Top Combine Performers Boys Class of 2010

Top Performers Class of 2010 By The Numbers

(Details to follow)

Wingspan

1. Demetris Smith 6'8.5"

2. Daniel Alexander 6'8"

3. Tyler Kotson 6'7"

3. Chris Rogers 6'7"

5. Matt Quinn 6'6.5"

5. Jonathan Perry 6'6.5"

7. O.J. Moore 6'5.5"

7. Conner Kemper 6'5.5

7. Jacob Horton 6'5.5"

20 Yard Dash

1. Romando Garcia 2.58 seconds

2. Michael Farace 2.61 seconds

3. Antonio Clemons 2.62 second

4. Julian Jones 2.67 second

5. Tyler Kotson 2.70 seconds

6. Chris Rogers 2.70 seconds

Vertical Leap

1. Romando Garcia 33.6"

2. Antonio Clemons 33.3"

3. Sultan Kamara 31.0"

4. Daniel Alexander 29.9"

4. Julian Jones 29.9"

6. Paul Garnica 28.9"

7. O.J. Moore 28.6"

7. Conner Kemper 28.6"

Standing Broad Jump

1. Romand Garcia 8'11"

2. Antonio Clemons 8'8"

3. O.J. Moore 8'1"

4. Jonathan Perry 8'0"

4. Jacob Horton 8'0"

4. Daniel Alexander 8'0"

4. Conner Kemper 8'0"

Pro Agility Shuttle

1. Antonio Clemons 4.59 seconds

1. Michael Farace 4.59 seconds

1. Nathaniel Velasco 4.59 seconds

4. Conner Kemper 4.62 seconds

5. Romando Garcia 4.78 seconds

5. Cody Doolin 4.78 seconds

Hot Shot Shooting Drill

1. Jacob Horton 9/10 39.71 seconds

2. Jonathan Perry 8/10 43.60 seconds

3. Matt Quinn 7/10 37.47 seconds

4. Chris Gramling 7/10 40.31 seconds

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Top Combine Performers Boys Class of 2011

Top Left: 2011 Austin Burch
Top Right 2011 Austin Williams

2nd Left: 2011 Yusuf Abdullah 2nd Right: 2011 Sean Voss

3rd Left: 2011 Deon Mitchell 3rd Right: 2011 Mark Nwakamma Bottom Right: 2011 Tarale Murry

Top Performers

Class of 2011 By The Numbers

20 Yard Dash

1. Tarale Murray 2.59 seconds

2. Deon Mitchell 2.60 seconds

2. Kevin Washington 2.60 seconds

4. Austin Burch 2.63 seconds

5. Sean Voss 2.65 seconds

6. Mark Nwakamma 2.67 seconds

Vertical Leap

1. Tarale Murray 33.6"

2. Yusuf Abdullah 29.3"

3. Deon Mitchell 28.8"

4. Mark Nwakamma 28.7"

5. Austin Williams 28.1"

Standing Broad Jump

1. Austin Williams 8'9"

2. Tarale Murray 8'8"

3. Yusuf Abdullah 8'7"

4. Deon Mitchell 8'0"

5. Mark Nwakamma 7'8"

Pro Agility Shuttle

1. Austin Williams 4.68 seconds

2. Sean Voss 4.69 seconds

3. Tarale Murray 4.70 seconds

4. Austin Burch 4.73 seconds

5. Deon Mitchell 4.79 seconds

Hot Shot Shooting Drill

1. Deon Mitchell 9/10 31.75 seconds!

2. Royce O'Neale 7/10 36.62 seconds

3. Joshua Dyba 7/10 39.88 seconds

4. Austin Burch 6/10 38.19 seconds

5.Hunter Davee 6/10 38.31 seconds

6. Stacy Hauger 6/10 38.41 seconds

Wingspan

1. Mark Nwakamma 6'8"

2. Tarale Murray 6'7 1/2"

3. Brandon Golden 6'4 1/2"

4. Yusuf Abdullah 6'3 1/2"

4. Jordan Giddings 6'3 1/2

4. Austin Burch 6'3 1/2"

4. Austin Williams 6'3 1/2"

Bryan HS Boys Preview

From left to right:

2009 Cory Burleson

2009 Terrance Wilbert

2012 J.Mychal Reese (Shown here in nis ESPN shoot as a 7th grader.

Spoke to Vikings Head Man John Reese on the phone this evening about this upcoming year at Bryan HS. There is no doubt going to be some differences this season as he lost 6'7" Rayland Robinson and three year starter PG Allyn Cooks both who signed with Temple College. Cooks was an extremely late qualifier so expect him to be gone D-1 after one year at Temple JC. He was a great leader and competitor, it's hard to replace that kind of player.

The difference this year is that Big Reese loses even Bigger 6'10" Chris Jones. CJ hasn't scored a bucket in 15 years but the loyal and highly qualified assistant Coach will no longer be Coach Reese's right hand man in practice and on the bench, as he's taken the Head Coaching job at Bryan's new HS, Bryan Rudder.

Rudder HS will compete this year at the 3A level.

Several of the players that could have been a key part of the Bryan HS program have opted to go to the new high school and get an earlier opportunity to play, so I do not expect the Vikings to have the depth of years past. Don't expect too much to change though as Coach Reese says, "We'll be pressing as soon as we get off the bus."

The cupboard isn't bare though with 2009 6'4" Terrance Wilbert who played key minutes last year returning for his senior campaign. Wilbert plays tough D and can get after it in transition as well as having a nice mid range face up game. 2009 F Cory Burleson also brings athleticism and toughness to the undersized Vikings. As always, their lack of height will be neutralized by their high tempo designed to wear bigger teams out.

Reese is modest/cautious in speaking about his biggest asset. After what seems like 20 years, Coach Reese has an opportunity for the next 4 seasons to coach his son, J. Mychal at the high school level. J. Mike has been the most written and talked about schoolboy player on the planet over the last 5 years. As the concensus number one PLAYER IN THE COUNTRY over that time this youngster and his family have been scrutinized in every way possible. A 5 page spread in ESPN The Magazine, appearances on ESPN's Outside The Lines, and a variety of other media exposure has put a target on this kid's back for what seems like forever.

A credit to Coach Reese, his wife Celeste and family, J. Mychal keeps a humble, hard working no nonsense approach to his basketball world and is treated like any "ordinary kid" at home so that there is no opportunity to get a big head. Don't expect a levelling out of his talent. Expect Bryan HS games to be full of D-1 coaches, and why not...they were there for his Middle School games! That's right, his MS games were moved to Bryan HS just to accommodate the crowds. As an 8th grader young Reese was offered by Arizona and Texas A&M.

Bryan will be tough as usual, but Killeen Ellison, Harker Heights, A&M Consolidated and possibly Temple will all have something to say about it in District 12-5A.

Top Combine Performers Boys Class of 2012

Top Left: 2013 Miles Williams Top Right: 2013 Jarrin Johnson

2nd Left: 2013 R.J. Rowan 2nd Right: 2013 Spencer Phillips

3rd Left: 2013 Michael Hargis 3rd Right: 2013 Matt Tyson

4th Left: 2013 Matt Gramling 4th Right: 2013 Jamaal Shabazz

Lower Left: 2013 Drew Wikelius

Class of 2012 Top Performers By The Numbers

20 Yard dash

1. Miles Williams 2.68
1. Jarrin Johnson 2.68
3. R.J. Rowan 2.74
4. Matt Tyson 2.75
5.Davon Henry 2.77

Vertical Leap

1. Spencer Phillips 31.2"
2. Jarrin Johnson 28.4"
3. Miles Williams 27.8"
4. Nigel Robertson 27.3"
5. Matt Tyson 27.0"

Standing Broad Jump

1. Spencer Phillips 8'5"
2. Miles Williams 8'0"
3. Matt Tyson 7'8"
4. Matt Gramling 7'7"
5. Will Cefai 7'7"

Pro Agility Shuttle

1. Matt Tyson 4.69
2. Spencer Phillips 4.81
3. Davon Henry 4.90
4. Matt Gramling 4.93
5. Michael Hargis 5.00

Hot Shot Shooting Drill

1. Collin Tubbs 6/10 37.00 seconds
2. Spencer Phillips 6/10 38.74 seconds
3. R.J. Rowan 6/10 39.57 seconds
4. Matt Gramling 6/10 40.00 seconds
5. Drew Wikelius 6/10 42.08 seconds

Wingspan

1. Michael Hargis 6'8"
2. Jamaal Shabazz 6'7"
3. Drew Wikelius 6'5"
4. Davon Henry 6'4"
5. Christian Davis 6'2"
5. Jarrin Johnson 6'2"

There was only one true Big in the Class of 2012 and that was a player likely to turn out to be a very nice college "4" when it's all said and done.

