Strake Jesuit Crusaders 62 Glen Oaks Panthers, LA 49

Top To Bottom:
1. 2010 WG 6’4″ Brian Williams of Glen Oaks, LA High School
2. 2011 P 6’6″ Tre Drye of Glen Oaks, LA High School
3. 2009 PG 5’10” Steven Rogers of Houston Strake Jesuit HS (Committed to Rice University)
4. 2009 2G Joey Brooks of Houston Strake Jesuit HS (committed to Notre Dame)

I’m here in Houston at Rick Nelson’s Texas Classic. Any time there is an out of state matchup it always adds a little bit of extra spice and intrigue. I’ll also get to see my old friend, Austin native Jeff Jones the Glen Oaks Assistant. Prior to the game, I had a chance to meet legendary Glen Oaks Head Man Harvey Adger who has had tremendous success with the Panthers over the years. His reputation is that of a no nonsense disciplinarian. My kind of guy.

Strake Jesuit features 2009 G Steven Rogers who is a Rice commit, 2009 G Tim Frazier who’s a Penn State commit and 2009 G 6’5″ Joey Brooks who is a Notre Dame commit.

Glen Oaks is a perennnial power from Baton Rouge, LA. They feature a couple of the top youngsters in the country in 2011 P 6’6″ Tre Drye and 2010 WG 6’4″ Brian Williams. What I love about these two guys is that they are “A Honor Roll” kids. Williams has already been offered by Oklahoma and LSU, who are here in the stands watching. Glen Oaks is 7-1 with their only loss being to Helen Cox HS, last year’s State Champion in Louisiana.

I love coming to Houston, my hometown. They love their basketball. There’s a who’s who in the crowd of local high school coaches, John Lucas (who may be purchasing the Kingwood Classic and the Las Vegas Main Event), My Man Jimmy Hicks of RCSSports.com, Glenn Smith of DFW Hoops, Sam Lowe of TexasHoops, and a variety of college coaches including Oklahoma, LSU, McNeese State, North Texas as well as various JuCo’s. Sherman Dillard of Nike was getting an early look at talent for next year’s Nike Jamboree and Nike Skills and LeBron’s Camp. It was a great atmosphere at a great facility. Strake Jesuit has a beautiful set up.

1st Quarter Houston Strake Jesuit 14 Glen Oaks, LA 8

Nice seal and layup by Tre Drye for the 1st bucket of the game. Both teams are in very deliberate sets with Strake working the perimeter with their guard heavy lineup and Glen Oaks working inside out to Drye and Williams. Consecutive treys by Brooks and Rogers and Strake has an 11-2 lead. Drye for two more, but he’s now 0-3 from the charity stripe. Williams skys for an offensive board, dropping it in for two as the crowd reacts to the explosiveness. He’s going to be a 2G when he heads off to college, but has to play down low for his HS team. Strake’s guards are significantly longer than Glen Oaks. The Panthers are sound though on the boards. You do not get too many 2nd chance boards against them. The youngster Drye has 8 in the quarter.

Leading Scorers

Glen Oaks

Drye 6

Strake Jesuit

3 players with 3 points

2nd Quarter Houston Strake Jesuit 28 Glen Oaks 23

Another offensive board for Drye and a putback. 16-10 Strake. Brooks for 3. Williams with another mega dunk. Another quick layup by the Panthers and now it’s 19-14. TO Strake. Brandon Johnson for GO, Frazier with the floater for Strake. 21-16. Glen Oaks draws a charge. Maybe that’s what they need to change the momentum. Three by the lanky Williams, showing he can do it inside and out. Rogers answers back with a triple of his own for Strake. Frazier tried to posterize Glen Oaks, but Brian Williams rejected him at the rim. High flyers in action, folks. Frazier gets the offensive board in the lane and puts a floater up. Williams snatches his 2nd steal in a row and gets fouled going to the rim. Miss, Make. Strake 28 Glen Oaks 23

Leading Scorers At The Half

Gen Oaks

Brian Williams 8
Tre Drye 6pts 9 Rebounds

Strake Jesuit

Tim Frazier 8
Joey Brooks 8

3rd Quarter Strake Jesuit 50 Glen Oaks 36

2010 6’8″ Strake C Elliott Franshaw enters the game and immediately makes an impact with a block and subsequent free throws on the other end. Great ball movement by Strake as Rogers drops a 3. Williams hits two free throws for Glen Oaks. Brooks with a strong move to the middle for 2..and 1 is good. Brooks is built like a football player, but is very smooth. Nice hesitation, up and under move by Williams. Brooks with another 3. Timeout Strake as they are now up by 14. Penn State commit Tim Frazier sees the court as well as anybody and is cat quick. Frazier with a nice pass to Brooks for the acrobatic layup. Glen Oaks is a very nice team, but it’s tough to jump off the bus after a 5 hour ride and expect underclassmen to handle three Senior D-1 guards.

4th Quarter Strake Jesuit 62 Glen Oaks 49

With 4:40 left the game is getting a little sloppy. Strake is in command, 56-39. Brooks is too strong, and Frazier is too quick…and that’s the bottom line. To their credit Glen Oaks is still hustling but they are simply out of gas.

FINAL SCORE Houston Strake Jesuit 62 Glen Oaks 49

Players of the Game

Glen Oaks HS Brian Williams 23 pts

Strake Jesuit

Joey Brooks 23

Houston 2nd Baptist Austin LBJ

1. 2012 G 6’1″ LJ Rose of 2nd Baptist Eagles
2. 2010 CG 6’3″ Donald Dallas of Austin LBJ

I’m here in Houston at Rick Nelson’s Reebok Texas Classic for the game between Houston 2nd Baptist and AUstin LBJ. I’m looking forward to seeing 2012 PG 6’1″ L.J. Rose who was part of that great backcourt with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors where he was paired with fellow Phenom J. Mychal Reese.

