harder and focus a lot more. 5’11 Tre Bennett (Yates High School) was a force to be reckoned with throughout the combine. He competed on every station, either finishing first, or top three in every drill. Bennett had his way with all of the point guards during the one on one and two on two sessions. He is going to need to bring that same intensity and aggression to Yates if they want to have any chance to repeat as National Champions.  Another point guard that really showed his worth was 2012 Gary Smith (The Village School). He completely out muscled his way through the lane for consecutive finishes. Still young though, Smith has a chance to play ball at the division 1 level if he chooses to WORK HARD, and know his dreams could become a reality.

The Shooting Guards and Forwards really played well. During the shooting drills 6’0” Anthony Nwosah (Lamar Consolidated 2011) really showed his shooting touch as well as his toughness throughout the entire combine. Nwosah was the best shooter in the gym for the shooting guards; he is primed for a big year at Lamar Consolidated this year. The duo from DeKaney High School, Jalen Hughes and Reginald Butler competed at a high level trying to better one another which shows a good sign for DeKaney this year. Nevin Johnson (Spring High School) had some of the most impressive athletic attributes in the entire combine. After the individual drills were completed, the guards finally got to play, and no one play harder and more efficient than 6’5” Odera Nweke (B.F Terry High School). He completely dominated every shooting guard, and forwards in attendance. He always finished above the rim and got to the cup with relative ease. With his size and shooting ability, I would be shocked if Nweke wasn’t MVP for his district.

 

 

HP Elite Combine Analysis, News, and Notes: Chris Gaston

A few sleepers opened my eyes; Jalen Hughes and Reginald Butler (DeKaney). They both play extremely hard and aggressive…. 2011 pg Trey Bennett (Yates) won the 1 on 1 competition and the 2 on 2 along with 2013 pg Din Androk (Lee)..He also showed a high level of athleticism finishing above the rim for a two handed dunk…The 1 on 1 final (point guards) pitted 2012 pg Gary Smith (Village School) vs. Bennett…Smith beasted his way through his side of the bracket in the 1 on1 session using strength and power to bully to the rim…The Fort Bend Baptist duo of 2011pg Drayton Rolle and 2012 pg Zach Freeman made it to the finals of the 2 on 2 competition…Rolle was one of the quickest players in attendance as evidenced by his 40 time(4.5). If he continues to hone his jumpers he should climb the 2011 rankings…Freeman was a surprise with his craftiness and shooting ability… 2011 pg Michael Woods (Port Arthur Memorial) consistently got his defender off balance with a nice hesitation dribble and he had the two highest scores of the day in the layup, curl, fade drill (27 and 24pts)…Jalen Hughes outlasted Halen Butler (2011--Oak Ridge) in the 1 on 1 full court battle for the shooting guards/wings…Odera Nweke won the 1 on 1 session for the wings in the pop out drill…He used his size to get to the rim and make plays…2011 sf/pf Jarvis Thibodeaux (St. Pius) had the longest wingspan (6’8 )of anybody in the entire combine…2011 pg Corey Marshalleck (Hastings) posted the quickest times (3.12) in the 25 yd sprint…

Houston Preps Elite Combine Top 10 Player Rankings

1). Tre Bennett              6.) Gary Smith

Houston Preps Elite High School Combine

 When: Saturday August 28

 Point Guards 10am-12pm
Shooting Guards/Wings 12:30pm--2:30pm

Big Men 3pm-5pm

Where: Velocity Sports Performance

4811 Highway 6 South

Missouri City, TX

The HP Elite High School Combine is a NBA Pre Draft Style Combine to get a true evaluation of the top players in the city (Bench Press, Vertical Jump, Body Fat pctg%, lane agility drill, ¾ court sprint, shooting and ball handling drills, 2 on 2 , and 1 on 1 competition, wingspan, standing reach,etc)

$50 per registrant (Registration fee includes a T-shirt, player evaluation form, and player profile with all the vital stats) Registration is at the door. Please arrive 30 min early.

The entire combine will be filmed by All Sports Video. Individual Combine and highlight video will be available upon request. Reports and video will be sent out to college coaches and will covered by the HoustonPreps.net

If you feel you deserved to be ranked or mentioned as one of the top players in the city here is your opportunity!

Contact: Chris Gaston (832) 392-0749

Email: gaston@houstonpreps.net

If you plan to attend you can RSVP via email or cell.

July 7, 2010

SWIC DAY 1

Written by: Chechey Stacks

 

            First off I want to give a round of applause to Coach John Lucas for putting his time in this camp, which really gives kids a chance to showcase their skills in front of many media outlets and college coaches’ year in and year out. The only problem is that some of the kids in the camp don’t take it as a big deal and tend to feel bigger than most of the other campers, the only problem with that is their not that good to begin with and while “ACTING” like their better than everyone else its hurting their stock and hurting their relationships with the coaches who are working the camp.

            The camp started off with a lot of skill stations to help footwork, dribbling, shooting and defense. The intensity picked up some what when the players got a chance to play some 3-on-3 and some 5-on-5 to close the day out.

 

STANDOUTS DAY 1

Sheldon McClellan- Is very comfortable with the ball in his hand. He is a very smooth guard who had his way with everyone put in front of him.

Danrad Knowles – was surprisingly effective around the rim. He played with a lot of energy and finished everything that was around the rim.

Deon Mitchell- ran the point guard very well, continuously set up his teammates for easy buckets.

Clyde Santee- has all the skills to be the next “Evan Turner”. Santee showed excellent court vision and a nice shooting stroke.

 

STACKS THOUGHTS

Two of the Houston Rockets Greats were in the gym today in Mario Elie and Clyde “The Glide” Drexler supporting their kids while chatting it up with the locals. Tomorrow is the LIVE PERIOD. Hopefully these youngsters will get out of “COOL MODE” and show these college coaches what type of talent Houston really has.

June 16, 2010

Deangelo Harrison (Dulles HS), Anthony Norris, and Sheldon McClellan are all at NBA camp this week representing Htown.  June will be a month full of elite camps and college camps. We will keep you updated on players whereabouts througfhout the month of June. Chechey Stacks is the basketball analyst for Houston Preps. Be on the lookout for exclusive player interviews, workout analysis, and stories.

June 1, 2010

Team Swag Elite won the Silver Division in the 17's at the GASO this past weekend. Franchize-Red 17u won the championship of the Adidas Memorial Day Classic this weekend. In the final they were led by 2012 sg Joseph Munoz (Cy Creek) with 31pts and 5 assts, 2011 6'8 f Dante Bachus (Sam Houston) 11 pts and 13 rebs, and 2011 cg Marquel McKinney (Cy Springs) 10 pts. Shai Fields is one of the hottest players in the area right now. While playing for Team Texas (along side Jamal Branch) he scored 15 second half points  to knock off South Carolina Ravens 85-78. In the second game Fields led Team Texas with 19 points but it wasn't enough to beat All Ohio Red who won 81-77. Speaking of hot Deangelo Harrison(6'3g Dulles HS 2011) is playing on another level. He is currently ranked as the 29th best player in the country by Rivals.com and will be participating in the NBA top 100 camp this summer. With his ability to score the ball Harrison has a serious shot of becoming an All American if he continues to play at this pace. He is also making a claim for the #1 player in Houston. The current #1 player in the city, Sheldon McClellan might be tired of hearing all the talk about Harrison. He went for 30+ this weekend against the Dallas Mustangs and LaBryan Nash, who is currently ranked in the top 10 in the country. 

May 27, 2010

Our pre-summer rankings will be released soon. There will be a lot of moving around, and there will be at least one new #1 player. New ranking will be posted soon.

May 20, 2010

May 18, 2010

The world has lost an angel as Tobi Oyedeji was called home Sunday morning. You cant find one person in Houston to say one bad thing about the big ‘fella. He was a humble superstar and a model student. It was fitting that in his final game in the Academic All-American Classic in California that he was named the games MVP. Htown truly lost a legend. I can find solace in the fact that the last I text message I received ended with the words “Im going to be alright” Bellaire will play Yates at Delmar Stadium at 7pm on Wednesday in a game dedicated to big Tobi.

The Nike EYBL Day 2: Chechey Stacks

– showed poise while directing the offense for the Hoops. Collins used his speed and change of direction to keep the defense off balance throughout the entire game.

May 15, 2010

Eric Moreland visited Oregon State yesterday and decided that the oppurtunity to play in the Pac 10 for Barack Obama's brother in law was too much too pass up as he signed with the Beavers. Moreland still has 4 years of elgibility after redshirting this past year at UTEP.

Nike EYBL by: Chechey Stacks

The Nike EYBL is off and running with great performances put on by some of our own Houston players. The Houston Hoops represented well tonight, showing the country why the class of 2012 is so highly regarded in the Houston Area. Even though the Houston Hoops lost a tough one to the Alabama Challenge 77-64, the guard play from the Hoops was Phenomenal.

Anthony Collins 6-0 Pg 2011 – was the main distributor for the hoops. Always playing two steps ahead of the competition, he was able to make the perfect pass to his teammates while showing the world he is the guard to be reckoned with from Houston.

Rasheed Sulaimon 6-3 Pg/Sg 2012- led the way for the Hoops with 28 pts. Sulaimon was the catalyst offensively. He used his quick hesitation crossover, and pure money jump shot to keep his opponents off balance. If he keeps playing like this, Sulaimon could propel himself to the cream of the crop in the class of 2012.

J-Mychal Reese 6-2 Pg/Sg 2012- always played under control, and shot the ball effortlessly while playing the lead guard position at times.

Danrad Knowles 6-9 F 2012 – played tough throughout the entire game. Fought for loose balls and never quit which allowed him to score 15pts in the defeat. The potential is there, he just needs to add on some weight so he can consistently play with any big in the country. 

The second match up placed Team Texas against Spiece Indy-Heat. This match up dealt with two of the best guards in the country in Jamal Branch, and Marquis Teague.  Teague wasted no time in the match up using his speed and knowledge of the game to dictate what the defense was going to do, which allowed him to set his teammates up early on. As the game went on Branch went out of his way to stop Teague. Branch played nice defense all night, and on a couple of occasions made key defense stops on Teague. Branch forced Teague into uncomfortable situations all night, which allowed Branch to force turnovers, and capitalize on them by hitting the open teammate on the break. Team Texas was able to pull out late which gave them the victory over Spiece 71-82. 

May 12, 2010

2011 guard Anthony Odunsi (Travis HS) Is officially off the board. He has made a verbal commitment to Iowa State. He is the second 2011 guard (Sheldon McClellan--Texas) to commit to a Big 12 school. Former 2009 Hightower standout Eric Moreland was granted his release from UTEP and recently took a visit to Oregon. He will be taking a visit to Oregon State tomorrow and has a visit with Arkansas lined up.

The 16U Houston Hoops had a great weekend, taking 2nd place at the Sabes Foundation Invitational in Minneapolis. They won their pool with victories over MN Magic (80-56), Kingdom Hoops Red (90-79) and Team Nebraska (75-60). They won bracket games against Howard Pulley White (72-71), Kingdom Red (again), St. Louis Eagles (72-71) to advance to the championship game against the host team - Howard Pulley Blue - where they lost a hard fought battle in double overtime (73-78). Click here to read Rivals.com story about Justin Jackson. 
 
The Hoops 17U team took 2nd place at the Sabes Foundation Invitational in Minneapolis this weekend. In pool play they defeated Kingdom Hoops (59-52) and the MN Comets (67-63), and lost one to KC Pump N Run (61-82). They won bracket games against the Schoolers (67-39) and Wisconsin Playground Elite (62-46) to advance to the semis where they avenged their earlier loss to KC Pump N Run with a 58-45 victory to make it to the championship. They lost the final game (53-61) to the host team - Howard Pulley Blue. Read Rivals.com articles featuring Houston Hoops players: Friday highlights / Saturday highlights.

Attention All Travel Team and High School Coaches
FREE Coaching Clinic by Dr. James F. Burson
Hosted by Nike
 
Nike Coaches Learning Academy
Saturday, May 15, 2010 // 3:45 - 4:45 PM
League America // 10510 Westview Drive, Houston, TX  77043
 
During this weekend's Nike EYBL Session in Houston, the inspirational and motivational Dr. James Burson will host a special coaching clinic for local high school and travel team coaches on May 15, from 3:45 - 4:45 pm at League America.  This is an excellent opportunity to learn from the best.  This is a free one-hour clinic - just show up at the facility.
 

April 22, 2010

Deangelo Harrison has seen his stock shoot through the roof after dominating the spring AAU. He has been the hottest player in the area including a pair of 40 point games in Arkansas and multiple 30 point games in other tournaments. Speaking of stock a couple of players from the Franchize All-Stars made a good impression on Rivals. ("Bail Intrigues at Real Deal") The 2011 class is guard heavy and he is right at the top along with Sheldon McClellan, Anthony Odunsi, and Anthony Collins. Speaking of Collins he has made the jump to the Houston Hoops replacing the injured LJ Rose. This will surely give the Hoops one of the top backcourts in the country. Its going to be scary to see Collins pushing the ball with Rasheed Sulaimon and Jmychael Reese running the wings looking for scoring opportunities. Yesterday was the last day of the open evaluation period and there were plenty of coaches in town checking out the Houston talent. Butler stopped by St. Pius (Trey Guidry 2012 g), Cy Cprings ( Maurice Ellis 6’8 f 2012), Klien Forest (Derail Green 6’5 f 2012), Texas State, Colorado State, Rice, Arkansas, and Iowa State all stopped by Travis HS to see Anthony Odunsi. The Texas Tech staff made sure they stopped by Westbury Christian to see the #1 pg in the area (Anthony Collins).

April 4, 2010

Chiney Ogwumike of Cy-Fair High School receives the 2009-10 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year Thursday, March 25, 2010 in Cypress, Texas. Ogwumike was surprised with the news during an assembly at Cy-Fair High School by her sister Nneka Ogwumike, who earned Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year honors in 2007-08. In its 25 the year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, the award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field

March 30, 2010

March 25, 2010

Bellaire's Sebastion Douglass comitted to Cleveland State. The athletic point guard will be able to make an immediate impact if he can work on his decision making skills and jump shot. Sam Houston junior Anthony Norris left the Hoops AAU program and will be joining the Franchize All Stars. Good pickup for Franchize who will have one of the most athletic lineups in the area. Yates star Joseph Young was recently named Gatorade Texas Player of the Year after averaging 27.5 points, 4.4 steals, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.To read the full press release click here: Young is Player of the Year. Congrats is also in order for the Yates Lions as they became the first team from Houston to ever become the mythical national high school champions. Former Madison star Tommy Mason Griffin, who was the 2008-2009 Gatorade Boys Player of the year recently announced his intentions to enter the 2010 NBA Draft. The media has blasted him and made all kinds of negative comments. Im not a big fan of bashing kids. Yeah I wish he could have waited one more year, but whats wrong with a kid pursuing his lifelong dream? Check out Basketball Workouts to see the type of work he is putting in to prepare himself for the next level.

March 24, 2010

Congrats to Rasheed Sulaimon who the award for the best 5A performer of the year by High School Sports Live. Speaking of Sulaimon he made his debut with the Houston Hoops this past weekend at the Ice Breaker. They have a deadly backcourt with Sulaimon, LJ Rose and JMychael Reese. They were missing the services of Texas commit Julien Lewis. The only thing the Hoops are missing is a legitimate post presence. They will need to find a big if they are to make a big impact on the summer circuit. They won a close game with the Houston Hurricanes and lost to the Galveston Hurricanes. Unsigned senior Ashton Harell (6'3 g Hastings HS 2010) made an impact for the Hurricanes. He was slashing to rim and showed some athleticism with some a couple of dunks above the rim. Terran Petteway led his Hornets team to the win over the Houston Hoops. The Hornets are a team that plays with all heart and hustle and they will be a hard team to beat this summer. The Hoops 16's made a splash as they beat the Houston Celtics 17u squad. They will eb a squad to be reckoned with on the 16u circuit. With the addition of Daniel House (6'6 wing Sharpstown HS 2012) they have arguably one of the most potent 16u teams in Texas. The Franchize All Stars made their Houston debut with two 8th graders. Joe Burton had a big time dunk on the break and Mavin Saunders, who is from the Bahamas is a physical specimen and is probably the best 2014 player in Houston. Deangelo Harrison was a beast for Franchize as he was making plays all over the court. Brian Bridgewater suited up for the Lousiana Dream team instead of the Houston Defenders who played with for the past 2 summers. Even though he changed uniforms nothing about his game has changed. He is still a beast inside. Ken Williams(5'10 pg Episcopal HS 2013) showed why he is one of the top 2013 players in the state. He made his debut with the DGib Hoops and he has a knack for putting the ball in the basket. He is not the quickest or fastest, but he he cans core in bunches with the jumper and floaters in the paint. Odera Nweke (6'5 g Terry HS 2011) also played well for DGib. He made some agressive drives to the basket and finished with both hands around the rim. Brandon Thompson (6'3 g Worthing HS 2011) played well for All 4 Sports. He is a guy who can also get hot in a hurry and drop 20 in a half.

The brackets will be released on Tuesday night for the Houston Invitational.

March 3, 2010

Playoff Predictions

 March 2, 2010

Madison and Strake Jesuit battled hard Monday night. Senior Karl Smith(10 pts and 7 blocks) came out early in the 1^st quarter and set the tone for Madison. He was blocking shots all over the court and it looked like Madison was about to run away with the game. Strake was having problems with the press in the early moments of the 1^st quarter, but Madison couldn’t capitalize as they missed layups and had unforced turnovers. It wasn’t long before Rasheed Sulaimon took over as he scored 21 points in the first half. Madison stayed within striking distance as they went into halftime down 37-30. In the 3^rd quarter Madison senior Jonathon Barefield (11 points) hit three consecutive deep three pointers to rally Madison back as Strake took a 56-55 lead into the 4^th quarter. In the 4^th quarter both teams traded baskets, and it looked like it would be one of those games where the last team who has the ball is the team that is going to win it. With 56 seconds left Strake sophomore John Gillon went to the free throw line and made two free throws to give Strake the 71-68 advantage. CJ Shelvin pushed the ball down on the ensuing possesion and made an off balance leaner to make the score 71-70. Sulaimon went to the line and made 1 out of 2 free throws to push the Strake lead to 72-70. After another empty possesion by Madison, Sulaimon went back to the line and made both free throws to give Jesuit a 4 point lead (74-70). On the next possession Fred Basile (15pts and 5 steals) penetrated and was fouled. He made the first free throw which made the score 74-71. With 17 secs left he missed the 2^nd free throw. Madison came up with the offensive rebound but instead of kicking it out for the 3 pointer that could have tied it up, they forced an inside shot that failed. Strake made two more free throws to give Strake the win (76-71). This was a game of two underdogs. Nobody expected either of these teams to advance this far. Its easy to forget that Strake is the defending 5A Regin III champions. Madison fought hard, but at the end of the day it was to much Sulaimon (31pts) for Madison. He scored 21 in the first half, and in the 2^nd half when Madison focused their defense on him he found open teammates Michael Felton (15pts) and Dylan Monmouth (13 points) for easy scores. In the second game of the doubleheader (Bellaire vs. Elsik), it wasn’t much of a contest. Tobi Oyedeji came out in the 1^st quarter and made it clear that Elsik wasn’t going to get any easy looks in the paint. He finished with 8 blocks(10pts), but might have altered at least 10 more. Sheldon McClellan was aggressive and in attack mode and there wasn’t a player on the floor that could guard him as he finished with 25 points. Senior guard Sebastion Douglass (21pts) was all over the floor making plays and getting to the rim at will and Kene Anyigbo came off the bench to muscle his way to 14 points. Bellaire was in full control as they dominated the whole way to finish with the 85-40 win. Joshua Cleveland (10pts) was the lone player in double figures for Elsik. Travis snuck by Elkins (56-51) behind late free throws from Anthony Odunsi(17pts). Senior Marc Price added 11pts in the win. Unsigned senior Willie Rogers led Elkins with 17 pts in the loss. Bush ended Dulles dream of returning to state for the second time in 4 years with a 72-59 win. Bush held off a furious rally behind the inspired play of Deangelo Harrison (28pts) to get the win. Bush had a balanced scoring attack led by Jordan Clark (15pts), Darius Richardson (14pts), and Demarcus Gatlin (14pts). Yates scored 100+ for the 12^th consecutive game in a row as Joseph Young led all scorers with 35 points in the 114-80 win. Joe Miles (30pts) played his heart out, but it wasn’t enough to disturb the Yates juggernaut. In other 4A action Wheatley staged a 4^th quarter comeback, but it was too little too late as Lamarque held on for the 100-91 win. Wesley Henderson (22pts) and Jordan Dotson (20pts) led Lamarque while Texas commit Julien Lewis added 19 in the win. Lakeytrick Quinn led all scorers with 25 in the loss for Wheatley. Mackey McKnight quietly has his Langham Creek advancing in 5A Region II with a 56-47 win over the Conroe Woodlands. Don Thomas (18pts) also has his Spring team still alive with a 60-51 win over Conroe Oak Ridge. Maurice Wiltz (33pts) is also leading his Stafford squad as they are trying to make it back to Austin for the second year in a row in 3A as they defeated Sealy 70-56. Playoff Predictions coming tomorrow!

Febraury 28, 2010

Congratulations to Westbury Christian and Kingwood Northeast Christian on winning the TAPPS 4A and 2A State championships. Northeast defeated Rockwall Christian 50-44. Northeast was led by Nick McDonald with 22 in the championship game. Northeast finished the season with a 14-0 record in district and a 30-7 overall record. Westbury Christian hadled Second Baptist 79-58 to finish with the best overall record (34-3) in the school's storied history. Unsigned senior Lante Phillips led the way for Westbury with 24 points and all-tournament honors. Anthony Collins also received all tourney honors as he , Anthony Broncato, and Tyler Guidry all finished with 11 points apiece. 

Playoff Predictions: This year seems like it is the year of the underdog. Elkins (Miles Dixon), Strake Jesuit (Tim Frazier and Joey Brooks), Madison (Tommy Mason Griffin), Travis (Ray Penn), and Wheatley (Aaron Mike Davis) all suffered the loss of Division 1 seniors last year, and they all have advanced to 3rd round of the playoffs.

Febraury 25, 2010

Mackey McKnight didnt want to see his high school career end as he dropped 31 points for Langham Creek in a 59-55 win over Cedar Park, and Cy Woods defeated Round Rock McNeil 63-54 to advance to the second round.

Febraury 24, 2010

The playoffs are underway and this is the most exciting time of the year for high school basketball fans. Fort Bend Travis beat Galveston Ball 65-59 behind junior Anthony Odunsi’s 21 points. Humble defeated Milby 64-57. Junior Tre Bennet his high scoring junior season with 25pts in the loss. Kevin Brown (18pts) led his Elsik squad to a 1^st round win over Katy (59-46). Madison beat Aldine 89-68 as Junior CJ Shelvin dropped 21pts in the win. Randy Collins (24pts) and Drew Parker (17pts) led the way for Laporte in the blowout win over Channelview (72-40). Rasheed Sulaimon carried Strake Jesuit to a 1 point win (49-48), as he scored 29 of his teams 49pts. If someone were keeping an official stat Im sure that no player in the city accounts for a higher percentage of his teams points than Sulaimon. Friendswood beat Foster 62-55. Sam Houston State signee Byron Randle scored 13 in the win. Jonathon Benn (who transferred from Spring HS) ended a terrific senior campaign with 28pts in the loss. Sophomore Trey Pinkney scored 18 pts for Seven Lakes as they sent Alief Taylor home (78-59). Dolbie upset Port Arthur Memorial 71-68. Bryant Mbamulu (26pts) and Deangelo Harrison (23pts) combined for 49 pts to lead Dulles to a win over Clear Creek, 75-66. Aaron Turner (22pts) carried his Mayde Creek to a 65-61 win over Hastings. Bellaire sent a message to everybody in the area with a 115-50 win over Eisenhower. Bellaire had 5 players score 16+points (Sheldon McClellan-28pts, Tobi Oyedeji-20pts, Sebastion Douglass-19pts, Jamel Outler -19pts, and Jonathon Evans 16pts). Reagan upset Booker T. Washington 79-72. Hyji Thomas ended his high school career with 17 points in the loss. I wonder if Booker T was still feeling a bit of shell shock from the Yates playoff warmup game on Saturday. Bush made it 4-0 for the Fort Bend schools as they beat Clear Springs 62-58.

Febraury 19, 2010

In a battle for 1st place Wheatley and Jones put on a epic performance as Wheatley prevailed in double overtime 125-119. Lakeytrick Payne (27pts) and Kenneth Payne (25pts) led the way for Wheatley. 2012 star Broderick Harris got loose for Jones as he poured in 29pts in the loss. The 2011 combo of Joe Miles (23pts) and Demarcus Johnson (19pts) also were key factors for Jones. In a tiebreaker to go the playoff Alief Taylor sent Stratford home with a 70-62 win. Qua Doster (21pts) and 2012 g Delvin Dickerson (18pts) were the high scorers for Taylor. The loss marks the end of Darrius Curry's high school career. The long athletic guard started his career at Elsik, transferred for a breif stint at Christian Life, transferred back to Elsik, annd finished his senior season at Stratford. Good luck to Curry as he will continue his career at UTEP next season. Second Baptist advanced in the TAPPS 4A Regionals defeating Tyler TK Gorman 56-45. Westbury Christian, who was led by senior Anthony Broncato's 13 pts also advanced in the TAPPS 4A regionals with a 44-36 win over Argyle Christian. The other Houston squad representing in TAPPS 4A bowed out against Jamal Branch and Arlington Grace Prep 72-51. In a tiebreaker for first place in 3A Sweeney beat Stafford 61-59. 

Febraury 17, 2010

It looks like the proposed playoff warmup game between Yates and Westbury Christian is not going to happen. It would have been an interesting matchup to see how Yates would have handled Anthony Collins, who is a 1 man pressbreaker. The playoff picture is getting a bit clearer after last nights action. Travis snuck into the playoffs with a 4th place finish after Hightower lost to Willowridge. They will face Terran Petteway and Galveston Ball in the 1st round. All eyes will be on Bellaire in 5A as they are the overwhelming favorite to make it to Austin, and avenge their 1st round loss to Eisenhower last year. Unsigned senior Jonathon Benn, who has quietly been having a monster season for Foster, will be leading his squad into battle with Friendswood in the 1st round. Of Yates is expected to come out of 4A. It will be an upset of monumental proportions if Yates comes out with anything less than a state championship.

While this an exciting time of year for a lot of players, it also marks a sad time for a lot of parents and players. Many players around the area will be wrapping up their high school careers. This is about the time every year that reality starts to hit home. All of the kids who thought theyw ere going to "Big Time" D1 university are still searching for that coveted scholarship. While there are a few exceptions, no D1 schools are going to come out of nowhere to offer a 4year ride if they havent been recruiting you at this stage of the season. There is nothing wrong with playing Divison 2,3, NAIA, or JUCO. All of these institutions offer full rides and competitive college basketball. To combat the high number of unsigned seniors Houston Preps will be hosting a combine style showcase for those still in need of a scholarship in April. Time is ticking, and if you are a player you need to get on the phone and computer, email and call coaches, send out your film and player profiles, and market yourself. There are millions of kids around the world playing basketball,, and nobody is going to sell yourself better than you!

Febraury 15, 2010

CONGRATULATIONS TO JORDAN HUNTER OF THE HOUSTON HOOPS 13U TEAM FOR WINNING THE NBA ALL-STAR D,D AND S CHAMPIONSHIP TODAY DURING THE NBA ALL-STAR SLAM DUNK CONTEST. JORDAN HAD THE FASTEST TIME OVERALL AND REPRESENTED ONE OF THE NBA ALL-STAR TEAMS  SUNDAY AS A BALL BOY. 

