Spiece Mo-Kan 71 Texas D-1 Ambassadors 69 (OT)

2010 W 6'3" Shavon Coleman of Thibodeaux, LA.

Eventual Manhattan Classic and host team Spiece Mo-Kan had all they could handle in the Super Pool as the Texas D-1 Ambassadors pushed them to the limit in an exciting 71-69 loss. Fighting back from 9 points down late in the game, the D-1 Ambassadors were led by 2010 6'3" W Shavon Coleman of Thibodeaux, LA.

The LSU recruit scored with an assortment of jumpers, hard takes to the basket and offensive putbacks to help will us back to take the game into overtime, leading us with a game high 17 points. This kid has an intensity about his game that few can match, was a pleasure to coach and would be a welcome addition to any college program.

In overtime we had a one point lead and possession of the ball with 12 seconds left. We made an ill advised pass in the back court which was stolen and to the credit of Spiece Mo-Kan PG 2010 Will Spradling (A Kansas State commit) the kid was as cool as ice in draining an NBA range three pointer to beat us in the waning seconds.

Shavon Coleman 17

Cody Doolin 12

R.J. McGhee 7

Matt Derenbecker 7

Conner Kemper 8

Jonathan Perry 6

Daniel Alexander 6

Jake Kocher 4

Mark Nwakamma 2

Texas D-1 Ambassadors 96 DC Assault 86

2010 PG Cody Doolin did what he almost always does...WINS. he scored 22 points, many of them at key times in the 2nd half to help hold off the DC Assault.

DC Assault star & Kansas State recruit Darrel Trayhan hung 40 points on the Texas D-1 Ambassadors but it still wasn't enough as we came away with the victory.

Today we prevailed against a nationally acclaimed DC Assault program despite being lit up for 40 points by big time PG recruit Darrel Trayhan for 40 points. A 6 point half time deficit was reduced in short order by our trademark perimeter shooting game. Recent Texas A&M commit 2010 6'9" W Daniel Alexander of Dripping Springs, TX hit three straight triples while 2010 6'5" SG R.J. McGhee of Baton Rouge Istrouma (LA) went 3-4 to propel the D-1 Ambassadors to a 10 point lead in the early goings of the 2nd half.

The shooting streak was only half the story though as we were flat out getting pounded on the offensive boards in the first half. That is, until 2011 P 6'6" Mark Nwakamma of Leander, TX stepped up and started to outphysical the tough East Coast kids inside. With Nwakamma setting the tone, it opened things up for 2010 PG Cody Doolin who finished with 22 points, most of which were scored going to the rack or from the charity stripe. It was a great win in our "super pool".

Cody Doolin 22
R.J. McGhee 20
Mark Nwakamma 18
Shavon Coleman 13
Daniel Alexander 14
Jonathan Perry 5
Matt Derenbecker 3
Conner Kemper 1

Texas D-1 Ambassadors 69 Mississippi Ballers 65

2010 PG 6'0" Paul Garnica of San Antonio Lee exploded in the championship game of the Crush Elite Tournament, scouted by Rivals.com this weekend in Alabama. Playing their 4th game of the day, two equally tired teams squared off in an exciting championship game in Birmingham, AL. With the agreement of both coaches, the game consisted of two 18 minute running clock halves because of player exhaustion. The Texas D-1 Ambassadors hung on against a scrappy, athletic Mississippi Ballers team to win the inaugural Rivals.com/Crush Elite Memorial Day Tournament 69-65.

With most of the bigs out of gas it was no surprise that this was a guard dominated game. San Antonio area scoring leader 2010 Paul Garnica put on a devastating show in the first 10 minutes of the game scoring 13 points, on his way to a game high 18 to lead the way. Austin Westlake W 2010 6'6" Conner Kemper knocked down four 3 pointers (his third game with 4 triples in the tournament), while 2010 Cody Doolin chipped in with 12.