1st Quarter Houston 2nd Baptist 20 Austin LBJ 8

Right out of the gate, 2012 Phenom L.J. Rose knocks down a triple to open the scoring, followed by and and one layup …missed Ft…2nd Baptist up 8-0. LBJ has tossed up a couple of perimeter shots with nothing falling. Timeout LBJ, with 2nd Baptist. They’ll be at the line. Lee goes to the bench with 3 fouls for the Jags.

Darryl Roberts breaks the goose egg for LBJ. Nice floater by Rose and it’s 13-2 for 2nd Baptist. The Jags are missing 2009 6’7″ Tim Dailey who is nursing a high ankle sprain. As a result the Jags are getting outmuscled inside. 2011 Robert Lee is now on the line for LBJ…Miss, Miss. Pow! LJ Rose with his 3rd triple of the quarter. Darryl Roberts has hit LBJ’s first 3 of the day. 2nd Baptist 16 LBJ 8

Nice dish inside by Rose. The youngster now has 4 dimes to go along with his 8 points. Donald Dallas has three fouls for the Jags.

2nd Quarter Houston 2nd Baptist 41 Austin LBJ 27

A quick timoeout by 2nd Baptist as LBJ has scored a couple of buckets in a row. 23-12 is the score. The jags are starting to swarm, but LJ Rose has beaten the press impressively and fired a bullet pass to the rim for an easy layup. 2nd Baptist by 14. At the moment Robert Lee is the only Jag who seems to be competing at the top of his game. A lot of the guys are still in “football shape”. Lookk for veteran Coach Freddie Roland to have his Jags in top form in the next several weeks. I love Donald Dallas’ length. The 2010 6’3″ combo guard has been hampered by fouls so we haven’t seen much of him yet. He’s a good student, and a nice prospect though. With Rose on the bench, LBJ is trying to chip away.

Leading Scorers at the Half

Austin LBJ

Darryl Roberts 8

Houston 2nd Baptist

LJ Rose 10 pts 5 assists

Sanders 7

Herrera 7

3rd Quarter Houston 2nd Baptist 57 Austin LBJ 52

Robinson knocks down a 3 and the Jags have cut it to 9. Bucket Heider!…LBJ continues to fight. Dallas has hit his first bucket, but misses the and 1. 2nd Baptist by 9. I really like the other 2nd Baptist G Chris Sanders. He has a sneaky good game and finds a variety of ways to score. Timeout 2nd Baptist Eagles. 2nd Baptist 50 Austin LBJ 41.

Dallas is on the line again. Makes them both. Rose answers with a a quick bucket..Jags respond again. 7 point game. Robinson knocks down the 3 from Dallas, and here come the Jagsssssss! 52-48 The pace of the game is picking up. 2nd Baptist does not want to get into a running contest with LBJ. Jags on the line for an and 1 by Cameron Brown…no good….Two point game. Rose turns around and knocks down 1 out of two from the line. Cameron Brown with the spinning one hander from Dallas. Herrera answers back for 2nd Baptist. Dallas on the line for LBJ to end the quarter. Miss, Miss

4th Quarter Houston 2nd Baptist Austin LBJ

2nd Baptist comes out afire to open the quarter. Jags are getting caught in transition and they are paying the price. 2nd Baptist has stretched their lead out to 9 with 5:59 left to play. Big 3 by Darryl Roberts out of the timeout for LBJ. Nice mid range baseline shot by Rose. Roberts and Dallas are giving a lot of energy for the Jags. Sweet dish by Dallas to Heider. 6 point game. Rose, kicks it to Sanders for 3. Donald Dallas comes back with the 4 point play! Slashing runner by Robinson. Turnover 2nd Baptist. TO. LBJ has a chance to narrow it to one, or tie with 2:39 left in the game. Brown drops the layup in for LBJ. 1 point game! Floater by Sanders. Possession arrow Jags after a scrum on the floor. With 23 seconds left, the Jags have fouled Rose. Make, Miss. 4 point 2nd Baptist lead. Dallas with the length of the floor layup. TO Jags with 12 seconds left and a 2 point game. Rose back on the line one more time. Make, Make. The freshman cements the win.

FINAL SCORE Houston 2nd Baptist 75 Austin LBJ 71

Player of the Game for 2nd Baptist is LJ Rose with 19 points and 7 assists

Player of the Game for Austin LBJ is Donald Dallas with 10 points.

Darryl Roberts also chipped in with 15 points for LBJ.

Austin Westlake 72 San Antonio Reagan 63

1. 2011 G 6’2″ Trey Demps of San Antonio Reagan
2. San Antonio Reagan Timeout: Coach Littleton, always teaching and spurring his troops onward.

We’re here at the Jack Frost Tournament in Georgetown, Texas for the opening game between Austin Westlake and San Antonio Reagan. Westlake as reported will be pretty good this year with the Big 3 of the Junior Class; 2010 PG Cody Doolin, 2010 W Conner Kemper, and 2010 P 6’9″ Gus Leeper.

This is our 1st peek at Reagan, but we do know they’ll be well coached as Jimmy Littleton really knows his stuff. Whatever else they do, they will man you up tough defensively. Looks like they’re a little bit young but they have three of the better sophs in the San Antonio area. 2011 6’5″ W Max Yon can really fill it up and California move in 2011 PG 6’2″ Tre Demps has a smooth game. 2011 P 6’8″ Darrious Hamilton is athletic and has a nice touch. Their Senior leadership is anchored by 2009 W 6’3′ Reggie Hargrove.