Febraury 14, 2010

Bellaire continued its dominating ways by defeating Milby 91-62. Jonathon Evans and Tobi Oyedeji scored 15 apeice. Milby junior Tre Bennet continued his high scoring as he dropped 23 in the loss. This comes a week after putting up the best stat line in Houston this year ( 46pts, 8 rebounds, 8 steals, 9 assists). Hightower beat Travis on a last second buzzer beater 47-45 as Jonathon Jordan found Jamal Hamilton open underneath the basket for the game winning layup with no time left on the clock. Hightower junior Jonathon Jordan (5’10 pg) penetrated and got into the paint at will to hit a flurry of pull-up jumpers and floaters to finish with 20 points in the victory. Prince Williams led Travis with 12 pts in the loss. On Friday I made way over to Langham Creek to check out the point guard battle between 2010 stars Andre Adams and Mackey McKnight. McKnight won the war and the battle as he outscored Adams 18-10, controlled the tempo of the game, and led his Langham Creek squad to the win (56-50). In a big rivalry game Seven Lakes beat Cinco Ranch (48-42). Sophmore Trey Pinkney led the way with 16 points. Despite Darrious Curry’s 30 pts, Elsik improved to 13-0 in district play beating Startford 71-68. Kevin Massey led the way with 21 pts, and Kevin Brown added 19 in the win. Rasheed Sulaimon continued his scoring dominance as he dropped 24 in a 60-50 win as Strake handled Spring Woods. Yates won its 49th game in a row, destroying Westbury 101-56. Brandon Peters and Elton Roy led the way with 25 and 24 points. Speaking of Yates they might be playing a perennial Houston private school power for a playoff warmup game if everything goes according to plan. Stay tuned for details. 

Febraury 12, 2010

Well the 2010 McDonalds All American rosters were named and to no ones suprise nobody from the Greater Houston area was selected. In fact, there was ony 1 Texan on the roster (Perry Jones) who is from Duncanville and will be suiting up for Baylor next year. I can clearly remember Tobi Oyedeji getting the best of Jones when the two went head to head earlier this season in the Texas Invitiational. On the flip side congratulations to Chiney Ogwunike on the girls side from Cypress who well represent HTown well in the girls McDonalds game. This notion got me thinking about some of the former McDonalds All americans from Houston, and I found some archived footage from this summmer at one of my workouts of Ndudi Ebi who was the #2 rated player in the country in 2003 behind Lebron James. Ebi was a McDonalds All American and Jordan All American. He went straight to the league from Westbury Christian and was a 1st round pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is now playing in Italy and is seeking a return to the NBA soon. Here is a video of Ebi and Jason Carter (6'8 f Christian Life) working out and playing 1 on 1.

 In other news citing the loss of title sponsorship, ever-increasing facility costs and the general overall economic condition of the country, tournament officials announced today that they will no longer be able produce the annual Summer Championships held each July in Vegas for the last three years. The Rebook Summer Championships were produced in Las Vegas for the last three years by the same management team that produced the massive Big Time tournament locally from 1995 through 2006.

Associate Head Coach Melvin Haralson has been placed on indefinite leave at the University of Houston for unspecified reasons. It is still a mystery to me why U of H doesnt recruit the Houston area like it should. Just over the last 4 years imagine a lineup that contained any of the following players: Ray Turner, Garlon Green, Ray Penn, Tommy Griffin, Jai Lucas, Jacovan Brown, Gary Johnson, Tim Frazier, Erik Williams, Meech Goodson, Phillip McDonald, Jamal Fenton, BJ Holmes, etc, etc. etc!! You get the point. The greater Houston area has all the home grown talent that it needs. Not many schools in the country can say they have the luxury of not having to leave their own city limits to find all the available talent that they need.

Febraury 10, 2010

 January 28, 2010

Bellaire continues to roll along. Sheldon McClellan (19pts) had one of the plays of the year on Tuesday night against district rival Madison. After getting his shot blocked, he took the ball out of bounds threw it off the defenders back, stepped in and dunked it! Madison came out in a stall offense to try to slow down Bellaire, but to no avail. Bellaire implemented it full court trap and press and Tobi Oyedeji (24pts) had a field day with an array of dunks (including a two hand alley-oop) in traffic as the Cardinals ran away with the game (81-54). Rasheed Sulaimon’s 30 points wasn’t enough to beat Memorial as Strake Jesuit lost in overtime 64-63. Unsigned senior Aaron Turner continues to put up big numbers as he scored 26 in the win over Katy to improve Mayde Creek’s record to 3-1 in district play. Galveston ball (7-0) kept its record perfect in district play withh a blowut over Alvin (74-38). Terran Petteway led all scorers with 14 points.

It looks as if the Findlay Prep vs Yates showdown is not official yet. I sure do hope they make this dream matchup happen. It will give Yates thwe oppurtunity to legitametly claim the mythical national championship since they wont be allowed to play in the ESPN national championship tournament that occurs after the Texas state championship.

Please note that the dates for the Hoops Classic have changed from Feb 12-14 to Feb 19-21, 2010. 

 Games will be played the Legends Sports Complex in The Woodlands. 

 Online registration is now available.   

 Open to 9U-14U boys teams and 5th-8th grade girls teams

3 game guarantee - pool play with all teams advancing to the championship round

Score and clock keepers are provided

Normal high school rules with stop clock on all dead balls

Full 16-minute halfs for all divisions

Trophies awarded to first and second place team members in all divisions

We will schedule your first game around your needs if coming from out of town.

 For registration form & more details,call 713-524-3036

THE HOUSTON INVITATIONAL
hosted by Houstonpreps.net & The Katy Hoop Stars 2013

(Boys 14U-17U)

Basketball Tournament

March 27 - 28, 2010
Houston, Texas

Coaches from D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO's will be present!

You tell us what teams you want in your pool!
"You can run, but you can't hide"

The game will be covered by Chris Gaston of Houstonpreps.net, (leader in Basketball Skills Training, Ranking and Recruiting Services). Player Reports, Evaluations will be submitted to College Coaches.

All teams will be guaranteed at least 3 games. The Competition will be fierce as the field will be loaded with top AAU teams from Houston, Beaumont/Port Arthur, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Louisiana.

Fans Admission is $5.00 per day or $8.00 for the weekend.

The entry fee is $250.00 per team. The fee is $200.00 per team for organizations that bring more than 1 team. ENTRY DEADLINE is MARCH 17, 2010. Late Fee of $25.00 for registrations after the deadline.

Please fill out the registration form provided and make cashier's checks or money orders payable to: Katy Hoop Stars 2013

MAIL TO:                                              
Katy Hoop Stars 2013
PO Box 1751
Richmond, Texas 77406

(281) 687-0664
Katyhoopstars2013@gmail.com

For additional information, contact:

Eric Thomas              
katyhoopstars2013@gmail.com
(281) 687-0664
or
Chris Gaston
gaston@houstonpreps.net
(832) 276-2718

Also be on the lookout for the Houston Preps Unsigned Senior Showcase in April. Details will be added soon.

January 26, 2010

Booker T Washington and Worthing had a battle last night. Both teams were scrapping and playing hard. Junior Brandon Thompson (24 points) scored on a tip in to give Worthing the lead 65-64 with 48 secs left in the game.Booker T scored immediately on a layup to take back the lead 66-65 with 39 secs left. After an empty possesion by Worthing Hyjii Thomas (22pts) was fouled. He nailed both free throws to give Washington the lead (68-65) with 14 secs remaining. After Booker T denied Brandon Thompson Junior pg Aaron Marion(10pts) hit a pull-up three from the top of the key at the buxxer to send the game in overime. In overtime Washington took control of the game as Hyjii Thomas continued to slash the bucket and converted on cluth cfree throws to give his team the victory (84-76).

In some explosive news, I received word that the preseason #1 ranked team in the country, Findlay Prep, will be traveling down to Houston on Febraury 20 to play the Jack Yates Lions! The game is scheduled to be held at Rice University. Tudor Fieldhouse which is on the campus of Rice has a capacity of 5,208. I dont know if that is going to big enought to hold the number of fans that will be trying to squeeze their way into the arena. This game will mark the homecoming of Winston Sheppard, who played for Hightower before transferring to the prestigious prep school. If Yates can pull off the victory this will solidfy them as the #1 team in the country (A feat which has never been accomplished by a Houston area squad).

January 25, 2010

What an exciting atmosphere that was present at the Fort Bend Baptist vs Second Baptist game on Friday night. I must say that FB Baptist has one of the most supportive student sections in the area. They are loud, enthusiastic, and come up with all kinds of creative cheers. Unfortunaelt their excitement for the home team might have cost hem a victory in the pivotal district matchup. Both teams battled back and forth. Unsigned senior Jared Woods (27 points) continued to make big plays throughout the game including a buzzer beater at halftime and several clutch free throws. LJ Rose (14points) showed why he is an All American as he took over in the second half with timely drives to the basket and big assists inside to Mykhail McLean and Alex Cooper. The controversy ensued in the final seconds of the game. Junior Drayton Rolle (who played an excellent floor game) sliced through the Second Baptist defense for an acrobatic layup to give FBB the 1 point lead with 3 secs on the clock. The student section erupted thinking that there was no more time on the clock and a megaphone was accidentally tossed on the floor. A technical foul was issued to FBB and Rose went to the line and calmly sank two free throws. Second Baptist was received the ball out of bounds, LJ was fouled and he made 1 free throw to give his squad the final margin of victory. True, it was a silly mistake by the home crowd but the kids who played their hearts out shouldn’t be penalized. There should have been a delay of game warning and the action should have continued. What a way to lose a district game! Even the Second Baptist fans in attendance said the refs should have let the kids decide the fate of the game.

On Saturday night I made my over to Westbury Christian to check out WCS vs St. Thomas. St. Thomas was without its starting point guard Carl Culberson. It was obvious that game plan for St. Thomas was to go under the screens on Anthony Collins and make him a shooter. Well that plan backfired big time! AC (15 points) came out of the gates knocking down shots from all over the court. Once they started to push up on him he was shredding the defense and finding open shooters. When Collins is aggressive and looking for scoring opportunities he can be considered the best point guard in the state.

Steve Walton is building a nice AAU program with the Southwest Celtics. It looks they are going to have a really competitive team on the 17u level and might have a chance at shocking some of the big name programs. He is currently having tryouts for the 15u squad. For more info contact Steve Walton @ 713-875-1324.

January 21, 2010

Behind Darron Livingston’s 22 points and Lakeytrick Quinn’s 19 points Wheatley bust the clock (102-81) in a victory over Worthing and coach Patrick. Junior Brandon Thompson continued his high scoring ways for Worthing with 29 points in the loss. Sheldon McClellan once again came out with a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove against Milby as he dropped 32 points in the 86-53 blowout. Bellaire simply had too much firepower as Tobi Oyedeji (18pts), Kene Anyigbo (13pts), and Sebastion Douglass(10pts) all finished in double digits. The only legit offensive weapon for Milby was junior Tre Bennett who managed to score 19 points. In a pivotal district game Kenzeal Bolton(28pts) led Waltrip to a 51-41 win over Sharpstown. The win improved Waltrips district record to 5-1 while Sharpstown dropped to 4-2. In the shocker of the day Sam Houston beat Madison 72-69. Sam Houston had a double-digit lead, but behind Madison’s full court pressure they manager to fight its way back in the game. Anthony Norris finally looked like a high major big time player as he scored on an array of athletic finishes around the rim. He was unstoppable as he scored 31 for Sam Houston.Unsigned Senior Fred Basile(32pts) did everything in his will to keep the Marlins close. In another upset Sterling beat Jones by 1 (69-68). Andrew Roberson (13pts) and James Laymond(13pts) combined for 26 points to stage the upset. Juniors Joe Miles (11pts) and Demarcus Johnson (10pts) were held relatively in check. Even though they lost by 30pts (94-64) I guess you can consider it a “moral victory” that Westbury became the first team in the Houston area to hold the vaunted Yates Lions under 100 points. Brandon Peters (28pts) and Joseph Young (25pts) had their usual dominating efforts and one of the state best kept secrets Elton Roy continued his hot shooting with 18 points. Yates continues its dominating ways in their quest to win a national championship and end the season as the #1 team in the country.

January 19, 2010

Fort Bend was the only public school games in action on MLK day. Junior Victor Mbachu exploded for 27 points but it wasn’t enough for his Clements team as they lost to Travis 69-60. Texas Tech and Iowa State were in the building to check out junior Anthony Odunsi who scored 20pts in the win for Travis. NJIT was also present to check out its recruit Drew Oneybuchi (6’7 sr).  Bush got a balanced effort, Jordan Clark (17pts), Darius Richardson (16pts), Demarcus Gatlin (16pts) to hold off a feisty Clements team 67-53. Deangelo Harrison (24pts) was the lone player in double figures for Dulles as they beat Willowridge 57-47. Senior Torian Coleman (16pts) led the way for Elkins as they beat Marshall 74-65. In the game of day Hightower lost a nail biter to Fort Bend Austin. Despite being saddled with foul trouble throughout the first half junior Ryan Manuel (22pts) went off in the third quarter as he dropped (3) threes and had several athletic finishes at the rim to push Austin ahead. Mehdi Abdulla (11pts) hit two clutch back to back three’s late in the fourth to give his Austin team the lead. Marshun Meadow (15pts) responded for Hightower with several clutch threes of his own. Hightower was down by two and had a chance to tie the game. Jonathon Jordan (16pts) drove to the basket and was fouled with 1 sec on the clock. He missed the first free throw and made the second to give Austin the 1 point win (64-63).

January 16, 2010

I got a chance to witness the beating that Bellaire handed to Sam Houston (103-25). Sheldon McClellan came out with a chip on his shoulder. I guess he was tired of hearing about nationally ranked memphis recruit Anthony Norris and how good he was. McClellan played with an effort on defense (including 2 steals on Norris) and intensity that I have never seen from him before. He finished with 24pts while Norris finished with 2pts. McClellan wanted to leave no doubts that he is the best player in the city. If he plays with that type of effort he could be an All American.

Waltrip came out and battled Yates in the first quarter as Milton Washington (24pts) and Kenzeal Bolton (20 pts) kept the game close. You could sense it was just a matter of time before Yates broke the game open. Elton Roy (15pts), who has been on fire lately, started kncoking down threes and Brandon Peters (20pts) knocked down a couple of jumpers and caught his usual array of alley-oops and the next thing you know the lead had ballooned to 20. The only thing in question was if Yates would continue their 100pts a game streak. Joseph Young (27pts) quickly answered the question as he nailed a couple of longe range bombs as Yates remained unbeaten in another impressive victory (103-68.)

In other action around the area Anthony Odunsi (15pts) led Travis to a close win over Kempner (52-50) to improve to 2-2 in district play. William Young (15pts) led St. John’s to a 55-51 over Dallas Greenhill School. Despite the absence of starting pg Joe Miles, Jones beat Worthing behind 19 pts from junior Demarcus Johnson. High scoring junior Brandon Thompson has 27pts in the loss for Worthing. Bush continued to roll in a 61-47 win over Willowridge. Unsigned senior Jordan Clark led all scorers with 23 points. Behind Bryant Mbamulu’s 19pts Dulles improved to 3-1 in district play with a 63-55 win over Hightower. Seven Lakes edged Mayde Creek in overtime 61-58 as Princeton Onwas dropped 17pts. Sophmore Christian Sanders led all scorers with 17pts in a win 45-40 win for St.Thomas over Houston Christian. Terran Petteway, who is one of the top 5 players in the 2011 class, scored 22 pts to lead Galveston Ball to a 81-76 win over Clear Lake. In a big time district battle Texas commit Julien Lewis scored 20 to lead his Lamarque team to a 60-43 win over Friendswood. Rasheed Sulaimon continued his scoring exploits with 28 in a 58-53 win over Hastings.

January 14,2010

It goes to show how dominant Yates is when everybody is making a big deal about its 17 point win over Reagan. When a team wins by double digits (100-83) and its considered to be a near upset or close game, you know what type of monster you are dealing with in Yates. There is a lot of hype and pressure on these kids to continue their 100 point streak and to beat opponents by 30+. Well some nights shots are going to fall and the ball is going to bounce the other way. Props to Yates for handling the pressure and keeping its streak alive.

I was looking forward to seeing what type of numbers Nevin Johnson would put up against Westbury Christian but he wasn’t even in the building. Come to find out he has transferred back to his old school Spring High. Johnson is one of the more talented kids in the 2011 class and should receive a  lot of attention on the AAU circuit this summer. His backcourt mate at Lutheran North, Horace Scott (5’10 pg 2013) will also be leaving the school and transferring to his home school Westfield. Its funny how Lutheran North was on its way to becoming a nationally known program.

One of the younger kids who have came to Basketball Workouts, Jordan Hunter(2015 pg) has received a prestigious honor. Here is the press release from the NBA: Jordan Hunter of the Houston Hoops 13u team was recently chosen to represent the Houston Rockets in the NBA FIT Dribble, Dish, & Swish National competition held at the NBA Allstar Game Weekend in 2010 in Dallas, Texas. Jordan competed in the local and regional competition in Houston, Texas championing both in his age division. Only the likes of J-Mike Reese have been chosen and participated in this event.Jordan and his parents will have an all expense paid trip to the NBA All Star Game Weekend packed with all the fun-filled All Star events, his skills competition, and special recognition on center court just before the Slamdunk competition. Also, Jordan last weekend was recognized center court at the Rockets vs Knicks game for having championed regionals. This is a huge accomplishment!

Also stay tuned for more details on "The Houston Invitational" which will be hosted by Houston Preps and Katy Hoopstars 2013.

(Boys 14U-17U)

AAU Basketball Tournament

March 27 - 28, 2010
Houston, Texas

Coaches from D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO's will be present!

You tell us what teams you want in your pool!
"You can run, but you can't hide"

The game will be covered by Chris Gaston of Houstonpreps.net, (leader in Basketball Skills Training, Ranking and Recruiting Services). Player Reports, Evaluations will be submitted to College Coaches.

All teams will be guaranteed at least 3 games. The Competition will be fierce as the field will be loaded with top AAU teams from Houston, Beaumont/Port Arthur, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Louisiana.

Fans Admission is $5.00 per day or $8.00 for the weekend.

The entry fee is $250.00 per team. The fee is $200.00 per team for organizations that bring more than 1 team. ENTRY DEADLINE is MARCH 17, 2010. Late Fee of $25.00 for registrations after the deadline.

Please fill out the registration form provided and make cashier's checks or money orders payable to: Katy Hoop Stars 2013

MAIL TO:
Katy Hoop Stars 2013
PO Box 1751
Richmond, Texas 77406

(281) 687-0664
Katyhoopstars2013@gmail.com

For additional information, contact:

Eric Thomas
katyhoopstars2013@gmail.com
(281) 687-0664
or
Chris Gaston
gaston@houstonpreps.net
(832) 276-2718

January 12, 2010

Im still hyped about the Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State game last night. I was in attendance at the Llyod Nobles center in Oklahoma and the atmosphere was absolutely electric for the Bedlam rivalry. I couldnt pass up the chance to see Tommy Mason Griffin and Ray Penn go at it for the first time in their collegiate careers. I couldnt have written the script any better. TMG came out and hit two consecituve threes and the trash talking between the two ensued. Penn followed with a layup and a deep three of his own. The trash talk escalated as the two guarded each other full court. Oklahoma went into halftime down 1 and you could tell that it was going to the wire. TMG missed two free throws at the end of regulation that could have iced the game, and Penn hit a clutch 3 with 7 secs left that helped send the game into overtime. TMG redeemed himself with a deep 3 from the top of the key late in overtime to gove his Oklahoma squad the lead and eventually the win. Both point guards made the Houston area proud with their gritty performances. Penn and Griffin both finished with 14 points. The mideseason rankings will be released soon. Plenty of players have seen their stock fall while others will see their rankings rise.I was suprised by a few of the scores from yesterdays high school games. I penciled in Travis with a victory over FB Marshall. Tola Lushula (15pts) and Stephen Holland (14 pts) had other ideas as they led marshall to a 64-61 victory. Deangelo Harrison who is one of the most potnet scorers in the city exploded for 38 points, 5reb, 3 assts, and 2 steals to lead his Dulles team to a 73-68 win over Elkins.North Shore beat Baytown Christian 62-54 behind 22 points from Taylor Brimmer. Highly touted sophmores Wannah Bail (22pts) and Michael Carey (14pts) led the way for Baytown Prep. Behind Jerel Williams 17pts Alief Taylor survived a scare against Strake Jesuit (59-57).

January 9, 2010

I headed over to Wheeler Fieldhouse expecting to see a heavyweight battle between two of the top teams in the Fort Bend District. Bush was out to prove that they were head and shoulders above the rest of the district. Dulles came out flat and could never find its rhthym. Super soph Cameron Ridley(6pts, 3 blks, 15reb) came out in the first quarter and set the tone defensively as he controlled the paint and blocked or altered any attempts Dulles made near the basket. Darius Richardson (26pts) had no problem finding the basket from deep as he scored 11 straight points in the 2nd quarter to bust open the game and put Bush in full control. The Dulles trio of Adrian Kuyinu(3pts), Deangelo Harrison(10pts), and Bryant Mbamulu(12pts)could never get it going. Bush stifling full court defense took its toll on the Vikings and Jordan Clark(15pts) added his normal array of slashes to the hoop to push Bush’s overall record to 18-3 and 2-0 in district play. Brenson Lair(17pts) and Fred Basile (15pts) led Madison to a 65-52 win over Chavez in district play. Jonathon Jordan (14 pts) led Hightower to an easy victory (68-44) over Kempner. Wheatley bust the clock on Scarborough (120-71) as junior guard Goree Allen exploded for a career high 42 points.  Unsigned senior Demarco Richardson (16pts) led Cy Woods to a 61-53 win over Cy Falls. In the most suprising score of the day Hastings dominated Stratford 60-38 behind 15 points from unsigned senior Ashton Harrell. Stratford has been one of the most up and down teams this year. While they have battled teams like Elsik, they have suffered 20+ losses against Hastings and Bush. Langham Creek improved to 2-0 in district play with a 63-56 win over Cy Springs. Mackey Knight, who has been one of the most consistent players in the city this season, led Creek with 18 points. Elsik handled Strake Jesuit (58-48) as D1 signees Kevin Brown (24pts) and Amos Olatayo (16pts) led the way. Rasheed Sulaimon(19 pts) was the lone player in double figures for Strake. Galveston Ball (10-3), is another team that is flying under the radar. Juniors Mike Evans (27pts) and Terran Petteway (24pts) led Ball to a 78-56 win over Dickinson. Deer Park upset LaPorte 58-51 as Darian Banks( 22pts) and Daniel Gallegas (20 pts) combined to score 42 points. Randy Collins had 18 points in the loss for Laporte. In the private school ranks sophomores Aaron Durley(10pts) and Christian Sanders (13pts) led St. Thomas to a 61-46 win over Beamount Kelly. Booker T. Washington had 3 players Hyjii Thomas (25pts), Jequan Smith (20pts), and Siddiq Smith (20 pts) score 20 pts as they beat district rival Kashmere 110-88. Bellaire easily handled Westside (86-39) as they had 5 players Joe Okafor(10pts), Sheldon Mclellan (14pts), Tobi Oyediji (13pts), Sebastion Douglass (11pts), and Kene Anyigbo (10pts) in double figures.

In the much-anticipated game after the Lee beatdown, Yates came out and scored 124 points in the victory over Sharpstown. Playing in front of a packed Barnett crowd Yates didn’t miss a beat. Brandon Peters was dominant from the opening tip as he had 30 on an array of alley oops and dunks. Elton Roy continued to show why he might be the best available player in the 2010 class, as he hit tough layups and deep three pointers in route to 23 points. In the opening quarter it looked as if Sharpstown might give Yates a game, but the pressure eventually began to wear down the young Apollos team as Alex Davis (16 points) blocked shots and Darius Gardner (17 pts) pushed the tempo.  In a bright spot for Sharpstown a young star was born in 2012 wing Daniel House. He played fearlessly as he attacked the glass and finished above the rim on several possessions on his way to a game 39 points. He has the potential to be a top 10 player in the 2012 class in Houston, which is a huge statement considering Houston has the #1 2012 class in the country. Fellow classmate Brandon Phillips (19pts) also played well. He wasn’t afraid to attack the press and make plays. The future bodes well for Sharpstown, but the present is all about Yates. They are currently the #1 ranked team in the country by Rivals.com!

January 6, 2010

By now everybody has heard about the beating that Yates issued out to Lee. The score was 53-6 at the end of the first quarter, and they were up 100-12 at halftime! Wow. At the beginning of the second half, I guess Lee had seen enough. One of their players took out a hard foul on Yates, and a brief scuffle ensued. No punches were thrown, but both coaches were told that they had to finish the game with the 5 players on the court. The rest of the team on both sides were told they had to sit in the stands the remainder of the game. The whole city is an uproar as Yates broke a state scoring record in the 170-35 drubbing. The Lee coach said he felt “disrespected”. There are many people with valid points on both sides. Personally, I feel they should have backed off after they were up 50. This was a time to work on your offensive sets, halfcourt defense, and halfcourt defense in case of a close game in the playoffs. Relieving a bit of the pressure also reverts back to the old “you don’t kick a man while he is down” saying. As soon as this game was scheduled, anyone with an ounce of basketball IQ knew this was going to be a lopsided win of monumental proportions. On the flip side Yates second and third string players want to get a bit of pub and shine as well. They have worked hard all season in practice and they want a chance to show what they can do as well. This isn’t YMCA ball. This is high school varsity and Yates is trying to set national records along the way. Im sure people will be talking about this for a long time, and the issue will most definitely come up again as Yates faces Sharpstown in their next district game. This can very well happen to any of its opponents along the way. My only fear is I hope opposing coaches and players don’t take their frustration out on Yates with cheap shots and dirty fouls. I agree that there should be some type of mercy rule if you are up 80 points, but if Coach Wise wants to keep the pressure on, deal with it! You have to go out and compete regardless of the score. I don’t believe in running up the score on opponenents, but it’s part of the game. Brandon Peters had 43, Joseph Young 37, and Alex Davis 25.

Despite all the attention on Yates and their exploits there was some other good basketball played in the city last night. Westbury Christian vs Second Baptist was the heavyweight matchup of the night and the game lived up to the hype. All eyes were on the two star point guard (Anthony Collins and LJ Rose), but it was Westbury Christian big man Nick Sheppard who came out and set the tone early in the 1st qtr. He scored 6 quick points in the paint to ignite his squad. Andre Prince ended the 1st qtr with a layup at the buzzer that gave 2nd Baptist a 15-8 advantage. Rose opened up the 2nd qtr with a long 3 pointer to push the lead into double digits. Westbury answered with big threes from Anthony Broncato and Cody Glenn as Second Baptist went to the zone defense. Second went into halftime with a 7point advantage (29-22). Second kept a 6-point lead (37-31) heading into the 4th period. In the 4th Alex Cooper (13pts) owned the glass as he continued to convert offensive rebounds. WC managed to fight its way back in the game behind the penetration of Anthony Collins(12 points) who continued to slice the defense and find open shooters. Cody Glenn hit a big 3 to tie the game at 43 with 1:30 to go in the game. After a defensive stop Collins drew a foul and made 1 of 2 free throws to give his squad the lead 44-43. On the next possession Mihkail McLain drove strong to the rack and was fouled. He to converted 1 of 2 free throws to knot the score at 44. Anthony Broncato missed a short corner jumper with a few ticks on the clocks and WC was unable to convert on an offensive tip which sent the game into overtime. Broncato redeemed himself with a layup to open the overtime period and gave his squad the lead (46-44). Alex Cooper was then fouled and once again converted 1 out of 2 free throws to bring Second within 1 point (46-45). The rest of the game was a free throw contest as Lante Phillips went 4/4 and Anthony Collins 2/2. LJ Rose (16pts) kept his squad in the game with a couple of strong drives and they had a chance with 10 secs and down by 3. Andre Prince nailed a long three off the glass…….but it didn’t count! His coach called a timeout as he was getting ready to pull up for the deep bomb. After the timeout Rose and Prince had a miscommunication and turned it over. Game over. Westbury Christian 52-  Second Baptist 49.

