Austin Lake Travis 71 Killeen 58

2009 WG 6'5" Jordan Jahr poured in 30 points and 14 boards last night, while his team mate PG 2010 6'1" David Eads controlled the pace of the game, dropping 8 dimes en route to a 71-58 win over Killeen, validating their #1 State Ranking in 4A. 2009 Baylor signee Cory Jefferson, a Nike All American and veteran of Amare Soudamire's Big Man Camp did major damage last night with 25 points, 11 board and an astounding 11 blocks. Jefferson reminds me of Bill Russell in that he's old school. He blocks shots and grabs the rebound, starting the fast break rather than swatting at balls and knocking them out of bounds.

Good morning from Lafayette, LA. I caut the reddest of red eyes last night after the game, driving 450 miles & arriving at my hotel in Lafayette, LA at 4AM. I caught a cat nap at a truckstop along the way. at the risk of getting my throat cut..lol.

The much hyped meeting tonight between Texas #1 in 4A Austin Lake Travis and #6 Killeen did not disappoint. An overflow crowd of perhaps 1400 were packed in the gym. The fire marshall must have been a basketball fan because the cheerleaders were getting elbowed out on the end line by the mass of spectators.

http://www.texasbasketballinc.com/ was in the house not only blogging the game but it was also our inaugural live audio streaming of a high school game. It can be accessed for archived listening at http://www.nhsbn.com/ . When you get there, look up the game by the team names. We are tentatively being housed there until our own network is developed. (should be ready in a few days). I want to thank my broadcast partner Big Lance Carter, the former Mercer University player and coach at Colby & Fort Scott JuCo's in Kansas who also coaches with us in the Texas D-1 Ambassadors organization.

This is our first attempt at raising the bar in audio web casts , shortly to be followed by VIDEO webcasts. This will be a first on a regular basis in the State of Texas! So, please be patient with our technical difficulties as we fine tune our efforts.

THE GAME

The gym was electric, and the spotlight was on the two Texas D-1 Ambassadors summer team mates, & McDonald's All American nominess in Big Cory Jefferson, the 6'9" Baylor signee and Jordan Jahr, the 6'5" WG who has the pure stroke and the ability to mix it up inside as well.

Killeen came out like a house afire and at one point held a 10 point lead on the home squad. Killeen guards Titus Barnes & Ja'Corie Baker kept feeding the post and Jefferson had two thunderous dunks and was perfect in his free throw attempts. Needless to say, a Big who can hit his FT attempts is a valuable commodity.

The 2nd quarter saw Lake Travis gather themselves and start chipping away at the lead by a combination of Jahr's shooting and guys hitting their free throws. It was 34-31 at the half.

The 3rd quarter was a series of runs where Lake Travis did a much better job of having Jefferson catch the ball a step or two further out on the blocks. I think the Killeen giards could have shown a little more patience but they temporarily forgot what made them successful early in the game and started hoisting shots . During this stretch Jefferson got few touches. Meanwhile, Jahr kept plugging away. He did a tremendous job finishing with a game leading 30 points and 14 rebounds. Jefferson who is clearly one of the top shotblockers in the country had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 blocked shots. He altered at least 10 more, but to no avail as the 4th quarter belonged to the Cavs.

Despite the two marquue guys monster numbers, and the solid play of Lake Travis PG David Eads, we were unanimous that the player of the game was Lake Travis' 2010 F Zach Karczewski. He finished with 14 points and 9 rebounds. The 4th guarter belonged to him as he kept working on the offensive boards as the Killeen players were running out of physical & emotional gas. Despite having his blocked 5 times by Jefferson early in the game he kept fighting, was not intimidated and ultimately was in our opinion, the difference. He was the X factor.

Props also go to 2010 PG David Eads who always seems in control and makes extremely solid decisions. I love his ability to penetrate but to always be looking for the open man. He had 8 assists, none of them flashy but everyone of them fundamentally sound. He's a good one.

Lake Travis won their 2nd consecutive State 4A football championship this year & along the way deep in the playoffs they pounded Killeen 71-9 behind the leadership of QB Garrett Gilbert who has committed to the Texas Longhorns. Before the game I saw Garrett's Pops, old friend of mine Gale Gilbert who QB'ed Cal and then the Buffalo Bills back in the day. Tonight's game was no pounding, but it did leave a few bruises.

So, these two District rivals played a great HS game tonight, and the home team held serve. In a couple of weeks they head to Killeen and don't think for one minute that half of Fort Hood won't be there rocking the Runnin' Roos house. I fully expect Killeen to take care of business at that time, likely setting up a rubber match on their way to the Region 4 Final with a trip to State on the line when they meet for the 3rd time.

I want to thank Coach Jernberg who was all smiles after the game for being such a gracious host, and to Killeen Head Man Coach Fossett who was kind to us as well. In fact, Coach Fossett was anxious to get his wife the link prior to the game so she could hear her hubby's troops compete on the web cast.

Happy Basketball

Coach Max

Austin St. Michael's 70 Austin St. Andrew's 46

2011 G Jake Kocher continues to lead Austin St. Michael'sI thought I had a pic of 2009 David Rodriguez in my archives, but do not. The Senior G was telling me after the game that he has nominations to both West Point & the Air Force Academy, awaiting his appointments to both. Congratulations to David & his family.

Tonight I was in Austin watching a private school matchup between Austin St. Michael's and Austin St. Andrew's. Based on the success that St. Michael's had in their non district schedule where they played a lot of the public school 4a & 5A programs very tough I did not expect this to be a very tough game for them. However, any time you play a rival, you have to be careful.

Long story short, it was a one sided game. But to both team's credit they scrapped and battled to the very end. St. Michael's guard play was clearly superior but I really liked St. Andrew's big men. Hank Brigham is a hard working high school post who plugged away and led his team with 15 points mostly on weakside offensive putbacks. His other front court mate, Jake Boxberger also chipped in with a double double with 10 points. He had a hard time finishing but showed real nice, nimble feet and an assortment of post moves, up and under etc.

For St. Michael's Senior G David Rodriguez had 18 points, most of them coming by pushing the ball full speed in transition while the defenders were lagging or unable to keep up with his pace. Sophomore Jake Kocher, who leads his team in scoring was right about his average on the year with 17 points. His shot wasn't particularly on tonight but he finds different ways to score and gets the job done, including getting to the free throw line.

In the post game I had a chance to visit with Senior Chase Kocher. He's a very solid point guard, battling through an injury plagued senior campaign. I asked him how he enjoyed playing with his brother. His eyes lit up and said, "It's so cool, not only because he's my brother but he's my best friend too." I've noticed the several times I've watched St. Michael's play that QB Chase will often pass up shots for his team mates but especially his brother because he has so much confidence in him. I thought that was a nice story within the game itself.

I want to thank my partner at www.texasrecruit.com T.J. Garza for sitting courtside with me tonight as we did our first trial run and broadcast the game. It was not "live" so the public won't hear it. We were trying to get some kinks out before our first official streaming tomorrow between Austin Lake Travis & Killeen .