1st Quarter San Antonio Reagan 14 Westlake 9

Off the opening tip Doolin blows past his defender and gets to the rack for 2. Westlake is pressing full court, Reagan has to make an adjustment. Nice running scoop by Reagan Senior G Wayne Martinez. Play is a little sloppy as the teams trade turnovers, miss chippie shots and displaying just an all around lackluster brand of play. Perhaps that’s to be expected out of two team’s whose leadership comes from sophs and juniors. I guess I’m spoiled after seeing the 32 minutes of intensity yesterday between San Antonio Madison and Pflugerville. Yon hits a nice 15 foot jumper off the catch and shoot. That’s a weapon that makes him dangerous. He follows with a nice slash to the basket for 2 more. Westlake is simply not finishing at the rim or playing with intensity.

Leading Scorers

Austin Westlake

Cody Doolin 4

San Antonio Madison

Wayne Martinez 5
Darrious Hamilton 5

2nd Quarter (Halftime) Westlake 34 Reagan 31

I’m liking Demps. He’s long, and willing to defend. He hit a nice scoop and a deep 3. It’s Reagan 21 Westlake 17, as Big Leeper gets off with a Duncan-like kiss off the backboard for the Chaps. Nice dribble drive by Fell, and a kick to the corner for the big Wing, Kemper for 3eeeeeeeeeeee! 21-21 Even Up.

Doolin steals the ball, and gets the layup despite the intentional foul by Demps. Two free throws are good. Westlake by 4 and the ball. Kemper at the free throw line. Make, Make. 12-0 run Westlake. Timeout Reagan. 27-21 Westlake with 3:14 left in the half.

Nice dish by Yon out of the TO, to Hamilton for the layup…and one…GOOD! Unguarded on the other end, Kemper hits his 2nd conscutive triple. That’s what makes him a potential D-1 mid major or better in my opinion although he MUST start playing aggressively and taking advantage of that big body on a regular v. intermittent basis. Once he figures that out, look out folks. Anoth easy layup for Hamilton followed by one by Reggie Hargrove and momentum has swung back again. Timeout Westlake. Chaps are up by 3 with 1:37 left to play in the half.

Leading Scorers at the Half

Kemper 7
Doolin 6

Hamilton 10
Martinez 7

3rd Quarter Austin Westlake 55 San Antonio Reagan 40

A quick layup by Westlake’s Cliff Houston opens the 2nd half scoring. Great hustle play by Kemper as he’s laying on the floor..steal..gets it back…Threee Kenper! That’s a difference maker. 40-32 Westlake leads with 5:00 left in the 3rd…another steal by Kemper….three ball Doolin…Timeout Reagan as the Chaps widen their lead to 11.

Coach Littleton is about to blow a gasket with his young team and their mistakes…lol Oh the joys of coaching 15 and 16 year olds. I love it, as he’s always teaching and trying to make his guys get it NOW and to make them better players….Another 3 by Doolin.followed by another by Kemper..Westlake by 16. Nice runner by Demps in the lane…and one…Miss. Demps with the short jumper off the glass….Reagan now needs a couple of stops to get back in the game. Nice follow by Leeper off a Doolin miss…and now Leeper takes a charge at the other end….The Big Guy is showing some real good signs of aggression. That quarter was all Westlake 21-9.

4th Quarter Austin Westlake San Antonio Reagan

Nice steal and subsequent dime by Doolin as he caught Kemper in full stride for a layup and 1…Good. Nice move by Yon under the bucket. He’ll be a good one as time goes by. Nice floater by Demps…again, I like the Reagan youngsters. Nice dish by Hargrove, bucket Yon..Steal, layup Demps..Reagan on a run now and it’s a mangageable 10 point game. Timeout Westlake as they could not inbound the ball. Hargrove with a hard driving layup. Another Reagan steal and layup…6 point Westlake lead. Kemper goes to the line for Westlake…Make, Make. Demps on the line for Reagan…make make. 6 point lead with 2:30 left in the game. In bounds from Doolin to Kemper, for a lay in. The two longtime summer team mates are showing nice chemistry. Another nice dish by Hargrove. Westlake by 9 and it’s now a free throw shooting contest with less than a minute left to play. Doolin at the line…Make, Make. Another nice mid range shot by Demps as he showed great body control coming across the lane. Kemper on the line…Make, Make. A final bucket by Demps makes it 72-63

FINAL SCORE Austin Westlake 72 San Antonio Reagan 63

Leading Scorers

Austin Westlake

Kemper 23
Doolin 17

San Antonio Reagan

Tre Demps 17

San Antonio Madison 74 Pflugerville 66 (Double Overtime)

From Top To Bottom:

1. 2012 W/P Christopher Campbell
2. Madison Huddle, with Coach Valenzuela sppurring his troops on.
3. Pflugerville Player of the Game 2011 CG Deion Mitchell
4. San Antonio Madison Player of the Game 2010 Jamaal Johnson

(My apologies of the blurred pic Jamaal, we’ll take another one of you soon…Coach Max

I’m here in Pflugerville for the much anticipated matchup between the Pflugerville Panthers and San Antonio Madison Mavs who are fresh off an overtime win over the Nation’s previous #1 team, Duncanville. A bit of the luster is gone though because of who is not here. I have Madsion #1 in the Cen Tex/South Texas and Pflugerville at #4, although neither is at full strength today.

Pflugerville is without 2009 P 6’8″ Osas Ebomwonyi (Lamar signee) and highly recruited 2010 W 6’5″ Demetris Smith who is wearing a boot on his foot. For Madison 6’8″ Big Timer 2010 Steven Baird will be absent as unfortunately his grandfather passed on. Rest in peace, and our condolences to the Baird Family.