With all the talk surrounding Yates, Worthing had a 64-point blowout against Scarborough (109-44). In other action Wheatley continues to impress as they beat Jones 85-74. Wheatley had a balanced scoring attack as Kenneth Payne led the way with 17 pts. Three players (William Moore, Lakeytrick Quinn, and Ashton St. Jules) had 15. Sophmore Rodrick Harris led Jones with 24 ponits. Wheatley is one of those squads who people dismiss at the beginning of every year, but they always find a way to win. Nevin Johnson continued his high scoring ways with 26 points for Lutheran North in a 59-36 win over Awty International. Sam Houston dropped to 3-10 on the season as they lost to Lamar 46-43. Highly touted junior Anthony Norris had 9 pts in the loss. Langham Creek won its first district game against Cy Falls 64-57. Lehigh signee Mackey McKnight exploded for 25 points in the win. Dedrick Archie (24pts) led Dickinson to a 67-62 win over Clear Lake. Stratfor escaped with a 39-35 win over Memorial. Led by Everett Pleasant (18 pts) Atascosita snuck by North Shore 50-48. Aaron Turner dropped 26 in a win for Mayde Creek. over Terry Elsik opened up district play with a big win over Spring Woods 73-54. Amos Olatayo went off for 29 points. Texas commit Julien Lewis (28pts) and Isiah Matthews(Texas City) 27 pts had a scoring duel as Lewis’ Lamarque squad came out on top 61-58. Randy Collins showed why Sam Houston is so high on him as he scored 35 points for Laporte in an 82-51 over Sam Rayburn.

While all the attention has been on Yates, teams like Bush, Bellaire, Kingwood and Elsik have been quietly winning and looking like contenders in 5A.

January 3, 2010

As expected Yates steamrolled Austin 139-51. Joseph Young led the way with 33 points and Brandon Peters added 25. It is highly unlikely that Yates will get a game that will be closer than 20-30 points the rest of the season. Looking ahead Dallas Lincoln might give them a run for their money in the state playoffs, but I don’t even see that game getting within 20 points. Westbury Christian beat Fort Bend Baptist 56-33 in front of a packed house at FBB. Playing off emotion and the energy of its home crowd Fort Bend went into halftime down by 2 points 24-22. Westbury Christian came out in the second half in attack mode as Lante Phillips and Justin Foreman got the team going with some strong finishes at the rim. WCS had a balanced attack as Foreman (10 points) was the lone player in double figure for the Wildcats. Jarrod Woods (6’4 g 2010), 18 points, did all he could do for Fort Bend but they simply didn’t have enough firepower to contend with Westbury Christian. Hyji Thomas exploded for 26 points as Booker T Washington beat Worthing 82-76. Brandon Thompson led Worthing with 23 pts. Bellaire destroyed Madison 93-56. Bellaire had a balanced scoring attack as Jamel Outler dropped 21pts, Sheldon McClellan 19, and Sebastion Douglass 17. Bellaire improves to 19-1 on the season as is quietly dominating the city of Houston right now as they continue to stockpile double digit wins. Derrick Griffith (6’6 f Terry) is staking his claim as the best freshman in the city. He continues to put up monster numbers against varsity competition. He hung 40 points on Channelview in a 84-79 victory. With all due apologies to the Harrison twins Griffith is the most explosive player in the 2013 class! Despite Alex Ethridge’s 27 points Chavez lost to Milby 79-72. Junior guard Tre Bennett led the Buffs with 25 points. Stratford continued its winning ways with a 58-49 win over Aleif Taylor. Sean Bowman led the way with 14 points and UTEP signee Darrious Curry added 13 in the victory. Kingwood manhandled MacArthur 72-37. Robert Singletary (15 points), and Tevin Svihovec (12 points) led the way for the Mustangs as they improved to 18-4 this season. Kingwood is one of those teams that have a system in place and every year they are in the thick of the playoff race regardless of who is on the roster. They are always one of the most disciplined teams and they just find a way to get it done. Strake Jesuit escaped with a 2-point win (40-38) over Memorial. Rasheed Sulaimon led Strake with 14 points. Elsik beat its neighbor school Hastings 66-50. Amos Olatayo(19pts) and Kevin Brown (15pts) led the way for the Rams as they are one of the most dangerous teams in the state right now. Wheatley handled rival Kashmere easily 86-72. Kenneth Payne led the Wildcats with 23 points.

Decemebr 31, 2009

Yates took home the T- Mobile championship with a 108-77 win over Butler. Joseph Young staked his claim as one of the top 100 players in the country with a 41 point performance and MVP Honors. This tournament was the last real test for Yates as they return home to start district play. For the rest of the season they wont have a game closer than 25 points. When they capture their second straight 4A championship this season, you have to figure where they fit into the hierarchy of Houston Basketball. Are they better than the Willowridge team from 2001 that was led by All-American TJ Ford, or the ’85 Madison team that was led by Sean Gay? How do they stack up against the great Wheatley teams from the 60’s and 70’s? That’s a debate that can go on forever and a day! Im also still puzzled why a D1 hasn’t offered Elton Roy yet? His 21 point performance in the championship was proof that he is a legit D1 prospect. He has the size, range, and athletic ability to be a player on the next level. Hopefully Yates will get a chance to stake its claim as the #1 team in the nation at the end of the season if ESPN invites them to its national tournament in March.

Lucas Holiday Xplosion Recap

Christian Life squandered an opportunity to beat a national team in Memphis White Station. They were up by as many as 15 points before White Station began pressing and creeping back in the game. Joe Jackson showed why he is considered to be one of the top 5 point guards in the country. He hit clutch three’s and came up with clutch steals in route to 42 points. Its scary to say, but Jackson didn’t even look like he played up to his full potential. He looked a bit tired and sluggish at times in the Christian Life and Bellaire game, but was still able to produce. White Station won the game on a free throw with 1 sec on the clock. Bellaire took care of its business against White Station (71-68) and Prestenwood (49-35). In the White Station game Sebastion Douglass (6’3 pg 2010) didn’t back down from Joe Jackson. He picked him up full court and met him at the rim and blocked two of his dunk attempts. That set the tone for the rest of his Bellaire teammates and Tobi Oyedeji went to work. He was unstoppable with an array of jump hooks and face up jumpers as he went for 29 points, 13 reb, and 7 blocks. The pace of the game was much slower against Prestenwood. Heralded sophmore Zach Peters and Oyedeji wrestled inside and experience prevailed. I saw the future in Prestenwood’s freshman Julius Randle. He is a mixture between Zach Randolph and Anthony Mason, and is top 5 in his class nationally. Strake dropped both of its games against Prestenwood (59-39) and Norcross (61-46). Rasheed Sulaimon scored 42 points in two games , but it wasn’t enough for Strake as they were simply outmatched down low in both game.

Congrats to Fort Bend Baptist on winning their Holiday Invitational Tournament. They are one of the most underrated teams in the area and they continue to win games. We are going to see if they are for real this weekend when they square off with Westbury Christian.

With the first half of the season completed, and everybody gearing up for district play this mid season player rankings for 2010,2011, and 2012 will be updated!

December 22,2009

Recap of HISD Tourney

The first day of the HISD Tournament went as expected with a few exceptions. Bellaire and Wetsbury Christian steamrolled their opponents. Sterling upset private school powers St. Thomas and Strake Jesuit in the first two rounds of actions. Strake recovered with a win against Furr, (before bowing out to Clear Creek) where I watched Rasheed Sulaimon take over in the second half. Even in their loss to Wheatley, Worthing was very impressive. Coach Patrick (fmr. Coach at Wheatley) has his troops playing hard, with Brandon Thompson (6’3 g 2011) leading the way. The high scoring guard dropped 28 in the loss to Wheatley and is one of the leading scorers in the area. Madison beat Sam Houston by 30 in the opening round. I was disappointed by Sam Houston’s effort considering the fact that they had a lot of preseason hype with incoming junior Anthony Norris, who is one of the top rated players in the country. With his length, athletic ability, size, and shooting range, Norris has the potential to be one of the top 5 players in the area and state regardless of class. When you have that type of talent you should be putting your team on your back, and at least put u a fight. Speaking of disappointments, I expected a much better game from the Westbury Christian and Jones showdown. Westbury Christian beat Jones by 37 points as Cody Glenn erupted for 5 threes in the first half and Anthony Collins controlled the game getting to any spot he wanted on the floor. Elsik also came to play. They beat Second Baptist in overtime and showed why everybody was so high on them in the preseason. After losing to Elsik, Second Baptist had to play in a back to back against Westfield and they were noticeably fatigued. After playing every minute of the Elsik game LJ Rose went down with cramps in the second half, and that was it for Second Baptist. After beating Second Baptist, Elsik had to face Stratford and former teammate Darrious Curry (UTEP signee.) Curry came out in attack mode and was aggressive from the jump. Kevin Brown led the charge for Elsik and it was a battle to the end. Curry missed a contested layup at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime and Elsik escaped with the win. On the other side of the bracket Bellaire didn’t face any competition as they beat Madison and Chavez by 20+ points. On Monday Elsik met up with Westbury Christian. From the opening tip Elsiks game plan was to keep Anthony Collins out of the lane and close out on Westbury Christian’s shooters. They sagged on Collins and cut off all penetration lanes and Westbury Christian’s shooters could never find their rhythm. AAU teammates Nick Sheppard and Josh Cleveland battled inside while Kevin Brown (6’3 g Central Florida signee) was raining from deep. Elsik prevailed putting them in the championship game. In the other semi-final Wheatley faced Bellaire. Wheatley battled and played hard, but Bellaire was in control for the entire game before pulling away in the 4th qtr. Jamel Outler looks like he has regained the form that made him a big time prospect. He finished the Wheatley game as the high scorer with 27 points. In the championship game Elsik came out with the first punch as they took the early lead on Bellaire. Amos Olatayo and Elsik’s shooters were raining from three, and their halfcourt zone defense stifled Bellaire. Bellaire finally took control of the game at the beginning of the fourth when they scored on four straight possessions to take a 52-43 lead. Elsik refused to go away. They battle back and after Jamel Outler missed the backend of a 1and 1 free throw Elisk had a chance to tie the game. Josh Cleveland threw an alley-oop to a wide open Amos Olatayo under the basket. He missed the layup, then had two opportunities under the basket to tip it in, that came up just short! Bellaire escaped with the win and its second tournament championship this season. Tobi Oyedeji was outstanding on both ends of the floor as he captured the MVP award, and Sheldon Mclellan led the way with 18 points. Bellaire is looking like the team that everybody had favored to go all the way to Austin this year. Even when they aren’t clicking on all cylinders, they are still finding a way to win.

 Players who impressed at the HISD Tourney:

Jamel Outler(Bellaire)—Had breakout games against Wheatley and Madison. 20+ points. Played with a extra bounce in his step,and was in attack mode

Brandon Thompson (Worthing)—Not the quickest or most athletic, but can fill it up from anywhere on the court. 28 against Wheatley

Nick Sheppard (Westbury Christian)---Played with a fire and passion all tournament. Rebounded, blocked shots, and played above the rim

Rasheed Sulaimon (Strake Jesuit)---Scorer supreme. Tried to carry his Strake team. Went on several runs where he would just take over the game.

Kevin Brown (Elsik)—Played with the swagger and confidence of a big time player. Was he best point guard in the tournament. Made big plays everytime his team needed a basket. With no disrespect to Central Florida, Brown looked like a high major player.

Tobi Oyedeji (Bellaire)—Emotional leader for his squad. Championship statline of 13 points, 7 blocks, and 8 rebounds was a typical day at the office for him.

 Lakeytrick Quinn (Wheatley)—Hard nosed, athletic guard. Had 25 in loss to Bellaire. Plays hard on every possession.

 In other news: Yates beat Columbia by 26 and will face Montrose Christian in the championship. Brandon Peters won the dunk contest, and if they win the championship it looks like he will be bringing home the MVP honors as well. Deangelo Harrison exploded for 33 points in a win over Alief Taylor, and Freshman DerrickGriffith dropped 18 points to lead Terry over Fort Bend Marshall.

December 17, 2009

Galveston Ball captured the tournament championship in the REB International Tournament in Edmonton, Canada. They scored over 100 points in all three of their games and Junior Terran Petteway was named MVP. Junior Mike Evans received first team all tournament honors. Last night after returning from their Canada trip they defeated Deer Park 69-55. Evans and Petteway led the way with 15 points apiece.

The Houston Preps Mixtape is now available. I will be at select games with the DVD. Randall Wilson will also be at select games with the Houston Preps Mixtape. The list will be updated daily with the games where the the DVD will be available. We will be at the HISD Tournament at the following games on Friday:

Friday, Dec. 18 @ Delmar Stadium (Westside vs Chavez) 4:30pm; (Madison vs Chavez) 6pm; (Bellaire vs Scarborough) 7:30pm

Friday, Dec. 18 @ Butler Stadium (Westbury Christian vs Lee) 3:00pm; (Sharpstown vs Washington) 4:30, (Westbury vs Galena Park North Shore) 6pm

December 15, 2009

After taking a look at the HISD Tournament brackets I predict that the final four will be Bellaire, Second Baptist, Westbury Christian, and Strake Jesuit. It’s quite ironic that of those four teams only one (Bellaire) is an actual HISD team, while the other three are private school powers. Bellaire has a fairly easy run to the final four. They might face a test in the second round as they will play the winner of the Madison vs Sam Houston game, but if Bellaire plays up to their full potential they should easily make it to the semi-finals. My favorite in the Barnett bracket (Strake Jesuit) has a stiffer road. They will face a tough rematch with rival St. Thomas in the second round, who they beat a few weeks ago at St. Thomas. I know St. Thomas will come out fired up with their rowdy fans looking for revenge. If Strake passes that test they will most likely face a Wheatley team that has been playing surprisingly well. Rasheed Sulaimon is a big time player and I think he will be able to carry his team, and it will be up to guys like Elliot Franshaw to pick up the slack when defenses start to double Sulaimon. In the Butler bracket Westbury Christian should meet up with an athletic Booker T Washington team in the second round and Jones in the third round. Westbury Christian is disciplined enough to take care of both teams. It also helps when you have a floor leader like Anthony Collins to control the tempo of the game. In the Reagan bracket Second Baptist should continue its winning ways. They will face Elsik in the second round, who they have already beaten earlier in the season. Next to Bellaire, Elsik might have the most talented team from top to bottom in the tournament, but they haven’t found a way to make gel as a team yet. Despite those issues they are still a sleeper team. Remember this is the same tournament where they gave Yates their only loss of the season last year. However, Second Baptist is on a roll, and just like Westbury Christian they have a floor general (LJ Rose) who can contol tempo and pace of the game. So in my predictions the Final Four will be Bellaire vs Strake Jesuit and Second Baptist vs Westbury Christian. Bellaire’s depth and size should wear out Strake as they advance into the championship. The Second Baptist and Westbury Christian matchup will be one that goes to the wire. Both teams have impact transfers in the starting lineup (SB-Henry Riasco, Andre Prince; WC-Lante Phillips), big time point guards (SB—Rose; WC-Collins), and long and athletic posts (SB—Mikhail Mclean; WC- Nick Sheppard). I will give the slight edge to Westbury Christian considering the fact they beat Second Baptist twice last year. In the championship game I have Bellaire beating Westbury Christian to capture their second tournament championship of the season. Bellaire beat Westbury Christian earlier in the season in double digits as they had a size advantage down low. If Westbury Christian’s shooters can get hot from three point land, and keep Bellaire off the offensive board it could get interesting, but I have Bellaire penciled in as the HISD tourney champs.

December 13, 2009

After losing a double digit lead to Bush and eventually losing the game. Travis HS bounced back to beat Marshall and Elsik (62-46) at the Outback Tournament. Travis is a team that is quietly sneaking up on people. They could have very well been in the semifinals facing Elkins but they squandered a double-digit second half lead against Bush. In that game Coach Courtney decided to ignore his team and not speak to them during timeouts as a ploy to get them to play harder. It definitely worked. Unsigned senior Jordan Clark and UT-Arlington signee Darius Richardson went to work. Richardson began raining threes from all over the court and Clark had 3 dunks in row on fastbreak situations to propel Bush to the win. Dulles is also a team that is on a roll. They blasted Arlington Bowie (59-38) before bowing out to Bush in the championship game (62-59). In the championship game young big man Cameron Ridley (6’10 c 2012) exploded for 27 points. He also added 11 rebounds and 10 blocks and was very dominant as he became the first player to record a triple double in the championship game of the Outback Tournament. He is sure to see a boost in his stock and recruitment after that performance. Unsigned senior Bryant Mbamalu led Dulles with 26 points and Deangelo Harrison, who was running point and dropping a lot of assists, added 14. Down in Beaumont Westbury Christian captured the championship at the YMBL tournament after defeating Beamount Westbrook (54-34) and Port Arthur Memorial in the championship game (55-40). Anthony Collins was named tournament MVP, while Justin Foreman and Cody Glenn both received All-Tournament honors. In the St. Pius shootout Village School beat Lutheran North 61-53. Sophomore Trey Williams led the Village with 21pts and Chris Matthews added 14.

There are a lot of quality unsigned seniors still available in the Houston area for any schools looking for late signees:

• Jason Carter 6’8 f (Christian Life)—plays on a stacked team, so his numbers wont be as high as others on this list. Good body, can finish around the rim, nice face up jumper, not afraid to bang

• Mykail McClain 6’7 f (Second Baptist)---athletic, long wingspan, crashes the boards and can play on the wing

• Bryant Mbamulu 6’4 g (Dulles)—one of the most underrated players in the area. Had 26 pts in championship of Outback tourney. Good athlete, nice pull-up jumper, good mid range game

• Elton Roy 6’3g (Yates)—strong, aggressive guard—can get to the rim and finish, or knock down the 3ball

• Aaron Turner 6’8 f (Mayde Creek)—One of the most versatile players in the area. Has had 4 straight 20+ point games. Can really stroke the ball from distance, good passer and ballhandler

• Sebastion Douglass 6’3 g (Bellaire)—Excellent Athlete, can handle and make plays in the open court

• Jordan Clark 6-5 g (Bush)—Led his team to Outback tourney championship, long arms, great athlete and defender, high energy guy, makes plays all over the floor

• Kevin Williams 6-0 g (Pearland)—Strong pg, good mid range, looks to get teammates involved, cbreak down defense off dribble-drive

• Hyji Thomas 6'1 g (Booker T. Washington)---athletic slasher that plays above the rim, competes, defends

• Adrain Kuyinu 6’4 f (Dulles)—competitor, plays harder than anybody on the floor. Does all the dirty work that the average player isn’t willing to do.

• Andre Adams 5’8 g (Cy Woods)—Has jets in the open court, gets in the paint and makes plays for himself and teammates, excellent pull-up, pressures the ball

• Lante Phillips 6’0 g (Westbury Christian)—Good defender, knocks down shots off the catch and shoot, and off the dribble, unselfish playmaker

December 11, 2009

I witnessed Bush demolish Stratford yesterday at the Outback tournament. Bush was up 41-7 at halftime and was in full control the whole game. I was waiting for Darrious Curry to make a run but it never occurred. The final score ended 77-40. Darius Richardson and Demarcus Gatlin both dropped 20 points for Bush. I also saw Travis take a commanding 20 point lead in the first half only to see Pearland rally and take a 1 point lead late, behind Shai Fields(16 points) in the fourth quarter as they continued to give up 3 pointers to Pearland. Travis eventually battled and held off the rally to get the win (52-45). Drew Oneybuchi led Travis with 15 points. Coaches from Stephen F.Austin, Liberty, Prairie View, Bradley, and Texas State were in the building checking out all the action. In a matchup of Fort Bend contenders Elkins held off Hightower (54-46), and Dulles narrowly escaped Spring Woods with a 1 point win. Adrain Kuyinu led all scorers with 19 points. Elsik might be finally putting the pieces together on that talented roster. They beat Cy Ridge(60-49). Stephen F. Austin signee Amos Olatayo led the Rams with 24 points. Hopefully they can put it all together and make a run because on paper they are one the 5 most talented teams in the area. Westbury Christian is in Beaumont taking care of business at the YBML tournament. They beat Dallas Kimball (who they beat a few weeks ago in the Jamboree) 62-41. Justin Foreman led the Wildcats with 14 points. Anthony Collins and Cody Glenn had 11 apeice. In the Dayton classic Lamarque took care of Morton Ranch despite Mike Harmon’s 25 points. Texas commit Julien Lewis had 23 in the win.

I also got a chance to see New Mexico practice for their game this Staurday against Texas A&M. One semester of college training and weight lifting can make a huge difference. Jamal Fenton (Chavez) and Matt Staff (Memorial) have really developed physically since the end of their high school careers.

December 10, 2009

It was good to see Daniel Gibson get his #22 jersey retired yesterday at Jones High School. Many of his former teammates showed up and he showed appreciation to all of them. D Gib even became emotional as he recalled growing up in the area, attending school, and winning the state championship. All of his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates showed up as well (with the exception of Shaq) and the loudest ovations from the Jones crowd were reserved for Lebron James and Keyshia Cole of course. The Outback tournament is underway today and I will have updates, news, and scores.

December 9, 2009

Props goes to Seven Lakes as they became the first team of the young season to hold Yates under 100 points. It was a big crowd and there was a playoff atmosphere feel to the game. Here is a quick recap of the game:

 1st qtr:  Elton Roy came out on fire dropping two threes as he scored 8pts in the opening period. Seven Lakes refused to back down as Trey Pinkney’s pull-up jumper brung Seven Lakes within 2pts (16-14) with 1:34 to go. Yates ended the 1st qtr with a 22-17 advantage.

 2nd qtr: Seven Lakes opened the quarter in a zone and Roy had a nifty crossover pull-up to stretch the lead to 24-17. The game began to get a little physical and chippy and the refs let them play. With 4:30 to go in the qtr Snap intercepted a pass and took off from outside the box with a monster slam. It was one of the trademark Snap dunks that sends the crowd into a frenzy and the opponent into shock, but Seven lakes refused to be intomidated. Trey Pinkney continued to break the press and make plays for himself and his teammates. A crititcal junction of the game occurred when Yates leader Darius Gardner picked up his 3rd foul late in the quarter. Seven Lakes went into halftime down 46-38.

 3rd qtr: It seemed as if everytime Yates tried to pull away Trey Pinkney would make a big play or find Princeton Onwas (6’3 2011) cutting to the basket for the finish. Pinkey brung the game to its closest margin (58-55) when he went coast to coast for the left hand layup. Joseph Young who had been quiet for most of the game woke up in the period and got loose. He shifted the momentum of the game when he hit a 35 foot bomb at the buzzer to give Yates the lead (68-60) going into the final period.

 4th qtr: The final period was basically a whole lot of Joe Young outside and Brandon Peters inside as Yates kept Seven Lakes at a distance. They never went on one of their patented runs where they blow the lead wide open but they did what they had to do to get the win. (88-76).

 Joseph Young led the Lions with 27 points and Peters added 22. Darius Gardner who was saddled with foul trouble had 12 and Elton Roy 11. Trey Pinkney and Princeton Onwas had 17 apeice for Seven Lakes. One thing is for usre, Yates is not the same team when Gardner is not on the floor. He is the quaterback and general who makes that high engine offense go. Pinkney who is only a sophmore showed a lot heart and he was unafraid to challenge the press and make plays off the dribble. He finished with 17 , but should have had close to 25 pts if he could have converted all of his free throws. While everybody will talk about the “moral” victory and how good lakes played, the fact remains that Yates still won by double digits and they didn’t play anywhere near their potential.  This goes to show you how talented a team is, when a 12 point win almost feels like a loss.

 Hightower also put a scare into the #1 5A team in the area (Bellaire) and Dulles escaped with a win over Pearland as Dengelo Harrison saved the day with a buzzer beater. The Madison and Marshall game was cancelled after a big brawl ensued in the openening minutes of the game. More details, scores, and updates will be provided later on.On another note the Cleveland Cavaliers are in town and Jones High School will be retiring Daniel Gibson’s number this evening!

December 6, 2009

After their victory over Christian Life in the semi-finals, Second Baptist fell in the championship game to San Antonio Clarke (60-56). LJ Rose and Mikhail McLean were both named to the All tournament team. It was easy to see why a let down could occur after taking down Christian Life, which is widely considered one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the area. Westbury Christian and Dulles also captured tournament championships over the weekend. Westbury Christian, which was led by Anthony Collins and Justin Foreman, who both garnered All-tournament honors, won the Killeen tournament. Dulles was led by All tournament selections Deangelo Harrison and Bryant Mbamulu in winning the Round Rock Tournament. Nevin Johnson (Lutheran North) continued his scoring spree this weekend. They placed 5th in the James White Invitational and he had two games of 31 points and 25.

The Houston Preps Mixtape Volume 1 is finally completed. It will be available on Friday. You will be able to order it online or pick it up at the local high school games. I will have a list of games that I will be in attendance selling them. Randall Wilson will also be at select high school games selling the DVD as well. The list of games where you can purchase the DVD will be listed on the home page Friday.

December 4, 2009

As promised the Houston Preps Mixtape “The DVD” Volume 1 is coming soon. Here is a teaser of whats to come on the DVD. It will include highlights from the 2009 Houston AAU circuit, behind the scenes footage at the Mc Donalds and Jordan All American games, highlights from the training and workout sessions, and the TMG documentary. To pre-order your copy fill out the contact form with the required information.

Bellaire handled Hastings (64-44) easily in the first round of the Aldine Invitational. Jamel Outler had 12, and unsigned seniors Jonathon Evans and Sebastion Douglass had 11 and 10. Despite Demarcus Johnson’s 18 points and Joe Miles 17 Cy Fair upset Jones in the Spring Branch ISD Tournament 78-63. Fort Bend Baptist remains unbeaten after handling St. Thomas Episcopal 88-55. Aldine upset Madison 71-51. Willaim Whyte led Aldine with 18 pts. Mackey McKnight (Lehigh signee) exploded for 36 points as he led his Langham Creek team to a 77-71 win over Katy. UTEP signee Darrious Curry dropped 18 for Stratford in a win over Baytown Lee (60-42).

December 2, 2009

I stopped by to check out the newly formed prep school team(LOGOS Prep) face off against Northeast Christian. Junior Chris Patureau (6’5 g) put on a show for Northeast Christian in the 80-37 win. He dropped 36 points on a variety of 3’s, midrange jumpers, and even an alley oop dunk off the glass. Patureau says he has an offer from Lamar University, and has received interest from a couple of Missouri Valley Conference schools and Ivy League schools. Nevin Johnson (6’5 g 2011) who was the forgotten man in all the mess at Lutheran North has been forced to step up his game. He dropped 26 points and 10 assist in a blowout win against Faith West Academy. The defections of Wannah Bail, Michael Carey, Kendall Deveaux, and Donrad Knowles (to Baytown Prep) might have been a blessing in diguise for Johnson. While he is one of the most naturally talented players in the state he was also overshadowed by the previously mentioned names and the defections automatically made him the best player on the team, which means he has to step up and be a go to player and leader every game. Speaking of Baytown Prep they took another loss against the very talented Christian Life high school team 69-47. D. Pukis led the way for CLC with 14 points and CJ Smith added 8. Wannah Bail led Baytown with 14 points, Kendell Deveaux had 11, Danrad Knowles 10 pts, and Michael Carey 4 pts. Rosenburg Terry knocked off Morton Ranch 67-58. Super freshman Derrick Griffith led the way with 17 points. Elsik, who has one of the most talented rosters in the area, have had a dissappointnig start to the season (3-5). They looked to get on the right track yesterday with a 69-63 against Cy Falls. Stephen F. Austin signee Amos Olatoya led the way with 22 points. Another team that is underachieving is Sam Houston. They had a lot of hype coming into the season with the addition of nationally ranked recruit Anthony Norris. They dropped to 1-5 on the season against Willowridge, who was led by Wykeem Randle with 19 pts.  Dulles is on a roll as they blasted Davis with a Yates like score (112-46). Their three-headed monster led the scoring attack (Adrian Kuyinu—17pts, Bryant Mbamaulu- 16 pts Deangelo Harrison-16 pts). In a semi-upset Strake Jesuit beat St. Thomas on its home floor 47-29. Rasheed Sulaimon and Elliot Franshaw had 13 points apiece for the Crusaders. Bush is another team that is quietly on a roll. They handled Worthing easily (69-46) as unsigned senior Jordan Clark paced the Broncos with 19 points. Junior Anthony Odunsi had 26 points in a win against Waller.