Paul Garnica 18
Conner Kemper 12
Cody Doolin 12
D.J. Stephens 8
William Nelson 7
Demetris Smith 6
Joe Charles 2
Jake Kocher 2
Brandon Alexander 2

Texas D-1 Ambassadors 92 Mid State Ballers (TN) 84

2011 SG 6'2" Jake Kocher of Austin St. Michael's continues to improve rapidly; adding a dribble drive game and quicker feet defensively to go along with his deadly perimeter stroke.In the semi finals of the Rivals.com/Crush Elite Tournament in Birmingham, AL the Texas D-1 Ambassadors jumped out early and held off a game Mid State Ballers team 92-84. The Mid State Ballers consisted of players from Tennessee and Kentucky.

William Nelson led the D-1 Ambassadors with 24 points and continues to see his stock rise this spring. Demetris "Cleveland" Smith was a beast on the boards with double digit rebounds to go along with his 16 points.

William Nelson 24
Demetris Smith 16
Cody Doolin 15
D.J. Stephens 12
Conner Kemper 10
Paul Garnica 9
Jake Kocher 7
Joe Charles 3
Brandon Alexander 2

Texas D-1 Ambassadors 74 Team Nashville (TN) 62

2009 W William Nelson of Port Allen, LA was a force inside, outside and on the boards in leading the Texas D-1 Ambassadors this weekend in Birmingham, AL.

In what was our biggest challenge thus far, the Texas D-1 Ambassadors erased a 12 point deficit and pulled away from Team Nashville in a 74-62 win in the quarter finals of the Crush Elite Tournament in Birmingham, AL. The Nashville squad had a couple of SEC level recruits and gave us fits down low until 2011 P 6'8" Brandon Alexander brought his physical play to the game and pulled us back into the game.

2009 W William Nelson, a pro football prospect as well as a heck of a roundballer dropped 19 points, many of them tough buckets down the stretch. Great guard play and decision making were the key. 2010 G Joe Charles did a great job defending in his first action back since suffering a broken neck in a car wreck last October.

William Nelson 19
Paul Garnica 13
Cody Doolin 9
Demetris Smith 8
Joe Charles 8
Jake Kocher 7
Conner Kemper 6
Brandon Alexander 2
D.J. Stephens 2

Texas D-1 Ambassadors 91 Brmingham Saints (AL) 48

2009 W D.J. Stephens of Harker Heights continues to show why he's one of the top unsigned prospects in the Class of 2009. The high flyer with the 42" standing still vertical wowed the crowds all weekend long with some outrageous high flying maneuvers. Stephens has a dozen D-1 offers but is playing for additional options, including the possibility of an additional year in prep school.In a devestating display of superior firepower, basketball skill and athleticism the D-1 Ambassadors rolled through the Birmingham Saints in the 1st Round of bracket play in Alabama. Balanced scoring inside and out was the story of the game. For the second straight game 2010 W 6'6" Conner Kemper had four triples, D.J. Stephens had several highlight reel dunks, and 2010 G Cody Doolin (Cal recruit) controlled the tempo and showed that he is quickly becoming a high major prospect. PG Paul Garnica put his shot in his pocket and dropped double digit assists for the second contest in a row.

D.J. Stephens 17
Cody Doolin 16
Jake Kocher 14
Conner Kemper 12
William Nelson 10
Demetris Smith 10
Brandon Alexander 6
Paul Garnica 4
Joe Charles 2

Texas D-1 Ambassadors 91 Memphis Select (TN) 70

2010 W 6'5" Demetris "Cleveland" Smith was relentless on the boards and dropped 19 points to boot in today's win.In a game that was really never in doubt the Texas D-1 Ambassadors found their shooting stroke and coasted to a 21 point win over a tough group of Memphis kids. 2010 Demetris "Cleveland" Smith, a 6'5" W from Pflugerville, TX led the way with 19 points and was relentless on the glass. 2010 6'6" W Conner Kemper of Austin Westlake dropped four bombs from deep and set the perimeter tone. The rest of the scoring was balanced while Dunkmaster D.J. Stephens rested because of his asthma.