San Antonio Doubleheader

Playing tonight with an iced down deep shoulder bruise and unable to practice all week with an impacted tooth infection, 2010 Paul Garnica continued his torrid scoring pace as he gave 39 to the Reagan Rattlers on 15-26 shooting from the field and 5-8 from the charity stripe before fouling out with 1:32 to play. The 3 year starter is really emerging as a special player folks. He had 4 triples tonight, two of them from another zip code and got to the rim at will.
San Francisco Head Coach Rex Walters who knows a little bit about point guards from his days at Kansas has started recruiting Garnica along with Pacific of the Big West Conference. There'll be plenty more as Garnica will blow up on the circuit this coming year with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors.2010 WG 6'2" Ryan Pierce is really emerging as a great 2nd scoring option for Coach Tommy Hines' Lee Volunteers. He had 23 tonight v San Antonio ReaganSan Antonio Lee 75 San Antonio Reagan 74

Could anything top the slugfest these two teams engaged in a couple of weeks back when 2010 Paul Garnica dropped 53 points on Reagan in a thrilling 90-89 victory? It started out looking like Reagan was having none of that this time around. After Garnica came down and bombed a couple of pull up deep threes and another short jumper early, Lee proceeded to go dry and Reagan ended the 1st with a 19-11 lead.

2010 P 6'6" Ray Chase did consistent damage all night long as he posted a double double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The half ended with Reagan on top 32-28. Garnica was up to his old tricks as he had 19 at the break for Lee.

The 3rd quarter was all Reagan as they threatened to run away with the game, leading 54-42. 2011 W Max Yon was flying around the gym tallying 11 points and 8 rebounds. I love the way he follows his shot to the rim. Most kids just stand and watch, but not Yon.

Lee came out in a 3/4 court trap early in the 4th quarter and Reagan couldn't figure it out for 5 possessions in a row. In a heartbeat the lead was down to 4 points and the battle was on. Chase did more than his share to keep Reagan in the nip and tuck battle but when Hargrove & Martinez fouled out it looked like all was lost. However, with 1:32 left Garnica (who finished with 39) picked up his 5th foul and it gave Reagan some brief daylight. Senior Adam Murro did what seniors should do as he hit 3-4 big free throws to ice the win for the Vols. 2010 Ryan Pierce an athletic WG was a great complement to Garnica's perimeter game as he slashed his way to the bucket for 23 points, with 21 of them coming in the 2nd half.

San Antonio Madison 35 San Antonio McArthur 34

This one was a snorefest. Mac was without leading scorer Chris Gramling who is out with a minor ankle injury & Madison went deep into their bench with most everyone seeing solid minutes including big freshman Christopher Campbell. It appeared Coach Valenzuela was using this one as a tune up and to give his bench guys some experience heading down the stretch. There was never a flow to the game.

Coach Murphy of Mac knew to have a chance he'd have to slow it down and they did. They passed up shot after shot, to keep chewing up clock. Madison is showing chinks in their armor as they are erratic from the free throw line as well as beyond the arc. 2010 F 6'7" Steven Baird hit a couple of clutch three pointers to clinch the victory for the Mavs. All in all an unimpressive performance for a team with such marquee wins this year and with lofty playoff expectations.

Texas Basketball Inc. Will Be Streaming Games

2009 6'9" Killeen HS shotblocker Cory Jefferson brings his game to Austin Lake Travis this Friday to take on the #1 ranked team in Texas 4A 2009 WG 6'5" Jordan Jahr will attempt to keep his Air Cav bunch at the top of the Texas 4A heap.

Coaches, Parents & Players.

It gives me great pleasure (along with a case of nerves) to announce the creation of the long anticipated Texas Basketball Inc. Network. We will be audio streaming our inaugural game this coming Friday, January 30th. We'll be at Austin Lake Travis where the host Cavaliers currently ranked #1 in Texas 4A v. the Killeen Runnin' Roos. Lake Travis is 23-1and is led by 6'5" WG Jordan Jahr who has inked with Air Force, while Killeen High is ranked #8 and boasts big time Baylor signee 6'9" P Cory Jefferson. Both are Texas McDonald's All American nominees.

Myself and former Mercer University player Lance Carter will be handling the play by play and color commentary. It should be a great game between two teams that are deep and who have two marquee names in the lineup. The contrast between the two summer team mates with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors will be interesting as Jefferson, the big time shot blocker who will dunk on you down low has increased his range and will also hoist up a three given the opportunity. Jahr on the other hand can make a living outside but is not afraid to get in there and get his share of boards as well.

Texas Basketball Inc. will be audio streaming games during the course of the year and in short order will add video streaming as well. We'll continue on to add video streaming to our upcoming All American Prodigy Camp on March 14-15th in Austin and then in some championship games of our tournaments which will start up in earnest in the month of February.

Online registration is available for all events. They will fill up! The Prodigy Camp is limited to 20 players per Class Year. All info is at www.texasbasketballinc.com

Making basketball better one day at a time.

Coach Max

Brandon Thompson Recruiting Update

2009 G 6'2" Brandon Thompson, one of the top unsigned seniors in the State of Texas.San Antonio Stevens stud combo guard 2009 6'2" Brandon Thompson continues to attract college coaches like flies to his practices and games as the high school season is into the stretch run. I missed Stevens game tonight, but they thumped first year school SA Brandeis 88-48 and Thompson led the way with 19 points.

I did catch up with Steven's Head Honcho, John Hirst after the game though and got an update on Brandon's recruiting. They're inquiring from all over the country. USC from the PAC-10, Baylor & Texas Tech from the Big XII as well as mid majors like TCU, SMU & Wichita State.

I had the pleasure of coaching Brandon this past summer with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors top team. Despite having team mates like Garland Judkins (Arizona freshman), Baylor signee Cory Jefferson, UTSA signee Kendric Robinson & future D-1 guards 2010 Cody Doolin (Austin Westlake), Paul Garnica (San Antonio Lee) and Jacob Horton (Houston Clear Lake) it was clear that when the game was on the line it was Thompson we wanted taking the last shot. He didn't disappoint winning two big games with buzzer beaters at the Denton Shootout. Going head to head against Memphis signee Nolan Dennis of the Dallas Mustangs & Penn State signee Tim Frazier of Houston Elite, Thompson more than held his own and led us to clutch victories.

What I love about Brandon (and I suspect Coach Hirst does too) is that he is unselfish, always defends hard, looks to get his team mates involved BUT when the chips are down make no mistake about it.... He is the man. He's the best San Antonio has to offer in the Class of 2009. Let's see where all this shakes out in the next couple of months as we look toward the April signing period.

San Antonio O'Connor 46 San Antonio Clark 44

Left to right: San Antonio O'Connor's 2010 G 6'3" Kurt Russell & 2009 P 6'5" Travis Gipson led their squad to an upset win over District rival San Antonio Clark.

I caught a great high school game tonight in a key 28-5A battle between SA Clark 23-4 (9-1 in district) & SA O'Connor 16-7 (5-4). Clark comes into the game ranked #4 in the San Antonio Metro area by The Express News.