December 1, 2009

Many people were probably wondering I wasn’t in attendance this past weekend at the Jamboree.I was out of town for the holidays in Las Vegas watching the LasVegas Invitational College Basketball tournament featuring Bradley, Utah, Oklahoma State, and Illinois. My eyes and ears told me that LJ Rose lived up to the hype in his matchup against Phil Pressey while Anthony Collins more than held his own against Pressey as well. By all accounts Pressey’s future college teammate at Missouri Tony Mitchell (Dallas Pinkston) was the best player in the entire classic. Vegas wasa  god trip as I get a chance to see a lot of guys with Houston ties. Houston native Alvin Brooks, Jr roamed the sidelines as an asst coach for Bradley and Eddren McCain who is Louisiana, but summer ball with Houston Select ran the point for Bradley as the upset 20th ranked Illinois. I also had the pleasure of watching Ray Penn (Oklahoma State) face off against Chris Hines (who played for Klein Forest and Houston Select) and is now a freshman point guard at Utah in the championship game. Penn brung home all tournament honors as his squad captured the championship. I was also hoping to get a chance to catch former Hightower star Winston Sheppard who is now at Findlay Prep. Unfortunately they weren’t in action.

Back to the high school guys, I was fresh off the plane and headed right over to Bellaire to watch their anticipated matchup against Westbury Christian. Bellaire jumped right out of the gates and took control of the game as Kene Anyigbo dominated inside on the offensive glass with a monster two hand dunk. Westbury Christian battled back behind Lante Phillip’s (2) 3 pointers to keep the score close in the 1st quarter. In the second qtr Bellaire exploded as Westbury Christian turned the ball over and struggled to find their shot from behind the arc. On top of that WC pg Anthony Collins picked up two fouls on offensive charges after penetrating to the rim. This pretty much took AC out of his rhythm the rest of the game. Bellaire had stretched the lead to double digits (31-16) by halftime. Bellaire held serve the rest of the game as they had a distinct size and athletic advantage. When it looked Westbury Christian might make a run in the 4th qtr Sheldon McClellan quickly shut that idea down. He had the play of the game as he climbed the back of everybody in the paint and slammed home a monster two-handed tip dunk that sealed the deal. I fully expected the game to be closer than the final margin (66-46). Plain and simple Westbury Christian lives and dies by the 3 pointer. When their shooters are on they are tough to beat, when their shots aren’t falling it’s a different story. Sheldon McClellan was the best player on the floor as he rebounded, finished at the rim, and created scoring opportunities for his teammates. Anyigbo (11pts) and Tobi Oyedeji (10 pts) rounded out the scoring for Bellaire. Anthony Broncato (10 pts) was the lone player for Westbury Christian to reach double digits.

In other games Yates continues on its quest to win a national championship. They steamrolled Kashmere by 99 points 148-99. Joseph Young and Darius Gardner scored 27 apeice and Brandon Peters added 18 in theblowout. The question Im wondering is there any team that is going to get within single digits of Yates? Madison dropped to 2-2 as Wheatley broke the clock (107-93). Junior Goree Allen exploded for 29 points for Wheatley while junior CJ Shelvin dropped 26 pts in the loss.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

I witnessed Westbury Christian hammer Lamar 54-31. Long Beach State commit Nick Sheppard had two monster dunks in traffic that brung the crowd to their feet. Terry handled Pasadena easily 84-43. Odera Nweke (who has two older brothers who played at the D1 level—Kem Nweke at New Mexico and Afam Nweke at Louisiana-Monroe) is trying to create a name for himself. After dropping 28 in the season opener he had 15 in the blowout win last night. Super freshman Derrick Griffith who is one of the most athletic players in the city also had 15 in the win. Despite Lehigh signee Mackey McKnight’s 29 points Langham Creek lost to Kingwood 59-48. Kingwood was led by Tevin Svihovec (Northern Colorado commit) with 19 points. Fort Bend Baptist continues to roll along. They kept their unbeaten record (11-0) intact with an easy win over CHSA. The balanced scoring attack was led by Fred Boussard (14pts), Jarrod Woods (12 pts), and Caleb Bammer (12pts). Rasheed Sulaimon had another monster game with 28 points in a win against Booker T. Washington. It looks like it will be a battle between Deangelo Harrison, Joseph Young, Brandon Peters, and Sulaimon for the cities top scorer as they all are averaging close to 30 points a game. Elliot Franshaw added 17 for Strake.  Lamarque beat Travis 68-55. Junior Julien Lewis scored 23 points in the victory.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Congrats to Brandon Peters as he made a decision to attend Western Kentucky. Western Kentucky has picked up two of the most athletic players in the country in Peters and Kene Anyigbo. I fully expect to see a lot of Sportscenter top 10 plays with those two guys in action. If those two young men really work and become “gym rats” they could play this game for a long time.

I stopped by St. Johns to check out two of the better point guard in the area in LJ Rose (Second Baptist) and William Young (St. John’s). What I wasn’t expecting to see was a close game decided in the final seconds. Second Baptist definitely had the advantage when it came to talent, size, and reputation, but St. Johns refused to back down. Timothy Otey ( 5’10 2011) (26 pts) was on fire throughout the entire game. He drained 5 threes and knocked down plenty of big shots from deep and William Young (18 points) continued to break down the defense to find open teammates and scoring opportunities for himself. Second Baptist prevailed in the end as LJ Rose(17 points) sank two free throws to give his squad the win (60-64.) Deangelo Harrison continues to put up big numbers as he dropped 31 in a win over Dickinson (73-60). Dulles has one of the top trios in the area in Harrison, Bryant Mbamulu (18 pts), and Adrian Kuyinu (17 pts).

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Bellaire took care of business against Austin Westlake 50-47 to win the championship in the Gold Division of the McDonald’s Texas Invitational. Tobi Oyedeji took home MVP honors despite facing double teams throughout the entire tournament. Check out Oyedeji’s thoughts in Player Diaries. In other action around the area Strake Jesuit suffered an upset at the hands of Waltrip in the Magnolia tournament. Kingwood beat San Antonio Madison 35-28 to win the Bronze division and Desoto took home the Silver championship defeating Dickinson 54-43.

The finishing touches are being put on the Houston Preps DVD “Houston Preps Mixtape Vol.1” It will have behind the scenes footage from the McDonalds and Jordan All American Games as well as highlights from the 2009 AAU season and workouts and training sessions. Stay tuned for details!!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Bellaire ran the table beating Laporte and Berkner to reach the finals of the Texas Invitational against Austin Westlake. Before losing to Bellaire, Laporte handled Bush 63-49. Sam Houston signee Randy Collins dropped 25 pts in the victory. Travis beat Cy Falls (60-54). Anthony Odunsi (27 pts) led the way for Travis. Brandon Thompson (6’3 g 2011) continues to put up big numbers for Worthing as he had 31 points in their victory over Austin. Yates continues to steamroll its opponents. They crushed Sam Houston by 92 points (163-71). They had 8 players in double digits led by Joseph Young (35 pts), Clyde Santee (25 pts), and Brandon Peters (19 pts). Yates could have easily scored 200 pts if they would have left their starters in. Their starters barely touched the floor in the 2nd half. Baytown Prep got its first win against North Forest, and they will face Furr High School today at 2pm.

Friday, November 20, 2009

I went to check out the newly formed Baytown Prep (with all the Lutheran North transfers) play their first game against University Park Prep. While Baytown had the height advantage University Park had the experience. The are a team full of post grad players and they used their experience to beat Baytown 80-59. Baytown Prep has a lot of young talent but it looks like they need one more ball handler and another shooter to complete their squad. Bellaire is running the table right now as they beat by Pearland and Hunnington (Louisiana) by 20. It was a bad weekend for Hunnington as they also lost to Pearland. Shai Fields went off for 25 and Kevin Williams(17 pts) hit an 80 ft shot at the buzzer to give his squad a 60-57 victory. There were plenty of upsets to go around in the Texas Invitational. Alief Taylor upset LaPorte (65-58) and Marshall shocked Duncanville (61-60). Christian Life faces Galveston Ball tonight in a game that will pit speed vs size. Yates brings their high octane offense to Sam Houston tonight to play Sam Houston. It will be interesting to see how Sam Houston responds after losing to Wheatley by 30.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

There were several explosive scoring performances last night around the Houston area. Rasheed Sulaimon (6’3 g 2012) exploded for 38 points for Strake Jesuit in a 90-66 win over Cy Springs. Expect to see a lot of big scoring performances like this from Sulaimon as he is the main weapon for Strake. No wonder so many high majors like Arizona and Oklahoma State are after the pure scorer. Ryan Manuel (6’4 g 2011 FB Austin) dropped 29 in a win over Terry. Shai Fields (21pts) and Kevin Williams (23 pts) combined for 44 points in a win over Alief Taylor. Shaquille Claire (6’8 f 2012) was a beast down low as he scored scored 29 for the Village in their victory over Beamount Catholic. Deangelo Harrison (6’3 g 2011) exploded for 31 points in a victory Pasadena Memorial. He is easily one of the top 5 scorers in the Houston area. UT Arlington signee Darius Richardson’s 31 points wasn’t enough to beat Lamarque, who was led by Julien Lewis’ 16. Fort Bend’s leading scorer last season (Victor Mbachu 5’10 pg Clements 2011) opened the year with 18 points in a loss to Memorial. Brandon Thompson (6’3 g 2011) went off for 41 points to lead his Worthing squad to a win over Lee. Trust me when I say it wasnt a fluke. I have seen this guy nail 20 straight 3 pointers in workouts. The area’s #1 5A team Bellaire took care of business against Booker T. Washington 91-71. In a balanced attack all five starters reached double digits led by Sheldon McClellan (24 pts) and Tobi Oyedeji (19 pts). In the shocker of the day Wheaatley destroyed Sam Houston by 30 points 108-78. In a losing effort Anthony Norris (6’6 f 2011) dropped 41 points. LaKeytrick Quinn led Wheatley with 34. This win comes as a surprise because Wheatley’s top 3 players (George Jackson, Robert Stokes, and Shaq Burrell) were not in uniform. Hightower clipped Madison 81-76. Jonathon Jordan (5’10 pg 2011) scored 18 for the Hurricanes who are fighting for respect after losing 4 starters from their loaded team last year. Maurice Wiltz (6’1 Colorado St. commit) started his senior year with a bang with 27 points in a blowout win over Waller. This looks like it will bea nexciting high school season. I look for many more guys to put up more explosive scoring performances this year. Baytown Prep will be in action tonight at Fallbrook Church at 7pm facing University Park Prep!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

After the situation at Lutheran North Michael Carey, Wannah Bail, and Danrad Knowles (who are all 2012 high major recruits) will finally get to suit up tomorrow. Baytown Prep will play University Park Prep at Fallbrook Gym at 7. This will be the debut of the new squad, which is poised to become a national program with 3 high major recruits under the guidance of Coach Josh Bailo. Baytown Prep is not to be confused with Baytown Christian which is under TAPPS. It is a separate entity similar to Chritstian Life, Finidlay Prep, and other basketball powerhouses. Baytown is expected to play a national schedule next year.

The private schools prevailed in the Private school vs. public school showdown. They won two out of three as St. Thomas beat Jones and Second Baptist beat Elsik. Lamar was the lone public school to get a win as they prevailed over St. Pius. In that game Lamar was led by athletic junior Jarvis Craft(17 pts) and Adam Drexler (13 pts), who is the son of former Rockets great Clyde Drexler who was in attendance watching the game. The Second Baptist game was highly competitive. The Rams were without the services of starting point guard Cortland Mills and starting big man Josh Cleveland (concussion) who were sitting on the bench in street clothes. Despite missing two key players, Elsik came out in a full court press and Mikhail McLain (19 pts) took full advantage. He was dunking and getting “And 1’s” at will in the first half. Amos Olatoya (39pts) did everything in his power to keep his Elsik squad in the game with a series of acrobatic dunks, layups, and tip jams. In the end Second Baptist held off a late 4th quarter rally from Elsik to preserve the “W” 69-67. Second Baptist was led by Stratford transfer Henry Riasco with 24 points. (Arizona was in attendance checking out LJ Rose while Colorado State was also present checking out several players.) The St.Thomas and Jones game was another fight to the finish. While St. Thomas held a distinct size advantage, Jones had a quickness advantage. While Jones was content to jack 3’s and run and gun, St. Thomas slowed down the tempo and fed big man Aaron Durley inside for easy baskets. In the 3rd quarter Ian Hurley got hot and scored 10 of his game high 18 points as St. Thomas gained control of the game. As Jones made a furious rally in the 4th quarter Christian Sanders took control of the ball and made good decisions and clutch free throws to give his team the victory. Jones was led by Demarcus Johnson(21 points) as he fought and slashed his way to the rim the entire game. Yates looks like they are ready to make history this year. After scoring 182 points in a scrimmage this weekend, they opened up the season with a 140-82 win over Dickinson! Brandon Peters (who is my choice for Preseason Player of the Year) scored 39, Joseph Young 33 pts, Darius Gardner 23, and Alex Davis 20 pts.

In college news some Houston guys did really well in the opening weekend of college basketball.

J’Covan Brown (Texas) had 13 pts, 2 rebs, Tommy Mason Griffin (Oklahoma) 11pts, 4 assts, 3 rebs, Keith “Tiny” Gallon (Oklahoma) 18 pts, 15 rebs, Ray Penn (Oklahoma State) 8 pts, 4assts, Jamal Fenton (New Mexico) 7 pts, 4 reb, 2 assts, Josh Bonney (Elon) 24 pts, 7 assts, Meech Goodson (Gonzaga) 5 pts, 3 assts, Toure’ Murry (Wichita State) 16 pts, 7 assts, 5 rebs, Devin Gibson (UT-San Antonio) 12 pts, 7 assts, 4 reb, Junior Tresaure (Texas Southern) 27 pts, 3 reb, 3 assts, and Blake Jolivette (American) 6 pts, 1 stl.

Monday, November, 16, 2009

Yates pummeled Scarborough in a scrimmage this weekend. They reset the score after each quarter, but the final tally ended up being 182-32! No, that is not a misprint ,and they were playing 8-minute quarters. An amazing 14 players scored double digits for Yates. That is just flat out outrageous. In the marquee scrimmage of the day Bellaire faced off with Christian Life. Bellaire handled CLC winning by double digits in a couple of the quarters. When Bellaire is clicking on all cylinders they will be tough to beat. Malcolm Glover is expected to return from an elbow injury soon and that will give them a scoring boost off the bench. Leslee Smith was a beast for CLC as he has knocking down midrange jumpers and crashing the glass hard. Sheldon McClellan showed glimpses of why he could be a special player. He was breaking down the D off the dribble and had several acrobatic finishes. Wheatley also participated in the scrimmage. George Jackson and Robert Stokes are the keys to that team. If those guys don’t average close to 40 points and 20 rebounds combined it will be a long season for fans of the mighty Wheatley program.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

 Here are a few highlights from the massacre Yates adminstered to FB Austin.

 Congratulations to all the young men who realized their dreams today by signing Letters of Intent with Division 1 Universities. Bellaire had 3 signees (Tobi Oyedeji--TX A&M, Jamel Outler--Texas Tech, Kene Anyigbo--Western Kentucky), and has 1 more D1 prospect (Sebastion Douglass) still undecided. Yates had two signees (Darius Gardner—SFA and Joseph—Providence) and at least two other D1 prospects Snap Peters and Elton Roy. It was really good to see Maurice Wiltz sign on the dotted line with Colorado State. This is a guy who nobody knew about a year ago. He was playing at a 3A school and wasn’t playing on one of the major shoe sponsored teams. None of those factors stopped him from chasing his dreams as he worked hard and believed in himself until he accomplished his goal. For all of you seniors who remain unsigned today should be a wake up call and motivation to get it done. A scholarship is not going to fall in your lap. Market yourself, email coaches, get a highlight film and game tape, do your research, ask questions. If you can play there is a school for you.

I watched Yates scrimmage Fort Bend Austin today. Wow is all can say about that game. It had a mid-season feel as the stands were packed, the crowd was hype. They played in quarters and reset the score after each period (which was a good thing for Austin.) At one point in the 1st period I looked up at the scoreboard and it read 38-2! With all due respect to FB Austin, Yates completely destroyed Austin. If they kept an official score Yates would have won by about 50 points. Yates was simply the aggressor as they were flying to the ball, pressing, and trapping all over the floor. Snap had 3 dunks that would have made top 10 Sportscenter if ESPN were present. On one particular dunk he said he had to make a statement after an Austin player blocked a shot and started talking a little smack. Snap proceeded to take off from a few feet inside the free throw line and throw one down (which brung the crowd to its feet). Joe Young was clicking on all cylinders as he was raining three’s from all over the court, and Alex Davis made several nice moves in the post. To be honest I don’t see anybody in the area getting within 20 points of the Lions.

Wednesday, November 10, 2009

Bellaire has their 4th commitment. Kene Anyigbo has verbally committed to Western Kentucky.

 I have been all around the past two weeks watching scrimmages. Here is a few notes and observations:

Madison might not have Tommy Griffin to come save the day, but they will be really competitive. They might actually be a better team because they have to play as a unit and cannot depend on one player to conquer all with 4th quarter heroics. They are playing an all out full court press and trapping style that Coach Maura said he implemented from Coach Wise at Yates. Fred Basile is back from Gulf Shores and he is poised to be their leading scorer. Brenson Lair will provide the spot up 3 point shooting and CJ Shelvin and Deaundray Griffin will provide the athleticism. I saw LaPorte handle the Madison press as Randy Collins dominated inside and out. He also displayed some athleticism with a nice baseline dunk. Today I watched Bellaire beat Worthing, Strake Jesuit, and College Park. Bellaire looks like the team to beat in 5A. They are playing very unselfish basketball and it looks there will be a different scoring leader every night.They are also playing a college style of help man defense that will serve them well in the playoffs. It looks like Coach Glover will rotate the starting lineups to keep all those egos on that team happy. If Strake Jesuit wants to have a chance at competing this year Rasheed Sulaimon will have to average 25 a game. He is the only person on that team who can create his own shot. He is fully capable of lighting it up this year. Brandon Thompson is a knock down shooter for Worthing. He has to work on all other facets of his game to become a complete player. Coach “Pokey” has brung his full court Wheatley style of defense to Worthing. They play hard, but are not quite experienced enough to compete with the big dogs. Seven Lakes should make some noise this year as well. I watched them at the Chavez scrimmages. They are a very disciplined team and Trey Pinkey runs the offense to perfection. I attendee a Yates practice and quite honestly I don’t see any team in the country beating them. They ended their practice with “1-2-3 National Champs!”, and that goal is very attainable. They are not the best team on paper but there isn’t a team around that plays with as much, energy, heart, and hustle as the Lions. Darius Gardner is the leader, Brandon Peters is the best player, Joe Young is the best scorer, and Marshall Lange is the defensive stopper. In other words everybody has an assigned role and they play it to perfection. I have also watched Jones scrimmage. The twins (Roderick and Broderick Harris) have a year of varsity experience under their belt and they will look to replace the production of Ray Turner, while Joe Miles and Demarcus Johnson will be the backbone of the team. Galveston Ball also participated in that scrimmage. They were missing their best player (Terran Petteway) and it showed as they went winless.

Monday, November 9, 2009

In his debut with Penn State Tim Frazier had 4 pts, 5 assts, and 2 reb in 19 minutes, Ray Penn (Oklahoma State) had 6 pts, 5 assts, and 4 reb in 29 min, and former Elkins star Miles Dixon had 13 pts, 4 assts, 3 stls, and 3 reb for Houston Baptist University in their home opener.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Congrats to former Christian Life star Latavious Williams. He made history by becoming the player to be drafted in the Dleague staright out of high school. He went in the 1st round with the 16th pick to the Tulsa 66ers. Williams signed with Memphis but opted to go the professional route. Rashad Woods went in the 7th round to the Rio Grande Vipers. Other Houstonians in the Dleague include Alton Ford(Milby ’00), Lanny Smith (Hightower), John Lucas (Bellaire ’01), and Stanley Asumnu (Westbury Christian ’01). Hopefully all of these guys will get a chance to get called up and play at the highest level. Its all about opportunity and breaks.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

A couple of Houston area natives made their college debuts recently. Jamal Fenton (New Mexico) opened up his career with 12pts, 2assts, and 2 stls in 17 minutes in a win against New Mexico Highlands. In that same game former Cy Springs standout Phillip McDonald had 14 points in 22 minutes for the Lobos. Tommy Mason Griffin (Oklahoma) had 12 pts,5 reb,4 assts, 1stl and was 4-6 from 3 point range in a victory over British Columbia in 23 minutes.

Brandon “Snap” Peters is slated to take a visit to Western Kentucky on the 21st. Lamar State-Port Arthur coach Matt Cross was in town to check out the Yates duo of Marshall Lange and Elton Roy. Westbury Christian heads to San Antonio this weekend to participate in the Antonian Classic. Second Baptist will also be in the Classic.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

I stopped by St. Pius to check out the private school scrimmages. Christian Life ran through the competition as they beat St. Pius and The Heights by 30+. Fort Bend Baptist also came out undefeated.  This was my first chance getting a look at Devedias Pukis (6’5 g 2011) from Siluthe, Lithuania. The kid is lights out. He has to be arguably the best shooter in the area. The guy was knocking down threes off the dribble and catch and shoot from all over the floor. He went through a stretch where he knocked down 7 or 8 in a row against St. Pius. It’s hard to say who had the play of the day between Pontus Holmstrem (6’5 g 2012 Gavle, Sweden) or SMU commit Leslee Smith. Holmestren completed a reverse two-hand dunk in traffic over the top of a defender while Leslee jumped right through a helpless defender who was trying to take a charge. Speaking of commitments Eric Moreland made a verbal today. The 6’9 f has pledged to the UTEP program. He will be leaving his prep school in New Jersey and attending UTEP in January. He will redshirt next semester and be elgible to play in the fall. Moreland had several other visits lined up with high majors but says he really like the campus and coaching staff after the UTEP visit. This makes the second Houston commitment for the Miners as they also landed Stratford star Darrius Curry from the 2010 class.

The NCAA laid down the law on a couple of bad decisions in my opinion.  They ruled that nonscholastic men's basketball events may not be held on D1 campuses. That is just plain crazy. Some kids will never get a chance to play at UT, Duke, Arizona, or any of the high major facilities that a lot of AAU tournaments are played at. They also passed the rule that no outside entities will be allowed to work the elite or summer team camps held by most universities in the summer. That is another terrible rule. Most AAU coaches log thousands of miles around the country to get their kids to a certain elite camp so why shouldn’t they be able to at least work the camp and make a minimal profit? The NCAA is trying to crack down on all the backdoor and under the table deals, but all it is doing is opening the door for even more under the table deals to occur!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Everybody is waiting to see the aftermath of the Lutheran North mess. Well one transfer has already occurred. Dedrick Basile (2013 pg) has followed his older brother (Fred Basile) to Madison.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Rivals.com ran a nice story on Oklahoma State point guard as part of series they are doing on impact freshmen must make a big impact next season for their teams to challenge for league titles and get to the NCAA tournament. Hee is the link to the story: Diminutive Penn confident he can direct Cowboys. Eric Moreland has already visited UTEP and he is scheduled to visit U of H on November 7. He is also setting up a visit with Arkansas.

Monday, October 18, 2009

Friday, October 16, 2009

2013 Rankings coming soon. Dont forget to check out Best of Class to see the best shooter, deefender, athlete, pro potential, best big, wing, and pg in each of class.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Prayers are extended to the family of Madison assistant coach Phillips. Here is a guy who was genuienly in it for the kids. Tommy Mason Griffin told me last year after their loss to Strake Jesuit in the playoffs that, "If Coach Phillips was with us the entire season we would have went to state!" Phillips also served as an asst. coach under current Yates head coach Greg Wise at Hightower. Cancer claimed the life of the coach who impacted the life of so many kids. Tommorow is not promised, so live life with no regrets!

On a brighter note the 2012 rankings are finished.Not much has changed at the top of the loaded 2012 class. Any of the guys ranked #1-4 (J’Mychal Reese, Rasheed Sulaimon, Wannah Bail, LJ Rose) could be the #1 guy in the class. It’s really no separation between any of them. They are all different players in their own right. Bail might have the most potential with his size (6’8) length and high-level athleticism. It also helps that he is a lefty. With all those tools he should be dominating games, but at times he falls in love with the 3 pointer. He can shoot it from deep but his game should start from the inside out. With all that being said he is still the #9 player in the country (according to ESPN) and has a chance to be special. Reese has been at the top of his class since he was in 6th grade. The smooth lefty just flat out gets it done. Rasheed Sulaimon is a killer on the offensive end. He has a competitive nature, and he can get buckets on anybody. LJ Rose is the consummate point guard. He isn’t going to wow you with quicks and hops. He just runs his team, makes the right decisions, and knocks down the open jumper. His IQ is off the charts. Michael Carey is still learning the PG position, but he has physical tools that you cant teach. Christian Sanders is a deadeye shooter and combo guard in the mold of a Kirk Hinrich. He is one of four St. Thomas players in the top 35. Lutheran North has 4 players in the top 35. Even with the loss of Winston Sheppard (Findlay Prep) and Clyde Smith (Hotchkiss School) the 2012 class is still ridiculous. Guys like Aaron Durley (St. Thomas), Danrad Knowles (Lutheran North), and Clyde Santee (Yates) all have the tools to be mid-high major guys. There are 7 players in the top 35 that are 6’8 or taller. There is sure to be some sleepers emerge out of the shadows after seeing these rankings. There is always somebody coming after your spot. 2013 class rankings will be posted tomorrow.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The updated 2011 rankings have been released. Go to the rankings link to view the new list. It’s no surprise that Sheldon McClellan remains at the top of the list. If he dedicates himself, and if everything goes right you’re talking about a kid who has a chance to play at the highest level with his combination of size, skill, length, and athleticism. Now that’s a big if, because along with a #1 ranking comes a big target on your back. Also a #1 ranking can lead to complacency and a sense of entitlement. If he stays humble and works hard the sky is the limit. Anthony Collins(Westbury Christian) holds down the #2 spot. While he wont put up eye popping numbers there are plenty of college coaches who will tell you he is the PG in the city. The strongest position in the 2011 class is the big guard position. You have guys like Julien Lewis (committed to Texas), Deangelo Harrison (Dulles), Terran Petteway (Galveston Ball), Anthony Odunsi (Travis), and Anthony Norris (Sam Houston) who are all big guards that can play all three perimeter spots. Victor Mbachu (5’10 pg Clements) is a sleeper. Few people know that he led the entire Fort Bend district in scoring last year as a sophomore. You’re talking about a district that featured Garlon Green (TCU), Dre Harrison (San Jac), Ray Penn (Oklahoma State), and Khris Roy (HBU), amongst others. He will have to generate a few wins for his Clements squad (who went winless in district last year) and show people that he can be a pure point in order to receive more attention from college coaches. Charles Lewis (6’6 f) and Trey Dickerson (6’0g) should be key figures for Yates off the bench this year. Dickerson transferred from Lamar HS. Sam Houston HS has 3 guys in the top 40. Anthony Norris #7, Denzell Booker #31, and Dante Bachus #40. Even though all the attention is on Terran Petteway down in Galveston people should keep an eye on Mike Evans who is ranked #23. He is a utility do it all type of player who crashes the boards, defends, and plays hard. The Houston Suns summer squad has 8 players in the top 30. Jacoby Harrison (North Shore), Kenyan Willis (Crosby), Joe Miles (Jones), Demarcus Johnson (Jones), Chris Patureau (Northeast Christian), Charles Lewis (Yates), Courtland Mills (Elsik) and Clarence Shelvin (Madison) all laced them up for Coach Byron Johnson’s squad. This should explain their success this past summer on the AAU circuit. There are several players who are the cusp of making the top 40. The 2011 class is loaded with talent especially at the big guard slot. The 2012 rankings will be released tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Marquette and Arkansas is in town to see Deangelo Harrison (6'3 g Dulles 2011). Harrison also said he is taking an unofficial visit to Arizona State this weekend. Brandon Peters is setting up visits with Western Kentucky and TCU. Kene Anyigbo (6'5 Bellaire f 2010) is also setting up a visit with Western Kentucky. If you have followed my basketball workouts you are probably wondering where does Ahmad Ibrahim go to school? Well, he attended Patterson Catholic (North Carolina) last year, but unfortunately that school shut down. He is off to West Virgina this week where he will be attending Mountain State Prep in Beckley, West Virginia. The school is one of the rising prep school programs in the country and will face traditional powwers Oak Hill and Findlay Prep. ESPN updated its rankings of the top 25 players in the 2012 class. J'Mychal Reese was #7, LJ Rose #8, Wannah Bail #9, and Winston Sheppard #22. Our 2010 rankings are completed.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

LJ Rose is currently in Colorado practicing with the USA 17U team. CBS Sports released its list of the top 20 impact freshman for the 2009-2010 NCAA season. Four Houston antives made the top 20. "Tiny" Gallon (Oklahoma) was listed at #8, Tommy Mason Griffin (Oklahoma) at #11, J'Covan Brown (Texas) at #13, and Ray Penn (Oklahoma) at #19.  Speaking of Penn he returned home this weekend and you can check him out playing 1 on1 with former teammate Anthony Odunsi in Basketball Workouts. Ryan Manuel (2011 Fort Bend Austin 6'4 g) is one of the most unheralded recruits that nobody is talking about. That might be partially due to the fact that he played the summer with the Hoopstars 16U team. He has had Boise St, Bradley, Citadel, Southeastern, Wichita State, San Diego, and Stephen F. Austin come by the school to see him. On a side note kids and parents should really take control of their recruitment. Too many kids are getting phone calls, letters, and interest confused with legit scholarship offers. Dont be afraid to ask the coach the tough questions. Its your future!