2012 P 6'5" Drew Wikelius showed nice range on his shot and advanced footwork in the post. He also has a strong body. Once he improves his footspeed the sky's the limit. Look for Wikelius to not only make the varsity at 5A Austin Westlake but to also be a solid contributor by the time district play rolls around.

2012 W 6'3" Michael Hargis has as strong a set of post moves as anyone in the CenTex area as a freshman. His future will not be in the post though, it will be on the wing. He should make the talented LBJ varsity as a freshman. His strengths at the moment are that he's a strong rebounder. However he's a more than adequate ballhandler and as the son of former college Coach Mike Hargis (Jacksonville College and Huston-Tillotson) he'll be sure to continue to improve.

2012 W 6'4" Davon Henry is fast, strong and talented. He can bang inside, runs the floor, can take you off the dribble and has decent range on his shot. Look for big things from him.

2012 G 6'3" Jamaal Shabazz has a nice wingspan for a guard at 6'7". His handles are solid and he has range to the three point line on his shot. Runs the floor extremely well and will be a nice prospect.

2012 PG 5'6" Spencer Phillips showed the most all around athleticism of anyone in the Class of 2012. He won two timed events and finished second in two others. Phillips knows how to run a team, and can shoot the ball too. As he grows, his stock will continue to rise. Expect him to get significant varsity minutes this year as a freshman on the Hyde Park Varsity.

2012 PG 6'0" Matt Gramling of San Antonio projects to being a Division One point guard. He's in the top end of athleticism, but in addition this kid knows how to run a team. He's been playing up on the summer scene for several years now, so he is battle tested. He'll likely top out at about 6'3" which is great size for a true point. The kid can score too.

2012 W 6'1 Miles Williams was right there with Spencer Phillips as the best raw athlete in the Class of 2012. He shot the ball well too. Continued improvement of his ballhandling will be the key to how far he can rise.

2012 5'9" R.J. Rowan can really shoot lights out.

Top Combine Performers Boys Class of 2013 Guards

Top Left: 2013 G 5'9" Shane Lacaille

Top Right: 2013 G 6'0" Vince Villa Gomez

Middle Left: 2013 G 5'11" Stefan Vidovic

Middle Right: 2013 G 5'11" Lir Galanti

Bottom Left: 2013 G 5'5" John Gramlich

Bottom Right: 2013 G 5'5" Christopher Murch

The 2013 Class of guards was athletic, and is represented nicely by kids who can shoot the ball and that have long term potential. Top peformer in each category was:

20 Yard Dash Lir Galanti 2.79 seconds

Vertical Leap Vince Villa Gomez 26.9"

Standing Broad Jump Shane Lacaille 103"

Hot Shot Shooting Drill Stefan Vidovic 8/10

2013 G 5'9" Shane Lacaille is going to be a superior leaper as his 25.4 vert and his SUPERIOR standing broad jump of 103" He shot the ball well too, hitting 6/10 in the Hot Shot drill.

2013 G 6'0" Vince Villa Gomez has work to do on his fundamentals but who can argue with his potential as he topped the charts with a 26.9 vertical and above average scores in the other timed events. Along with being very coachable he could be a very nice prospect.

2013 G 5'11" Stefan Vidovic showed great court vision. He needs to keep working on his lateral quickness and defense but I love his basketball skill set and ability to shoot the ball as his Hot Shot Shooting drill 8/10 shows. Stefan will end up being a big guard as his Pops, Sonny is about 6'4". Given that dad was a pro over in Europe expect the younger Vidovic to continue to improve and like most European players be able to post up a defender as well as play on the perimeter.

2013 G 5'11" Lir Galanti is another kid that I just loved because of his attitude and desire to learn. He is cat quick and showed great hustle. He needs to continue to work on the skill portion of the game. he scored 7/10 on the Hot Shot Shooting Drill, so you'd better not leave him open.

2013 G 5'5" John Gramlich may be the best of the bunch at the moment in terms of his overall game. His overall court savvy, lateral quickness, vertical and ability to shoot the ball make him a very nice prospect. We'll watch him closely. Definitely adding a few inches and pounds will help.

2013 G 5'5" Christopher Murch is the best pure shooter in this 2013 class of guards. He's still a little bit one dimensional at the moment, but once he understands distribution of the ball to team amtes a little better he'll be an even bigger threat. Do not leave this guy open. He will shoot and hit it from anywhere on the floor.

Top Combine Performers Boys Class of 2013 (Bigs)

Top Left: 2013 6'6" Dominique Woodson

Top Right: 2013 6'4" Vinay Reddy

Bottom Left: 2013 6'1" Desmond Lowe

Bottom Right: 2013 6'2" Tyler Eyre

The Class of 2013 had 4 quality Bigs in the mix, all showing nice athleticism.

2013 W 6'2" Tyler Eyre of Austin ran a 3.04 20 yard dash and hit an above average 6 in the Hot Shot Shooting drill. Needs to work on his agility but had a good understanding of getting position when he chose to go down low. Well defined 186lb body can move people around when it's time to bang.

2013 6'1" Desmond Lowe of Austin had a 20 yard time of 3.07 as well as 20.4" vertical. He showed above average post moves alnog with a great attitude as he absorbed instruction. Needs to work on his face up game.

2013 P 6'6" Dominique Woodson of Round Rock also measure out at a 6'9" wingspan. He oozes potential. Once he gets really motivated to work, the sky will be the limit. Dominique lugged his 206lb big body to a top time of 2.98 amongst the bigs. A 20 inch vertical and a 79 inch broad jump coupled with the aforemnetioned stats makes him a big time prospect. He shows some pretty polished post moves and good footwork for a young Big.

2013 P 6'4" WF Vinay Reddy was the most accomplished Big at the Combine. His wingspan was also 6'9". I really did not see a flaw in his game, other than he needs to start to put weight on his frame and get in the weight room. Reddy's huge feet and lanky frame makes me think he could end up being around 6'10". He handled the ball as well as some of the guards, shot it in a superior fashion, hitting 7 of 10 in the Hot Shot Shooting drill, had an outstanding 95" borad jump and showed tremendous hustle as well. This makes Vinay one to watch in the Class of 2013!

Top Combine Performers Boys Class of 2014

Top Left: 2014 Joshua Delaney

Top Right: 2014 Cameron Delaney

Bottom Left: 2014 Matt Perry

Bottom Right: 2014 Aubrie King

The top performers in the Class of 2014 were all guards.

2014 G 5'8" Matt Perry of Kerrville did not lead in any of the measurable categories. However, like his older brother Jonathan who will end up being a 4 year high school player and collegian before it's all said and done, young Perry shows many of the same attributes of his elder sibling. Hard work, hustle, coachability, being an above average shooter and having an insight into how to play the game will keep Matt Perry in the hunt for high school accolades and the same potential to play in college as Texas D-1 Ambassador Jonathan Perry. Parents Mr. & Mrs. Rick Perry were college tennis players at Oklahoma State. Wrong color orange, but other than that they're a great family..lol

2014 Twins, 5'7" Joshua Delaney & 5'9" Cameron Delaney were as to be expected carbon copies of each other. It was uncanny as they both posted the top time in the Class of 2014 in the Pro Agility Shuttle with a time of 5.06. They posted an identical 79" standing broad jump (only one inch off of Class leader Aubrie King). Cameron, two inches taller than his brother had a quicker time in the 20 yard dash, while Joshua turned the tables on his brother and had a better vertical. His 21.6" vertical lead all 2014 participants.