I've seen Clark several times this season & they're as talented a starting 5 as most teams in the area with the exception of SA Madison. 2009 PG Jordan Brickman is a D-1 signee with the Naval Academy, and 2009 F Chris Blake is as talented a frontline prospect as the City of San Antonio has in the Class of 2009. I have not seen O'Connor play yet, so Coach mike Houlihan's crew are a mystery to me although I've heard they're blue collar & well coached.

GAME TIME

The first quarter was a story of the respective Bigs, Blake & O'Connor's 2009 6'5' Travis Gipson. Blake had a layup, a 10 foot face up jumper and then stepped out to the arc and dropped a triple in one productive stretch. He's a long, athletic kid who can play on down the road. Not sure of his grades or recruiting situation but he can certainly help a JuCo, and then with maturity who knows. Gipson gives up about 2 inches in the post but I love the way he's battling. O'Connor is using a series of back and cross screens to get the ball in the low block and Gipson has 8 1st quarter points as O'Connor has a 14-11 lead.

Blake had his 2nd triple of the half, and got nice support from his mates, especially 2010 WF 6'3" Elhad Emerllahu who had 7 points for Clark. O'Connor has lost a little of their focus and turnovers and less careful shot selection have now allowed Clark to lead at the half 30-25.

Sometimes kids (and coaches) can make the game more difficult than it really is, but not O'Connor on this night. In the 2nd half O'Connor rededicated itself to it's patient offense and in a case of deja vu ten times over they were led by the decision making of 2010 G 6'4' Kurt Russell as he fed Gipson repeatedly with perfect timing off of screens and the occasional pick and roll. Russell had 6 points & 9 assists by my count and every one of them was to Gipson who flat out wore out the Clark posts in the low block, turning repeatedly to his right for the bank shot and drawing a couple of "and 1's" to boot on his way to a game high 23 points and 7 rebounds.

Emerllahu led Clark with 15 points while future Midshipman Jordan Brickman had an off night shooting the ball. He finished with 6 points. Sometimes Clark lives by the three and tonight they died by it. A combination of very good defense by O'Connor coupled by mediocre shot selection and a lack of offensive patience by Clark allowed O'Connor to notch the upset in a 46-44 squeaker.

I loved Travis Gipson's toughness down low. He caught several elbows during the course of the game and midway through the 4th quarter took a shot to the groin that caused him to grimace. It was during this stretch that he fought through the adversity and made a crucial bucket to put O'Connor in front. After the game I caught up with him and he informed me that he's not being recruited. I would encourage D-2 and D-3 schools to have a look at him. He's undersized in the post, but he's a hardnosed fundamental competitor.

Pflugerville 77 Austin Westlake 69

2009 P 6'8" Lamar signee Osas Ebomwonyi beat up 5 Westlake shots, including two key late gamers to lead the Panthers over the Chaps.

2010 F Cleveand Smith had 22 for the Panthers. 2011 G Deion Mitchell had 19 for the Panthers

2009 Cliff Houston had 19 for Westlake

I'm here at Westlake to see the big District matchup with the Pflugerville Panthers. We'll see if Westlake can recover from the spanking that they got on the road from Austin Bowie on Tuesday.

Bulletin: Former Austin Westlake and University of Texas forward Brad Buckman has just left Cyprus and signed with a team in Greece.

Back to the game, it all hinges on Westlake's role players stepping up and hitting some shots . It's not likely that Panthers Coach Mike Murphy will zone the Chaps as Bowie did but he will likely bring the heat with multiple D-1 guards including Lamar signee Jonathan Garza and Super Soph 2011 G Deion Mitchell who will be highly recruited when it's all said and done. Big Gus Leeper is out with the flu, so we'll see if Westlake can keep the other Lamar signee, 2009 7'8" Osas Ebomwonyi off the boards. The other variable that could be a factor is if Westlake's full court pressure can rattle the Panthers.

1st Pflugerville 19 Westlake 18

The 1st period has answered a few questions. Yes, the other Westlake players are stepping up, yes their press although not rattling P'ville is certainly making them work, and no they are not keeping "The Sauce" off the boards or from blocking shots, as he beat up 3 Westlake shots. Carl Meyertons is playing hard and has blocked 2 shots for Westlake . Jarrell Turner has come into the game, another of those Panther speed merchants and he quickly heated up and dropped 2 quick triples. It was an entertaining 1st quarter track meet.

2nd Pflugerville 37 Westlake 29

At halftime my thoughts are that Westlake as a 400 meter runner may be in a full speed race with an 800 meter team. Pflugerville is deep, and will keep throwing quality guys at you. The Chaps bench is much shorter. Da Ville is now denying the ball to Doolin, really making him work and then doubling him.

Leading Scorers at the Half

Westlake Cody Doolin 11 points 4-5FG

Carl Meyertons 4pts 5 rebounds

Cleveland Smith 12 pts

Deion Mitchell 11 points 5 rebounds 3 steals

Jarrell Turner 9pts 3-4 from beyond the arc

3rd Pflugerville 55 Westlake 44

A 12-2 run by Da Ville to end the quarter has caused the Chaps to be in a tough position at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Cliff Houston's two triples had cut it to a one point game before the Chaps closed the quarter with several turnovers & the Panthers capitalized with points.

Final Pflugerville Westlake

With 4 minutes left, Cleveland Smith stole the ball at midcourt for the Panthers and went in for the uncontested dunk. That puts Pflugerville up by 15. Game over for all intents and purposes. Pflugerville 61-46. This quarter has belonged to the long armed forward Demetrious "Cleveland" Smith who has now poured in 19. With 1:38 left Westlake has pulled within 7, 69-62. It's a free throw shooting contest now. Ebomwonyi has just made a huge block, his 4th of the game. Garza who has had a quietly efficeient game for P'Ville hit 1-2 from the line and now has 5 points but has done a good job protecting the ball. Another great block by Ebomwonyi. He has really asserted himself down the stretch. Lamar is getting a steal in this kid.

Leading Scorers

Pflugerville Cleveland Smith 22 Deion Mitchell 19

Westlake Cliff Houston 19 Cody Doolin 18 Conner Kemper 1

Red Stick Report (Baton Rouge, LA)

2011 P 6'6" Tre Drye of Baton Rouge Glen Oaks continues to be a high level performer on the State's #1 ranked 4A team. He dropped 17 points & 10 boards on district foe Zachary. In his second year as a varsity starter, the talented Super Soph routinely posts double doubles. He does not turn 16 until August of 2009. Already, his footwork and ability to post up are advanced for most high school players, regardless of age/class year. Mark it down here that Drye will be a star in the ACC, SEC or the like. He carries a 4.2 GPA too!2010 WG 6'5" Brian Williams of Baton Rouge Glen Oaks who, along with 2010 big timer Lankston Galloway is the cream of a super talented crop in the Class of 2010 in Baton Rouge. Williams willed his team to a big win over Zachary last night with 20 points and 11 rebounds. In terms of his potential, this kid is the truth. Went off for 23 points against Texas #1, 5A Houston Strake Jesuit. Super explosive athlete who has already been offered by hometown LSU and Big XII Oklahoma State. Look soon for the Memphis Tigers to be pursuing him. He recently received an invitation to their Elite Camp in June of 2009. Williams carries a 3.5 GPA.