Friday, October 9, 2009

San Diego was in town to check out Anthony Odunsi at Travis High School. Santa Clara has also visited the school to check out Odunsi. Its ironic that both of those schools already have backcourt players from Houston in Brandon Johnson (Willowridge) at San Diego and Kevin Foster (Morton Ranch) at Santa Clara. Few people know that Foster was the freshman of the year in a conference(WCC) that included Gonzaga, Pepperdine, San Diego, and St. Mary's. Foxsports.com recently put out a list of the top 20 impact feshman for the 2009-2010 season. Tommy Mason Griffin came in 3rd on the list behind John Wall (Kentucky) and Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech) while Port Arthur native J'Covan Brown (Texas) was 12th on the list. Here's what they had to say about Mason-Griffin: "Mason-Griffin may be a tad undersized at 5-foot-11, but the Houston native has what it takes, both physically and mentally, to become an immediate star for the Sooners. With a 195-pound frame, he isn't afraid to drive the lane and take a bump or two. And with his knowledge of the game, he should be able to handle running Oklahoma's offense this fall. While Jeff Capel will undoubtedly miss Blake Griffin's presence in Norman, he'll have a young, yet talented backcourt behind Mason-Griffin and sophomore sensation Willie Warren to lean on." Here is Fox Sports thoughts on Brown: "Avery Bradley might be stealing some of the preseason hype from one of the Longhorns' newest freshman, but with his talent and skill level, Brown should compete for time in Texas' backcourt this fall — and could win the starting point guard job before long. A big-time scorer who averaged 29.9 points per game as a senior at Memorial High (Texas), he has the offensive moves to get by his defender and create his own shot and can also run a team."

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Another senior is off the board! Kevin Brown( 6'3 g Elsik 2010) informed me that he has indeed verbally committed to the University of Central Florida. Brown will be teaming up with Marcus Jordan (son of Michael Jordan) in the backcourt in 2010. UCF is located in Orlando, Florida and competes in Conference USA. That makes two D1 signees (Amos Olatoya--SFA) for the Elsik Rams who are one of the most talented teams in the area.

Good to see John Lucas III on the Miami Heat roster. Houston is still really underrated nationally when it comes to hoops recognition. Right now from the Greater Houston area you have Kendrick Perkins Boston Celtics (Beaumont Ozen); Rashad Lewis--Orlando Magic (Elsik High School), Emeka Okafor--Charlotte Bobcats (Bellaire HS), TJ Ford--Indiana Pacers (Willowridge), Daniel Gibson--Cleveland Caviliers (Jones), DeAndre Jordan--LA Clippers (Christian Life), Ronnie Price--Utah Jazz (Clear Brook), Lawrence Roberts--Memphis Grizzlies (Lamar), Lanny Smith--Sacramento Kings--(Hightower), and Jake Voskhul--Dallas Mavericks (Strake Jesuit) playing at the highest level in the NBA.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Alex Kirk has verbally committed to the Univesity of New Mexico. Many of you might remember Kirk as the big 6'10 red-haired kid that started at the center spot for the Houston Hoops. A lot of people might be wondering what happened to Stevie Rogers? At one point in time Rogers was a high major prospect and was seen in the same light as a Jamal Fenton, Tommy Griffin, and Ray Penn. Unfortunately a couple of knee injuries slowed his career. His senior season at Strake Jesuit (2009) he committed to play for Ben Braun and his staff at Rice Unviersity. He decided to attend Choate Rosemary Hall (w/ the backing of Rice) which is a prestigious private college prepatory boarding school located in Wallingford, Connecticut. According to Mr. Rogers;Stevie "is looking at all options." His dad also assured me that "they are looking for a school with great academics and a decent basketball program as opposed to a school with a good basketball program and an average academic background." Thats something that is definetly not the norm when it comes to kids and choosing a college. It seems like everybody wants to go the biggest name and highest major. Its good to see a kid realize that making it to the league is a long shot, but a degree from a prestigious institution like a Columbia or Penn can take you a long way. Apparently Eric Moreland is really taking care of business at Ocean Prep Academy. He says he is setting up visits with Memphis and Miami. His former teammate at Hightower, Winston Sheppard is also handling his own out on the West Coast. Here is what ESPN had to say about Sheppard after his performance at the Full Court frosh/soph camp in Long Beach, California: Winston Shepard (Las Vegas, Nev./Findlay Prep), a 6-foot-7 sophomore, has an extraordinary amount of natural talent, but his flair for the spectacular was hard to stomach throughout the event. If he can slow down and allow the game to come to him, there is no reason he shouldn't be considered one of the top wing-types in the Class of 2012. There were times at this event where it was rather comical in terms of how Shepard was toying with the competition. He is transforming into a high-major wing due to his willowy frame, developing skills and outstanding athleticism. He handles the ball well in the open court and he can drain the jump shot when he's on balance. He is a quick leaper with very good hands and his passing prowess is impressive, especially in transition. Unfortunately, he has a flair for the spectacular and would rather make the more difficult play rather than the more efficient play. His handle can get very sloppy (high dribble) and his passes are wild, as well. There isn't anything wrong with his effort level, but his approach needs an overhaul if he wants to hold on to his lofty upside. Overall, Shepard needs to play with purpose in mind and with less flair for the spectacular. He has the tools to be very good at the next level, but he now must begin to hone his basketball IQ to reach his potential.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Congrats to Anthony Horton on his commitment to Campbell University which is a D1 school in North Carolina. Campbell is a part of the Atlantic Sun Conference which features teams such as North Florida, Mercer, Florida Atlantic, and Belmont. Clear Springs advanced to the playoffs for the first time in the school's history last season and they are focused on maiking it past the 1st round this year. This commitment goes to show my theory on the 2010 class that there will be a lot of guys ranked in the 20's,30's, and even 40's who will be signing D1 scholarships, or at the very least attending college on some level on an athletic scholarship. Be sure to check out Basketball Workouts where you can see video of the type of work we put in!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Rankings for all classes will be updated by the end of the week. Rankings will be a culmination of the AAU season and all of the preseason events that I have witnessed (North Shore tourney, Sweet 16, GASO @ Pearland, Back 2 School Bash). There is sure to be some people who have raised their stock while others will see a drop in their current standing. Eric Moreland has official visits set up this week with UTEP and University of Houston. It is actually a shock to see U of H recruit a hometown kid. To my knowledge I only know one kid (Sebastion Douglass 6'3 pg 2010 Bellaire HS) in the entire Houston area that they are actively recruiting. U of H would be a national program if they could land 5-6 kids a year from Houston.

Super 16:

Bellaire was clicking on all cylinders. They blew out Lutheran North and Wheatley by double digits and were playing an unselfish brand of basketball. Kene Anyigbo was a monster for Bellaire. It looked he was trying to tear the rim off everytime he went up for a dunk. Bellaire rested their starters and gave the JV team some burn which resulted in a loss to Dickinson in bracket play. Westbury Christian went undefeated beating Kingwood and Dickinson in pool play and Lutheran North and Elsik in bracket play. Westbury decided to forfeit after the 4th game. Anthony Collins (6'0 pg 2011 Westb. Chrst.) was unstoppable as he was a 1 man press-breaker and was threading the needle with pinpoint passes in all 4 games. Collins and Lantee Phillips (6'0 cg 2010 Westb. Chrst.) should form one of the better backcourts in the area. While Collins was slicing the defense Phillips was content with being on the receiving end of those passes and draining three pointers. Kingwood advanced to the championship game before forfeiting. Tevin Svihovec showed why so many schools were high on him before he committed to Northern Colorado. He was knocking down the deep 3, creating off the dribble, getting to the rim, and defending. He will be a real solid player at the next level. After the sucess of Yates it seems like everybody is trying to install their own version of the full court press and run style of play that Yates used to win the 4A state title last year. Bush is one of those teams that play uptempo the entire game. They are the favorites to win the Fort Bend district and Jordan Clark (6'4 g 2010 Bush HS) is a big reason why. The guy was all over the court blocking shots, taking charges, slashing to the basket, and catching tip dunks. Despite hurting his ankle Joe Miles (5'9 pg 2011 Jones HS) solidified his spot as one of the best point guards in the 2011 class. He is quick as a jet, defends the ball, plays unselfishly and has the ball on a yo-yo. Christian Life went undefeated with wins over Second Baptist, Laporte, Seven Lakes, and Wheatley. Robert Stokes(6'5 f 2010) and George Jackson (6'7 f 2010) form a nice 1-2 punch in the frontcourt for Wheatley but they are going to need some help from their backcourt if they plan on making any noise in 4A ball this year. Trey Pickney (Seven Lakes 5'9 pg 2012)  handled his business with his Seven Lakes squad. They beat HCYA in bracket play before losing to Christian Life. Pickney is a quick floor general who can really handle and has some crafty moves. St. Thomas, Lutheran North, and North Shore went winless. The core of Lutheran's and St. Thomas squads are all 2012 guys so there is no need to panic. Everybody is looking for instant gratifciation with the young kids, but it is going to take some time. Like I stated these older guys are tired of hearing about the 2012 class and how special they are, while everybody is saying how bad the 2010 and 2011 class is void of talent. Rankings and hype doesnt doa anythihng but put a big target on your back and these guys will have to show and prove everynight. All I can say is this weekend wasnt the time to have a bad game if your a highly touted player with ESPN and other recruiting services in the building. Texas, and Houston in particular, is still fighting for our respect nationally as a basketball state and city and this was the time to prove that our talent is just as deep as any other region in the country. Strake Jesuit handled Klein Forest easily, and if the twins (Andrew and Aaron Harrison) are cleared to play they have the look of a top 15 team in Houston. Elliot Franshaw (6'9 f 2010) has been playing with an added aggresiveness lately and he will be the determing factor in Strake's playoff run this year. I gusess you can say Christian Life won the super 16 by default after the last two teams that they were scheduled to face (Kingwood and Westbury Christian) went home on forfeits.

Camps and Tryouts:

1st ANNUAL DAVID LATTIN “BIG DADDY D” BASKETBALL CAMP 
GLORY ROAD - WHERE THE ELITE MEET
High School 9th-12th Oct 10th 8am-5pm 
Middle School 6th-8th Oct 24th 8am-5pm 
Cost:  $100.00
Location:  Christ United Methodist Church 3300 Austin Parkway, Sugarland, TX
To Register: Call Cliff Lattin at (832-867-7838) and/or send email to: worldwidesportsmanagement@gmail.com

This camp will focus on Division 1 Basketball Training with a major emphasis on the advantages of combining International and US Basketball Skills. The Coaches are Former Professional League Players both Internationally and US. Specifics that will be taught in clinic:
·         Moving without the basketball
·         Improving shooting accuracy regardless of size
·         Improving dribbling ability regardless of size
·         Using screens and motion to open up scoring lanes versus the US style of “over dribbling

D GIG HOOPS 14U BOYS TEAM TRYOUT

When: Saturday, October 10, 2009

Time: 1:00-3:00PM

Where: Albert Thomas Middle School

5655 Selinsky RD. Houston TX 77048

For More Info Contact Coach Byron Gibson Jr by email: dgibbasketball@yahoo.com 

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Congrats to Nick Sheppard on his recent commitment to Long Beach State. The big man can now focus on leading his squad to a TAPPS State championship at Westbury Christian. Eric Moreland is getting settled in at Ocean Prep Academy and he has picked up a few offers from east coast schools (St. Peters, St. Francis) and has received interest from Providence. Clyde Smith is also on the East Coast at Hotchkiss and he recently received an offer from Northwestern, which is in the Big 10 conference. Time is winding down for a lot of seniors who have still not received any scholarship offers. My advice is to get out and market yourself. There is no more AAU (for seniors) where you can showcase your game in front of hundreds of coaches. Also don’t try to be something you’re not. If you are a blue-collar power forward who scores around the basket don’t try to magically transform your game into a thee-point shooter with a mean crossover. Stick to your strengths. Do your homework, get on the internet and find schools that fit your needs. Texas, A&M, and Baylor aren’t the only schools in Texas. Event though every baller want to play in the Big 12 on ESPN you have to be realistic. If a D1 hasn’t offered by now you might want to start looking at other options. Now I’m not saying don’t chase your Division 1 dream because it is still a possibility, but there are 100’s of D2’s, NAIA’s, and JUCO’s that are looking for players but don’t have the resources like the high major schools to go out on the road and find them. Its not hard to go on the ‘net find emails, addresses, and contact info on coaches at these schools. Create a player profile with your basketball resume, stats, and have a full game film and highlight film available. If you are hungry and truly want to further your playing career you have to go get it! A scholarship offer is not going to fall out the sky.

The Super 16 is this Saturday and there are some really intriguing matchups. Christian Life vs. Second Baptist will be a battle of the frontcourt vs. the backcourt. CLC boasts a frontline of Jason Carter (MVP of the Back 2 School Bash) and Chris Coleman (6’9 2011 f) who is a massive forward that has already committed to Florida International. Second Baptist has a dynamic duo w/ LJ Rose and Mykhail McLean that should hook-up for a lot of exciting plays. Lutheran North vs. Bellaire should be a very entertaining game. This will be a match up of the young vs. the experienced. While Lutheran North has all the top 2012 talent (Wannah Bail, Michael Carey, Danrad Knowles) Bellaire has the experienced 2010 guys (Jamel Outler, Tobi Oyedeji, Kene Anyigbo, Sebastian Douglass). The X factor on both teams could be the 2011 guards (Nevin Johnson-Lutheran North and Sheldon McClellan—Bellaire). I have Bellaire in this one because I don’t think the vets are ready to relinquish their spot to the young guys yet. St. Thomas vs Elsik is another case of young vs old. Next to Lutheran; St. Thomas has the best collection of 2012 talent in the city (Aaron Durley-6’9 f, Christian Sanders 6’2 g, Jeremy King 6’9 f, Carl Culberson 5’10 pg) but I think Elsik will prevail in this one. Amos Olatoya, Josh Cleveland, and Cortland Mills are 3 expereienced guys that will lead the way for the Rams and their pressing style of play. As is the theme with these matchups youth vs experience is the story for the Jones vs Laporte game also. Jones has the sophmore twins (Broderick and Roderick Harris) and the 2011 duo of Joe Miles and Demarcus Johnson to hold the forte down for the Falcons. On the other hand Laporte has a trio of seniors that seem like they have been around forever in Drew Parker, Randy Collins, and Cedric Jones. This is a tough one to call, but Im going to stick with my “older guys” for now. If I could choose three favorites to win the whole tourney I would run with Westbury Christian, Bellaire, and Elsik!

Monday, September 28, 2009

The first Back 2 School Bash is a wrap. Here is the breakdown of the two games with stats and the dunk contest.

Underclassmen Showcase

The Orange team consisted of Deangelo Harrison (6’3 cg 2011 Dulles HS), Christian Sanders (6’2 cg 2012 St. Thomas), Maurice Ellis (6’8 f 2012 Cy Springs), Rasheed Sulaimon (6’2 cg 2012 Strake Jesuit), Chris Patureau (6’6 g Northeast Christian Academy), Jonathon Jordan (5’10 pg Strake Jesuit 2011), and Carl Culberson (5’10 pg St. Thomas 2012).

The White team lined up LJ Rose (6’3 pg 2012 Second Baptist), Aaron Durley (6’9 f 2012 St Thomas), Anthony Odunnsi (6’4 g 2011 Travis HS), Terran Petteway (6’4 g 2011 Galveston Ball), Anthony Norris (6’6 wing 2011 Sam Houston), and Kenyan Willis (6’8 f 2012 Crosby).

 Guys came out competing and getting after it right from the tip. Deangelo Harrison, who led all scorers on the Orange team with 20 points, also showed other facets of his game with 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Jonathon Jordan had no problem getting in the paint and finding open teammates. He could have easily had 8-9 assists if guys would have converted his passes. Carl Culberson (4 assists) was under the weather, but still managed to come out and play, and he did what he does best which is play unselfishly and look for open teammates. Rasheed Sulaimon wasn’t his normal self, which could be attributed to dead legs after playing three games on Saturday at the North Shore tournament. He still managed to knock down (3) three’s. Christian Sanders also knocked down 3 trey balls in route to 16 points. Chris Partureau might not be a household name, but he showed he belonged. He was second on the team in rebounds and made several heady passes. Coach Byron said Rice University is actively recruiting the versatile lefty. Maurice Ellis will be a load in the future as he continues to develop. LJ Rose showed he is one of the top 10 players in his class nationally. Guys were trying to full court pressure and harass him, but he calmly advanced the ball and made good decisions. When you are as highly ranked as Rose guys are going to be coming after you every time you step on the court, and you will always have a target on your back. The casual fan might not be awed by Rose’s game, but true basketball heads realize that he has a high IQ, prototypical size (6’3) and good vision. Aaron Durley is a man on the block and he will get a lot of opposing big men in foul trouble this season. He had a couple of monster 2 hand dunks and even showed a touch around the basket with a left hand jump hook. Anthony Norris couldn’t get it going from 3 point range, but he did show his athleticism on a couple of highlight reel finishes. Kenyan Willis has a world of potential. He is rail thin at 6’8, but he can handle, shoot it, and make decisions in the open court. He won’t get a lot of attention playing for Crosby but he should be a high major player before it’s all said and done with his length and athleticism. Anthony Odunsi played hard and aggressive. He was guarding the ball with a purpose and he was getting to the basket. He is still learning the point guard position (when to pass and when to shoot), but I have no worries about that because not many kids take the games as seriously as Odunsi. Terran Petteway is rising up the ladder fast in the 2011 class. He makes plays on both ends of the floor, is always around the ball, and is one of the top 2 or 3 slashers in the area. He also showed some impressive athleticism in the game and just missed on a 1-hand dunk where he took off from the box. Pettweay flat out gets it done and he should see a spike in his recruitment in the very near future.

      The White team was in control most of the game. The Orange team staged a furious rally late in the second half due to some full court pressing and trapping, but the Orange team prevailed in the end.

Orange Team         Points          Rebounds    Assists

Deangelo Harrison     20               9                      5

Christian Sanders       16               5                      1

Maurice Ellis              13               6

Rasheed Sulaimon      12               3                      2

Chris Patureau            6                 6                      2

Jonathon Jordan          6                 4                      3

Carl Culberson            2                  3                     4

White Team                Points        Rebounds        Assists

LJ Rose                      10                    4                      2

Aaron Durley             12                    11                    2

Anthony Odunsi         15                    13                    1

Terran Petteway        29                    12                    3

Anthony Norris            8                   11                     3

Kenyan Willis              7                      7

MVP: Terran Petteway

Mr. Assist: Deangelo Harrison

Senior Game

The White team consisted of Aaron Turner (6’7 f Mayde Creek), Dominique Thomas (6’0 g Cy Falls), Jarrod Woods (6’4 g Fort Bend Baptist Academy), Andre Adams (5’8 pg Cy Woods), Bryant Mbamaulu (6’4 cg Dulles HS), Demarco Richardson (6’3 g Cy Woods), Drew Oneybuchi (6’7 f Travis HS), Lante Phillps (6’0 pg Westbury Christian).

The Orange team had Jason Carter (6’8 f Christian Life), Drew Parker (6’2 pg Laporte), Maurice Wiltz (6’1 cg Stafford), Blake Torres (5’8 pg Friendswood), Adrian Kuyinu (6’4 f Dulles), Wendell Pierre (6’2 g Port Arthur Memorial), and Cedric Jones (6’4 f Laporte)

The seniors came out with a point to prove. The 2010 class has been much maligned and labeled as one with no talent but I beg to differ. Like I stated before there will be no All-Americans in this class but there will be plenty of players that will play at the D1 level. Lante Phillips played with a sense of urgency. Maybe it was his old rivalry with Drew Parker who he has been battling since the 7^th grade or the open court setting but he was playing loose, creating off the dribble, and made an acrobatic layup in traffic. Andre Adams was really pushing the tempo and had a couple of really nice passes on the break. Demarco Richardson had a big time dunk as he flew through the paint. Jarrod Woods was solid. He has good size and rebounds well for a guard. Aaron Turner showed his versatility. Sometimes I wish he would be a bit more selfish and look for his own offense. Dominique Thomas might have had the play of the day when he chased down Drew Oneybuchi and skied for a block. Bryant Mbamaulu was his usual steady self. He led the senior game in assists with 5 assists. Drew Oneybuchi played with pep in his step. I don’t know if it his recent commitment (NJIT) or just a newfound confidence but he was on his way to a MVP performance with a double- double if his squad would have pulled out the victory. He was blocking shots, being active on the boards, and finishing in the paint. Wendell Pierre showed why Coach Henderson is excited about his Port Arthur Memorial team. Pierre was getting to the rim and attacking the basket all night long. Cedric Jones came late but stepped right in right away and made an impact on the glass. Blake Torres took good care of the ball and got guys involved. Drew Parker was his customary solid self, running the ball club. He has a host of Southland conference schools that are clamoring for his services. Maurice Wiltz showed the ability that made Colorado State coaches fall in love in with him. He was hitting tough, deep contested shots and even took a charge in an All-Star game! That just goes to show you what type of player Wiltz is. Jason Carter played like a big time player. He officially set the Back 2 School Bash mark with 30 points. He scored 20 in the 1^st half but eventually ran out of gas. He showed fans his ability to play inside out with a couple of 3’s, mixed in with a few dunks (including one right over the top of the defender), mid range J’s, and 10 free throws. Adrian Kuyinu played like a man possessed. I can’t name 5 kids in Houston who play as hard as Kuyinu. He has added some athleticism to his game and nobody can stop him from grabbing a rebound. That type of warrior’s mentality that he brings to the court will equal a scholarship on somebody’s collegiate team next year. And on this day his combination of heart, hustle, and effort earned him the Senior Game MVP Award.

White Team                        Points       Rebounds   Assists

Aaron Turner                         7                    3                                 

Dominique Thomas                2                    2            1         

Jarrod Woods                       12                    2

Andre Adams                         8                     2            2

Bryant Mbamaulu                 12                   3            5

Demarco Richardson             4                     5            1         

Drew Oneybuchi                    13                   11       

Lante Phillips                         11                   2            2

Orange Team             Points     Rebounds   Assists

Jason Carter              30                    9            1                                 

Drew Parker               3                     4            3

Maurice Wiltz            15                    5

Blake Torres              4                                    1

Adrian Kuyinu            22                    6

Wendell Pierre           11                    4

Cedric Jones              4                      4

MVP: Adrian Kuyinu

Co- MVP: Jason Carter

Mr. Rebound: Drew Oneybuchi

Mr. Assist: Bryant Mbamaulu

Dunk Contest

Participants: Tobi Oyedeji; Jamel Outler; Demarco Richardson; Bryant Mbamulu, Adrian Kuyinu, Jason Carter, Anthony Norris; Maurice Wiltz

Going into the dunk contest there was no clear-cut favorite. Jamel Outler missed on a 360 dunk; Jason Carter failed on his windmill attempt off the bounce, and Bryant Mbamaulu couldn’t get his timing together w/ Deangelo Harrison who was sitting on the floor trying to throw an alley-oop. Tobi Oyedeji started off with a touch the side of the backboard dunk. Maurice Wiltz completed a nice two-hand finish. Demarco Richardson might be more of a game dunker than contest dunker. Adrian Kuyinu showed some nice explosion with a 1-hand cock back off the bounce.  The finals came down to Oyedeji and Anthony Norris. Norris was content on completing his between the legs dunk, but Oyedeji stole the show. He completed a windmill, jumped over Jamel Outler (6’3) for a one-hand finish, jumped over Outler and Sheldon McClellan (6’6) for a one-hand finish, and capped it off with a 360 reverse! Tobi had been telling me for the past month that he has been working on his hops and he showed it in the dunk contest. With that type of athleticism that adds another dimension to his expanding game.

Dunk Contest Champion: Tobi Oyedeji

Notes: Yates and Bellaire coaches didn’t allow their guys to suit up and play. That was a big blow to the game as Yates had 5 players scheduled to play in the Senior Showdown (Darius Gardner, Brandon Peters, Alex Davis, Elton Roy, Marshall Lange) and 2 players in the Underclassmen Showcase (Clyde Santee, Damyean Dotson) while Bellaire had 3 players in the Senior Showdown (Kene Anyigbo, Jamel Outler, and Tobi Oyedeji) and 2 in the Underclassmen Showcase (Sheldon McClellan, Malcolm Glover). Amos Olatayo (Elsik) also wasn’t allowed to play. Looking at some of those names like Amos, Kene, and “Snap” Peters would have made the dunk contest very interesting. Dominique Thomas (Cy Falls) would have also been a favorite in the dunk contest. He played in the Senior Game but didn’t participate in the dunk contest because of sore wrist that he fractured a couple of months ago. It was good to see the Bellaire kids still come out and support the event. I was really impressed with how hard the kids played in both games. They were getting up and defending and competing on both ends of the floor. I got a chance to see kids that I don’t get to see a lot of (Kenyan Willis, Chris Patureau, Wendell Pierre, Jarrod Woods) that aren’t at the big name schools. Maurice Wiltz was the only player in the game that has committed (Colorado State.) There were at least 6 players that are ranked in the top 150 in the country in somebody’s ranking—(Anthony Norris, Jason Carter, LJ Rose, Aaron Durley, Rasheed Sulaimon, Deangelo Harrison.)