There is plenty of star power left. Pflugerville PG 2009 5’10” Jonathan Garza (Lamar signee) and 2010 CG 5’11” Deion Mitchell (the top Austin area guard prospect in 2011) will be forced to handle what promises to be relentless Madison pressure and depth. They will have to protect the ball and hit their perimeter shots on offense.

On the other side Madison will bring the heat with 2009 6’3″ CG Cameron Catlett , 2009 P 6’4″ Jonathan Landry ( a Coppin State signee) and 2009 6’4″ Travis Smith. Don’t know if he’ll get any burn, but Madison also boasts one of Texas’ brightest 2012 prospects in 2012 W 6’5″ Christopher Campbell.

1st Quarter Madison 14 Pflugerville 12

Two early Madison buckets by running the high-low with Simmons and Landry, followed by a nice leaner on the P’ville end by Todd and a smooth triple by Mitchell. P’ville5 Madison 4. Timeout Madison.

Both teams have missed several perimeter shots, especially Madison. I can hear Coach Val imploring them to go inside more against the smaller Pflugerville players. 4:00 into the game and we have our 1st foul. Madison trey ball by Travis Smith. Whew..nice dish by Mitchell to Todd for a P’ville layup. Rebound by the youngster Campbell for Madison. Dunk!…Landry! Madison has only two turnovers off their pressure. This will be the key to the game. Can P’ville play through the lack of depth for 32 minutes?

2nd Quarter San Antonio Madison 31 Pflugerville 28

Todd hit a nice 15 foot bank shot from the wing to draw the two team even. Three ball and layup Jamaal Johnson for the Mavs. Timeout P’ville with 5:56 left in the 2nd, as Madison goes up 19-14. Nice leaning floater by Mitchell in the lane. Pflugerville is getting impatient with their shot selection. This may be a key point in the game. Two baskets by Storm Woods, just recently off the football field is keeping Pflugerville close. Landry drops a layup in, and one…free throw, no good. Todd is doing a hack of a job on the boards almost by himself for Pflugerville. 28-22 Madison leads. WOW..what a dime by Mitchell…bullet pass for the bucket. ..another dime by Mitchell..that’s 3 sweet looks. We’re tied again. Travis Smith on the line, and one for the Mavs and a 3 point lead.

Leading Scorers

San Antonio Madison

Jamaal Johnson 8
Jonathan Landry 8

Pflugerville

Bryan Todd 11 pts 7 rebounds
Storm Woods 8

3rd Quarter

Nice transition bucket by Garza. Goaltending against Travis Smith. 32-31 Madison. Madison has a nice group, but I’m not convinced they can consistently shoot from the perimeter. Nice dish from Catlett to Woods for 2. Timeout Madison with 5:04 left and Madison up by 2.

Nice seal by Madison, 6 footer by Simmons. DUNK!….Brian Todd for The Ville…BLOCK..Todd, Mitchell with the trey ball. Timeout Madison, with 3:07 left in the 3rd. Pflugerville 37 San Antonio Madison 36. The two teams have just traded threes. Not sure how this one will end up, but oddly enough it’s Pflugerville who is contrlling the pace. Madison cannot control the Panther guards off the dribble. We’ll see if fatigue factors in during the last 8 minutes.

4th Quarter Madison 41 Pflugerville 40

Here we go…this is where champions are made! Jarell Turner for three, P’ville by two. This is a FUN HS basketball game…I love it! Will anyone get on a run in the last 7:00 minutes? Poor free throw shooting by Madison not a good sign. Mitchell for 3eeeeeeeeeeeee! The youngster Campbell is now on the line for the Mavs. Miss, Make. Ville by 1 with 5:40 left to play. 46-46

Coach Murphy and Coach Valenzuela are trading good natured barbs…Murph’s complaining they’ve only shot 3 free throws, while Val says they haven’t been fouling…lol (Two of the nicer guys in coaching by the way folks)

Steal by Catlett, bucket Madison. Timeout Pflugerville with 3:27 left and Madison up by 2. Free throws have tied the game…AGAIN…numerous lead changes. Bucket Simmons…Mavs by 2. Deep 3 by Mitchell is long…Madison is spreading the floor looking for a layup. Timeout Madison with 1:31 left to play. Madsion 52 P’Ville 50.

Steal Pflugerville! Bucket Mitchell….we’re even….and Madison is looking for one shot. Catlett is on the line for Madison, double bonus time….Make, Make. Desperation tip by Todd at the buzzer! It’s good!….OT BABY!….This is a helluva game folks. You do not have to go to Houston or Dallas to see good basketball.

OVERTIME

Let’s see if Madison’s OT experience v North Crowley and Duncanville at the McDonald’s Invitational will be a deciding factor. Madison ball, off the jump violation. Rebound P’ville off the Landry miss. Mitchell goes to the line to shoot 2. ..Miss, Make. Simmons with the power layup, and a chance for the Mavs and 1. Todd has fouled out…this hurts the Panthers big time on the boards. Make! Two point Madison lead. Simmons on the line again for the Mavs. Make…Make. Madison by 4. Steal Mitchell, layup Garza. Layup Landry. Mitchell for a deep three! Timeout Pflugerville with 1;3o left. Madison 61 Pflugerville 60.

Travel Madison, Pflugerville ball. 1:18 to play. Leaner by Jarell Turner. Ville by 1. Catlett shooting two…Miss, Make…Tie game…It’s hully gully as all get out with 4 turnovers in the last crazy 30 seconds, and we’re on to a 2nd OT! 62-62

2nd OVERTIME

Madsion is in the double bonus..they have been for about 7 minutes, Pflugerville is in the one and one. Ville gets the tip. Referee Ivan Booker should get extra pay for this one. Catlett hits a 2 from the perimeter. Garza answers with a tough shot. Catlett is back on the line…Make, Make. Madsion 64-62. Garza, jumper…GOOD. Timeout Pflugerville with 1:56 left. Game is tied 66-66.