I first reported on 2010 G 6'4" Ronald McGhee a few weeks ago just prior to the New Year. I met his dad at that time & he informed me his boy was getting recruited by Houston, Louisiana-Lafayette etc. I politely gave him my two cent's worth that his son would end up being recruited at a much higher level. The lanky 2 guard had one of the sweetest strokes I'd seen. Well, according to several reliable sources the Dukies were in town a couple of days ago to watch Ronald practice and seem poised to make him an offer once he takes the ACT/SAT. Now that's big time! As most anyone knows Coach K and the Blue Devils don't just chase anybody.

From this point forward, all info out of Louisiana will be titled our "Red Stick Report" as we attempt to establish our identity there. On info received from the locals, I've been told that's what Baton Rouge means in French. Like the Austin/Cen Tex/San Antonio area this is a vastly under recruited part of the country. My observations there are that the talent level is outstanding and that these kids deserve extra publicity.

Austin Bowie 57 Austin Westlake 41

2010 SG 6'5" Tre Lindsey who led Austin Bowie with 15 points in a big win v. district foe Austin Westlake. 2012 PG 5'11" Paul Baxter of Austin Bowie 2009 W Isiah Collier of Austin Bowie11 AM Tuesday
Crucial District matchup tonight. Westlake goes on the road to play in Bowie's "cozy" gym. Texas Basketball Inc. will be in the Bulldog's rockin' house for what should be an interesting matchup. Bowie will be sure to attempt to slow down the leading scorer in the Austin Metro, Westlake's 2010 PG Cody Doolin, (19.6 ppg) who dropped 43 points on Akins last week. It's doubtful that the winning team will score 43 tonight with Bowie trying to dictate tempo. Should be an interesting contrast between a team who likes to run and press fullcourt (Westlake) with one that wants to zone you defensively and who will also work through their offense methodically through countless screens until they get the shot they want (Bowie). See you at the game! Bowie needs a big game on the boards from 2010 P, tough guy Deandre Perry. Should be a battle.

Tuesday 8PM

Should be a battle huh? So much for predictions. The most excitement of the night was in the JV game where both schools put some talented underclassmen on display, showing that the cupboard will not be bare anytime soon for either of them. The home team led for most of the game until Westlake hit a three pointer to go up by one with 5 seconds left. Bowie Freshman Paul Baxter then went coast to coast and hit a runner at the buzzer for the Bowie win 57-56. Look for Baxter, and fellow 2012 frosh P 6'6" Drew Wikelius of Westlake to be added to our Texas/Louisiana Player Database tomorrow as both have a chance to be outstanding prospects. Wikelius is so talented that he could be the best post man to play at Westlake when all is said and done. He's projected to be around the 7 foot mark. Who else has been a prominent Chaps "big" in the past? Try 7 footer Chris Mihm who is making a pretty penny these days in the NBA.

Speaking of The Baxter's; you had 2012 Paul starring for the freshman squad,

2009 Ryan a big contributor in the varsity game and then Poppa Bear Ron Baxter handling admissions at the door. The 6'4" Patriarch hooped for the Longhorns back in the day. He came here from Cali, and never left. It was a great night for both of his boys. Ron was a banger back in the day and backed down from nobody in the paint.

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In the varsity encounter Westlake came out gunning and jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead. After that, it was Bowie's game. Several things contributed to the convincing Bowie win. First, and most importantly Bowie's success over the years has come from their commitment to defense. Expect nothing less from Coach Celester Collier's crew. Morphing between a 2-3 zone & a matchup zone it was clear from the onset that the strategy was to make PG Cody Doolin work for everything he got and to limit his penetration.

Credit Senior G Aaron Urbanus with taking on much of that responsibility along with great help defense from his team mates. Not easily rattled as the defense collapsed on him, Doolin consistently got the ball to open team mates in the corners. I did not keep a specific count of team three pointers attempted, but other than Doolin I believe the rest of the team was about 3-18 from beyond the arc. When a team zones you, and you can't throw it in the ocean, you're going to lose more times than not.

Bowie had a great overall team effort. Their help defense as noted was excellent and they barely broke a sweat in breaking Westlake's full court zone press. The Bulldogs were simply too disciplined a team and kept their spacing and composure when confronted with pressure in the backcourt. On the offensive end, Bowie used great ball rotation to get the looks they wanted and they were on fire from beyond the arc.

2010 G 6'5" Trey Lindsey led the way for Bowie with 5 triples. Lindsey had a frustrating sophomore campaign where he faced assorted injuries at the high school as well as during most of the club season as well. A good portion of that can be attributed to the 5 quick inches of growth that he had. Tonight I loved the high release point and rotation he showed on his shot, but what surprised me was the ability he showed to turn the corner using several power dribbles and to pull up for the midrange opportunity. As he continues to gain strength and grow into his body he'll be a tough matchup at the off guard spot.

Scoring by quarters. Westlake 12 6 13 10 Total 41 Bowie 19 16 8 14 Total 57

Leading scorers for Westlake were Doolin with 21, and Conner Kemper with 11. Carl Meyertons had 7 rebounds.

Bowie had much better balance with Lindsey leading the way with 15 points, Isiah Collier with 12, 2009 W Ryan Baxter with 10, and 2009 PG Aaron Urbanus dropping 9. The Bulldogs also did a great job of rebounding by committee.

Some final thoughts:

1. 6'9" Gus Leeper could have used some additional touches. He did have 3 blocks defensively, but only attempted 2 shots on the offensive end.

2. Bowie served notice that 25-5A is not a foregone conclusion. Westlake must take care of Pflugerville this Friday night, or they're going to face a much tougher playoff road.

3. I expected P Deandre Perry to be a problem for Westlake on the boards, but he did not see near the amount of court time I was anticipating. This also bodes well for Bowie as they attempt to season some of their bench players for the stretch run.

UT-San Antonio Basketball

From Left to Right: UTSA super soph Devin Gibson of Houston, TX & 6'9" Junior Richie Frohlich who is from Germany.

I barely had time to catch a shave and a shower after the Madison-Reagan game Saturday afternoon before I headed back across town to UTSA's campus to watch the game between the home town Roadrunners and the visiting UT-Arlington Mavericks.

The Mavs, behind 1st year Coach Scott Cross were the upstart winners of the Southland Conference Tournament last season. Cross is one of the nicest young coaches in the game today. He's recruited several kids out of our Texas D-1 Ambassadors program and everyone of them were impressed with him as a person. I'd recommend him in a heartbeat as a person to trust your son with. Cross' reward for their success in his inaugural campaign, a 1st Round date with the Memphis Tigers in last spring's NCAA Tournament...Ouch

Fast forward to Saturday night, and the UTSA Roadrunners are the ones cruising along having won 7 straight ball games. Not only that, but for the 1st time in 20 YEARS the Roadrunners had won back to back road games. (They're now on a 3 game road win streak). This was as exciting a ball game as you'd want to see. The final, after double overtime was UT-Arlington 100 UT-San Antonio 97. The outcome puts both squads at 2-1 in Southland Conference play.