Friday, September 25, 2009

North Texas had their entire staff in the gym to watch Yates star Brandon "Snap" Peters. Texas Southern University also had their entire staff and TCU was present to watch the area's #1 unsigned senior. North Texas also made its way to Westbury Christian to talk to Nick Sheppard (6'9 f 2010). Snap is headed to Denton this weekend to check out North Texas while Nick will be in Virginia checking out the James Madison Campus. Drew Parker (6'2 pg Laporte 2010), who was recently offered by UT-San Antonio, and Randy Collins (6'5 f 2010 Laporte) are taking an unofficial visit to Texas State this weekend. AAU teammate Byron Randle (6'1 g Friendswood) is taking an offical visit to Sam Houston State this weekend.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

It seems like every day another senior is verbally committing to a Division 1 school. Today it was Drew Onyebuchi (6'7 f) from Travis High School. Onyebuchi gave his word to New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Many of you are probably wondering who? Well, NJIT is a Division 1 school that does not belong to a confernce. Therefore, it is an independent. Other schools that are independents on the D1 level are Houston Baptist, Utah Valley University, Chicago State,Longwood, Savannah State, Texas-Pan American, Cal State Bakersfield, Bryant, Winston-Salem State, Houston Baptist, and North Carolina Central.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Oneybuchi has some potential with his length and shot blocking ability. Good to see another young man fulfill his dream of playing college ball.

I got a chance to watch Strake Jesuit and Bellaire battle in the fall league at Bellaire HS. It was a good game and the intensity was a notch higher than normal for fall league games. Bellaire ended up winning by 10. Elliot Franshaw (6'9 f Strake Jesuit 2010) had a good showing as he knocked down several midrange jumpers and even had a couple of dunks. Kene Anyigbo and Tobi Oyedeji ruled the paint for Bellaire. Anyigbo was a bull in a china shop. He was moving defenders out the way for monster dunks and Oyedeji was blocking shots and making aggresive moves on the block. Things got a little heated toward the end of the game, but its part of the game when you have two highly competitve teams going at it. A lot of people think its going to be a down year for Strake, but I beg to differ. They are young, but they play hard and know how to compete. After the Strake and Bellaire game I shot over to Lutheran Norrth to check out Lutheran North vs St. Thomas (minus Chase Kammerer who injured his ankle last weekend). Lutheran prevailed 41-31. 

Getting the rosters together for the Back 2 School Bash has been one of the hardest things ever. There are always going to be players left out. With only 20 spots on eaach roster it was very difficult. With that being said, all invited participants contact me to let me know you are confirmed to play. If not, there is a long waiting list of players who deserve a chance to play!

BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH--Sunday September 27@ Lutheran High North 2pm

 Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Congrats to Tevin Svihovec (pg Kingwood 2010) on his recent commitment to Northern Colorado. He visited the campus this past weekend and decided to pull the trigger. Thats yet another senior from the Houston area off the board. Tobi Oyedeji is dominating the poll in Houston Preps Playground for the question, "Who is the Best Big Man in Houston?" Oyedeji leads all vote getters with 39% of the votes followed by Aaron Durley (St. Thomas) 18%, Jason Carter (Christian Life) 17%, Nick Sheppard(Westbury Christian) 7% and Wannah Bail(Lutheran North) 7%.

BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH--Sunday September 27@ Lutheran High North 2pm

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Stephen F. Austin is making a killing in the Greater Houston area. Amos Olatoya (6'4 wg) from Elsik HS has verbally committed to the Lumbejacks program. This says a lot about their program a couple weeks after getting a commitment from Houston's favorite son; Darius "Pee-Wee" Gardner. I expect that combination to be hooking up for alley-oops for the next 4 years. The coaching staff is living up to its promise to grab premiere talent out of Houston. Speaking of Olatoya and Gardner they will be teammates on Sunday at the Houston Preps Back 2 School Bash. Make sure you click on this link to view the details of the game : Back 2 School Bash. The dunk contest promises to be a real exciting event when I look at the rosters and see who could potentially participate, and one quick glance at the rosters provides a glimpse at some very interesting matchups to say the least!

Monday, September 21, 2009

News and notes from the GASO @ Pearland: Lutheran North went winless (0-3) in the Great American Shootout losing to Galveston Ball, Elkins, and Strake Jesuit. A lot of hype has surrounded Lutheran North, and rightfuully so with Michael Carey (6'5 pg 2012), Wannah Bail (6'9 f 2012), Danrad Knowles (6'9 f 2012), Nevin Johnson (6'5 g 2011), and Emmanuel Bassaw (6'10 f 2012). Thats a starting lineup that goes 6'5, 6'5, 6'9, 6'9, and 6'10! That looks more like a NBA roster than a high school team, but you dont win games on paper or by hype alone. Bail was a monster. He was especially impressive in their final game against Strake Jesuit. He was dropping long three's and getting to the basket with monster finishes above the rim. I wouldnt be too alarmed by Lutheran's losses. Coach Yates issued this statement about his young squad--"  If we were clicking on all cylinders in September, WITHOUT ME on the bench, I would really be concerned. We played THREE ESTABLISHED, GOOD TEAMS.  Probably had the toughest draw of the whole deal.  You best believe I will have them ready when it counts!" They are young and inexperienced, and it will take some time for all of that talent to gel and mesh as a team. Now that Joey Brooks (Notre Dame), Tim Frazier (Penn State), and Stevie Rogers (Prep School) have graduated, Strake has a new three headed monster in the form of Rasheed Sulaimon (6'3 cg 2012), and the twins- Andrew and Aaron Harrison (6'4 combo guards). These three could very well average close to 60 points a game combined. Sulaimon was getting buckets all day and he was scoring from all three levels (mid range, inside, and 3 point terrritory.) He also ran the point at times for his team. The twins lived up to the hype and showed why they are considered to be 2 of the top freshman in the country with their size and scoring ability. Mike Evans (6'2 g 2011) was a pleasant suprise for Galveston Ball. He was active on the glass, attacked the rim, and showed his athleticism on a couple of fastbreak oppurtunities. Jonathon Jordan (5'10 pg 2011 Hightower) made some really nice passes and showed a creative handle. I know he wishes he had good friend Winston Sheppard (who was home for the weekend from Findlay Prep) running the wing for him this year. Derail Green (6'6 f 2012 Klien Forest) showed some explosiveness that I have nwever seen out of him before. Aaron Durley (6'9 f 2012) was a load for St. Thomas in the paint. He was grabbing tough rebounds, finishing in traffic, and taking up a lot of space underneath the basket. St. Thomas could be the southside version of Lutheran North with all of the young talent that they have assembled in Christian Sanders (6'2 g 2012), Carl Culberson (6'0 g 2012), Jeremy King (6'9 f 2012), and big Durley. Elsik (Kevin Brown--leg injury) and Kingwood (Tevin Swihovec--college visit) were missing key players. Dominque Thomas (6'0 cg 2010 Cy Falls) provided his customary highlight reel play with a big time dunk against Hastings. Byron Randle ran the point for Friendswood and did a good job of making solid decisons wth the ball and scoring when the oppurtunity presented itself. Brandon Chatman (5'10 pg 2010) looks like he is poised to have a big year scroing the ball for Ft. Bend Marshall.  Several colleges were in attendance checking out the action including Blinn, Southeastern Oklahoma, St. Edwards, and McLennan Junior College.

A lot of smack talking has ensued for our inagural Back 2 School Bash for the dunk contest and the actual game. A lot of kids feel they should be the #1 player in their class. Well here is your chance to prove you are just as good as that player ranked ahead of you. In the grand scheme of things rankings arent all that important, but bragging rights are at stake when you are competing with some of the best players in your class. Here are the rosters for the underclassmen showcase:

Orange Team:

Joe Miles (Jones 2011)

Malcolm Glover (Bellaire 2012)

Maurice Ellis (Cy Springs 2012)

Sheldon McClellan (Bellaire 2011)

Michael Carey (Lutheran North 2012)

LJ Rose(Second Baptist 2012)                         

Wannah Bail (Lutheran North 2012)

Christian Sanders (St. Thomas 2012)

Deangelo Harrison (Dulles 2011)

Damyean Dotson (Yates 2012)

White Team

Rasheed   Sulaimon (Strake Jesuit 2012)    

Terran Petteway (Galveston Ball 2011)   

DeMarcus Johnson (Jones 2011)    

Anthony Norris   (Sam Houston HS 2012)

Donrad Knowles(Lutheran North 2012) 

Nevin Johnson (Lutheran North 2011)

Anthony Odunsi (2011 Travis HS)

Anthony Collins (Westbury Christian 2011)

Aaron Durley (St. Thomas 2012) 

Clyde Santee(2012 Yates)

Friday, September 18, 2009

Ronnie Arrow and his associate head coach (South Alabama) flew in town tonight to see Nick Sheppard (6'9 Westbury Christian 2010) and his mom. Sheppard must be priority #1 for South Alabama as they flew in town tonight and are headed back in the morning. Sheppard would form a really nice 1-2 punch with former Christian Life big man Augustin Rubit at South Alabama. While Rubit is a bruiser down low, Sheppard is an athlete who like to get out and run, and play in space. Speaking of Sheppard, dont forget to go to Houston Preps Playground to cast your vote for, " Who is the Best Big Man in Houston?" Reviews and evaluations of the top players at the Great American Shootout this Saturday will be posted on Sunday.

 Thursday, September 17, 2009

The USC coaching staff was in town today to check out Anthony Collins at Westbury Christian and the young 2012 talent (Michael Carey, Wannah Bail, Danrad Knowles) at Lutheran North. The Boise State staff made stops by Dulles (Bryant Mbamaulu) and Christian Life to check out the talent and Wichita State also stopped by Dulles (Mbamaulu and Deangelo Harrison). Wichita State also stopped by Lutheran North to see talented 2011 combo guard Nevin Johnson. An offer was extended and on the heels of picking up an commitment from Darrius Curry UTEP also offered Johnson who should see a spike in his recruitment with a good season.

 Dont forget to check out Houston Preps Playground to cast your vote for the best big man in the city. Here are the rosters for the senior showdown game of the Back 2 School Bash! The rosters for the Underclassmen Showcase will be released tommorrow.

               Orange Team                                                                              

• Kene Anyigbo (Bellaire)                                                          
• Jason Carter (Christian Life)                                                 
• Marshall Lange (Yates)
• Darius Gardner (Yates)                                                             
• Jacob Horton (Clear Lake)                                                       
• Adrian Kuyinu (Dulles)                                                              
• Brandon Peters (Yates)                                                            
• Lante Phillips (Westbury Christian)                                        
• Amos Olatoya (Elsik)                                             
• Joseph Young (Yates HS)   

White Team

• Andre Adams (Cy Woods)
• Alex Davis (Yates)
• Bryant Mbamaulu (Dulles)
• Tobi Oyedeji (Bellaire)
• Jamel Outler (Bellaire)
• Darius Richardson (Bush)
• Elton Roy (Yates)
• Aaron Turner (Mayde Creek)
• Dominique Thomas (Cy Falls)
• Maurice Wiltz (Stafford)

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The coaching staff from Texas Tech was in town to check out Anthony Collins (6'0 Westbury Christian 2010 pg) and conduct their home visit with recent commit Jamel Outler. The coaching staff from Witchita State and Bradley assistant Alvin Brooks Jr. was also in town to check out Ryan Manuel (6'5 wf Fort Bend Austin 2011).

 Sorry for the changes but the Back 2 School Bash has been pushed back one more day to Sunday, September 27, to accomadate everyones schedule. Joe Price at North Shore is hosting a big tournament at North Shore on the original date of Sat, Sept. 26 so we decided to push the game back one more day so everyone cam make it out to the game.  Click on the link Back 2 School Bash to view details of the times and confirmed players.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Congrats to Darrius Curry after committing to the UTEP basketball program. The Houston Preps Back 2 School Bash is around the corner. Remember to bring (2) canned goods for a discounted admission. Sunday September 26 @ Lutheran High North(1130 W 34th Street  Houston, Texas 77018). The schedule is as follows:

Doors Open: 2:00 am
Underclassmen Game:3:00
Dunk Contest: 4:00
Senior Showcase: 5:00

Go to Back 2 School Bash to see details about the game and a list of confirmed players.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Jamel Outler (2010 Bellaire HS)  pulled the trigger yesterday evening and committed to the Texas Tech program. He was barely on campus a few hours when he decided to verbal. At the end of the day Jamel looked at it as a chance to play right away in the Big 12 for a great coach, and a wide open motion offense that is tailor made for his game. He will also get a chance to team up with former Wheatley star Aaron Mike Davis in the backourt. His other choice, TCU, was stacked at the 1,2, and 3 positons.Bellaire, now has 3 Big 12 commits in Sheldon McClellan who has verballed to Texas, and Tobi Oyedeji who has verballed to Texas A&M. The Big 12 is loaded with local Houston players in B.J Holmes (Texas A&M), Nathan Walkup (Texas A&M), Anthony Jones (Baylor), Tommy Mason Griffin (Oklahoma), Ray Penn (Oklahoma State), Aaron Mike Davis (Texas Tech), Corbin Ray (Texas Tech), Ray Turner (Texas A&M), Gary Johnson (Texas), Alonzo Edwards (Nebraska), Toney McCray(Nebraska), Mike Singletary (Texas Tech), and James Blasczyk (Texas A&M). That just goes to show you how deep the talent is in Houston.

Here are the results from our poll,  "Who is the Best Combo Guard in Houston?"

• Michael Carey(Lutheran North) 25%
• Maurice Wiltz (Stafford) 22%
• Rasheed Sulaimon (Strake Jesuit) 18%
• Deangelo Harrison (Dulles) 8%

Others receiving votes who were not included in the original poll include Nevin Johnson (2011 6'4 cg Lutheran North), Lante Phillips (2010 6'0 cg Westbury Christian), Shai Fields (2011 cg Pearland HS), Jarvis Craft (6'2 cg 2010 Lamar HS), John Caleb Sanders (HYCA 6'0 cg 2010), Trey Guidry (2012 St Pius X), Amos Otolyma (2010 Elsik HS), and Dominque Thomas (2010 Cy Falls). Man, there is so much talent in Houston that someone will always feel slighted when it comes to rankings, polls, etc. I am currently in the midst of trying to finalize the rosters for our Back 2 School Bash. There are only 20 spots for the senior showdown and 20 spots for the underclassmen showcase. Which means I have only 20 spots for the 2011, 2012, and 2013 classes combined!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

College coaches were in full force yesterday on the first day of the evaluation period. I checked out Christian Life who were holding practice at "The Gym" in Humble and it was like a full fledged AAU game with all of the coaches packed in the bleachers. Coach Wilson has assembled a frontline that most D1 schools would envy. I was unaware that CLC picked up the services of two Texas Southern  signeees who didnt qualify in Emory Kelly (6'7 out of Mississippi) and William Clark (6'9 out of Missouri). That already bolstered a frontline that included Jason Carter (6'8), Chris Coleman (6'10), and Leslee Smith (6'8), and Texas A&M commit Kourtney Roberson (6'9). I also got my first peek at the newly assembly Lutheran High North squad at their fall league. They blew out Sam Houston, but the kid Anthony Hobbs (6'6 sf from Hobbs, New Mexico) solidified his top 100 national ranking the 2011 class. The athletic lefty showed his ability to raise up and knock down jumpers and was aggressive in taking the ball to the rim. Lutheran North is loaded with young talent. Michael Carey was playing with a confidence that I have never seen him play with before. He was blowing by guys and throwing it down above the rim. Nevin Johnson showed why he is at the top of the 2011 class in Houston when it comes to talent. he was making plays off the dribble and getting to the rim at will,and Wannah Bail was a monster in the open court using his length and atheticism to make things happen. Our preseason rankings of the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 classes will be released after the 26th.

The date is set! September 26, 2009 @ Lutheran High North (1130 W 34th Street  Houston, Texas 77018)

Houston Preps Back to School Bash featuring 20 of the top seniors and underclassmen in the Greater Houston area. Bring canned goods for a discounted admission. Here is the schedule:

Doors Open: 11:00 am
Underclassmen Game: 12:00
Dunk Contest: 1:00
Senior Showcase: 2:30

Here is a list of confirmed participants:

Senior Showdown: Maurice Wiltz (Stafford HS), Jamel Outler (Bellaire), Lante Phillips (Westbury Christian), Jason Carter (Christian Life), Toby Oyediji (Bellaire), Kene Anyigbo (Bellaire),Aaron Turner(Mayde Creek), Brandon Peters(Yates), Darius Gardner (Yates), Darius Richardson (Bush), Jacob Horton (Clear Lake), Joseph Young (Yates), Marshall Lange (Yates), Elton Roy (Yates), Bryant Mbamaulu (Dulles), Dominique Thomas (Cy Falls)

Underclassmen Showcase: Clyde Santee(2012 Yates HS), Anthony Odunsi (2011 Travis HS), Anthony Collins (Westbury Christian), Nevin Johnson (Lutheran North 2011), Donrad Knowles(Lutheran North 2012), Shai Fields(Pearland 2011), Michael Carey (Lutheran North 2012), Wannah Bail (Lutheran North 2012), Deangelo Harrison (Dulles 2011), Rasheed Sulamin (Strake Jesuit 2012), Damyean Dotson (Yates 2012), Malcolm Glover (Bellaire 2012), Sheldon McClellan (Bellaire 2011), Clyde Smith (Hotchkiss 2012), Joe Miles (Jones 2011), DeMarcus Johnson (Jones 2011), Maurice Ellis(Cy Springs)

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Joseph Young and Darius "Pee-Wee" Gardner both made commitments to D1 programs today. Young made his pledge to Providence while Gardner gave his pledge to Stephen F. Austin. The high scoring Young blew up last season in leading Yates to the 4A state championship and capturing MVP of the state finals. Gardner has been a fan favorite and a big time floor general for the Yates Lions the past three years. Young will fit right into the Friars scheme as they are a young up and coming team who likes to press, trap, and run and gun. That sounds pretty familiar if you have ever watched Yates employ its "32 minutes of Hell". Gardner will be a key contributor for the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin. Coach Danny Kaspar and his staff have to be estactic about getting the commitment from Gardner. He will form a potent duo with former Jones star Harrison Smith who will have to sit out this year after transferring from the University of Texas. Yates will start the season as the area's #1 team and Brandon Peters, Marshall Lange, Elton Roy, and Alex Davis are all seniors that are still available(with D1 talent) for the defending champs.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

The early results are in on our poll , "Who is The Best Combo Guard in Houston?". The leading vote getters in order are

• Michael Carey (Lutheran North) 19%
• Maurice Wiltz (Stafford) 15%
• Brandon "Snap" Peters (Yates) 10%
• Deangelo Harrison  (Dulles)10%
• Jamel Outler (Bellaire) 10%
• Sheldon McClellan (Bellaire) 9%

Other receiving votes that werent include in the poll are Nevin Johnson (Lutheran North), Lante Phillips (Westbury Christian), Amos Otolyma (Elsik), and Jarvis Craft (Lamar). Houston is loaded with talent at the combo guard spot and all of these guys should receive scholarships at the Division 1 level. I will leave the voting open for one more week, before we post the next poll, "Who is the Best Big man in H-Town?". 

D Gib Hoops will be hosting a free open tryout for their newly formed 14 and under AAU team. Here are the details::

D GIB HOOPS 14U BOYS

TEAM TRYOUT 
WHEN: Sunday, September 20, 2009

TIME: 3:00PM – 5:30PM

WHERE: Albert Thomas Middle School

5655 SELINSKY RD. HOUSTON TX 77048

****PLEASE ARRIVE 10 MINUTES EARLY**** 
 FOR MORE INFO CONTACT COACH BYRON GIBSON JR BY EMAIL

dgibbasketball@yahoo.com

Thursday, September 3, 2009

It was good to see some of Houston finest from the class of 2009 featured in an article on ESPN previewing the top freshman in the Big 12 this year. Aaron Mike Davis (Texas Tech), Tommy Mason Griffin (Oklahoma), Raymond Penn (Oklahoma State), Tiny Gallon (Oklahoma) were listed. To read the article click here (Top Big 12 Freshmen). Speaking of Davis, Penn, and Griffin they are all on the cover of our very first magazine and they will be the featured story in the mag. The mag will makes it debut this fall. There will also be behind the scenes footage on the Houston Preps Mixtape of these guys clowning around at the photo shoot before they broke out into an impromptu shootout (along with Jamal Fenton). The DVD will be available on September 26 at our Back 2 School Bash. Details for the location and time will be posted soon. Also be on the lookout for our series of featured player documentaries. We started last year with TMG. This year we will chronicle 1 or 2 players a month. To see the video on Mason- Griffin check out our featured player link...( A day in the Life of Tommy Mason Griffin)

Be sure to check out Player Diaries where Tobi Oyedeji is the featured writer and Houston Preps Playground where you can vote on "Who is the Best Combo Guard in the Houston?"

Monday, August 31, 2009

Our deepest prayers are extended to the family of Houston Suns Elite coach Kwasi Johnson. This was a guy who was all about the kids. I never forget a few months ago while in Denton at the Great America Shootout I asked him how does he fend off the high powered shoe sponosred teams clamoring for the services of his players. He told me simply, "Gaston if those kids want to leave and play for another team, they were never mine from the beginning." And true enough none of his players ventures off to play for other teams.Even though the Suns were one of the best teams on the circuit they werent being run with a million dollar budget. This was a group of guys who were doing it for the love of the game and the kids. I wish a lot of other programs were run with the same type of personal relationships that the Suns coaching staff had with the players in their program. This tragic death is an eye opene for all you aspiring basketball players. Tomorrow is not promised so take advantage of every oppurtunity and play every game like it is your last!

On a brighter note congrats to Darius Richardson on his recent commitment to UT-Arlington this weekend. The coaching staff said he will definetly be an impact player upon his arrival on his campus.

A date has finally been set for our inaguaral Back 2 School Bash! The date is set for Saturday, September 26. Time and location will be posted upon confirmation. I also will be contatcing all of the invited players with updates on the game. More details will be posted soon.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Congrats to my guy Mustapha El Akarri 6'4 sg who has signed with BYU-Hawaii. Mustapha said he, "is excited about the oppurtunity and will take full advantage." The D2 school is one of the best in the nation and I'm proud of El Akarri. He attended Moberly JUCO for one season and didnt enjoy the whole experience. He perservered and stuck with it. He attended every camp and showcase this sumer to better his situation and he finally found a good fit. This guy has a business like approach to the game and he busted his butt in every workout this summer.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Christian Life just picked up the services of Chris Coleman (6'11 2011 pf/c) who has already comitted to Isiah Thomas and the Florida International program. Coach Wilson sounded estactic about the possibbilties of frontcourt featuring Leslee Smith (6'8), Jason Carter (6'8) and Coleman (6'11). Thats a frontcourt that rivals most NBA teams in size and length.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Just came back from a trip to University of Texas-Arlington. Bryant Mbamaulu (Dulles), Anthony Odunsi (Travis), Drew Bastian (Memorial), DeMarco Henry-Walker (Hastings), Jamel Outler (Bellaire),Wayland Siverand (Hightower), Drew Onyebuchi (Travis), Dominque Thomas (Cy Falls), all made the trip. They got a chance to scrimmage with the UT-Arlington team and tour the campus. Outler also took an unofficial to TCU while we we were in the area. It was a  good lesson for all of the players. Many kids have the mentality that a "mid or low major" school such as UTA doesnt have good players and that they can come in and dominate. That is the furthest thing from the truth. Guys can play at all levels whether it is a high major, mid or low. There are even players at the D2, D3, and NAIA levels. Sometimes players just dont get the right breaks, looks, or oppurtunitties that another player might have received. Speaking of looks a lot of you guys seriously dont understand the recruiting process. Many parents and kids get a letter or a phone call confused with an offer. Let me clarify this. Colleges have list of upwards to 1,500 kids in their databse that they will send generated "letters" to. The letter is nothing personal. Usually it will have a questionnaire ,game article, or some basic information about the school. While it is always good to receive a letter it doesnt mean the school is recruiting you. On the other hand if the coach is personally writing you in a letter then that means that school is definetly interested! Also I have ran across many parents and kids who are chasing 'bright light university.' When I say bright light university I mean the school with biggest name. While it is every hoopers dream to play for Kentucky, Duke, Texas, or North Carolina. Not every player will reach that goal. You must go where the coaching staff wants you. Not where you want them. Eevrybody is chasing the NBA dream and if you look in recent NBA drafts you will see guys from schools such as Western Kentucky, Davidson, Jackson State, and Louisiana Tech getting drafted. My point is if you can play they will find you, and you must go where they will let you play through your mistakes and develop your game. In Stephen Curry's first game as a freshman at Davisidson he hasd 13 turnovers. If he was at a Big East or ACC school they wouldnt have allowed him to play through those first 2 or 3 turnovers, but since he was at a smaller school he was able to stay in the game play through his mistakes, gain confidence and eventually become a lottery pick in the draft. Now im not saying if you are highly touted top 100 player to not go high major, but politics plays a big role in this business and if you are a fringe player (i.e.--on the outside of the top 150) even if you are just as talented as the guy playing in front of you he will get the minutes because he is ranked and has a name. Just a little food for thought. While Im on the subject of high majors and and the NBA, nbadraft.net released its top 10 players in the 2012 class based on NBA potential. Its good to see two Houstonians on that list:

Thursday, August 19, 2009

After looking over the list I was bit dissappointed on the top 20 players from the Rivals 150 camp who were invited from the Houston area to attend the national camp in Atlanta. No disrespect to the organizers of the event but there were a couple of no brainers such as Rasheed Sulaimon (6'2 cg Strake Jesuit 2012), Bryant Mbamaulu, and Jason Carter who should have been on that list. Sulaimon was named as an alternate while Carter's and Mbamaulu's name wasnt anywhere visible. Other names who were noticeably absent include Anthony Odunsi, Aaron Turner, Lantee Phillips, Christian Crockett, Donrad Knowles, Anthony Broncato, and Josh Cleveland. For the complete list of invited players go to  http://www.future150.com/top20players/.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The Rivals 150 camp was held this past weekend at Bellaire High School. Many of the top names were missing in action, but it was still a competitve camp and everybody played hard. LJ Rose was scheduled to play on the second day of the camp, but it ended earlier than the expected. There were several overtime games. Adrian Kuyinu (Dulles HS 6'4 2010) hit a game winner as time expired on a strong drive to the basket. The best matchup of the camp was Anthony Collins (Westbury Christian 6'0 pg 2011) vs K.C. Ross-Miller(God's Academy 5'10 pg 2010) who comitted to Kentucky, but has since de-comitted when John Calipari took the job. Miller told me that he has offers from almost every school in the Big East. These two guys battled. Collins stripped Miller on a couple of occasions, while Miller used his strength and craftiness to score on Collins. Collins was also knocking down the midrange jumper. Both pg's are high major guys. Collins is more of a ballhandler and distributor while Miller is more of a scorer. Collins has recieved interest from USC, Texas Tech, Georgetown, Oklahoma, West Virgina and a host of other majors. I will call this duel between the two floor generals a tie. Anthony Culberson (5'10 pg St. Thomas 2012) also opened a lot of eyes. He was knocking down threes and mid range jumpers and was running the offense. He is a good prospect in the 2012 class. He has a strong body which enables him to take a bump, and he beats with you with strength and IQ more than speed and quickness. Nick Sheppard (6'9 pf Westbury Christian 2010) was a monster on the glass. He grabbed every rebound in sight and was blocking shots all over the court. He also probably had the play of the camp when he went over the top of a 6'9 defender and banged it home. Jeremy Hines(6'0 g Bellaire HS 2010) played solid. He was attacking the basket and making smart decisions. Rasheed Sulaimon (6'2 cg Strake Jesuit 2012) played on the second day of the camp and was dropping buckets as usual. Maurice Wiltz (6'2 c Stafford HS 2010) showed why Colorado State was so eager to get a commitment from him. He was knocking down deep pull-ups with that high arching shot of his. Christian Crockett (6'4 f Travis HS 2012) showed potential. He was very active on the boards and even had a couple of nice dunks after the filling the lane on the break. He could be a big help at Travis HS next season if he plays the way he did at the camp. Mike Harmon (5'10 pg Morton Ranch 2011) exploded in one game for 7 three's. He is a knock down shooter but will have to expand his game( running the team, creating off the dribble) in order to become of the better players in his class. Rasheed Sulaimon (Strake Jesuit 2012 6'2 cg) made an appearance on the final day of the camp. He was dropping buckets as usual. Malcolm Glover (6'0 g Bellaire HS 2012) showed the ability score off the catch and shoot, and off the dribble. He will have an expanded role for a stacked Bellaire team this year. Andre Adams (5'8 pg Cy Woods 2010) showed some toughness and was able to finish amongst the trees. He showed his explosiveness with a two hand dunk on the break. Aaron Turner (6'8 Mayde Creek 2010) played with a certain sense of toughness. He was posting up, rebounding, and taking the ball strong to the rim. Leslee Smith (6'8 pf Christian Life 2010) played with a sense of urgency. He was posting hard, running the floor, and even dove on the floor for a loose ball. He displayed his strength on the block with some power dunks and even hit a long three in the game I saw him play. Bryant Mbamaulu (6'4 sg Dulles HS)( who has recently recieved offers from Sam Houston State, Campbell, and Southeast Louisiana) played really well throughout the camp. He showed some big time athleticism with a couple of alley-oops and strong drives to the basket. He and Deangelo Harrison (6'3 cg Dulles HS 2011) should from one of the highest scoring backcourts in the state next year. Harrsion was his usual solid self. He had  a game of over 30 points. He has become one of the most consistent players in the area. You pretty much know what you are going to get out Harrison every game. He was labeled as just a shooter early on in his career but he has expanded his game and is very capable of running the point, penetrating and finishing in traffic. Brandon Fagan (5'10 pg FB Austin 2011) did a good job of getting in the paint and pushing the tempo. Kevin Williams (6'0 pg Pearland 2010) was intent on showing that he is a true point guard. He insisted on me keeping track of his assists every game. Donrad Kowles (6'9 f Lutheran North 2012) rebounded the ball well and even showed the ability to get push the ball on the floor and make decisions. He still has to get stronger but he has a very high ceiling. Jason Carter (6'8 Chrisitan Life 2010) matched up with Alex Davis (6'8 Yates HS 2010) on the final day of the camp. Carter had a nice behind the back move and pull-up three on Davis. Davis could possibly be the longest player in the Houston area. He used his length and slender frame to run the floor and finish in transition. He also made a couple of nice passes from the high post. Carter displayed his athleticism as he had a couple of power dunks and caught an alley-oop from half court. Sheldon McClellan (6'6 Bellaire HS 2011) was quite possibly the most talented player in the entire camp. Anthony Odunsi (6'4 cg Travis HS 2011) and Nevin Johnson (6'4 cg Lutheran North 2011) challenged McClellan and he rose to the occasion. Sheldon was raining three's from 5 feet beyond the line, and he showed his handle with a series of crossovers and hesitation moves. He solidified his spot as the #1 player in the 2011 class. In that same game Odunsi showed why he is one of the top players in the 2011 class. His jumper was falling and he made good decisions from the pg spot. Nevin Johnson continues to tease with potential. He really has the tools to be near the top of his class. He just has to learn how to play with a sense of urgency and consistency.