This was a good win for us as the kids played great help defense, limiting 2010 G Terrence Durham to only 3 points. That's quite a feat as the smooth guard was just offered by Missouri and Ole Miss.

Demetris Smith 19
Conner Kemper 16
William Nelson 15
Jake Kocher 14
Cody Doolin 14
Paul Garnica 8
Joe Charles 5

Crush Elite Main Event Tournament Birmingham, Alabama

2010 PG 6'2" Cody Doolin is quickly moving from a mid major prospect to a high major.

We landed in Birmingham, Alabama early this morning to participate in the Crush Elite/Rivals.com Tournament. Perhaps the highlight of the weekend was in Dallas, TX as we awaited our connecting flight. Two hundred US Army service men entered the terminal as they returned from Iraq/Afghanistan. Unlike the disdain with which soldiers endured returning from the Vietnam War, these young men and women were treated to a rousing standing ovation which lasted more than ten minutes as we paid our respects to their service to their country and our freedom. It gave me goose bumps.

Texas D-1 Ambassadors 79 Louisiana Future 73

Our first game after the flight was a battle. The Louisiana Future are a tough, hardnosed group. They won the Pearland Classic in Houston a few weeks back. We uncharacteristically shot the ball poorly only hitting two 3 pointers. Our legs were heavy and we got outrebounded but came away with the win. Two players keyed it. 2010 PG Cody Doolin of Austin Westlake, TX hit several key baskets including a deep three during a two minute span and 2009 William Nelson of Acadiana Prep in Opelousas, LA was relentless as he led the D-1 Ambassadors with 27 points. 2011 G Jake Kocher continues to emerge as a top prospect in the class as he scored with an assortment of shots.

William Nelson 27
Jake Kocher 16
Cody Doolin 13
D.J. Stephens 12
Paul Garnica 4
Conner Kemper 4
Cleveland Smith 3

All American Prodigy Camp Class of 2013

2013 PG T.J. Williams was awarded the "Top Playmaker of the Camp". He has the best court vision of any yougster I've seen for a long while. He understands the game well beyond his years, exhibiting outstanding handles and quickness. He'll need to continue to work on his shot but should be a lock to continue the tradition of D-1 guards at Pflugerville High following in the footsteps of Bryan Beasley (Rice), Jonathon Garza (Lamar), & 2011 Deon Mitchell. 2013 W 6'5" Vinay Reddy who'll attend San Antonio St. Mary's Hall next year was one of the camps brightest prospects. He's athletic, and has a long, quick stride as well as quick hops. He can put it on the floor and hits the midrange shot. 2013 PG Carl Austin III showed great athleticism and explosiveness with a 28.6" vertical. His basketball IQ is high; showing an understanding of how to move well without the ball in his hands. he has nice handles and should have an outstanding varsity career at Austin St. Stephen's under former Louisiana Tech player, Coach LaMont King. 2013 P 6'2" Rowdy Winters of Kerrville, TX showed a great work ethic, a good short range jumper and a solid skill set which could make him a nice prospect at the 3 position. 2013 SG Anthony Scallon was an outstanding defender and showed a very reliable shooting touch as he advanced far into the Hotshots shooting event.

2013 G Gilbert Reza III played aggressively at camp, exhibiting solid handles and a nice shot. 2013 G Jacob Gonzalez of The RGV proved to be a physical guard who worked hard and played much bigger than his 5'5". 2013 Michael Martinez, a 5'4" G from the Rio Grande Valley was a tenacious defender who scrapped all weekend long at camp. He has a solid shot and uses the glass well. 2013 P Peter Hernandez of Harlingen, TX showed off his team skills in the 3 on 3 competition. He has a nose for the game and nice quickness to boot.2013 P Conner Sales of Los Fresnos, TX was a load to handle all weekend. He loves to bang down low and has the body of a defensive tackle to support it. Will be interesting to watch as his skill set develops. Looks like he has plenty of room to grow from his current 6'0". 2013 J.J. Young of Fort Worth, TX showed all weekend long, what a smart, unselfish player he was. No surprise that he's the son of a coach. The 5'10" G has a smooth shot.