After many lead changes, the Roadrunners trailed late in regulation when G Devin Gibson who had 21 points almost singlehandedly saved UTSA in regulation as he stripped a Mav player at halfcourt and went in for the layup when it looked like UTA had the game in the bag. Senior Wing Travis Gabbidon also had a big night for UTSA as he slashed his way to 23 points. Sadly, it was missed free throws that ended up being their undoing down the stretch though as they had several chances at the charity stripe to salt this one away. The final outcome was not as important as what I see former Oklahoma State, Orlando Magic & New York Knick, Coach Brooks Thompson building here. He's passionate about what he wants to accomplish and the kind of kids he wants to do it with.

Look for the Roadrunners to have continued success as Coach Thompson has different players step up each game. In successive games he's had Demarco Stepter, Josh Bonney & Saturday night Richie Frohlich give him double digit point/rebound games. This depth could really come into play come conference tourny time. Seven players have had double digit scoring games including Gibson, Frohlich, Gabbidon, Stepter, Bonney as well as G Joey Shank and speedy PG Omar Johnson.

6'9" Junior Richie Frohlich in his 1st season here at UTSA had 14 points and 10 boards in his first contest where he played meaningful minutes. He arrived here from Citrus (CA) Junior College and apparently a glitch in his transcript with the NCAA Clearinghouse kept him from getting into action in the Fall semester. Like most European "bigs" he is skilled and can face the basket. He's physically very strong. Before it's all said and done once he gets a little bit more confidence he could play a large role in how far the Roadrunners go.

The San Antonio Spurs are not the only ones in town playing exciting, high quality basketball. For the price of a movie ticket and popcorn you can take your wife and kids to see basketball played by some outstanding players. They don't charge for parking and you can sit a few rows from the action. There are no traffic tie ups after the game. For a school who just voted in Division One football, we're not acting very big time by having sparse crowds at these games.

UTSA Coach Brooks Thompson is not only rebuilding this program, he's doing it the right way with kids who have high character. Let's get behind them and build the attendance at the games. I know personally, that he is recruiting Texas hard and will have local scoring sensation Kendric Robinson of San Antonio Southwest HS in the fold next season. They have also offered combo guard Brandon Thompson of San Antonio Stevens HS. These kids and this program deserves the community's support!

NO LIVE SPRING RECRUITING PERIOD FOR BOYS

Just got a text message from one of my NBA connections who is also close to the college game that as expected, the NCAA has decided NOT to reinstate the "live basketball recruiting period" for BOYS for the 2009 calendar year. This is something we knew was likely to stand, as it was legislated last year. Many college coaches and those of us with recruitable athletes had hoped it would be overturned at the last minute by some COMMON sense. It was not to be.

In these days of gender equity, I find it hard to understand why the GIRLS still have a "live" spring date, but the boys do not. For those of you who have emailed me about this & wanting additional information,let me give you an explanation.

The NCAA has chosen to not allow these sanctioned tournaments because they believe that:

“These nonscholastic events are often an affront to student-athlete well-being and cause prospects to pay, and, more importantly, miss class time and SAT preparation time,” Student Advisory Committee Chair Kerry Kenny said. “This is a chance to step up to the line and practice what we continually preach.” (about education)

I feel obligated to editorialize as to what a crock this is. I offer some questions for you to ponder:

1. Girls are capable of missing Friday school time to travel to tournaments, but boys are not?

2. How does this differ from a player missing class time as their high school team travels to games, either in high school tournaments or in districts where there are large distances between schools?

3. Has anyone in Texas ever seen a fuss made about football players almost NEVER attending regular classes on Friday game days?

Not for one minute am I suggesting that academics are not priority one. I have multiple college degrees and one of my son's was high school valedictorian. I am just confused as to the double standard posed above. The claim that the time could be better suited to SAT prep and class time is nominal at best. Any time kids have other activities that physically take them out of town, the common sense approach is to get assignments in advance, etc. Many of our brightest and best athletes will miss multiple school days this year heading to regional playoff games, and in the case of the Texas State High School Basketball Tournament they will miss a couple of days. Heck, the general student body who do not even play in these events, tend to miss school to support their class mates and community at these events.

Why does this matter?

Typically the signing protocol in basketball is as follows. In the early signing period (November of a player's senior year) they sign their letter of commiment binding them to the institution, and in turn binding the institution to the athlete for one year. Usually, it is the more "blue chip" kids, or the kids who've had an outstanding prior summer in the "July Live Period Events" who get the scholarship offers and the opportunity to sign early. The rest of the athletes (likely 80% or more) have to wait for the April signing period. Typically college coaches viewed them at the club basketball events in early and mid April and then chose the remaining players that they'd offer scholarships to.

Now how do players get recruited D-1 with the lack of this spring period?

1. College coaches can only view the players at their high school during practice, or at a regular high school game.

2. Kids MUST attend combines, HOPE to get on recruiting lists and/or continue to attend the spring tournaments where recruiting services are in the house to evaluate prospects as a proxy for the colleges they have a relationship with. Ironically these tournaments have the same time constraints as they did when they were "LIVE". Kids will still go and play.

Who does this hurt?

1. It hurts the late bloomer, the player who really develops during the course of their senior year.

2. It hurts kids who are not in the typical recruiting hotbeds, such as Dallas & Houston. Cities such as Austin, San Antonio and points smaller have fewer recruitable players and fewer direct airline flights to allow college coaches to just "drop in". Hence, they rarely come to see those kids.

3. It hurts kids where they may be the only prospect at the school. Once again, less incentive for a college coach to visit.

Boerne Coach Stan Leech Wins #600

Last night, one of the classiest, most savvy basketball coaches in Texas, if not the entire Country won his 600th game. Boerne Champion's Stan Leech notched his 600th win, 70-50 over Seguin.. He is 600-224 in his 25 seasons of coaching. In addition Coach Leech is the Athletic Director in Boerne, which for a basketball coach in Texas is almost as amazing as the 600 wins. He has shown how these two major sports can co-exist and flourish for the benefits of the kids and community at the 5A level.

I've known Coach now for 10 years and have always been impressed by his positive approach to the world. I first met him at a youth tournament in Marble Falls when his son Koby was in the 6th grade, and my son Chip was in the 7th as they competed against each other. He was never an overbearing basketball dad, never made excuses, and eventually his son went on to run the point for him at Boerne.

In late February of 2006 my son's team Pflugerville Connally met Boerne in the State Regional Quarterfinals at Dripping Springs HS. We had a nice team, one that was quick and very deep. Boerne was much more structured and featured 7 footer Josh Loemers who is now a Junior for the Baylor Bears. My son had a very nice game against Boerne, scoring 25 and I remember to this day (I was given the tape by the Boerne TV station) how gracious Coach Leech was in defeat during the postgame and how complimentary he was to my boy. So, Stan I am mildly aplogetic that you do not have 601 wins...:-)

Coach Leech is truly a Christian man who walks the walk. Boerne folks and all of San Antonio should be proud of him as a coach and a community leader.