The top 20 players from this camp will be invited to the National Rivals Camp in Atlanta on October 10-11. Of course there will be some people who feel they were left out or got snubbed. Some people will cry politics or preferential treatment. Hey its part of the game. If you feel your name should be on the list work a little bit harder to take the persons name who is ahead of you. Just because you are on top today does not mean you will be on top tomorrow. While you are resting someone is working to take your spot. Dream big and work hard!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

There was a misunderstanding in the Junior Cadougan situation in yesterdays Locker Room Talk when I said he might be going overseas. Coach Carlos Wilson of Christian Life clarified things with me this morning with this statement, " The NCAA accepted all of his classes but two courses he took outside of Christian Life Center Academy. He came back to Christian Life to take those same two classes and will be finished this week. He's returning to Canada Saturday and set to be on Marquette campus August 31st." Thats good news for Junior. You can add him to the list of players in the 2009 class who are expected to make an immediate impact on the collegiate level.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

I was a bit dissappointed in Jamal Branch at Adidas Nations. He was the lone player representing Houston in the prestigious event, and he bailed out early after being upset with his playing time. In the basketball community it is a tight knit circle amongst scouts and basketball coaches and little things go a long way. There was a plethora of NBA scouts on hand to check out the American talent as well as players from Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, and Latin America. LeBryan Nash(Dallas, TX) repped well for the Lone Star State as he had 14 points and 11 rebounds in the championship game against Team Europe.

The Franchize All-Stars went down to the University of Arkansas camp and played really well. Michael Carey (6'5 g Lutheran North 2012) and Wannah Bail (6'9 f Lutheran North 2012) apparently impressed the coaches enough to recieve offers from the Razorback program.

Eric Moreland has finally decided to Ocean Academy Prep in Ocean, New Jersey. Moreland looks like he has newfound dedication to the game as he has showed up for workouts everyday prepared to get some work in. He is a late bloomer who is long (6'9) with a lot of potential. A year of prep will definetly bolster his status. He is a full qualifier and he said he is looking to sign with a Division 1 in November.

Junior Cadougan still hasnt recieved clearance from the NCAA Clearinghouse and has yet to arrive on campus at Marquette. I hear that Cadougan is headed overseas just like his high school mate Latavious Williams who was supposed to attend Memphis but opted to go overseas.

It was interesting watching the Pro-AM at Fonde tonight. You had an established NBA star in TJ Ford (Willowridge '01) going head to head against local legend Myron Allen (Milby '98). The average fan watching the game could have easily thought Allen was the established pro as he hit the game winning basket on Ford. He was making aggressive athletic plays throughout the game and he looked like he could compete on the same level as TJ Ford skill wise and athletically. This goes to show all you young guys that it is all about oppurtunities and breaks. While Ford took care of his business in the classroom and earned a scholarship to the University of Texas, Allen fell a bit short academically and had to attend Baytown Lee Junior College. Ford went on to become an All-American, player of the year, and lottery pick. Allen attended LEE JC, transfered to a D2 school in South Dakota and was eventually ruled inelgible after the university learned that he had tried out for a professional team which eliminates your amateur status. Now Allen has made a good living for himself playing basketball overseas, but who knows what could have happened if he would have took care of his classwork, and attended a high major D1 straight out of high school. 

This thought led me to thinking about the class of 2009 in Houston. There are a lot of guys who have a chance to be impact freshman. Tommy Mason Griffin (Oklahoma), Ray Penn (Oklahoma State), Garlon Green (TCU), Tim Frazier (Penn State), Jamal Fenton (New Mexico), Ray Turner (Texas A&M), Aaron Mike Davis (Texas Tech), Khris Roy (HBU), and Joey Brooks (Notre Dame). Hopefully all of these guys will take care of their priorities on and off the court and represent Htown well. Tommy has already lost 10 pounds and is rounding into shape. I spoke with the coaching staff at Penn State and they said Tim Frazier has added 8-10 pounds of muscle and he has improved his jump-shot. Ray Pen is rehabbing his shoulder and has gained clearance to start working out. Reports are that Jamal Fenton is playing well at New Mexico. Hopefully Khris Roy has a speedy recovery. He tore his meniscus while playing pickup at his school.  

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Texas Tech has formally extended a scholarship offer to Anthony Collins (6'0 pg Westbury Christian 2011). Collins who is currently leading our poll on "Who Is the Best Point Guard in Houston?" has been recieving a lot of interest from high majors schools. This is a good lesson to all you up and coming ballers. You dont have score 20 points a game in order to be noticed by colleges. Collins is one of the most unselfish players in the area and he has made his claim to fame by being a floor general, locking down opposing defenders, and making his teammates better.

Props are extended to the Galveston Hornets AAU squad. They made it to the sweet 16 of the Adidas Super 64 before losing to the Michigan Mustangs. Terran Petteway averaged 25 points a game in Vegas. They concluded the AAU season with a stellar 61-14 record. The team was majority 2011 kids from the Galveston area and they played up in almost every tournament.

Congrats to Houston Hoops Coach Marland Lowe on his recent selection as the assistant coach on the USA Midwest Team for the Nike Global Challenge. Here is the full roster. The games will take place August 7-9 in Portland, Oregon. 

2009 Team USA Midwest

Head Coach: Jim Gosz, Rufus King HS, Milwaukie, WI
Assisant Coach: Marland Lowe, Houston Hoops Travel Team, Houston, TX

Name	Position	Height	Weight	Class	School	Town
Phil Pressey	G	5'11''	162	2010	Episcopal School	Dallas, TX
Ray McCallum	G	6'1''	179	2010	Detroit Country Day	Beverly Hills, MI
Doron Lamb	G	6'4''	183	2010	Oak Hill Academy	Mouth of Wilson, VA
Russell Byrd	W	6'7''	189	2010	Blackhawk Christian	Ft.Wayne, IN
Cameron Clark	W	6'6''	184	2010	Sherman	Sherman, TX
Jereme Richmond	W	6'7''	195	2010	Waukeegan	Waukeegan, IL
Harrison Barnes	W	6'8''	209	2010	Ames	Ames, IA
Tony Mitchell	W	6'7''	215	2010	Living Faith Christian	Grand Prarie, TX
Perry Jones	C	6'11''	220	2010	Duncanville	Duncanville, TX
Adreian Payne	C	6'9''	215	2010	Jefferson	Dayton, OH

Monday, August 3, 2009

The Houston Defenders are off to a good start at the 14 and under AAU Nationals in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. They are the favorites to win the tourney and in their first game of pool play they defeated the Philly Hurricanes 71-40. All reports indicate that Brian Bridgewater( 6'5 f 2013 Baton Rouge, LA) was a force for the Defenders as he scored 25 points. Many people suggest that Bridgewater could possibly be the #1 player in his class nationally. The twins (Andrew and Aaron Harrison) combined for 15 points in the victory. The scary part about it is that even though the Harrisons and Bridgewater are top 10 players in the country when it is all said and done in a few years they might not even be the top players on their own team. Derrick Griffin (6'6 f 2013 Terry HS) has a chance to be special if he continues to develop and work on his game. He can play inside and out and will only get better with continued development.

The early results are in for the poll on "Who  Is the Best Point Guard in Houston?" Darius "Pee-Wee" Gardner leads the voting with 28%, followed by Anthony Collins 25%, Lj Rose 18%, and J'Mychal Reese 13%. I will leave the voting open for a week. Go to Houston Preps Playground to weigh in with your thoughts on who is the Best Floor General in H-Town!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

LJ Rose and J'Mychal Reese grabbed the headlines in Orlando. Everybody was raving about the two young 2012 playmakers and how advanced they were for their age. Click on the link to see what Rivals had to say.(Texas Duo Impresses in Orlando).   ESPN was also impressed. Click on the link to read their thoughts (Texas Youngsters Generate Buzz).

Speaking of Rose and Reese you can go to Houston Preps Playground to chime in with your thoughts on "Who is the Best Point Guard in the City?" You can vote for William Young (St. John's 2010), Darius Gardner (Yates 2010), LJ Rose (Second Baptist 2012), Reese (Bryan 2012), Joe Miles (Jones 2011), Anthony Collins (Westbury Christian 2011), Kevin Williams (Pearland 2010), DJ Griggs (Brazosport 2012), or Evan Cooper (Woodlands). If you feel anyone was omitted or left off the list you can type their name in and leave comments. Several names were left off this list because they are considered to be considered "combo" or scoring guards. They will be featured in our next poll.

Friday, July 31, 2009

Update!--Just to put all the confusion to rest USC is very interested in Anthony Collins and an offer has been extended. He will visit the campus, but trust me when I say no commitment will be made any time soon.

Yesterday I went over to the 2 God Be The Glory facilities and watched a few unsigned seniors and guys who had been out of school play in front of the newly named Paris Junior College coaches. Several names you might recognize such as Denzel Casper (Bush), Mike Randle (Madison), Chad Jackson (Madison), Romain Blackmon (2008 Westbury), and Johnny Uhwegu (2008 Westbury). Guys were really scrapping and competing. Mike Randle played really well. He was running the show, making plays, and defending. He decided to end his recrutiment and commit to USAO(University of Science Arts) .  It is a perennial NAIA power in Oklahoma.

Today unofficially marks the end of summer ball. Houston Swoosh Select made it all the way to the Elite 8 in LA before bowing out to the Pump N Run. You better believe my workouts are getting ready to pick back up after guys take a few days off to get their legs back after a grueling travel schedule in July. My theory on the kids complaining about all the games and travel in July is simple: Suck it up! All of these kids have aspirations to play in the league and this isnt even a portion of what the travel schedule is like in the NBA! 

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Despite rumors that are swirling around; Anthony Collins (6'1 pg Westbury Christian 2010) will not be committing to USC anytime soon and no deal will be sealed while they are in Los Angeles competing in the Best of Summer Tournament. Collins says he hasnt even heard from the Trojans and several people close to the situation say these USC rumors are completly false. As a matter of fact The Swoosh Select Team is playing their best best ball of the summer right now despite the absences of Anthony Horton and Jamal Branch. They are clicking on all cylinders as evidenced by their double digit punishment of Minnesota Pump-N-Run in the 1st round of bracket play. Also Jason Carter will NOT be attending Lutheran North next year. I spoke to the big fella last night and he confirmed that he has no idea where such a rumor could come from and that he has never told anybody that Lutheran North is in his future. Once again at Houstonpreps we pride ourselves on stating facts not fiction or rumors that we hear. If you see something on Houstonpreps you better believe it came straight from the horses mouth. If we are unsure of something we will verify it with the player, parent, or coach before we spread false statements. Thats just the way we do business over here! Out in Orlando the Hoops are winning despite injuries to LJ Rose and Darius Gardner.

BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH ALL STAR GAME----AUGUST 22 @ MADISON HIGH SCHOOL 12pm!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Brandon "Snap" Peters has really elevated his stock with his impressive play in Orlando. Hoopscoop had Peters ranked as the 14th best player amongst all the participants in the AAU Super Showcase. LJ Rose was ranked 28th and Toby Oyedeji 29th. Remember these rankings are solely based on performance at the tournament. On the same site Anthony Collins(#47) was the only ranked player from Houston from the five events (adidas Super 64, Reebok Summer Championship, StarVision Sports Center Stage Tournament, 2009 GBOA (Grassroots Basketball of America) Challenge of Champions, & Main Event) that took place last week in Las Vegas, NV. I find that intresting considering the fact that Joseph Young was one of the top 5 scorers in the Reebok tourney, Franchize All-Stars made it to the final four of the Reebok championships, and Jordan Leslie(33) and Maurice Wiltz(36) had two of the top individual scoring performances in Vegas. I guess it goes to show that Houston is still underrated on the national scene when it comes to high school talent. I guess it will be up to freshman like like Tommy Mason Griffin (Oklahoma), Tim Frazier (Penn State), Raymond Penn (Oklahoma State), Junior Cadougan (Marquette), and Aaron Mike Davis (Texas Tech) to show the world that Houston is real deal. I also still believe that even though 2010 is not top heavy like 2009 it is still a formidable class. There will be guys ranked in the 30's who are going to be mid-low D1 players. 2011 has multiple mid-high major guys and 2012 and 2013 have All-americans! It will be interesting to see all of this talent go head to head in our 1st Back 2 School Bash All-Star game. We are still waiting confirmation on a few players but the field is more than 60% filled. There are a few matchups that we are anticipating, but the rosters wont be released until we confirm all players on the rosters. We will also release the confirmed contestants for the dunk contest and the artist who will be performing in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Congratulations to Team Swag 15's who won the championship at the Las Vegas Center Stage tournament. Mike Harmon (5'10 pg Morton Ranch 2011) exploded in the championship game with 36 points and 7 threes. Props are extended to the Franchize All-Stars as well. They made it all the way to the Final Four of the Reebok Summer Championships before losing to a very talented D-One Sports(North Carolina) team 83-74 in the semifinals. In that game Deangelo Harrison led the way with 19 points, Wannah Bail added 14, and Rasheed Sulamin had 12. The Franchize will be a team to be reckoned with in Houston for the next two summers. They only have two rising seniors (Jason Carter and Alex Davis) and two rising juniors( Deangelo Harison and Nevin Johnson). The rest of the team is comprimised of 2012 stars. Davis definetly raised his stock with his play this weekend. Several coaches were intrigued by the long limbed Davis who was making plays on both ends with his length and athleticism. Carter won the game for Franchize against the New York Panthers ,who were coached by former Rockets pg Rafer Alston, with a dunk and the free throw. In that contest Harrison had 20, and Rahseed Sulamin and DJ Griggs both had 11. The Northwest Houston Tigers also made a good showing for H-Town. They advanced all the way to the quarterfinals before taking a loss to California Supreme. Team Genesis lost in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Main Event. Prince Williams hit a game winning three to send his squad to the quarterfinals. The super talented Houston Defenders lost to the Atlanta Cletics 15's in the semifinals of the Adidas Super 64.

Houston Swoosh Select and the Jr. Harballers will have a chance to redeem theirsleves this week in Los Angeles at the Best of Summer Tournament. The Franchize are on their way to Kansas City.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Sorry for the delay in posting. I have been in Vegas running from gym to gym. I didnt get a chance to see every Houston team which was my goal. The Houston Superstars bowed out this morning. I got a chance to see them play the Texas Blue Chips and Joseph Young went off for 29. Young lists Miami, Texas Tech, Houston, Providence, Marquette, Missouri, and SMU as pssible suitors for his services.  The Houston Hoops are in Orlando taking care of business. Brandon "Snap" Peters is putting in serious work. He has two games of 25+ and in pool play today he hit 3 threes. Other news and notes from Vegas:

• Eric Moreland(6'9 pf 2009) has an offer from Centennary and he is currently weighing a cople of prep school options. He said he is leaning toward a prep in New Jersey.
• Rasheed Sulamin (6'2 cg 2010) has been on fire with the Franchize All-Stars. Coaches from all over the country are wanting to know who the sharpshooting combo guard is. Rice will have an offer on the table.
• Deangelo Harrison (6'3 cg 2010) looks like he is the most consistent player on the talented Franchize All-Stars squad.
• The talented Houston Swoosh Select Black lost in the first round of the Addidas Super 64. They were up by double digits in the second half before squandering the lead to Joe Ward Phenoms 17's. It was a dissappointing loss. No team featuring Sheldon McClellan, Jamal Branch, Anthony Collins, Jamel Outler, Stephen Baird, Leslee Smith,etc..who are all high-mid major D1 prospects should be losing in the 1st round. I think chemistry is a big issue with this squad. There arent enough balls to go around. This is often the problem with high major AAU teams. Everybody is used to being the man on their regular high school teams and its a major adjustment when they have to share the ball, shots, and spotlight. These guys better get used to it. On the next level everybody on the squad will have been the man on their high school team at one point and time, and you can be assured that the coach is going to make sure everybody is passing the ball and playing unselfishly or you will be sitting on the pine collecting splinters.
• The Houston Hurricanes lost to Arizona Stars in bracket pkay. Maurice Wiltz went off in an earlier pool play game for 36 points. He was on the attack the entire game.
• The Northwest Houston Tigers are still alive in the Reebok Summer Championships. Jordan Leslie dropped 33 points in an earlier win in pool play.
• The Hosuton Hoopstars are still alive after beating the Texas Blue Cips Navy by 20 points.
• Nick Sheppard (6'9 pf 2010)

THE HOUSTON INVITATIONAL 
hosted by Houstonpreps.net & The Katy Hoop Stars 2013

(Boys 9U-17U)

Basketball Tournament

March 27 - 28, 2010  
Houston, Texas 

You tell us what teams you want in your pool! 
“You can run, but you can’t hide”

The game will be covered by Chris Gaston of Houstonpreps.net, (leader in Basketball Skills Training, Ranking and Recruiting Services).  Player Reports, Evaluations will be submitted to College Coaches.  

*3 Game Guarantee,    *Full 16 Minute Halves / Stop clock on all dead balls 
 
*Games at nice facilities  *Trophies to 1^st and 2^nd place in each division  

The entry fee is $225.00 per team. The fee is $200.00 per team for organizations that bring more than 1 team.  ENTRY DEADLINE is MARCH 20, 2010. 

 
Please fill out the registration form provided and make cashier’s checks or money orders payable to: Katy Hoop Stars 2013   

MAIL TO:         Katy Hoop Stars 2013

                                                            PO Box 1751

                                                      Richmond, Texas 77406

                                                          (281) 687-0664

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For additional information, contact: 

Eric Thomas             or                    Chris Gaston 
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(281) 687-0664                                   (832) 276-2718 
 
 

What an exciting game between the top 2 teams in Fort Bend (Bush and Dulles). There was a buzz in Wheeler Fieldhouse as this game had a playoff feel to it. This game was a fight for 1^st place in the district and Dulles was eager to avenge the 30 point blasting Bush put on them in their last encounter. In the 1^st qtr Bush came out in a zone and unsigned senior Bryant Mbamulu (14pts) came out aggressive and scored twice on athletic finishes as the basket. It was a defensive struggle and the 1^st period ended with a 2point Bush lead (10-8) as Jordan Clark (34pts) converted on a crossover pullup jumper at the buzzer. After being face guarded in the opening period Deangelo Harrison (17pts) finally shook loose for a 3 pointer and a pull-up jumper in the lane. Bush’s sharpshooter Darius Rchardson also struggled to find his rhythm but hit a corner three at the buzzer to give his squad a 26-22 advanatage going into halftime.The action picked up in the 3^rd quarter as both teams begin to push the ball and look for fast break oppurtunities. Sophmore Cameron Ridley (6’10) was dominant in the paint for Bush. He was grabbing every rebound and blocking every shot that Dulles near the rim. A crucial moment occurred midway through the 3^rd when he picked up his 3^rd foul. Dulles immediately begin to attack the young big man knowing that he wouldn’t be able to aggressively go after the blocks. Adrain Kuyinu (15pts) in particular took advantage as he was cleaning everything up off the glass and attacked the rim with a purpose. Bush went into the 4^th qtr with a 43-40 advantage. In the 4^th qtr unsigned senior Jordan Clark began to take control of the game. He was all over the floor for Bush as he blocked shots, rebounded, pushed the rock, and finished at the rim. Down the stretch Deangelo Harrison hit two big time shots (including a baseline spin and pull-up) to give Dulles the lead 56-53. After trading a couple of possessions with fouls and free throws Dulles had possession of the ball and lead (57-56). On the inbounds possession Jordan Clark took a charge and went to the line with 9 secs remaining in the game. He missed the first and made the second to knot the score(57-57). After both teams turned the ball over Bryant Mbamulu barely missed a half court buzzer beater that would have secured the win for Dulles. In overtime Dulles stretched its lead to 63-59 with a minute to go. Bush fought to stay in the game and with 34 secs left Jordan Clark made a huge steal drew, drew the foul, and made both free throws to tie the game (63-63). After Dulles came up empty on its next possession senior Demarcus Gatlin (10pts) drove the length of the floor and finished at the rim to give Bush the lead (65-63). On the next possession Deangelo Harrison was fouled. He made 1 of 2 free throws to give Bush the slight advantage (65-64). Bush knocked the ball out of bounds on the missed free throw which gave Dulles one more chance to win the game. Harrison missed a desperation three at the buzzer to give Bush the win! Jordan Clark was an absolute terror the entire game. Dulles didn’t have an answer for him as he continually sliced to the basket. Cameron Ridley was also a huge factor for Bush. He completely controlled the inside as he finished with double digit blocks and rebounds. Unfortunately for Dulles, Harrison wasn’t able to save with a buzzer beater like he did in their last game against Hightower.

In other Fort Bend action Anthony Odunsi (11pts) broke down the Marshall defense and finished at the rim at the buzzer to keep Travis High School’s playoff hopes alive. Rasheed Sulaimon has staked his claim at the top of the 2012 class in Houston. He has been on an absolute tear. There might not be another player in the city who can put up buckets like Sulaimon. In his last 3 games he has scored 29pts against Elsik, 36pts vs. Alief Taylor, and 45 out of his teams 54 total points in the loss last night against Hastings. That’s some big time numbers for the combo guard. Its going to be a scary trio next year when the heralded Harrison twins join the Srake Jesuit varsity next year.

On Monday I got the chance to check out Trent International; which features 2012 standouts Wannah Bail, Michael Carey, Donrad Knowles, and Emmauel Bassaw. They face off against St. Thomas which is a team that has plenty of 2012 talent in its own right. Carl Culberson (5’10 pg 2012 St Thomas) was fantastic in running the team and controlling the tempo. He finished the game with 11 pts and 7 assists. Christian Sanders was also excellent as he knocked down several pull-jumpers off the dribble over the taller Trinity team. Michael Carey looks more comfortable running the point as he has vastly improved his midrange jumper and left hand ball handling. St. Thomas pulled out the win as they executed their offense and got stops when they needed it. Trinity International looks like they are modeling their program after Findlay Prep (where the basketball team goes to school at Henderson Prep in Nevada) as they are led by former U of H head coach and Kentucky assistant coach Alvin Brooks.

On a side note, I watched a interesting piece on signing letters of intent by college basketball analyst Seth Davis. He stated that signing the letter of intent is not a requirement, the letter of intent program is not governed by the NCAA, and the letter states that a player will not be automatically released from his obligations if the coach is fired or takes another job. UAB (Univeristy of Alabama-Birmingham) is a major university that was recently hurt by the letter of intent. National recruit Demarcus Cousins committed to the program early on in his high school career. He wanted to attend the university, but would not sign the letter of intent unless they could promise him in writing that he could be released if coach Mike Davis was fired. The school refused and he reopened his recruitment. He is now leading Kentucky to one of its most prominent seasons in recent memory. Davis encouraged all the top players to refuse to sign the letter of intent in the late signing period beginning April 14. That is a bit extreme and controversial but it sheds new light on the National letter of Intent. It is not required to obtain your athletic scholarship, but when you sign you are giving your rights to the school hoping that the coach that recruited you and promised you all these wonderful things doesn’t jump ship for a higher paying job! I feel that if a coach is fired or leaves the job, then the players on that particular roster should be released if they choose to do so without any consequences.

Bellaire came out with a chip on shoulder against Mayde Creek. After taking an early 3 point lead, and talking a little smack, Mayde Creek never saw the lead again. Bellaire began to wear down Creek with their full court pressure and Sebastion Douglass (21 pts) was in the passing lanes and finishing at the rim. Bellaire was up 26-10 at the end of the 1^st quarter and never looked back. Bellaire’s game plan was to not Mayde Creek senior Aaron Turner get loose as Kene Anyigbo, Sheldon McClellan, Jamel Outler, and Tobi Oyedeji took turns guarding the high scoring swingman. You can tell that the matchup was personal as they have all played AAU with each other at one point time since the 8^th grade. Bellaire looks like it is on a crash collision to meet up with Elsik in the 3^rd round, which would be a rematch of the Jaycee Tournament final. I see Elsik and possibly Bush as the only teams in Houston area that can challenge Bellaire. Amos Olatayo’s health is going to be a major concern for Elsik. Madison and Seven Lakes was a classic matchup. Seven Lakes was the favorite as they were playing in front of Katy based crowd at Cy Ranch High School. Seven Lakes was in control most of the game, until the 4^th quarter when Madison’s full court pressure began to wear down Seven Lakes. Seven Lakes missed 12 free throws (14-26), and that was their Achilles heel as Fred Basile (17pts) and CJ Shelvin (16pts) made huge plays down the stretch. Basile made the go ahead layup with 16 secs left to give Madison the lead 58-57. Basile looked like a big time player as he scored 14 out of his 17 pts in the final period. Seven lakes didnt have an answer for him as he penetrated and got to the rim at will. Trey Pinkney pushed the ball up court and passed it to the corner, and Seven Lakes missed the three at the buzzer to give Madison the big victory. Madison will play the winner out of Strake Jesuit and Kingwood in the 3rd round.