Both Delaney boys showed a great first step and got to the hole about whenever they wanted. Both are very good shooters, once again scoring exactly the same in the Hot Shot Shooting Drill. I love both these kids, they have a tremendous upside.

2014 G 5'11" Aubrie King edged out the other kids as the top performer in the Class of 2014. From the tiny town of Milano, TX he's the son of longtime Milano HS Coach Alvie King who also played his college ball at Temple Many of you may remember him as a legendary shooter once having made 799 out of 100 free throws and 97 out of 100 three pointers in competitions. Young Aubrie looks well on his way to being a chip off the old block. He scored top marks in the standing broad jump with 80", in the Pro Agility Shuttle with a time of 3.07 and scored a 7 in the Hot Shot Shooting Drill to lead the Class of 2014.

I loved watching Aubrie's demeanor in the scrimmages. He's an assassin, showing little emotion and a calm exterior regardless of the situation. These qualities make Aubrie King one to watch in the Class of 2014!

Top Combine Performers Boys Class of 2015

Left: 2015 Harrison Hackney Right: 2015 Rashard Odomes

This is my 9th year looking for young talent. Seems like only yesterday, my own son was a 6th grader. So, I've seen them all (or darn near most of them) over the years when they've been youngsters. Kids like J. Mychal Reese of Bryan, and more recently 2015 Malik Ellison of New Jersey. I had the pleasure of seeing current college guards Bryan Beasley (Rice), Nic Wise (Arizona) and A.J. Abrams (Texas) when they were 6th graders. I believe we have truly found our next player who shows signs of this type of talent, at the same point in their young playing careers in 2015 G 5'7" Rashard Odomes of Copperas Cove.

I had a chance to visit briefly with Rashard, his mom and his club coach, Robert Orr of the Cobras who has done a great job in training him over the last couple of years. I believe he has the demeanor and work ethic that will not see his potential slow down over the next few years. In short, he can be as good as he wants to be.

Athletically Rashard was superior. His 2.99 time in the 20 yd dash showed his straightline quickness. He was one of only a handful of guys who broke the 3 second barrier, even amongst the 7th and 8th graders. His vertical of 24.2 was in the same category. Young Odomes topped it all off by knocking down 8 shots in the Hot Shot Shooting Drill. However, it was in the scrimmage portion of the program where you could see that along with the "superior numbers" Rashard was a step ahead of his peers and older players too. He handled the ball extremely well and had a great first step to the basket. I loved the fact that he was fearless going to the rack. I didn't see a great premium on point guard floor vision but that may have been because he could pretty do much he wanted to get his own shot. The sky's the limit for Rashard Odomes!

Likely in most any other camp or testing session 2015 G 5'6" Harrison Hackney of Austin would have been the man. Hackney showed very good athleticism and with a quick time in the Pro Agility Shuttle had upper end times in this drill which tests lateral quickness and ability to change direction. I loved his desire to get after it on defense, and thought he showed the most hustle amongst the youngsters. In addition, Harrison showed great court vision and shot the ball extremely well.

Coach Olson Steps Down At Arizona!

Coach Max Ivany & Coach Lute Olson at this August's Arizona Elite Camp.

Just got off the phone with one of my players. It's confirmed, they just had a team meeting and Coach Olson is stepping down as Head Coach of the Arizona Wildcats. Reasons have not been confirmed, but my gut says it's health reasons. He is truly one of the gentlemen in this cut throat high stakes game of college basketball. He will be missed.





He was a players coach. I was priveleged to work his Elite Camp this past August. The number of former Wildcats who are pros who came and just hung out, out of respect for Coach was astounding. Mike Bibby, Sean Rooks, Saleem Stoudamire...all the guys were there. They were FAMILY.

Another friend of mine, Mike Dunlap will take over as the interim Head Coach. Much of the protocol, curriculum and testing for the All American Prodigy Camp and the TexasRecruit.com Ranking Showcases was developed with the input of Coach Dunlap. He was an Assistant for the Denver Nuggets before returning to the college game this past year.

ESPN and other major media outlets beat around the bush and could not confirm this story until several hours past the time I'd posted it on our little old site here. Remember, if you want the NEWS, it's right here folks!

Also, they are reporting that the program may be in somewhat of disarray and that there may be decommitting of recruits. I assure you that this is not the case. Although it wasn't expected that Coach would step down today, the hiring of this experienced coaching staff was with the realization that Coach Olson would step down sooner than later. You heard it here that their recruiting class will be solid for the most part, ( give the credit to recruiter deluxe Assistant Coach Russ Pennell who has been an assistant at Ole Miss and Arizona State) although the top point guard in the country Abdul Gaddy could possibly wriggle off the hook. If he does there is only one other place he could end up and that's Memphis because of his relationship with former longtime Arizona Assistant, Josh Pastner.

Update: 10/27/08

Well, I was right on some stuff, wrong on other's. Coach Dunlap passed on the Head job and they installed another friend of mine, Russ Pennell as the Interim. I got to know Coach Pennell extremely well when he and I guided Texas D-1 Ambassador Garland Judkins through the recruiting maze and he was the one who offered Judkins hid scholarship through a phone call with me. He's a sincere guy and a straight shooting decent moral human being. U of A is making it tough on themselves though with this seeming instability, so the 2009 commits are now jumping ship.

Top Combine Performers Girls Class of 2014

The deepest Class at the TexasRecruit.com Showcase for the girls was the Class of 2014. It was loaded with above average shooters.

Top Left: Meghan Glaser

Top Right: Tiffany Fowler

Middle Left: Mileena Vega

Middle Right: Saundra Guillory

Bottom left: Madison Wright

2014 G 5'3" Meghan Glaser showed good athleticism as evidenced by her 18.9" vertical. We were impressed by her all around game both offensively and defensively.

2014 W 5'2" Tiffany Fowler showed a very good understanding of the game during scrimmages. Her shooting was above average as well as she graded out at the top of 2014 in the Hot Shot Shooting Drill with 6 makes.

2014 PG 5'1" Mileena Vega made excellent decisions with the ball and understood how to get team mates the rock where they could do the most damage. She finished a hair behind the leader in the Hot Shot Shooting Drill with 5 makes.

2014 P 5'11" Saundra Guillory is an intriguing prospect. Not only was she relentless on the boards, but she did a great job of posting up, getting in position to receive the ball and turning strong to the basket. She had a knack for setting picks, being unselfish and freeing her team mates up for their shots. This is something many high school kids do not understand how to do.

2014 W 5'6" Madison Wright had the top time in the 20 yard dash in the Class of 2014 with a 3.23 clocking. Her score in the shooting drill was so so, but her performance in the scrimmages showed she is a superior shooter.She defends hard, and once she improves her ballhandling could be a big timer at the off guard position. Her Pops, Keith played his football for Joe Paterno at Penn State back in the day.

Top Combine Performers Girls Class of 2015

Top Left: Brittany Leonard

Right JaPreece Dean

Bottom Left: Kennedy Harris

2015 W 5'5" Kennedy Harris of Austin has a 5'9" wingspan. Athleticism just oozes out of this youngster as she completed her 20 yd dash in 3.29, 19.7" vertical and a 74" standing broad jump. Like most of the girls, she seemed quite attentive to coaching and was a whirlwind on the floor during the scrimmages. Look for Kennedy to be a success in whatever sport she chooses to pursue.

2015 G 5'2" Japreece Dean of Austin was a shooter deluxe at our camp. Hitting 9 of 10 shots in the Hot Shot Competition in a time of 38:28 Japreece had only two other shooters in the camp who remotely appraoched her score and time. Those two boys were in the Class of 2010 and 2011! She has a smooth release, making her dangerous shooting the ball from any spot on the floor. Ballhandling was superior with her left and right hand, as well as her court vision. Her 20 yard time of 3.08 was tops in the Class of 2015 as was her vertical leap of 21.7". In fact, it wasn't until the Class of 2013 Boys where someone exceeded her vertical.