Garza is on the line…one and one…MISS. Jamaal Johnson for threeeeeee! Garza misses the three. Timeout Madison. 69-66 with 51 seconds to play.

BULLETIN: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO TO HOUSTON OR DALLAS TO SEE GREAT BASKETBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If this was on ESPN, it would be an Instant Classic.

Johnson is on the line for Madison. Miss, Make. Big block by Landry as Mitchell tried to get to the hole. Simmons on the line for Madison…Make, Make….72-66. it’s a free throw shoot a thon…game, set, match Madison. Simmons hits two more free throws. Madison tightened up their free throw shooting down the OT stretch and that’s what won the game for them. What a high school contest. COngratulations to all the kids who participated and Happy Thanksgiving and safe driving to all..Coach Max

FINAL SCORE Madison 74 Pflugerville 66

Player of the Game for San Antonio Madison was 2010 PG Jamaal Johnson with 20 points. He was the only reliable perimeter threat for the Mavs today with Big Steven Baird missing. 2009 G Cameron Catlett finished with 15 pts. He hit two shots from the field and added 11 more from the charity stripe.

2011 Deion Mitchell for Pflugerville is their Player of the Game and was at times the best player on the court. H e finished with 16 points for the Panthers. Brian Todd finished with 15 pts and double figure boards despite fouling out early.

Westlake 57 Cedar Park 46

Top: Westlake Coach Tres Ellis prowls the sidelines.
Bottom: Player of the Game Conner Kemper registered a double double dropping 12 points on Cedar Park while controlling the boards in the absence of 6’9″ Gus Leeper who is nursing an ankle injury for the Chaps.

I’m in Cedar Park checking out tonight’s game between Austin Westlake and Cedar Park. Spoke to CP Coach Blake Brown prior to the game and he believes this is his best group of seniors since he’s been here in the Austin suburbs. Coach had a successful career at D-2 Frank Philips in Borger, TX before heading to the high school ranks. He’s one of the better coaches in the Austin area.

Look for senior leadership from 2009 6’5″ Zach Corbin of CP and for Westlake everything runs through 2010 PG Cody Doolin who has a D-1 offer under his belt already from San Francisco of the West Coast Conference. Also look for 6’6″ W Connor Kemper to play well. He’s another D-1 prospect who can light it up inside and out for the Chaps.

Looks like 6’9″ Gus Leeper is nursing a tender ankle and will not be in the lineup for Westlake. This could be a factor. Westlake is coming off a loss to a tough Austin Lake Travis squad.

Starters

Austin Westlake
#2 2009 Chris King
#23 Carl Meyertons
#24 Cliff Houston
#33 2010 Conner Kemper
#45 2010 Cody Doolin


Cedar Park

#3 2009 Matthew Turner
#4 Dmarcus Rosenthal
#11 2009 Zach Corbin
#14 Brady Reeves
#21 Ben Hampton

1st Quarter Westlake 14 Cedar Park 10

Leading Scorer Westlake Doolin 7 pts
Nobody else on the floor with more than 3 pts.

Halftime Westlake 27 Cedar Park 17

Nice 10 foot soft jumper by Kemper, contested in the lane..SWISH. 19-14 Westlake as Doolin hits the spinning scoop shot and the subsequent free throw. Timeout Westlake. Westlake’s pressure fullcourt is causing a couple of occasional tunrovers but I am impressed with the number of deflections that they are getting their hands on. CP is not playing with confidence in front of their home crowd and at the moment are rebounding poorly. If it wasn’t for Westlake’s plethora of missed layups and chippies it would be much more than a 5 point game.

Tineout CP as Coach Brown’s not happy with their inability to stop Doolin’s penetration. Now Westlake’s press is getting it’s turnovers. (5 of the last 7 trips). CP needs to get energized on it’s home court and come out a tad more hungry in the 2nd half as they simply cannot get the shots they want, settling for perimeter stuff that is not falling.

Leading Scorers @ the Half

Westlake
Doolin 12
Kemper 6

Cedar Park
Rosenthal 5

3rd Quarter Westlake 44 Cedar Park 31

This is a tough game to sit through. There have been NO lead changes, and lots of turnovers, missed shots and miscues by both teams.

Westlake

Doolin 15
kemper 10

Cedar Park

Matthew Turner 10

Zach Corbin scored his 1st bucket of the game as the 4th quarter began. Frankly, the bouncy wing has to step up if CP expects to make a run. Timeout CP. WL 50-CP 33 Too many turnovers. As the season progresses, the ballhandling has to improve for the Timberwolves to be a playoff team. They have wins under their belt against Waco Midway and Bastrop but appear to be headed for their 1st loss.

FINAL SCORE Westlake 57 Cedar Park 46

I thought perhaps CP could have taken advantage of the absence of Gus Leeper, but Stromberg and Reeves never could receive the ball down low. The CP play by play man said it all when he mentioned, “we’re about to lose to a team shooting 32% from the field and 59% from the line”. Cedar Park shot 44%, problem was they had minimal shot attempts from the field because of the turnovers. It was that kind of game. Kemper controlled the boards for Westlake.

Doolin 21
Kemper 12

Turner 14

Coach Max’s Thanksgiving Sweet Sixteen 5A

Our first rankings of the year are weighted towards San Antonio. The three teams at the top are only a hair apart in quality and depth. Pflugerville is banged up.