Coach Max

San Antonio Round Up

2009 G Brandon Thompson (above) of San Antonio Stevens did not sign in the November period as he was still awaiting his SAT scores. Now with the April signing period just around the corner things are really heating up for the quiet, confident kid who can do it all; defend, shoot, take it to the hole and sees the floor extremely well. USC & Baylor are making overtures and other big names are sure to follow as I am fielding several calls per week from mid to high major programs about him.

2010 PG Paul Garnica continued his torrid scoring pace with 34 in a win for San Antonio Lee v San Antonio Churchill as he maintains his San Antonio Metro scoring lead with almost 26 ppg.

2010 G Jonathan Perry of Kerrville Tivy, probably the hardest working kid in the San Antonio metroplex went off for 29 last night against Cibolo Steele.2009 P Jonathan Landry of San Antonio Madison actually did most of his damage today against San Antonio Reagan from the Wing. Just got in from the highly anticipated matchup 26-5A between State Ranked San Antonio Madison and upstart San Antonio Reagan. I say "upstart" because despite always being very tough, Reagan is now in a mode where their best players are underclassmen. Each game out they appear to be getting better to me. Should be a good game.

The first half was all Madison. They broke out to an early lead with several pretty easy transition buckets mixed in with three point shooting. 2009 P Jonathan Landry who has signed with Coppin State in the MEAC is showing nice progress to becoming a wing player. His shot is looking very smooth. He was 2-3 from beyond the arc and also hit the midrange in leading the Mavs with 12 points. 2010 W 6'7" Steven Baird was surprisingly quiet with only 2 points and severely restricted playing time in the 2nd half. Not sure if he tweaked something, or if it was Coach Valenzuela's rotation.

The 3rd quarter was Reagan's. The 2011 duo of G 6'2" Tre Demps & W 6'4" Max Yon was very effective. Yon finished with 10 for the Rattlers, including a couple of high energy buckets and a block which amped his squad up. Demps was solid, although personally I would have liked to see him handle the ball a little more. Many times in their sets he gets it on the wing only. When he does make up his mind to get to the bucket he is strong in both directions and pulls up for the jumper in the lane showing good strength and body control. He had 11 points for Reagan.

The 4th quarter was nip and tuck. Madison's perimeter shooting had turned erratic and 2010 P 6'7" Ray Chase did some nice work on the boards and altered several shots defensively as well for Reagan. As with most veteran, quality teams Madison finds a way to win close games. 2010 6'7" Tyler Woods came off the bench and gave Coach Valenzuela some quality minutes, hitting a three and also punching one home under the basket. His 8 points all came from the end of the 3rd quarter on and were instrumental in the win. Having said that, the Rattlers shot themselves in the foot with some atrocious ballhandling/decision making on 4 straight trips in a row when it was a 2 point game and under 3 minutes left. They never even had ONE look at the bucket, and this is where Madison sealed the deal.

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2010 G Jonathan Perry of Kerrville Tivy dropped 29 on Cibolo Steele in a 69-37 waxing.

2010 WG Jordan Clarkson of San Antonio Wagner dropped 15 in a 90-63 drubbing of South San.

State ranked Converse Judson hammered East Central 73-43. St. Edward's bound Chris Wacker led his dad's squad to the victory with 12 points.

2009 G Brandon Thompson did as always. In big games, he steps up and takes control. Against a very tough San Antonio Clark squad the versatile combo guard posted 29 points. Look for Brandon to sign with a high major in April. Baylor, Southern Cal and others are starting to move on him.

Friday Night Round Up -Austin

Top Austin area W prspect 2010 6'9" Daniel Alexander dropped 23 in a loss to Austin Travis 58-57 Austin Westlake's 2010 PG Cody Doolin dropped 43 on Akins HS. Already offered by University of San Francisco Coach Rex Walters (former Kansas Jayhawks PG)this past summer the big boys are also starting to notice the Junior PG as the Arkansas Razorbacks of the SEC are calling me regularly to check on his progress.

TexasBasketballinc.com was in the house at Coach Cody Blake's Round Rock HS (8-11)tonight to see the host Dragons take on Coach Blake Brown's Cedar Park Timber Wolves. Both teams were 2-2 coming into the game in the black and blue District 16-5A that has no clear leader at the moment.

The first half was extremely close and competitive. 2009 W Zach Corbin had all of his 7 points in the first half to lead Cedar Park, while for Round Rock, 2009 P 6'8" Dax Hill had double figures and began to control the boards.

The 2nd half story was Cedar Park's sloppy ball handling. At this rate Coach Brown's salt & pepper hair could be headed the way of Coach Max's shiny dome as he was ready to pull his hair out. CP's lack of care with the ball coupled with Dax Hill's 16 points, 8 rebounds and 7 blocks made this a wrap for the home team. Round Rock pulled away for a 59-43 win. Senior G Matt Thurner led Cedar Park in scoring with 11 on 5-14 shooting. 2011 G Dylan Cox looked solid for Cedar Park in his first game back from missing several weeks with a foot injury. He had 9.

Hill is a D-1 basketball talent, but he's headed to Texas on a swimming scholarship. Shades of Michael Phelps as I understand that he barely missed the Olympic Trials this past year.

In District 25-5a, the toughest group of teams in the Austin area continues to bang heads. District fave, and State ranked Pflugerville snuck past rival Pflugerville Connally 52-46. 2010 G Deion Mitchell led the Panthers with 13, while 2010 W Demtrious Smith added 11. Senior WG Justin Lindsey had 10 for the Coogs.

Meanwhile Austin Westlake bounced Akins 89-77 as the top guard in Cen Tex 2010 6'2' Cody Doolin hung 43 points on the Eagles. Apparently Akins played him man to man and you just can't do it with this guy. He'll take you to the hole if you get up in his face, and if you sag on him he'll bomb the NBA range triple. His other 2010 mates W Conner Kemper had 10 as did 6'9" Gus Leeper.

Three point shooter Johnnu Dross had 30 for Akins and Brandon Wooley had 22.

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2009 Air Force commit, Jordan Jahr led Austin Lake Travis with 18, and PG David Eads notched 15 in a 68-45 lambasting of Lampasas. Senior Heath Hopson had 26 for the Badgers in a losing effort.

Austin Bowie continued keeping the heat on Pflugerville 7 Westlake by winning again last night behind balanced scoring from 2010 P Deandre Perry with 16, 2009 W Isiah Collier with 18 and 2010 G Tre Lindsey with 12.

Leander continued it's winning ways in a 4th quarter comeback v Round Rock Stony Point pulling away late for a 61-53 win. They were led by big soph Mark Nwakamma with 12, A.D. Jones (who's drawing interest from Tyler JC) with 12 and unsigned senior Joel Smith who had 20.

Killeen obliterated Marble Falls 91-65. 2010 G Ja'Corie Baker with 25 and Baylor bound 6'9" Cory Jefferson with 30. Former Temple, and 1st year Coach Bruce Etheridge's only bright spot was his son, who scored 31 in the loss.