2015 G 5'0" Brittany Leonard of San Antonio didn't score particularly well in the measurable events, but I was impressed by the fact that she was coachable, had a good understanding of the game and was an above average shooter. As a coach's daughter, expect her to be a "gym rat" who keeps working to get better.

Top Combine Performers Class of 2016 Kianna Ray

Class of 2016 5'1" G Kianna Ray, put on quite a nice showing at the Inaugural TexasRecruit.com Basketball Combine/Showcase this past weekend.

With a vertical of 17.5", a standing broad jump of 79" and a pro agility shuttle time of 5.61 seconds gave her raw numbers that exceeded many of the participants in the Class of 2015 and 2014, including some of the boys.

The raw numbers alone are impressive, but she also shows a court savvy beyond her years and a nice skill set of ballhandling and good shooting form.

This makes Miss Kianna Ray one to watch, in the Class of 2016!

TexasRecruit.com Basketball Showcase Event Results

Left: Winners of various timed and skill events conducted at the Inaugural TexasRecruit.com Basketball Showcase held on October 19th at Austin Akins HS. (Details to be posted on winners) Pictured are the winners from the Class of 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

Right: Coach Max Ivany & Coach T.J. Garza of TexasRecruit.com ready the 20 yard dash electronic timing device prior to the start of camp. All systems go!

As stated previously, although players from all over the State are welcome our focus is on the player from the Waco, Killeen, Austin, Bryan, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Rio Grande Valley area. There is plenty of talent, but they tend to get overlooked and underexposed compared to players from DFW and Houston. Our mission is to evaluate these kids in an objective way and then provide the results to colleges nationwide and ideally enhance the players recruiting opoportunities.

130 players from all over the State of Texas came together Sunday, October 19th at the Inaugural TexasRecruit.com Basketball Showcase. It was successful beyond our wildest dreams. With limited time invested in getting the word out about the event (20 days) we weren't sure what to expect. Walk up registration numbered about 40 players!

Over the next several days we'll have more in depth info on different players who attended. This is a brief overview.

Our girls attendance was limited to about 20 players. The ones who showed up could really play though! On the boys side we had some great talent including one NATIONAL RECORD BREAKING performance which we'll highlight shortly.

20 Yard Dash

Class 2013 Male:

Lir Galanti 2.79

Vinay Reddy 3.12

Class 2014 Male:

Aubrie King 3.07

Cameron Delaney 3.13
Class 2014 Female: Madison Wright 3.23

Class 2015 Male: Rashard Odomes 2.99
Class 2015 Female: Japreece Dean 3.08




Vertical
Class 2013 Male:

Vince Villa Gomez 26.9

Vinay Reddy 22

Class 2014 Male: Joshua Delaney 21.6

Class of 2014 Female: Mileena Vega 17.0

Calss 2015 Male: Rashard Odemes 24.2
Class 2015 Female:

Japreece Dean 21.7"

Kennedy Harris 19.7"

Class 2016 Female: Kianna Ray 17.5

Standing Broad Jump
Class 2013 Male:

Shane Lacaille 103

Vinay Reddy 95

Class 2014 Male:

Aubrie King 80"

Joshua Delaney 79"

Cameron Delaney 79"
Class 2014 Female: Tiffany Fowler 63"

Class 2015 Male: Kevin Owens 85
Class 2015 Female: Kennedy Harris 74

Class 2016 Female only: Kianna Ray 79

Pro Agility Shuttle

Class 2013 Male: Lir Galanti 4.83 and Vinay Reddy 4.93
Class 2013 Female:No female in this age group

Class 2014 Male:

Joshua Delaney 5.06

Cameron Delaney tied at 5.06

Class 2014 Female:

Mileena Vega 5.48

Class 2015 Male: Harrison Hackey 5.34
Class 2015 Female: Japreece Dean 5.35

Class 2016 Female only: Kianna Ray 5.61

Hot Shot Drill: (Number of shots made out of ten/time to completion)

Class 2013 Male:

Lir Galanti 7/ 39:25

Vinay Reddy 7/ 40:13

Class 2014 Male:

Aubrie King 7/38:81

Cameron Delaney 5/ 39:12
Class 2014 Female: 6/40:00

Class 2015 Male:

Harrison Hackey 6/ 40:90
Class 2015 Female:

Japreece Dean 9/ 38:28

Brittany Leonard 6/45:72

Class 2016 Female only: Kianna Ray 4/ 43:22

High School

20 yd dash
Class 2012 Male:

Miles Williams 2.68

Jarrin Johnson 2.68
Class 2012 Female: Maria Galindo 3.11

Class 2011 Male: Tarale Murry 2.59
Class 2011 Female: Oriana Wright 3.29

Class 2010 Male: Romando Garcia 2.58
Class 2010 Female: Courtney Duever 2.96

Class 2009 Male: Raheem Odoms 2.45 Copperas Cove

Vertical

Class 2012 Male: Spencer Phillips 31.2 Austin Hyde Park
Class 2012 Female: Maria Galindo 16.6

Class 2011 Male: Tarale Murry 33.6
Class 2011 Oriana Wright 18.3

Class 2010 Male: Romando Garcia 33.8
Class 2010 Female: Courtney Duever 21.9

Class 2009 Male: DJ Stephens 41.8 Harker Heights

Standing Broad Jump

Class 2012 Male: Spencer Phillips 8'5 Austin Hyde Park
Class 2012 Female: Maria Galindo 5'5

Class 2011 Male: Yisuf Abduliah 8'7
Class 2011 Female: Oriana Wright 6'0"

Class 2010 Male: Romando Garcia 8'11
Class 2010 Female: Courtney Duever 6'0

Class 2009 Male: DJ Stephens 10'6 Harker Heights

Pro Agility Shuttle

Class 2012 Male: Matt Tyson 4.69
Class 2012 Female: Maria Galindo 5.38

Class 2011 Male: Sean Voss 4.69 Belton
Class 2011 Female: Oriana Wright 5.53

Class 2010 Male:

Nathaniel Velasco 4.59 Gregory-Portland

Antonio Clemons 4.59

Michael Farace 4.59 Liberty Hill
Class 2010 Female: Courteny Duever 5.5

Class 2009 Male: Austin Mosley 4.63 Austin Hyde Park

Hot Shot Shooting Drill: Number of shots made out of 10/ time to completion

Class 2012 Male:Collin Tubbs 6/ 37:00
Class 2012 Female: Maria Galindo 4/ 39:03

Class 2011 Male: Deon Mitchell 9/ 31:75 Pflugerville

Class 2010 Male: Jacob Horton 9/ 39:75 Houston Clear Lake
Class 2010 Female: Courteny Duever 3/ 45:50

Class 2009 Male: Zach Mims 8/ 38:34 Killeen Ellison

San Antonio Lee HS Boys Preview

Top Left: 2010 PG 6'0" Paul Garnica

Top Right: 2010 G 6'2" Ryan Pierce

Middle Left: G 6'3" Ryan James

Middle Right: 2009 G 5'10" Henry Garcia, Coach Tommy Hines, & P 6'4" Adam Muro

Bottom: Coach Hines instructs Lee players during the athletic period.

Today I dropped in on San Antonio Lee's morning athletic period. It was like stepping back in time to 6 years ago when current Lee Head Coach Tommy Hines was a key Assistant to Coach Romy Vela at San Antonio John Jay HS. The Jay Mustangs had just won a 5A State Championship, with Hines playing a key role on that staff. They beat a talented Dallas Lincoln team with future NBA star Chris Bosh. Many of you will remember John Jay's Chris Ross' half court game winning shot that stunned the crowd at the Erwin Center.