Cen Tex/San Antonio/South Texas Top Teams

1. San Antonio Madison

I was dubious about Madison’s ability to shoot consistently from the perimeter depsite their depth of talent. I have to give respect though as the Mavs won the prestigious McDonald’s Invitational in Houston by beating defending 5A State Champion North Crowley by two, and then beating USA Today’s National #1, Duncanville in overtime. 2009 G Cameron Catlett was named Tournament MVP. 2009 P 6’4″ Jonathan Landry has committed to Coppin State and 2010 W Steven Baird is getting recruited by darn near everyone in the country.

2. San Antonio Stevens

Stevens has all the pieces to be #1. They won the NISD Tournament behind my projected San Antonio 2009 Player of the Year, Brandon Thompson. Big time player waiting for his test scores, will sign in the Spring. A host of quality 2009’s fill out the Falcons roster. Defender supreme Dejon Taylor, W Julian Stallworth and P Aaron Plunkett are all quality guys.

3. Converse Wagner

Lost the season opener to Madison by 1. Deep, athletic crew led by D-1 prospect, 2010 6’3″ Jordan Clarkson and 2010 6’5″ Andre Roberson

4. Pflugerville

The Panthers find themselves banged up in the early going as both D-1 commits to Lamar University are ailing. 2009 PG Jonathan Garza has a sore hand, while 2009 P 6’8″ Shot Blocker Osas Ebomwonyi is still recovering from a broken leg and won’t be available to the Panthers until mid to late December. Enough quality guys remain to make them extremely tough including super soph 2011 CG Deion Mitchell who is smooth as silk and 2010 6’4″ Demetris Smith who can rebound with the best of them. Showdown with Madison on Thanksgiving Eve will give a real read on this bunch.

5. San Antonio Clark

With Navy commit 2009 PG Jordan Brickman running the show, Clark is tough. 2009 6’6″ Chris Blake is a late blooming D-1 prospect as well.

6. Austin Akins

Don’t underestimate this “surprise” pick. Look for the young Akins crew to make a lot of noise. Led by young 2011 PG Yolonzo Moore and 2010 F Kevin Mc Farland these are not “your daddy’s Eagles”. 2nd year Coach David Peavey came back to guide high school kids after a year in the college ranks. He’s instilling pride and aggressiveness in a school with no prior basketball pedigree.

7. Bryan

Out of the gate with an impressive win over The Woodlands and an outright shellacking of Pflugerville Hendrickson the Vikes are as always “ready to run”. One of the consistently more aggressive teams in the State they are led by 2009 6’5″ Terrance Wilbert and freshman sensation 2012 PG 6’1″ J. Mychal Reese (the coach’s son) who has long been considered the Nation’s #1 prospect in the Class of 2012. He christened his HS career with an opening night 30 point effort v. Hendrickson with TexasBasketballinc.com in the house.

8. Killeen Ellison

Look for the Ellison Eagles to be a thorn in everyone’s side under new Coach Alberto Jones. They’ve got plenty of athletes and a swagger. Tough to beat, especially when you play them in K-Town. Senior leadership from 2009’s Zach Mims, Chris Harpe and several talented youngsters.

9. Austin Westlake

Led by 2010 PG 6’2″ Cody Doolin who is arguably the best guard in the Austin area, regardless of class the Chaps have a lot of weapons but limited depth. Westlake has as many D-1 prospects as anyone as 2010 Doolin (already offered by San Francisco) 2010 W 6’6″ Connor Kemper and 2010 P 6’9″ Gus Leeper. The bad news is that none of them are seniors. Westlake may be a year away from a serious run, but new Coach Tres Ellis has a nice group to work with. We’ll see how fast they mature.

10. Converse Judson

Coach Wacker has a veteran crew led by his son, 2009 6’8″ Chris Wacker who has committed to St. Edward’s. Judson has plenty of talent, and with a premium on each possession and keeping the score manageable will be in most games they play. I’ll give them more respect as they play somebody. The Del Rio Tournament was mediocre with Judson drubbing everyone.

11. McAllen

This program has quickly become the Pride of the Rio Grande Valley under the guidance of longtime Weslaco Coach Roy Swift. McHi will go as far as the strong back of 2010 F 6’6″ J.J. Avila will take them. 2009 G 6’3″ Cory Pace will attempt to lead their veteran crew back to the Regional in San Antonio for the 2nd year in a row.

12. Leander

Leander will be shooting for their 1st playoff berth in many a year, with enough talent to win 16-5A outright. 2009 PG 6’3″ Joel Smith is a D-1 prospect as is 2011 P 6’5″ Mark Nwakamma. 2009 Post A.D. Jones is a load at 6’6″ and about 240. The Lions just need to mature and learn how to close out games.

13. San Antonio Taft

Taft got baptized at the tough McDonald’s Invitational in Houston this past weekend but the tough comp will only make them better down the road. They’ll get backcourt leadership from 2009 Dray Baker and 2011 PG 5’10” Dylan Elias one of the better playmakers in the Cen Tex/South Texas area.

14. San Antonio Lee

Coach Tommy Hines’ Volunteers lack a serious post presence, but they’ve got a hustling crew. 2010 G 6’2′ Ryan Pierce brings athleticism and can score in bunches. Any team though that has the top scoring PG in the Class of 2010 in San Antonio will always have a chance to compete and win their share of games. Hines has that kind of leadership in PG Paul Garnica, a special player that is capable of amking all those around him better while still getting his own.

15. Austin Bowie

Players play, but some coaches really do make a difference. Despite losing G Jeremy Green to PAC 10 Stanford Coach Celester Collier will coach ’em up and give the Bulldogs a chance to land a spot in the ultra competitive 25-5A. Look for leadership from 2009 G Urbanus and outside shooting from 2010 Trey Lindsey while big time football prospect 2010 6’4″ P Deandre Perry does the dirty work inside.