McDonald's All American Nominees Cen Tex/San Antonio

Although there's a long way to go in making it to the actual game itself, let's take a minute to recognize the Boys & Girls nominees from the Cen Tex/San Antonio area for the McDonald's All American Basketball Game which will be held April 1st on the campus if the "U", University of Miami.

if anyone has info on where any of the other girls have SIGNED, please email it to me at TexasBasketball@aol.com Thanks....Coach Max

In alphabetical order:

Girls High School College Commitment

Lyndsey Cloman San Antonio Taft Oklahoma
Monica Engelman San Antonio Madison Kansas
Delisa Gross Waco Midway Texas Christian University
Kaylan Martin Pflugerville Evansville
Cokie Reed Waco Midway
Bobbi Taylor Harker Heights South Alabama
Shanay Washington Del Valle Baylor

Boys High School College Commitment

Dray Baker San Antonio Taft
Chris Blake San Antonio Clark
Jordan Brickman San Antonio Clark Navy
Cameron Catlett San Antonio Madison
Ned Cox Converse Judson
Tim Dailey Austin LBJ
Daxson Hill Round Rock Texas (swimming)
Jordan Jahr Austin Lake Travis Air Force
Cory Jefferson Killeen Baylor
Jonathon Landry San Antonio Madison Coppin State
Aaron Plunkett San Antonio Stevens
Kendric Robinson San Antonio Southwest UT-San Antonio
Travis Smith San Antonio Madison
Brandon Thompson San Antonio Stevens
Christopher Wacker Converse Judson St. Edward's, TX (D-2)

**John Henson Round Rock North Carolina
** now at Sickles HS in Tampa, FL

Austin LBJ 69 Austin Reagan 57 (Girls)

2012 Super Frosh Alexis Hyder of Austin LBJ. 2010 W Alex Jones of Austin LBJ 2009 Victoria Cerna of Austin Reagan 2009 Tatiana Haynes of Austin Reagan #12 State ranked LBJ (16-2) had a spirited encounter with traditional foe Austin Reagan (12-8). For the first half it was a heckuva game as the two rivals traded baskets with the score in favor of LBJ 37-31 as they went to the locker rooms.

The Reagan Rattlers were led by 2009 G Victoria Serna who notched 29 points, including 3-5 behind the 3 point line. She is a pure shooter, an outstanding athlet and she really shows a passion for the game. She got to the rack most anytime she wanted, despite having a box and one defense employed on her for most of the evening by LBJ's Coach Brown.

The other Reagan G 2009 Tatiana Haynes, a recent transfer to Reagan also showed a nice game with an ability to break down the LBJ defense and get to the hole. She also knocked down 4 triples to finish with 20 points. Unfortunately it was her foul trouble which was a turning point in the game as the Jaguars began to pull away with her on the bench.

Coach Brown is mom to former Pflugerville Connally two sport star 2007 Prizell Brown who played for the Texas D-1 Ambassadors prior to opting for the football at Blinn JC. We ran into his mom last week at Fish Daddy's having dinner and she proudly informed us that Prizell will likely sign in early February to play football for the University of North Carolina. Prizell was one of the toughest competitors I have ever coached and one of my favorite players.

The Jags were led by 2010 F Alex Jones was tough under the basket as she had three "and 1" scores and a total of 14 points. She is getting recruited by amongst others Arizona State along with academic power, Rice. Jones is a straight A student and plays her club ball for Papa Herb Jones and his Mass Pro Elite program. But make no mistake about it, she gets her smarts from Moms Cynthia :-)

The story of the evening though was the play of freshman 2012 P 5'11" Alexis Hyder. Our Texas Basketball Inc. correspondent took to calling her "Hurrican Hyder" for the damage she did to the Rattlers. She posted an incredible triple double with 23 points, 11 boards and 10 assists making her a big time prospect and one to watch in the next few years. We're witnessing the breakout of a high major player in this young lady. Conicidentally, her brother Kerry Hyder a 2009 P on the Jags basketball team and a standout football player will likely ink a big time football commitment early next month on National Signing Day.

Austin Area Round Up

Several of the top 5A programs in the Austin Metro area strapped it on Tuesday night in key matchups. Texas basketball Inc. had contributing editors in the house at both Pflugerville & Austin Westlake.

Austin Westlake 83 Austin High 58

This game between heated rivals wasn't even as close as it looked. In a matchup of our rich kids can beat up your rich kids (lol..I know I'll catch heck for that one) Westlake came out hitting on all cylinders. They controlled the boards with 6'9" Gus Leeper blocking 9 shots. while 6'5" Carl Meyertons gave a strong assist in the robound category, along with every other aspect of the game. 6'6" W Conner Kenper had 28 points in only his second game back from ligament issues in his foot. Last game he also had 33 points and 16 boards. PG Deluxe Cody Doolin had 16 and 1o assists in what amounted to barely more than a half of play. Ryan Hall had 15 points for the Austin Maroons.

Pflugerville 48 austin Bowie 45

Up in The Ville it was a different story as Pflugerville had to hold off Bowie's late charge to keep home court advantage in this ultra competitive district . Pflugerville was led by 2009 PG Jonathan Garza, a Lamar University signee who had 12 points. Big 2009 6'8" Osas Ebomwonyi also a Lamar signee is rounding into shape for Pflugerville. He had 7 blocks and is getting stronger every game after coming back from a broken leg early in the season. Jarrell Turner continues to give the Panthers energy off the bench as he had 11 points. Pflugerville could not hit a free throw down the stretch, keeping the door open as Bowie kept fighting back. The rematch at Bowie in a few weeks should be a good one. 2010 6'4" Deandre Perry who can battle with the best of them down low led the Bulldogs with 15 points. Perry is getting recruited by many of the high majors in football as a WR. The Coach's son, Isiah Collier added 9 points as did 2010 G 6'5" Trey Lindsey for Bowie.

The 2010 Austin Westlake trio of left to right; G Cody Doolin, P Gus Leeper & W Conner Kemper.2009 G Jonathan Garza of Pflugerville, who inked with Lamar University. 2010 6'3" two sport star Deandre Perry of Austin Bowie.

San Antonio Area Round Up January 12-13

Key games in San Antonio on Monday evening saw the following:

State #3 ranked San Antonio Madison thumped San Antonio Roosevelt 61-44 behind 20 points from 2010 6'7" W Steven Baird. Baird has offers in the bag from Kentucky, Marquette and Utah amongst others.

High scoring San Antonio Lee ran their record to 22-5 behind 2010 G 6'0" Paul Garnica's 28 points and 16 assists in battering Smithson Valley 92-63.

San Antonio Reagan edged San Antonio McArthur 48-45 on the strength of 2011 W Max Yon's 15, and 2011 G Tre Demps 12 points. 2010 G Chris Gramling dropped 14 for McArthur.

Navy signee 2009 G Jordan Brickman popped Brandeis for 37.