Back to today. I saw the same scrappy, feisty group of undersized kids, many of them undersized Hispanic kids that reminded me of Jay Circa 2003. But Holy Cow, were they hungry at practice! Coach Hines is in his 4th year now as Head Coach at Lee. I think it's fair to say he took over a program which was in disarray. The kids did not have a sense of pride in the program. Let me tell you folks, that's out the window. Hines is the new sheriff in town and has taken these kids, believed in them as youngsters (he started a couple of freshmen on varsity back three years ago) and molded them into a very competitive crew. They took some lumps over the last couple of seasons but they are poised now to make a playoff run. Madison and Reagan will likely be the class of the district, but I predict that Lee will be right there for a playoff spot.

Lee has a much varsity experience as anyone. The drawback is their overall lack of height, but Hines will "coach 'em up" by playing a lot of 4 out, incorporating a lot of Dean Smith's old Carolina stuff and getting after it man to man defensively with lots of pressing and trapping. The Lee kids have a toughness and scrappiness about them that reminds me more of Dallas and Houston kids.

The closest thing Lee has to a post presence will be 6'4" Adam Muro. Rebounding will have to be by committee.

2009 G 5'10" Henry Garcia will provide senior leadership. He's a solid D-2, D-3 type kid with Trinity and Grandview (Iowa) recruiting him at the moment.

Look for G 6'3" Ryan James to log major minutes.

Along with Garcia, there are two other players who will be three year starters this coming season. 2010 G 6'2" Ryan Pierce is a natural scorer, who just gets the job done.

The key guy for Lee is 2010 PG 6'0" Paul Garnica. In late May, Garnica got promoted to the top Texas D-1 Ambassador group. He was simply too good to keep out of the lineup. Keep in mind that to this point we've had guards off that group commit to Arizona, Lamar, and two others who have been offered by San Francisco and Colorado. Garnica belonged in this group! He hit 10 three pointers in a game as a freshman at Lee. It goes without saying he can heat it up from the perimeter. As I got to know Paul, what became obvious is that he is a real student of the game while also possessing an "annoying street edge" to his repertoire. Annoying that is to the opposition. He's a great team mate and very unselfish. He prides himself on deflections and steals defensively, many times drawing the assignment on the other team's most talented offensive player. One drawback Garnica has is he can occasionally be nonchalant when handling the ball. As he continues to mature though, I see this occurring less and less. He has above average grades, even drawing the interest of the Ivy league's Cornell who were in the Lee gym watching him in last week's athletic period.

TexasRecruit.com Showcase.. October 19th

Put this Sunday, October 19th on your calendar for you and your child to attend the Inaugural Basketball Ranking Camp & Showcase being conducted by http://www.texasrecruit.com/ Coach Garza and myself are so excited about the response, and with only a few days left until the event gets underway time is short to get registered. The location is Akins HS in Austin, and the cost is only $80 in advance. $100 for walk ups at the door.

Itinerary:

1. Document Height, Weight, & Wingspan
2.Testing:
a. Vertical
b. Standing Broad Jump
c. Pro Agility Shuttle
d. Hot Shot Shooting Drill
e. 20 Yard Dash

3. Skill Stations
4. Scrimmage Evaluations

5. Wrap Up:

Understanding The Recruiting Process

All timing will be done with Nike Sparq products. Manual timing is inappropriate for verifiable results, that is why we use Nike approved digital timing system with infrared accurate start and finish lines.

Vertical is measured by the State of the Art Digital Jump System.

Finally, you are being tested and evaluated by two of the most influential Recruiting Analysts in the Country.

Coach T.J. Garza has evaluated and trained countless college level football players.

Coach Max Ivany has personally coached close to 100 Division 1 basketball players and has placed kids in every Conference in the Country. Some of the prmonient recent alumni, (to name only a handful) include:

2009 Kendric Robinson UT-San Antonio
2009 Cory Jefferson Baylor
2009 John Henson North Carolina
2009 Jonathan Garza Lamar
2008 Tre Nichols Texas State
2008 Garland Judkins Arizona
2007 Andy Moore American
2007 Adhar Mayen Hawaii
2006 Jason Ebie Texas Christian
2006 Leslie Jackson UT-San Antonio
2006 Bryan Beasley Rice
2006 Brandon Webster Fresno State
2006 Chip Ivany South Alabama (NCAA Tournament this past spring)

Be part of this Inaugural Texas Basketball Ranking Class!

Belton HS Boys Preview

Left To Right:
2009 Michael Huddleston
2010 Eric Brauer
2010 Jeff LePak
2011 Sean Voss

The Belton Tigers graduated eight seniors from last years group, but the good news is that there are 4 returning seniors from last year's team with quite a bit of experience. The bad news is that Belton competes in District 12-5A which is highly competitive year in and year out.



Former University of Mary Hardin Baylor PG and former Assistant John Osborn returns for his 2nd season at the helm for Belton. Players counted on to play a key role are 3-year letterman Michael Huddleston, a 6’3” forward who was MVP of the 5 STAR Camp Waco All-Star Game this summer. 6'6" F Jeff Lepak also lines up at wide receiver on gridiron, as well as running with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors in the summer.


2010 G 5'11" Eric Brauer gained all district honors as a Sophomore and is returning leading scorer from last year. Brauer's roots in Belton run deep as his Pops, Ed was formerly the Head Coach, and brother Matt is currently at Wichita State running the point for the Shockers.


2011 G 5'11" Sean Voss has gotten lots of big game experience in the summers for the 2011 Texas Ambassadors. Sean is one of the better guards in his class in Cen Tex.


In addition Saquonne Crump, Kevin Sanders and Jacob Lippincott and others plus some Bigs off the football team will form a good nucleus.

The Tiger’s have already had some early success playing in the competitive Harker Heights fall league and playing in some weekend tournaments, including Mike Kunstadt’s Fall San Antonio Shootout at Saint Mary’s a couple of weeks back.


Belton’s district, 12 – 5A includes Bryan, A&M Console, Killeen Ellison, Killeen Shoemaker, Harker Heights, Temple, and Copperas Cove. It is run and gun all the time in this district which always places a number of players in college ball every season. Look for the Belton Tigers to make some noise in this District this season and contend for a playoff spot.

San Antonio Stevens HS Boys Preview

Left to Right:

2010 W 6'5" Joe Monroe

2010 W 6'4" Julian Stallworth

2009 G 6'2" Brandon Thompson

2009 G 6'0" Dejon Taylor

In his 4th year (3rd year fielding a varsity) as the only coach in the history of Stevens HS, Coach John Hirst has arguably the most talented outfit in the Alamo City. In terms of pure basketball talent, only Madison is in the same class. Of course time will tell if that translates into the first playoff win in the school's history, as well as a potentially deep playoff run .

Stevens lacks a true post presence, although 6'6" Aaron Plunkett can provide mismatches down low with his athleticism and ability to alter shots on the defensive end. Much of Stevens success will depend on the desire of Wing type players Monroe and Stallworth to rebound the ball.

Stevens strength is at the guard spots and with their ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter. This includes 2009 W Julian Stallworth, who along with Taylor and Thompson ran with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors in their club ball. Stallworth has a D-1 body, and can shoot the ball from the perimeter. As he improves his decision making as a senior, it will lead to more recruiting looks. Coach Hirst also gets senior leadership from PG 2009 5'10" Josh Orta who is a solid player.

Defensively, 2009 G 6'0" Dejon Taylor is the stopper. There is nobody better in the City at getting in the other guys jersey than Taylor, whose Pop coaches over at San Antonio Lee. Gotta love those coach's sons. Big Sky Conference's Montana State is recruiting Taylor at the moment. We'll keep an eye on that.

The quiet leader of the Stevens team is 2009 G 6'2" Brandon Thompson. This kid can do it all. He's deceptively long, and a very good defender. He's always under control, can handle the ball in traffic, has a deceptive change of pace and can shoot the ball; from the perimeter, mid range, and can get to the rack. In short, he has no weaknesses. I've had the pleasure to be able to coach numerous Division 1 guards over the years and he can be as good as any of them. Brandon is a great team mate, is humble, and he's clutch too. Twice this summer he hit shots at the buzzer to beat the Dallas Mustangs and Houston Elite in front of packed houses of Division 1 coaches.