16. Georgetown

Georgetown has nice size and athleticism with a pair of 6’7″ twin towers in 2009 Payton Carrell and 2009 Jaron Vierra. We’ll see how fast 2012 G Michael Hardge matures, as it could be the key to them maintaining last year’s playoff level.

Others To Watch

Cedar Park

San Antonio Warren

San Antonio Southwest

Weslaco

San Antonio Reagan

Edinburg

San Antonio Northside ISD Tournament Recap

Below: Northside Tournament MVP 2009 CG Brandon Thompson of San Antonio Stevens.
I’ve covered some of the NISD games in depth in separate blog entries. This is a summary of the results.

Sat with TexasHoops.com’s Blue Zertuche and Texas State Head Basketball Coach Davalos for the Championship game of the tournament. To Texas State’s credit they are really making a push to get out and see CenTex/South Texas kids. Two true freshman from the area (both former Texas D-1 Ambassadors) SA Madison’s Roshun Jackson and Killeen’s Tre Nicholls are getting minutes early for the Bobcats. They’ve also offered (but are not likely to get SA Stevens PG Brandon Thompson).

Tournament MVP

Speaking of Thompson, he’s hands down the San Antonio Player of the Year in my opinion. It was too much Thompson v. San Antonio Clark in the final as he scored 27 and his leadership simply allowed the outcome of the game to be in doubt. He outdueled SA Clark’s Jordan Brickman (Navy commit) and earned my Tournament MVP. I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Brandon and he’s a no nonsense kid. Quiet, and always in control he’s a silent assassin. Big XII caliber athlete.

The 67-57 final score as Stevens downed Clark was much closer than the 10 point spread would lead you to believe. This is Stevens year, with a strong group of seasoned varsity players to make a run to State.

Thompson also had 26 in the semi final against Arcadiana Prep from Louisiana in another duel of top ranked guards. 2010 6’2″ Tramel White was All State at Houma, LA as a soph last season before transferring to Arcadiana. He had 26 as they fell to Stevens 75-72.

Tournament MVP

2009 PG 6’2″ Brandon Thompson

Has offers from Colorado, Colorado State & Texas State amongst others.

Top Tournament Performers/Prospects

Arcadiana Prep

2010 CG 6’2″ Tramel White

2009 P 6’7″ William Nelson

Beaumont Ozen

2010 CG 6’1″ DeCarlos Frank

One of Texas’ top prospects can go anywhere in the country and play.

2009 PG 6’0″ Breon Johnson

Top football prospect

2009 6’8″ Willie Jefferson

Committed to University of Houston to play football

San Antonio Brackenridge

2011 PG Craig Cardona

2011 P 6’6″ Omar Guerrero

San Antonio Churchill

I did not see the Chargers play, but my sources tell me that 2010 F 6’5″ Chris Rogers played well, especially against Ozen.

San Antonio Clark

2009 PG 5’11” Jordan Brickman

“Brick” is one of the best floor generals in the area. Committed to Navy

2009 P Chris Blake

Division 1 prospect is athletic, blocks shots and finishes around the goal.

Keller Central

2009 F 6’7″ Trevor Noack

Committed to Belmont

2009 G 6’2″ Olden Jordan

San Antonio McArthur

2009 6’4″ F Stephen Miller

2010 6’0″ G Chris Gramling

San Antonio Reagan

2010 F 6’5″ Max Yon

2010 PG 6’2″ Tre Demps

San Antonio Southwest

2009 CG 5’9″ Kendric Robinson

Committed to UT-San Antonio

2010 6’10” Justin Alexander

San Antonio Stevens

2009 CG 6’2″ Brandon Thompson

2009 G 6’0″ Dejon Taylor

One of the best defensive stoppers in the area.

2009 W 6’4″ Julian Stallworth

2009 P 6’7″ Aaron Plunkett

2010 W 6’5″ Joe Monroe

San Antonio Lee 68 Austin St. Andrew’s 51

Below: 2010 PG 6’0″ Paul Garnica
San Antonio Lee Volunteers Starters

#3 2010 Paul Garnica

#10 2009 Adam Muro

#20 2009 Henry Garcia

#34 2010 Ryan Pierce

#42 2010 Michael McPherson

Austin St. Andrew’s Crusaders Starters

#2 2009 Wroc

#12 2010 Wilson

#20 2011 Hunter Davee

#33 2009 Boxberger

#44 2009 Brigham

This game should be a cakewalk for 5A Lee, but I am interested to see Lee’s 2010 Combo of Garnica and Pierce. Also, 2011 Hunter Davee a transfer from Austin Lake Travis is a youngster to watch. Great to see Lee Bossman Tommy Hines on the sidelines again, looking surprisingly refreshed after his stint with the Open Heart Surgery Man last month.

It has been a sloppy 1st quarter for both teams. Lee is not in synch and have thrown up a lot of shots that have clanked. St. Andrew’s strategy, to deny Garnica the ball is a good one, however the Crusaders don’t have anyone with the same athleticism so he generally ends up with it in his hands despite their best efforts. He makes the Volunteers go. Scoring has started to pick up as the 1st quarter ends.

End 1st Quarter Lee 17 St. Andrew’s 11

Despite nursing a sore groin,Garnica has 10 points after the 1st… a block, and has dropped two dimes as well as several deflections on defense.

Timeout Crusaders as the Vols are on a run, 24-11 with 6 minutes left in the 2nd.

“Big Country” Jake Boxberger is working his butt off at both ends of the floor despite his crew being overmatched.