One of the most interesting sidelights developing as the season hits district play is the friendly rivalry between two summer team mates from the Texas D-1 Ambassadors as they jockey for the San Antonio scoring title. 2009 G Kendric Robinson of San Antonio Southwest is averaging 21.5 ppg as he chases former Spur Devin Brown's remarkable career scoring mark. The UT-San Antonio signee can fire it up with the best of them. He had 10 treys last week and 43 points v. Laredo United.

Meanwhile San Antonio Lee's 2010 G Paul Garnica is really on top of his game. he currently leads the City of San Antonio in scoring with 25 ppg. Garnica has had outbursts of 42, 49 & 53 in the last couple of weeks. Stay tuned to this one.

2009 G 5'10" Kendric Robinson of San Antonio Southwest

2010 G 6'0" Paul Garnica of San Antonio Lee All Region 2010 G 6'4" Jonathan Perry of Kerrville Tivy2010 P 6'7" Taylor Finlay of Kerrville Tivy 2010 P 6'6" Tyler Kotson of Kerrville Tivy 2011 W 6'6" Reinier Strobos of New Braunfels Canyon Texas Basketball Inc. was in the house tonight (Tuesday) to see Kerrville Tivy take on host New Braunfels Canyon. Two methodical teams colliding, coupled with a tightly called game made for a very static contest. In fact each team made only one 3 pointer the whole evening. The score was knotted at 16 when the 2nd half began. In essence the game was won in a two minute span in the 3rd quarter when the teams actually got out in transition. It was there that Jonathan Perry showed his superior open court skills and hit several buckets in a row, including an and 1 which took the wind out of Canyon's sails.

The final score was Kerrville Tivy 53 New Braunfels Canyon 40. The outcome now makes Coach Brian Young's Tivy Antlers (12-11) on the season, while Coach Coach Kenny Rotzler's Canyon squad falls to 7-13.

Not too long ago Coach Rotzler was making a run at the Drum with 6'6" combo guard 2007 Isiah Jackson. Jackson spent one year at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and is now at Mississippi Gulf Coast CC. Next year Jackson will most likely be reunited with Coach Ronnie Arrow at South Alabama.

The season probably seems one year early to both these veteran coaches as all the better players on the floor were underclassmen. The following six players will be added to our recruiting database later this evening or tomorrow morning based on their play tonight. You can check them out at our website www.texasbasketballinc.com and once there go to the Texas/Louisiana Player Database. Or you can go directly to www.texasbasketballrankings.com

Kerrville Tivy
Tivy was led by All-Region 2010 G 6'4" Jonathan Perry who plays his club ball for the Texas D-1 Ambassadors. Perry had 23 points and 5 rebounds including going 11-12 from the charity stripe.

2010 P 6'6" Tyler Kotson added 19 and 6 boards for Tivy while never taking a shot from more than 5 feet out. He was 5-5 from the line and had several putbacks from hard work on the offensive boards.

2010 P 6'7" Taylor Finlay had 8 points and 3 blocks for the Antlers.

New Braunfels Canyon

2011 W 6'6" Reinier Strobos had 10 points .

2011 G 6'2" Cody Karrer scored 12, with all of them coming from the free throw line.

2010 G 6'0" Max Harford also dropped 10 for Canyon.

Austin Round Up

2009 unsigned senior G 6'4" Joel Smith of Leander

2009 Lamr University Signee 6'8"Osas Ebomwonyi of Pflugerville (shown here during the summer with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors blocking an unidentified player's shot at the prestigious Duel in the Desert.

TexasBasketballinc.com was in the house at Akins HS last night for a key 25-5A matchup between the Eagles and Pflugerville. Although much improved, and with aspirations to make the playoffs Akins is simply not close enough to Pflugerville in both depth of talent and really "knowing how to win".

From the opening whistle both teams missed countless chippies and layups but Pflugerville's interior defense coupled with better shot selection made this one a foregone conclusion by the end of the 1st quarter.

Although in foul trouble early, 2009 P 6'8" Osas Ebomwonyi either blocked or altered enough Akins shots to be a big early factor. Lamar University has gotten a steal in the raw shot blocker. Look for the Westlake-Pflugerville matchups to decide this district, along with a pinch of C.C. Collier's Bowie Bulldogs trying to spoil the party.

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Joel Smith is emerging as the clear leader in the Austin area as far as unsigned's go. The 6'4" combo guard has been MVP of the Hays Tourny, All Tourny at DFW last week and is regularly scoring 20 plus points a game for the upstart Leander Lions. I've called several D-1's in the past week strongly suggesting they pull the trigger and offer this kid. He's academically sound and getting better by the day. Nicholls State, Sam Houston State and Evansville are flirting with him.

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The best team in the Cen Tex this year may well come out of 4A and not 5A. Killeen is really coming together now that their football players in the rotation and with 6'9" shotblocker and Baylor signeee Cory Jefferson really amping it up they are a load. Jefferson had 6 dunks in the 1st quarter last week when I saw him play in San Antonio.

District mates Lake Travis are 19-1, and led by Senior Jordan Jahr a 6'5' WG who has signed with the Air Force Academy. The two district games between these two foes will go a long way in deciding who'll represent the region in the State Playoffs at the Drum in Austin in early March.

San Antonio Reagan 83 New Braunfels 42

2011 G 6'2' Tre Demps of San Antonio Reagan
Headed over to San Antonio Reagan to see Coach Jimmy Littleton's trio of talented sophomores play the New Braunfels Unicorns. I initially saw them at the Georgetown tournament and wanted to see to what degree they were progressing with their games. The game was a no contest. New Braunfels has minimal talent in the program at the moment from what I could assess. Other than Senior Reese Dahse ( he dropped 13 points and has a nice release point and form on his shot) who may have an opportunity to continue to play at the Division 2 level, there isn't much else to say. The Unicorns staff who seemed like nice guys had no answer for Reagan.

Senior Wayne Martinez led Reagan with 20 points. They went deep into their bench and let the whole crew touch the hardwood. Even with that I think it's safe to say that they covered the imaginary spread..lol San Antonio Lee Juniors Paul Garnica and Ryan Pierce (who had torched Reagan last week for 53 and 24 respectively were in the stands observing their District rivals.)

The bad news is that it's tough to evaluate kids when the competition is not real keen, the good news is that the kids all look to be making progress.

2011 G 6'2" Tre Demps only scored two points on four shot attempts, but showed nice rotation on his mid range jumper, nice timing on his bounce pass on the fast break and has a nice understanding of how to make the entry pass to the post. He's physically put together pretty well but needs to step up his footspeed/defensive intensity.

2011 W 6'4" Max Yon hit a deep three, dropped several nice dimes from the short corner to the post and also showed flashes of slashing moves to the bucket. His decision making needs to tighten up a little but he is a quality player.

2011 P 6'8" Darrious Hamilton is (as expected of a soph of his size) physically weak but he already has an array of scoring moves. He exhibited a nice touch on the offensive end hitting a short jumper, a baby hook and a nice turn around post move in the lane. His length makes him a very nice prospect.

These three players will be added to our recruiting database.