Brandon has been offered by Colorado State and Colorado out of the Big XII. Amazingly, no Southland school has jumped on him. That's ok though, because he's a much better player than that. In the preseason, I would pick Thompson and Southwest's Kendric Robinson as co- San Antonio players of the year. We'll save more of that for another post though.

San Antonio Churchill HS Boys Preview

Left: 2009 F 6'7" C.J. Drago

Right: 2012 5'11" PG Scott Mammel

Bottom Left: Twin Towers (twins literally) 2010 6'9" Ben and Mike Byron

Not sure what's in the water over at Churchill, but whatever it is, they sure do grow 'em big. Coach Randy Schuster's Chargers graduated a lot of leadership off of last years playoff team. Not the least that will be missed is 7'1" Ian Markoff who is now at the University of Wisconsin. My sources tell me that Ian is now up to a chiseled 270 lbs and has acquired a bit of a mean streak. That's something he seemed missing as a high school senior, but the Badgers Bo Ryan has appeared to bring it out in him. He'll need it to compete in the Big XII, the most physical conference in the country. Same sources say he'll be two years at Wisconsin and then is a lock for the NBA. Keep up the good work Ian!

Only a freshman, keep an eye on Scott Mammel. If he develops to be anywhere near the player his elder brother Greg did he'll be pretty darn good. Greg Mammel played his high school ball for the home schooled group, FEAST. Young Mamell will give Churchil a true point guard who can also score the ball for the next few years. Greg is now playing at one of the top D-II programs in the country Barton College in North Carolina.

Back to the Bigs. Out with Markoff, and in with the Byron twins. At 6'9" and still growing these two 2010 post players should have a breakout season. Playing with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors 2010 squad, the big fellas are coming along nicely. As with most Posts, they just never seem to develop quick enough for most of our liking to really be dominant early at the high school level. Typically a 6'4"-6'6" football type body can have more high school success that the lanky true posts who are still growing into their bodies. However, when the dust settles, kids like the Byron Boys will continue on to play in college. Both have a good work ethic and will continue to develop. Look for Churchill to jell as the season progresses.

The addition of Antonion transfer 2009 F 6'7" C.J. Drago could be the wildcard which allows Churchill to put together a strong playoff run. His ability to run the floor along with the sheer size of the Byron twins gives the Chargers an opportunity to really run some mismatches with hi-lo post sets. Drago plays during the summer with the San Antonio Rohawks. An interesting sidebar is that his uncle coached at Duke University back in the day. San Antonio Churchill is clearly the biggest team in the area.

McAllen HS Boys Preview

Left: 2010 W/P 6'6" J.J. Avila Right: 2009 G 6'3" Cory Pace

McAllen HS is clearly the class of the Rio Grande Valley. Last year they made a nice run to San Antonio before running into the buzzsaw that was Converse Wagner. If Coach Roy Swift had another guy that competed as hard as 2010 J.J. Avila did, they may have had a chance. This season will be a whole new test for McHi.

Region 4 looks as good as it's ever been with a number of strong teams coming out of Austin and San Antonio this year. Coach Swift will need some of his guys to step up.

I really like 2009 G 6'3" Cory Pace. He's going to have to provide backcourt leadership and make sure that J.J. Avila gets to touch the ball plenty. Avila, a veteran of big games during past years with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors will rough it up inside, then step out and hit shots too. He won't back down from anyone, and competes hard on every play. Continued work on his handles and shot will assure you'll be seeing Avila in the Southland Conference, if not higher in a couple of years.

Coach Roy Swift is extremely optimistic about the coming year as in addition to the above mentioned players he has two other big contributors who will key the McAllen run this season. He only lost one senior from last year's crew, so McAllen will have a seasoned bunch for this year's run.

2009 PG 5'11" Mark Lopez

2010 SF Nick Garza 6'3" (currently in football)

Coach Swift likes to run the Roy Williams Carolina Break, with lots of back and down screens. He expects his veteran group to rebound well, get into transition and get a good percentage of their offense from their break.

I also received an update on two of Coach Swift's former players when he was at Weslaco HS.

P Francisco Rodriguez is currently at John Brown University in Arkansas

PG Edgar Segura who originally signed with Wisconsin-Green Bay has transferred to McLennan JC in Waco, TX and if my sources are correct will sign with Texas State for the 2009-10 season. This will be a great "get" for the Bobcats Staff, and will bring the Mexican National team player closer to home.

Lewisville Flower Mound HS Boys Preview

Left to right:

2010 G 6'4" Travis Walker

2011 6'7" Andrew Werner

2011 G 6'2" Jordan Green

The kids from Flower Mound made the long drive down to San Antonio from the north side of the Metroplex. They ran into a buzzsaw in their 1st game Saturday morning v. Austin Westlake but settled down and competed hard in their last two games of the day.

I was impressed by several of their young kids.

2010 6'4" Travis Walker and 2011 6'2" Jordan Green look like they'll have Flower Mound looking good for the next few years. They both run in the summer with the North Texas Warriors.

The player who really impressed me was 2011 6'7" Andrew Werner. He runs the floor well and competes hard down low for a youngster. Where he really made his mark though was at the top of the key, where he pulled the bigger Westlake player up from the low post, and then hit 4 consecutive rainbows from above the free throw line. He runs in the summer with the Dallas Mustangs.

Converse Wagner HS Boys Preview

Last year Wagner was a deep as any school in the State. There were kids wearing the 15th jersey who could have contributed to many teams in the City of San Antonio. A young school, Wagner lost in the Regional Finals to San Antonio Madison. They'll be back with more of the same this year as Coach Clifton Ellis will have them pressing, trapping and firing up threes. Reminds me of John Reese's Bryan HS squads.

Wagner will throw waves of athletic bodies at most teams, and eventually wear them down. They may be a little vulnerable in the post compared to last season, but there may be a couple of big body footballers I'm not aware of. Early key contributors look to be:

2009 G 5'11" Eddie Ortiz
2009 G 6'0" Nathaniel Buckner
2010 W 6'2" Donte Himes

2010 W 6'5" Andre Roberson could be a difference maker. Andre will be somewhat of a late bloomer because he's still extremely thin. However he is skilled, shoots the ball well from the perimeter and is long. Pops John Roberson played for New Mexico State and 11 years professionally overseas so the kid has pedigree. His sister Ashley was a star for last years Wagner Girls, turning down basketball offers to play volleyball for the Texas Longhorns. Roberson may be one of those guys that has a good high school career, but when college comes it's where he'll make his mark.

2010 G 6'3" Jordan Clarkson is smooth. He's a great open court athlete, handles the ball well and can shoot lights out from the three point line. He's a Division 1 prospect, without a doubt. I watched him can 6 triples against Austin Bowie in last years playoff game at Seguin. He was the difference in that game.

Converse Judson HS Boys Preview

Left: Chris Wacker Right: Ned Cox & Alex Lewis

I can only imagine how tough Judson would be if they did not have Wagner bleeding off athletes in the district the last couple of seasons. For years Judson was an undisputable State powerhouse in football. Don't get me wrong, they're still good but dang there's a boatload of kids in Converse that can flat out get after it in either sport. There are enough quality ballers on the JV squads to go ahead and form up another varsity quality team.

Big Mike Wacker leads the Rockets. He was looking good on Saturday in his beach wear. I thought Coach was about to get after it in the Maui Classic, but I guess he missed his flight and ended up at St. Mary's. I asked Coach about this year's goals and he was extremely optomistic that Judson would have a very successful year in District 27-5A, and then make a playoff run. And why not...they return 8 lettermen from last year's crew.

They'll be led in the backcourt by two veterans. 2009 PG 5'9" Demarcus Richardson, son of San Antonio Rohawks Bossman Daryl Richardson who will run the point. He's a super quick guard and a lock down defender. The other G spot has 2009 6'1" Ned Cox in his 3rd year with the varsity squad. I like Cox's ability (and willingness) to pull up for the mid range jumper. As any college coach will tell you, that's a lost art. This is definitely one of San Antonio's finest backcourts.