Halftime San Antonio Lee 38 St. Andrew’s 22

Lee

Garnica 14 pts

Garcia 5 pts

Pierce 9pts

Muro 9 pts

St. Anthony’s

Boxberger 8 pts

Lee scores in flurries. I’ve coached a lot of quality kids over the years, but only Junior “Whitworth” Treasure of Houston Bush (who recently signed with Texas Southern in the SWAC) had the same knack that Garnica has to deflect and steal balls. He really understands angles and is uncanny when it comes to anticipating where the ball is going. Garnica is also one of those kids you just love to hate,because he just simply gets in other kids heads. However if he’s on your team you really embrace him. He’s a winner, and makes his team mates better too.

Ryan Pierce is showing nice athleticism for Lee. I think he can really be a good player and a nice complement to Garnica in the backcourt.

End of 3rd Quarter San Antonio Lee 55 Austin St. Andrew’s 36

Final San Antonio Lee 68 Austin St. Andrew’s 51

Jake Boxberger had 22 for the Crusaders while Lee got balanced scoring with Paul Garnica had 16 for the Vols. He had scored 30 and 37 in his two previous games. Ryan Pierce chipped in with 19 points for the Lee Vols.

Austin St. Michael’s 65 v. San Antonio Holmes 51

I’m here at the San Antonio Christian Schools Tournament for the matchup between 5A SA Holmes Huskies and the Austin St. Michael’s Crusaders. Looking forward to seeing St. Michael’s. Being a private school they don’t seem to get any respect from the main stream media. They already have a quality win under their belt vs. 5A Round Rock Stony Point).

Missed their game last night but they had a pretty good San Antonio Lee group down early by 17 points but the scrappy Lee group came back and beat them handily behind 2010 PG Paul Garnica’s 37 points. No shame in that though as Garnica is being recruited heavily early on with the Ivy League’s Cornell, among others checking him out a couple of weeks ago. Garnica is the most complete point in San Antonio in the Class of 2010 and can score at will in addition to running a team.

St. Michael’s Starters

#2 2009 Chase Kocher
#11 2009 David Rodriguez
#12 2011 Jake Kocher
#32 Nick Leasure
#33 2009 Kyle Martin

San Antonio Holmes Starters

#3 Ortiz
#22 Harak-Sharif
#23 Sanchez
#24 Uranga
#34 Spencer

1st Quarter St. Michael’s 18 SA Holmes 12

It’s easy to see why the Crusaders will be competitive with most. They’ve got a bevy of guys who can fire it up deep; David Rodriguez, Austin Burch, and the Kocher Boys (2009 Chase & 2011 Jake). Question will be how well they can rebound after 2009 P 6’6″ Kyle Martin (signed with Texas A&M to play baseball) is out of the lineup. This looks like a down year for Holmes. They do not seem to have a go to guy or an identity that I can determine at the moment.

Both teams are playing minimal defense with guys getting wide open uncontested looks at both ends of the court., although St. Michael’s is getting most of their looks by going inside out.

Halftime St. Michael’s 27 SA Holmes 24

Leading Scorers

St. Michaels’
Austin Burch 9

SA Holmes
Uranga 7

I really like St. Michael’s two young shooters; Burch and Kocher. Burch recently transferred in from Round Rock Westwood and will have a very nice career. Kocher still has a ways to go with his athleticism but the kid can flat out score from the perimeter and in traffic. Martin had 6 pts in the 3rd, but it was the perimeter shooting that has enabled SM to pull away. Burch has hit 3 and Kocher 1 in this quarter.

End 3rd Quarter St. Michael’s 49 SA Holmes 36

Final Austin St. Michael’s 65 San Antonio Holmes 51

Leading Scorers

San Antonio Holmes
Uranga 10
Ortiz 11

St. Michael’s
Kyle Martin 10
Austin Burch 23 pts (7 triples)
Jake Kocher 11 pts
David Rodriguez 11 pts

Looks like St. Michael’s can play with most public schools. We’ll see how their depth looks once football ends and they fill out their roster.

San Antonio McArthur 65 San Antonio John Jay 51

Below: San Antonio McArthur 2010 SG Chris GramlingThis is the 3rd game where I’ve had a chance to watch San Antonio McArthur. They won their first game in OT v. San Antonio East Central, lost in OT to San Antonio Clark in a slowdown 42-41 thriller, and now are matchedup up v. San Antonio Jay in a faster paced affair.

Nobody in a McArthur uniform will win a scoring title because of their deliberate style but they have a couple of guys capable of playing at the next level. 2009 P 6’4″ lefty Steven Miller is an undersized post, but he has nice skill and athleticism as was just witnessed when Miller threw down a transition tomahawk dunk. He has no D-1 offers (yet) but should be a fringe candidate for one in the spring with the right exposure. I’m watching 2010 PG 5’11” Luis Serrano of Jay. He’s got a peculiar dribbling style, but dang it, he just gets things done. needs to cut down on his turnovers but he’s got 13 points so far, a couple of nice dishes and has drawn 2 charges. He’s the catalyst for Jay. Senior F 6’3″ Jerel Smith also has 15 for Jay as we head into the final period.

It’s a spirited game with Coach Murphy and Coach Simpson jawing back and forth with each other from the benches. Jay’s Simpson just picked up a tech.

End 3rd Quarter McArthur 43 Jay 37

The kid I really like is 2010 G 6’0″ Chris Gramling. He has enough athleticism to play at the next level, a good basketball IQ, an above average perimeter shot and even though he’s currently at the SG spot is really better suited to the one as he looks to make the move to the next level. He scored 24 against East Central, 8 v. Clark and 18 v John Jay.

Final Score San Antonio McArthur 65 San Antonio Jay 51

Leading Scorers

San Antonio Jay

Serrano 17

Smith 15

San Antonio McArthur

Gramling 18

Miller 17

Chris Parker 16