Maurice Wiltz is on a mission to lead his Stafford team back to Austin. He scored 23 points to lead Stafford to a 71-56 win over San Antonio Sam Houston to advance in 3A. Fort Bend district is showing its potency. All 4 of their teams are still alive. After upsetting Galveston Ball, Travis took care of Pearland 61-51. Big time players step up in big time games and Anthony Odunsi carried his team with 31 points in the win. He made every key shot when his team needed a basket. Junior Shai Fields led his squad with 22pts in the loss. Bush rode senior guard Demarcus Gatlin’s career high 45 points to a 79-66 win over Deer Park. Dulles continues to roll with a 74-57 win over Dolbie. Unsigned seniors Bryant Mbamulu (25pts) and Adrian Kuyinu (20pts) led the way for Dulles. Strake continues to prove it naysayers wrong. They upset Kingwood 42-39 behind Rasheed Sulaimon’s 12 points. Julien Lewis (28pts) carried his Lamarque team to a 77-64 win over Reagan to advance in 4A. Yates hasn’t slowed down one bit as they scored 100+ points for the 11^th game in a row in a 104-48 demolishing if Friendswood. Joseph Young(38pts) was unconscious as he dropped 8 three pointers. Brandon Peters added 24 points for the defending state champs. Elsik barely survived in a 54-53 win over Humble. Everyone was concerned about Amos Olatayo’s injury status, but he appears to be just fine as he led Elsik with 22pts in the win. LaPorte’s heralded combo Drew Parker (15pts), and Randy Collins (24pts) gave it their all, but it wasn’t enough to hold off a hungry Elkins team 50-48. Willie Rogers led Elkins with 14 points. Wheatley pressed and trapped Terry to death in its 111-87 victory. Freshman star Derrick Griffith led Terry with 30 points, but it wasn’t enough to stay close to Wheatley who was led by Shaquille Burrell(23pts). Cy Woods bowed out to Oak Ridge 55-53. Andre Adams enede his high school career with 18 points in the loss. Mackey Mcknight kept his Langham Creek team alive with 21 points in the win over College Park. 2012 pg Evan Cooper had 21 in the loss. In the private school ranks Second Baptist advanced on a buzzer beater after LJ Rose hit a 3pointer with 16 seconds to beat Arlington Grace Prep 59-57. LJ Rose led the team with 17 points, Henry Riasco scored 14 points, and Mikhail McLain added 13 points. Former Atascosita star Jamal Branch scored 19 in the loss. The win setup a matchup with heated rival Westbury Christian who defeated Corpus Christi John Paul 59-46. Westbury Christian had a balanced scoring attack (Lante Phillips-14pts, Anthony Collins -13pts, and Anthony Broncato-12pts). The two teams will face off today for the TAPPS 4A State championship.

The 3^rd round is full of interesting matchups. Strake methodical offense will matchuo against the full court, running style of Madison. The two teams are very different in the fact that Strake is looking to slow the game down and find Rasheed Sulaimon, while Madison is looking to push the tempo and run at every opportunity. The two heavyweights Bellaire and Elsik will butt heads. Elsik is the only team in the area that can matchup with Bellaire size wise and athletically. The key will be Tobi Oyedeji. I don’t think Elsik has an answer inside for the big man. After beating up on everybody else the Fort bend teams will square off against each other. Travis will play Elkins, while Dulles will play Bush. Both of these games are sure to go down to the wire as they know each other like the back of their hands. Yates should handle Jones easily, as they will score 100+ for the 12^th consecutive game. I will save my predictions for tomorrow!

Febraury 28, 2010

Congratulations to Kingwood Northeast Christian who captured the TAPPS 2A State Championship by defeating Rockwall Christian 50-44. Nick McDonald led the way with 22 points for Northeast who finished the season with a 14-0 districr record and 30-7 overall record. Westbury Christian won the TAPPS 4A state championshjip for the second year in a row with a 78-59 win over Second Baptist. Unsigned senior Lante Phillips garnered all tournament honors with a game high 24 points in the championship. Anthony Collins, Anthony Broncato, and Tyler Guidry added 11 points apeice for the state champs. LJ Rose ended a brilliant sophomore season with 19 points, while unsigned senior Henry Riasco added 17 in the loss. The win gave Westbury Christian a final record of 34-3, which is the best in the school's storied history. 

Febraury 27, 2010

Playoff Predictions: This year seems like it is the year of the underdog. Elkins (Miles Dixon), Strake Jesuit (Tim Frazier and Joey Brooks), Madison (Tommy Mason Griffin), Travis (Ray Penn), and Wheatley (Aaron Mike Davis) all suffered the loss of Division 1 seniors last year, and they all have advanced to 3rd round of the playoffs.

Travis vs. Elkins: Junior guard Anthony Odunsi is on a roll, and he is playing like a man on a mission. Elkins plays a balanced attack, and on any given night someone can step up and be the leading scorer. This scoring by committee could be ultimately be there downfall. While their unselfish brand of basketball is a treat to watch, in the playoffs you need a go to scorer that you know you can depend on in clutch situations. Travis has that in Odunsi. HP Prediction : TRAVIS

Madison vs. Strake Jesuit: Madison is on a magical run after knocking out Aldine and Seven Lakes in the 1^st two rounds. For the past 4 years they have looked to superman (Tommy Griffin) to save the day. Now that Griffin is Oklahoma, Madison has returned to its scappy, full court pressure defense. Senior Fred Basile and junior CJ Shelvin have stepped up as the leaders of the undersized marlins. Raheed Sulaimon has been a one man wrecking crew for Strake Jesuit all season long. In the end I think Madison’s helter skelter defense will get Strake scrambling and they will key in on Sulaimon and force other players on Strake to step up and make plays. HP Prediction: MADISON

Bush vs. Dulles: The last time these two teams met, it was an instant classic. The two stars (Deangelo Harrison and Darisu Richardson) had off shooting nights and Bush prevailed behind the inspired play of Jordan Clark. In the end I think Bush has the ultimate X factor in 6’10 sophomore Cameron Ridley, who clogs everything up in the paint. Harrison and Bryant Mbamulu will come out with guns blazing but Bush has their number. HP Prediction: BUSH

Bellaire vs. Elsik: The last time these two teams met, the game went right down to the wire in the final of the HISD Tournament. Since then Bellaire has been playing on another level. Elsik certainly has the talent and athletic ability to matchup with the state #1 5A team, but it looks like Bellaire is a team on a mission. While Elsik struggled with Katy and beat Humble by 1 point, Bellaire has won both of its games by more than 30pts. The deciding factor honestly comes down to two players : Sheldon McClellan and Tobi Oyedji. Elsik doent have an answer for Oyedeji and his inside presence, and when McClellan comes to play he is arguably the best player in the city. HP Prediction: BELLAIRE

Jones vs. Yates: Yates is the #2 ranked team in the nation for a reason! They are deep, athletic, talented, and hungry. There is nobody in the state of Texas that stands in Yates way of capturing back to back state titles. Next year Jones might be the best team in 4A with two juniors (Joe Miles and Demarcus Johnson) and two sophomores (Roderick and Broderick Harris) amongst their top players, but right now its all about Yates. HP Prediction: YATES

Travis vs. Elkins: Junior guard Anthony Odunsi is on a roll, and he is playing like a man on a mission. Elkins plays a balanced attack, and on any given night someone can step up and be the leading scorer. This scoring by committee could be ultimately be there downfall. While their unselfish brand of basketball is a treat to watch, in the playoffs you need a go to scorer that you know you can depend on in clutch situations. Travis has that in Odunsi. HP Prediction : TRAVIS

Madison vs. Strake Jesuit: Madison is on a magical run after knocking out Aldine and Seven Lakes in the 1^st two rounds. For the past 4 years they have looked to superman (Tommy Griffin) to save the day. Now that Griffin is Oklahoma, Madison has returned to its scappy, full court pressure defense. Senior Fred Basile and junior CJ Shelvin have stepped up as the leaders of the undersized marlins. Raheed Sulaimon has been a one man wrecking crew for Strake Jesuit all season long. In the end I think Madison’s helter skelter defense will get Strake scrambling and they will key in on Sulaimon and force other players on Strake to step up and make plays. HP Prediction: MADISON

Bush vs. Dulles: The last time these two teams met, it was an instant classic. The two stars (Deangelo Harrison and Darisu Richardson) had off shooting nights and Bush prevailed behind the inspired play of Jordan Clark. In the end I think Bush has the ultimate X factor in 6’10 sophomore Cameron Ridley, who clogs everything up in the paint. Harrison and Bryant Mbamulu will come out with guns blazing but Bush has their number. HP Prediction: BUSH

Bellaire vs. Elsik: The last time these two teams met, the game went right down to the wire in the final of the HISD Tournament. Since then Bellaire has been playing on another level. Elsik certainly has the talent and athletic ability to matchup with the state #1 5A team, but it looks like Bellaire is a team on a mission. While Elsik struggled with Katy and beat Humble by 1 point, Bellaire has won both of its games by more than 30pts. The deciding factor honestly comes down to two players : Sheldon McClellan and Tobi Oyedji. Elsik doent have an answer for Oyedeji and his inside presence, and when McClellan comes to play he is arguably the best player in the city. HP Prediction: BELLAIRE

Jones vs. Yates: Yates is the #2 ranked team in the nation for a reason! They are deep, athletic, talented, and hungry. There is nobody in the state of Texas that stands in Yates way of capturing back to back state titles. Next year Jones might be the best team in 4A with two juniors (Joe Miles and Demarcus Johnson) and two sophomores (Roderick and Broderick Harris) amongst their top players, but right now its all about Yates. HP Prediction: YATES

There is no need in even discussing the Yates game. It will be the usual massacre. And now that Dallas Lincoln lost the only challenge they have left ( with all due respect to Lamarque) is Dallas Lancaster, who is the only team to beat Bellaire this year. Spring and Langham Creek are both quietly advancing in 5A Region II and they are on a collision course to face off in the game to go to Austin if they take care of business on Friday night. If that game does occur it will be a matchup of two of the most underrated point guards in the state in Don Thomas (Spring) and Mackey McKnight (Langham Creek). Colorado State signee Maurice Wiltz has his Stafford team clicking on all cylinders and they will face Corpus West Oro in the game to get to Austin in 3A.

Stay tuned for Houston Grassroots Basketball Presents: Houston Preps Combine/ Unsigned Senior Showcase.

Invitations will handed out soon to select unsigned seniors. Date, time, and location will posted soon. This is an oppurtunity for selected unsigned seniors to showcase their skills in front of multiple college coaches.

Maurice Wiltz is on a mission to lead his Stafford team back to Austin. He scored 23 points to lead Stafford to a 71-56 win over San Antonio Sam Houston to advance in 3A. Fort Bend district is showing its potency. All 4 of their teams are still alive. After upsetting Galveston Ball, Travis took care of Pearland 61-51. Big time players step up in big time games and Anthony Odunsi carried his team with 31 points in the win. He made every key shot when his team needed a basket. Junior Shai Fields led his squad with 22pts in the loss. Bush rode senior guard Demarcus Gatlin’s career high 45 points to a 79-66 win over Deer Park. Dulles continues to roll with a 74-57 win over Dolbie. Unsigned seniors Bryant Mbamulu (25pts) and Adrian Kuyinu (20pts) led the way for Dulles. Strake continues to prove it naysayers wrong. They upset Kingwood 42-39 behind Rasheed Sulaimon’s 12 points. Julien Lewis (28pts) carried his Lamarque team to a 77-64 win over Reagan to advance in 4A. Yates hasn’t slowed down one bit as they scored 100+ points for the 11^th game in a row in a 104-48 demolishing if Friendswood. Joseph Young(38pts) was unconscious as he dropped 8 three pointers. Brandon Peters added 24 points for the defending state champs. Elsik barely survived in a 54-53 win over Humble. Everyone was concerned about Amos Olatayo’s injury status, but he appears to be just fine as he led Elsik with 22pts in the win. LaPorte’s heralded combo Drew Parker (15pts), and Randy Collins (24pts) gave it their all, but it wasn’t enough to hold off a hungry Elkins team 50-48. Willie Rogers led Elkins with 14 points. Wheatley pressed and trapped Terry to death in its 111-87 victory. Freshman star Derrick Griffith led Terry with 30 points, but it wasn’t enough to stay close to Wheatley who was led by Shaquille Burrell(23pts). Cy Woods bowed out to Oak Ridge 55-53. Andre Adams enede his high school career with 18 points in the loss. Mackey Mcknight kept his Langham Creek team alive with 21 points in the win over College Park. 2012 pg Evan Cooper had 21 in the loss. In the private school ranks Second Baptist advanced on a buzzer beater after LJ Rose hit a 3pointer with 16 seconds to beat Arlington Grace Prep 59-57. LJ Rose led the team with 17 points, Henry Riasco scored 14 points, and Mikhail McLain added 13 points. Former Atascosita star Jamal Branch scored 19 in the loss. The win setup a matchup with heated rival Westbury Christian who defeated Corpus Christi John Paul 59-46. Westbury Christian had a balanced scoring attack (Lante Phillips-14pts, Anthony Collins -13pts, and Anthony Broncato-12pts). The two teams will face off today for the TAPPS 4A State championship.

The 3^rd round is full of interesting matchups. Strake methodical offense will matchuo against the full court, running style of Madison. The two teams are very different in the fact that Strake is looking to slow the game down and find Rasheed Sulaimon, while Madison is looking to push the tempo and run at every opportunity. The two heavyweights Bellaire and Elsik will butt heads. Elsik is the only team in the area that can matchup with Bellaire size wise and athletically. The key will be Tobi Oyedeji. I don’t think Elsik has an answer inside for the big man. After beating up on everybody else the Fort bend teams will square off against each other. Travis will play Elkins, while Dulles will play Bush. Both of these games are sure to go down to the wire as they know each other like the back of their hands. Yates should handle Jones easily, as they will score 100+ for the 12^th consecutive game. I will save my predictions for tomorrow!

Travis vs. Elkins: Junior guard Anthony Odunsi is on a roll, and he is playing like a man on a mission. Elkins plays a balanced attack, and on any given night someone can step up and be the leading scorer. This scoring by committee could be ultimately be there downfall. While their unselfish brand of basketball is a treat to watch, in the playoffs you need a go to scorer that you know you can depend on in clutch situations. Travis has that in Odunsi. HP Prediction : TRAVIS

Madison vs. Strake Jesuit: Madison is on a magical run after knocking out Aldine and Seven Lakes in the 1^st two rounds. For the past 4 years they have looked to superman (Tommy Griffin) to save the day. Now that Griffin is Oklahoma, Madison has returned to its scappy, full court pressure defense. Senior Fred Basile and junior CJ Shelvin have stepped up as the leaders of the undersized marlins. Raheed Sulaimon has been a one man wrecking crew for Strake Jesuit all season long. In the end I think Madison’s helter skelter defense will get Strake scrambling and they will key in on Sulaimon and force other players on Strake to step up and make plays. HP Prediction: MADISON

Bush vs. Dulles: The last time these two teams met, it was an instant classic. The two stars (Deangelo Harrison and Darius Richardson) had off shooting nights and Bush prevailed behind the inspired play of Jordan Clark. In the end I think Bush has the ultimate X factor in 6’10 sophomore Cameron Ridley, who clogs everything up in the paint. Harrison and Bryant Mbamulu will come out with guns blazing but Bush has their number. HP Prediction: BUSH

Bellaire vs. Elsik: The last time these two teams met, the game went right down to the wire in the final of the HISD Tournament. Since then Bellaire has been playing on another level. Elsik certainly has the talent and athletic ability to matchup with the state #1 5A team, but it looks like Bellaire is a team on a mission. While Elsik struggled with Katy and beat Humble by 1 point, Bellaire has won both of its games by more than 30pts. The deciding factor honestly comes down to two players : Sheldon McClellan and Tobi Oyedji. Elsik doent have an answer for Oyedeji and his inside presence, and when McClellan comes to play he is arguably the best player in the city. HP Prediction: BELLAIRE

Jones vs. Yates: Yates is the #2 ranked team in the nation for a reason! They are deep, athletic, talented, and hungry. There is nobody in the state of Texas that stands in Yates way of capturing back to back state titles. Next year Jones might be the best team in 4A with two juniors (Joe Miles and Demarcus Johnson) and two sophomores (Roderick and Broderick Harris) amongst their top players, but right now its all about Yates. HP Prediction: YATES

Febraury 26, 2010

Bellaire vs. Travis: This is truly a matchup of David vs. Goliath. You have the #1 ranked team in the state and one of the top 15 teams in the country going against a team that squeaked in the playoffs on the last game of district play (After Hightower lost to Willowridge). Bellaire boast a lineup that includes 5 Division 1 starters and come into the game with only 1 loss. After losing Ray Penn (Oklahoma State) nobody would have gave Travis a chance to make it to the 4^th round. Anthony Odunsi had other ideas as he has carried this team. Travis Coach Brunson is also one of the most underrated coaches in the area. He dissects and draws up plays in that Princeton offense to make his team effective. Drew Oneybuchi (6’7 sr.),who has committed to New Jersey Tech, will be the X factor for Travis if he can hold his own against Tobi Oyedeji. The problem is Bellaire has Oyedeji, Kene Anyigbo, and Joseph Okafor, while Oneybuchi is the only player on the Travis frontline (who receives significant minutes) who is over 6’3. Sebastion Douglass will also pose a matchup problem as he has been the most aggressive player on the floor attacking the rim at will in the playoffs. The matchup of Sheldon McClellan and Anthony Odunsi might be one of the best in the playoffs, but the problems lies in the fact that Bellaire can also rotate Sebastion Douglass, Jamel Outler, and Jonathon Evans on Odunsi. Travis will need big contributions from seniors Prince Williams and Marc Price in order to have a chance. Travis will try to slow down the tempo of the game to a crawl, but the fact is Bellaire has too many weapons. The Cardinals look like they are a team on a mission and they are the heavy favorite in this game. HP Prediction: BELLAIRE

Bush vs. Strake Jesuit: Another matchup of the favorite vs. the underdog. By now everyone knows how Rasheed Sulaimon has carried his squad. 5’5 pg John Gillion has also been a big contributor as an extra ball handler to relieve pressure and knock down three pointers. Elliot Franshaw has been solid inside blocking shots and finshing around the rim and Michael Felton has been a big plus with his activeness in the paint. Bush has a monster in the middle in 6’10 soph Cameron Ridley. The big guy clogs up the paint and is a true space eater. The also have plenty of athleticism with Demarcus Gatlin and Jordan Clark. Darius Richardson is a knock down shooter and if he gets hot it will be a long day for Bush. I think Bush has too many weapons and too much athleticism for Strake Jesuit. I look for Sulaimon to have another big game, but Bush will overwhelm Strake with its size and depth. Bush wants to turn this game into a track meet and get the game inho the 80+ range. HP Prediction: BUSH

The NCAA is really shortening the time that college coaches can evaluate players. This is really hurting unsigned seniors who would have normally gotten a lot of exposure in April and May events. Coaches aren’t legally allowed to see kids again until July. This rule doesn’t make any sense. Its just limiting kids opportunities and forcing coaches to make rushed decisions. Speaking of decisions Tiny Gallon has joined his AAU and college teammate Tommy Mason Griffin in declaring for the 2010 NBA draft. With his combination of size and agility Gallon should land on a NBA roster somewhere next year.

The 1^st annual Houston Invitational was a success. Houston Cowboys Select beat the Total Package All-Stars in the 10u division to capture the championship, the Gametime Tigers defeated Houston Select in the 11u division, Total Package captured the 12 u championship, Katy Hoop Stars 2013 won the 16 u crown, and the Katy Hoop Stars defeated the Houston Celtics in the 17 u game. There was a lot of talent on display. The L&S Heat Wave which features a team of all Booker T. Washington players had a couple of standout players. Tajon Welcome (6’3 g 2011 Booker T. Washington) can flat out jump out the gym. He is a Hyjii Thomas clone with a better jump shot. I saw him go over the top of a couple of defenders for monster dunks. His teammate Bryce Mooring (5’10 pg 2013) is a player to watch. He ran the show, controlled tempo, broke the defense down, knocked down long three balls, and make a couple of spectacular passes. He is definitely one of the top guards in his class. Trey Pinkney (5’10pg 2012 Seven Lakes) showed why he is one of the best pg’s in the 2012 class. He was pressuring the ball, pushing the rock in the open court, and making good decisions. Katy Hoop Stars 2013 was also very impressive. They went undefeated in the tournament and they have one of the most balanced 16 u teams in the area. They have a good combination of size and outside shooting. Speaking of size, the most impressive player in the tournament was the shortest. Trajan Wesley (Navasota Elementary) 4^th grade and 9yrs old was a terror. He was playing 12 and under against middle school competition and scored 27 points on the Houston Celtics! He was penetrating, making tough passes, and hitting long three pointers. The kid has a bright future.

The Houston Hoops recently added the services of Tashawn Thomas (6’6 f 2011 Killeen HS) who is considered to be a really good shot blocker and the 68^th ranked player in the state (according to Texas Hoops).  The Hoops need all the size and inside presence that they can get at this point. With the loss of Anthony Norris they are down to about 7 players, and it will be physically taxing on the youngsters when they go on the national circuit to play all those minutes. AAU will be exciting this season because there is no clear cut dominant team in the area. Everybody is still waiting to see the debut of Houston Select 17’s. One thing is for sure, they have a backcourt (Sheldon McClellan, Anthony Collins, Anthony Odunsi, and Tre Bennett) that I’m willing to put against any backcourt in the country.

Congrats to Christian Life star Jason Carter on his decision to sign with Alabama. it’s a good fit for Carter who has the body and the athleticism to compete in the SEC. Karl Blair, who played for Gulf Shores a few years ago has transferred from University of New Orleans to Oklahoma. Blair will be able to step right in and play because New Orleans is going down from the Division 1 to Division 3.

The Hoopstars and Houston Elite Red captured championship wins at the Pearland Classic. The Hoopstars defeated a tired Dallas Mustangs teams as All-American LaBryan Nash was suffering from cramps. The Hoopstars seem like they are always in contention every tournament. They don’t have the high profile names or flashy style of play. They just wear you down with presure defense, a deep bench, and a balanced scoring attack. Houston Elite Red has the look of one of the top 3 teams in the area. They punished the Gulf Coast Blue Chips 71-42 despite the fact that they were missing two key players in Ahmad Ibrahim and Jacoby Harrison. Madison junior CJ Shelvin was slashing and knocking down jumpers while Demarcus Johnson (6’6 f Jones HS 2011) was trying to dunk anything that came his way. The Elite throw more alley-oops than any team in the are with DJ Griggs (5’10 Brazosport 2012) and Joe Miles (5’10 g Jones HS 2011) pushing the tempo and Wayland Siverand (6‘7 Hightower HS 2010), Johnson, and Teris Bourgeois (6’5 Clear Springs 2010) running the wings. The Houston Select were one of the most disappointing teams in the field. Despite the additions of unsigned seniors Elton Roy (6’3 g Yates HS), Lakeytrick Quinn (6’1 g Wheatley HS), and Alex Davis (6’9 f Yates HS) they bowed out with a double digit loss to the Hoopstars. They are running the Yates full court pressure defense. It seems like that is the trend these days. Everybody wants to press and trap, and run and gun like Yates. What people don’t realize is that it takes a special group of players to really run that system with it full effectiveness. Those kids at Yates had a special bond and chemistry (many of them have been playing together since middle school), and they really brought into what Coach Wise was teaching them. Its hard to replicate what Yates did this season in the matter if a few months of summer ball. What those kids did this season was years in the making. Unsigned senior Andre Adams (5’8 g Cy Woods 2010) played well throughout the entire tournament. He was getting to the basket and using his explosiveness to make plays in the paint. Other unsigned senior who made an impact was Bryant Mbamulu (6’4 g Dulles HS) who suited up for Gulf Coast Blue Chips. He was aggressive in getting the basket and was hard to guard in the open court. Deangelo Harrison continued to impress as he lead his Franchize squad to the final four. He is definetly playing his way into top 50 status in the country and is making a case for the top player in the city.

Bellaire senior and future Texas A&M Aggie Tobi Oyedeji (18 points) earned MVP honors and finished in 3rd place in the Dunk Contest this past weekend in the 2nd Annual High School Academic All-American Classic. The game was held in Los Angeles, California. The HSAAAC featured some of the finest basketball players in the country who have excelled in the classroom and have contributed to their communities. The following criteria is how student-athletes are selected: grade point average, SAT/ACT scores, strength of high school curriculum, college selection, community service involvement, extra curricular activities and basketball ability. Players chosen had to maintain a cumulative 3.0 grade point average. This year’s participants have an average grade point average of 3.6.

The Houston Hoops 16's captured the championship at the Hoop for Hungry Tournamnet hosted by the Katy Hoopstars. They defeated Swag Elite 70-58 in the championship game.

Standout Players

Anthony Collins 6-0 Pg 2011

Lante Phillips (6'0 g Westbury Christian) has officially signed with Faulkner University in Alabama. The NAIA school is the alma mater of Westbury Christian coach Russell Carr. Elton Roy is headed to Robert Morris. Good pickup for Robert Morris who will be getting a kid with a college ready body who can play the point and shooting guard. Dulles senior Bryant Mbamulu is headed to Christian Life to play on the prep school squad.

What a spirited game and show of support for Tobi Oyedji last night. It was a packed house at Delmar Stadium as Yates prevailed 100-93. The game started off slow, until a little trash talking ensued. Next thing you know the competitive juices started flowing and the guy were going at it full tilt. Brandon Peters put on a show with several highlight reel dunks above the rim. Jonathon Evans and Jamel Outler were knocking down jumpers, but in the end nobody really cared about the final score. It was all about Tobi. It was really hard watching a Bellaire game without #35 in the middle.

1. Anthony Nwosah (23)                1.John Starks (35’)

2. Tre Bennett (20)                      2. Tre Bennett (34’)

3. Jackson Harris (20)                  3. Charles Ike (31’)

4. Christian Crockett (19)             4. Nevin Johnson (30’)

5. Corey Marshalleck (19)             5. Drayton Rolle (29’5)

Layup, Curl, Fade Drill

1.Michael Woods (27pts)

2. Jarvis Thibodeaux (22pts)

3. Tre Bennett (21pts)

4. Halen Butler (20pts)

5. Luke Savoy (19pts)

Nevin Johnson (19pts)

                    40yd Sprint                                            Lane Agility                                        Layup, Curl, Fade              

                 1. Drayton Rolle (4.5)                           1. Nevin Johnson (9.7)                   1. Michael Woods (27pts)

2. Corey Marshalleck (4.6)                    2. Anthony Nwosah (9.7)              2. Jarvis Thibodeaux (22pts)

3. Jalen Hughes (4.6)                          3. Gary Smith (9.8)                           3. Tre Bennett (21pts)

4. Halen Butler (4.71)                          4. Zach Freeman (9.8)                     4. Halen Butler (19pts)

5. Jarvis Thibodeaux (4.72)                  5. Luke Savoy (9.8)                         5. Luke Savoy (19pts)

 Bench Press (135 lbs.)                            Max Vertical

1. Anthony Nwosah (23)                     1. John Starks 35'

2. Tre Bennett (20)                             2. Tre Bennett 34'

3. Jackson Harris (20)                         3. Charles Ike  31' 

4. Christian Crockett (19)                   4. Nevin Johnson

5. Corey Marshalleck (19)                    5. Drayton Rolle 29'5