I was also extremely impressed by the athleticism of 2009 W 6'3" Alex Lewis. What could set the Rockets apart is their frontline. He was not available this past weekend, so I didn't see him, but Coach Wacker seemed to have a twinkle in his eye when he spoke of 2010 C 6'10" Stuart Lagerson. Like most "bigs" he's probably a project but you can pencil most 6'10" guys in to play college ball down the road if they can ewalk and chew gum at the same time. Typically they take much longer to develop then the guards do.

The Big Fella with the soft touch, 2009 P 6'7" Chris Wacker is poised for a breakout season. He looked slim and cut compared to his physique last season. I thought he ran the floor really well, shoots the face up shot nicely from the high post and is stout enough to battle for and control the boards. He's got a lot of pressure on him, being the son of the Coach and grandson of the legendary Jim Wacker of Texas State and Texas Christian University. (Remember the old derivative of the country song that the Horned Frogs adopted under The Coach?....I Wore Purple, When Purple Wasn't Cool"...lol) Don't ask me to sing it for you.

At the moment Chris is getting recruited by D-2 schools like St. Mary's and St. Edwards, but the Southland Boys better wake up and come steal this kid. He's got all the tools and he's a coach's son. That spells winner to me!

Austin Bowie HS Boys Preview

Left: Two sport star Deandre Perry. He currently is getting recruited high D-1 for football. However, the kid is a load in the post at only 6'3" because he just flat outworks guys. His mom played basketball at Baylor back in the day. Perry will give great leadership to Celester Collier's troops this season. He's one tough son of a gun. he led the Texas D-1 Ambassadors 2010 team to back to back Kingwood Classic Championships. He was our primary post player, regularly going up against 6'6"-6'9" cats and getting the best of them.

Bowie graduated some outstanding kids this past year in 3 year staters Pat Moore who is now playing JuCo, and G Jeremy Green who is now playing for Stanford University.

I had a chance to speak with Coach Collier today over the phone and he stressed that you just can't replace guys like that. But, as when other great players have left Bowie over the years, Coach Collier will challenge these current kids to step up to the table. In his words, "That's what tradition is all about. We'll work with them and make them the best that they can be."

The Bulldogs are in what I consider to be the toughest 5A District in the Cen Tex area. Coach Collier said , "It's critical that they defend their home court and then steal some games on the road". There are going to be a couple of pretty good teams in that district sitting on the outside, looking in on the playoffs this year folks.

Having said all that, we're not going to shed too many tears for "CC". He's as good a coach as there is in the area, with a college background that includes a stint at Texas State. For those of you old enough to remember Houston Oilers Coach Bum Phillips, he once said this about Miami Dolphins Don Shula. "He can take his'n and beat your'n, or take your'n and beat his'n". Give Coach Collier five 50 year old guys like me and he'll still give you a game. Having said all that, Bowie's cupboard is far from bare.

The aforementioned 2010 P 6'3" Deandre Perry is a nice way to start off with a guy who's going to give 100% game in and game out. Follow that up with 2009 G 5'11" Aaron Urbanus (whose brother Zach plays D-1 at the Citadel) and you've got a nice little one-two punch. Look for 2010 6'4" Trey Lindsey to be a nice perimeter threat. He was injured most of the spring and had a pretty good growth spurt. he shot the ball well at Mike Kunstadt's event.

2009 WG 6'3" Isiah Collier (the coach's son) gets after it on D and has developed a reliable mid range shot. Also look for 2009 Ryan Baxter ( son of University of Texas player Ron Baxter) to make a solid contribution.

Bowie will slow it down, and be very methodical offensively. They'll rarely take a bad shot, showing lots of patience. On defense they'll typically zone you.

Austin Akins HS Boys Preview

Left To Right:

2011 Malcolm Canada

2010 Kevin McFarlane

2011 Yolonzo Moore

The turnaround at Akins High School has been dramatic. Much of the credit has to go to 2nd year Head Coach David Peavey. I first met him when he was coaching at Gonzales HS. From their he went to Fort Bend Hightower where he had the opportunity to coach current Texas Longhorn D.J. Augustin, and then from there he recruited several of our Texas D-1 Ambassadors players while an assistant at Stephen F. Austin University. The life of a college coach with a young family is a tough one, so Coach Peavey brought his extensive resume to AISD last year. I think it's fair to say that Akins was generally undisciplined in the past, but Coach Peavey has instilled that along with a sense of pride in the kids there.

Look for the Eagles to make some noise in District 25-5A this season. They've got a young group, but they became seasoned in last years campaign and will bring a nice blend of athleticism and hustle to the table. The Eagles will use a motion offense, mixed in with the Memphis "dribble drive" offense. They'll trap in the half court and look to score in transition.

The key to making it go will fall in the hands of 2011 G 6'1" Yolonzo Moore. He's got a good body, can get to the hole and has nice handles and an adequate shot. He's one to look for in the future who could play at the next level.

Other key contributors will be:

2009 6'2" Rashad Miller

2009 5'9" Christian Maldonado

2009 6'3" Brandon Wooley

2010 6'3" Kevin McFarlane

2011 5'11" Malcolm Canada

Mike Kunstadt's Fall San Antonio Shootout

I spent yesterday watching evaluating players at Mike Kunstadt's San Antonio Fall Shootout. I wanted to take a second to express my appreciation for he and his staff, Sam Lowe and Blue Zertuche making me feel welcome and give me full access. This is a perfect example of how folks can be friendly competitors, yet be polite to each other in a spirit of cooperation that benefits players.

Their web site is http://www.texashoops.com/

We've agreed to share information and to do everything possible to make sure Texas kids are on the recruiting map. (Especially the area I will concentrate on: Killeen, Waco, Austin, San Antonio and Rio Grande Valley area which is vastly underappreciated.)

I did my best to see as many groups as possible. The full slate of teams was: Austin Westlake, Austin Akins, Austin Bowie, Austin Lake Travis, Belton, Boerne Champion, Cedar Park, Cedar Park Vista Ridge, Converse Judson, Converse Wagner, Flower Mound, Houston St. Pius, McAllen, Pflugerville, Round Rock McNeil, San Antonio Alamo Heights, San Antonio Churchill, San Antonio O'Connor, San Antonio Stevens, San Antonio Taft, San Marcos, Seguin, Sharyland, Wichita Falls Rider.

These FALL GAMES are somewhat smilar to many summer league games. The kids get up and down the court and get after it. My early take on the San Antonio area is that the superior talent this season is at Stevens, Madison,Wagner, and Judson, and I'm going to pick a darkhorse of Southwest HS as well. In the Austin area, my picks would be Pflugerville, LBJ, Westlake to name a few. McAllen HS is clearly the class of the RGV. Of course it could be a horse of a different color when the kids get "coached up" by guys with superior schemes; like Coach Jimmy Littleton, John Hirst, Mike Wacker, Stan Leech, Celester Collier, David Peavey and Mike Murphy to name a few. There are many other quality guys on the sidelines in addition to those mentioned above. Just can't name them all here.

There was some very good early season basketball considering there are a lot of key players on the football field, and I'm happy to say there were a bunch of kids that missed the early games as they were writing their SAT's.

One of the most frustrating thinks is to have a player in the spring of his junior year (or later) that does not have a test score. Parents and players, please listen....THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO HAVE TAKEN CARE OF, SO YOU CAN BE A RECRUITABLE ATHLETE. Or, as I like to say, without a score, you're a "SUSPECT, not a "PROSPECT".

Pflugerville Hendrickson Boys HS Preview

Left: Adam Nwaozo, Dwayne Coleman, & Jalen Washington. Right: 2011 G 5'6" Jalen Harris

In this the 6th year of it's existence, Pflugerville Hendrickson has 5 returning contributors from last year's squad. Coach Jim Reid is also in his 6th year, since arriving from the Corpus Christi area is feeling confident that they can compete hard in 25-4A make the playoffs and then make a run. He's got the depth to do it. Football will keep them from their full potential early, as two of their key guys will be on the gridiron.

2009 PG 5'8" Jordan Harris

2009 G 6'2" Marquis Dunn is as good an athlete as the Austin area has in the Class of 2009

Other key contributors should be:

Jalen Washington

Adam Nwaozo

Dwayne Coleman

2011 G 5'6" Jalen Harris

2011 G 6'0" Fernando Rivera

Round Rock Westwood HS Boys Preview

Left To Right: 2010 P 6'5" Jeff Reed, 2009 6'2" Garrett Hamilton & 2009 6'5" Alvin Yarborough

In his 3rd season as Head Coach at Round Rock Westwood, Coach Brad Hastings has a scrappy squad that he believes can make some noise in District 16-5A. It's a district with no team who has clearly superior talent to the others, so it should be a dog fight. They'll need to fill the void left behind with the graduation of hardworking combo guard Greg Chiasson who is now at Lon Morris JC.

The front runner for this spot is 2009 Garrett Hamilton who showed vast improvement on the summer circuit with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors. His leadership will be the key to how far the Warriors can go.

Westwood has two 6'5" post players who should also make an impact. Alvin Yarbrough brings athleticism to the table, while 2010 Jeff Reed is a sturdy force as well. Coach Hastings plans to have his crew trapping more often than usual, and as becoming in vogue to do, they'll also run the Memphis penetrate and kick offense. The Warriors have several kids who can knock down shots in this system. The ability to penetrate and then kick will be the key to their success in this system.

Killeen HS Boys Preview

Above Left: Cory Jefferson in His Texas D-1 Ambassadors uniform. Above Right: Reebok and Nike All American 2009 6'10" Cory Jefferson at Killeen HS.

I sat down with always amiable Head Coach Jason Fossett of Killeen HS to discuss the upcoming season. He was humble, yet confident about his Runnin' Kangaroos squad and their goals for this upcoming season. His mantra for the players this coming season is "Keep The tradition Going". Killeen has been 91-12 in the last three seasons. They won't be at their best until after the football season when a couple of his key guys get back from football but they are so deep it should not make too much difference in the early going.

Coach Fossett's biggest challenge will be replacing the leadership and productivity of 4 year starting PG Tre Nichols who will be plying his trade down the road in the Southland Conference with Texas State. The cupboard is far from bare though, it's just a question of who steps up at the guard spots. They are as deep as anyone there with four rock steady seniors and a junior who can run the floor, handle the ball, shoot and defend the perimeter. Several of them have gained valuable experience from previous varsity campaigns and by running in the summer with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors. They are as follows:

2009 G 5'10" Titus Barnes

2009 PG Shon Lewis (a transfer from Killeen Ellison)

2009 G 5'9" Kenneth Thorpe

2009 G 6'1" Jamal Washington

2010 G 5'11" Ja'Corie Baker

The forwards are athletic, although a little bit younger.

2011 F 6'4" Tayshawn Thomas

2012 F 6'4" Tevin Bartney

Bartney looks like the next big time player from the Killeen area. He is highly skilled and projects to grow to 6'7"-6'8".

The key to the Kangaroos run to State are twofold.

1. They have moved to Region 4, meaning their playoff path heads South. This is critical because in the last two years heartbreaking losses to Dallas Lincoln and last year in OT to eventual State Champion Dallas South Oak Cliff in the early going.

2. 2009 6'10" Cory Jefferson.

The Baylor commit and 5 year veteran of the Texas D-1 Ambassadors organization has received almost every accolade imaginable. The Baylor Bears keep piling up talented recruits. Look for Jefferson to have a wonderful college career and then to play at the professional level. Jefferson is the State of Texas' top shotblocker, has a developing offensive game, runs the floor extremely well and is a rebounding machine. He's been a Reebok and Nike All American with invitations to the prestigious Amare Stoudamire Camp, and LeBron James Camp and a Top 20 national Ranking with Rivals.com He is a great leader with a quiet confidence. The presence of Jefferson, I predict will have the Killeen Kangaroos in the Drum come early March vying for a 4A Texas Title and with a little luck they could be cutting down the nets.

Killeen Ellison HS Boys Preview

Killeen Ellison has a new look on the sidelines this coming season. Coach David Manley, after a fine 14 year careeer with the Eagles he has taken an Assistant Principal's job at Ellison. I caught up with him in the hallway and he looked great (except for the Aggie T-shirt he was wearing..lol) We talked basketball for a minute and I could detect a wistful look in his eye. Don't be surprised if he's back roaming the sidelines somewhere in the future. he is a fine coach, and it's in his blood.

The program has been turned over to Alberto Jones, Coach Manley's youthful Assistant who was an understudy both as a player and a coach under his mentor. He's a very pleasant guy, in tune to his kids. I just got that feeling that he connects very well with them from the half hour we spent together. Ellison is in good hands. I asked Coach Jones what his expectations were for this coming year, and he replied quite simply, "If the kids play to the very best of their ability then he could accept the result." After going 26-7 last season expectations will be high though. Expect a lot of the same from Ellison although Coach said he may run a little more because he has a deep crop of athletic players.

Expect the key performers to be 2011 6'2" Devonte Brown, a hard working youngster who can play the PG, 2G, or the Wing. The rest of the squad's big guns will be a known commodity as they are all returning seniors in the 2009 Class.

2009 Combo 5'9" Marquavius James will give leadership in the backcourt, while the frontcourt will feature 2009 Texas D-1 Ambassadors 6'2" Zach Mims and 2009 6'6" Chris Harpe.

Both are extremely athletic. Harpe has a chance to play at the next level if he works on his face up game and handles. He is getting looks from UTEP, Stephen F Austin and UT-Dallas. He'll be down low for the Eagles, and at the high school level his athleticism will serve him well there.

Harker Heights HS Boys Preview

Left: 2009 Eric Godsey Right: High flying 2009 W 6'5" D. J. Stephens

From it's inception, Killeen High Alum Celneque Bobbitt has been the sole Head Coach at Harker Heights HS. In this, his 8th season the always colorful Bobbitt, ever dapper in his multicolored suits may be reduced to Best Dressed Coach in the District this coming campaign. The extensive loss of senior leadership including 6'8" George Nelson will require his best coaching job to reach the playoffs in always tough 12-5A. In speaking to Coach, he is setting a goal of at least 18 wins in a tough league, sneak into the playoffs and then from there see where the chips fall. He'll have to rely on tradition to keep his playoof run going.

Harker Heights will be much smaller than usual, necessitating Bobbitt to dust off his playbook and bring some of his old "4 out, 1 in stuff" out of the closet from past seasons. Likely key contributors will be 2009 5'9" PG Jose Etienne, whose brother has just been hired as Assistant at Heights. Longtime Assistant Reggie Huggins has moved on the an Assistant Principal's position in the Killeen District.

As always, the Knights will be athletic. 2010 6'2" Dwayne Hutchinson and 2009 G Julian Jones, a move in last year from Delaware should play key roles. Jones is HH's best guy off the dribble with super quickness and a nice change of pace off the bounce.

Up front the Knights are undersized, but skilled. Two Texas D-1 Ambassadors will be in the spotlight. 6'4" face up post Eric Godsey has moved back after one year in Wisconsin and will have to board hard and hit his shots from the top of the key to open things up for the other Knights athletes.

Expect good things from the "Harker Heights Highlight Reel", aka D.J. Stephens. Truly one of the nices kids I've ever had the opportunity to coach, he is one of the top dunkers in the country. Listen carefully folks, this is not "puffery". With a vert that is over 40", he's also one of the quickest leapers I've ever seen to boot. D.J.'s good for one unbelievable dunk per game. In short, it's worth the price of admission. Stephen's will be forced to play out of position this year, but he has got to help the undermanned Knights on the boards.

I caught up with D.J. Monday evening where he had just returned from his official visit to the University of San Francisco, where new (Kansas Jayhaks great) Coach Rex Walters has offered him a scholarship in the West Coast Conference. Closer to home, the Southland Conference's Sam Houston State University has also offered him a full ride. A late bloomer, Stephen's has attracted the attention of major's like the University of Miami too. We'll keep an eye on him and see how much his game expands over the next 4-6 months.