2013 Ivan Barrera may have been undersized at 5'0", but he plays big with a lot of heart. He worked hard all camp. Needs to work on his off hand, but when the chips were down he beat a lot of older players to win the camp's free throw shooting competition. No small task. 2013 Nick Melvin of Burnet, TX showed a nice skill set, a willingness to defend (a real plus with younger players) and a good understanding og the game. At 6'2" he'll need to continue to grow, or develop a face up game to succeed in the block as a high school player. 2013 Jason Saenz showed a great work ethic, was willing to be coached and showed off his team skills in a successful 3 on 3 tournament. 2013 Omar Hunter of Harlingen, TX was one of the top prospects from the Rio Grande Valley who were in attendance at camp. I loved his athleticism and long arms. He's strong, gets to the rim and uses the glass well.

Daniel Alexander Verbals To Texas A&M

2010 Texas D-1 Ambassador, Daniel Alexander made his verbal commitment today to Texas A&M. Daniel and his Pops, Big Dan called me today at noon to break the story to Texas Basketball Inc. As a courtesy we also passed the story on to our professional colleagues at Rival.com & to Dave Telep of Scout.com

Alexander is shown below at Rick Barrett's Midnight Madness in the fall of 2008 along with 2009 McDonald's All American & Villanova signee Malik Wayns. He won the prestigious "Jonathan Bender" Top Underclassman Award" at this event.

Daniel told me that the commitment to Texas A&M "just felt right". He loves the fact that it's close to his home in Dripping Springs (Austin), TX. "They've got great facilities, the coaches are great and I've been promised an opportunity to hopefully make an impact early on".

This is Daniel's 3rd season playing for the Texas D-1 Ambassadors and I've had the pleasure to have coached him for the last two seasons. He tries so hard to please his coach, and in fact is many times too hard on himself. I've seen him blossom from a player that could do some good things, some of the time into a confident young man that does many things right most of the time.

Alexander has a superior shot and is super bouncy for a kid approaching 6'9". He's showing great improvement this spring in being able to put the ball on the floor, he already has NBA range on his shot, runs the floor extremely well and has great court vision. Currently his strength is an issue, but that's improving as well.

Ranked #32 in the country in the Class of 2010 by Rival.com he's simply one of the most promising prospects in the class. He's been compared by several NBA guys to former West Virginia star Joe Alexander.

This has been a whirlwind two days for Daniel as he was informed yesterday of his invite to the Nike Vince Carter Camp in June for the Top 20 Wings in the country & ultimately to Nike's LeBron James Camp in July. This is the 3rd consecutive year the Texas D-1 Ambassadors have received invites to the prestigious Nike Camps. Alexander follows previous D-1 Ambassadors Kendric Robinson (UT-San Antonio), John Henson (North Carolina) and Cory Jefferson (Baylor).

Congratulations to Daniel & His Family!

Coach Max

All American Prodigy Camp Class of 2014

The Class of 2014 was well represented in what was the strongest division of this May's Camp.

2014 Tony Upchurch Jr. of Pearland, TX is clearly one of the Top 5 players in the country in the Class. He has mad hops, with a 28.9" vertical and an explosive first step to the basket. Currently he is an unstoppable power player, who has the ability to put the ball on the floor. As Upchurch makes the transition to the guard spot he'll improve his shot and be a tough matchup from anywhere on the floor. He was our All American Camp MVP for May 2009.

2014 Combo Guard Brandon Etienne of Crosby, TX is a GREAT shooter, along with outstanding court vision and solid handles which will make him one of the big time guards in the talent rich Greater Houston area.

2014 F Joe Burton of Porter, TX was scary good. The 6'4" man child had a power game, could put the ball on the floor and also sported a pretty fair shot. He has great hops as witnessed by his 26.8" vertical. Burton looks to excel at every level he'll eventually play.

2014 W Justise Winslow of Fresno, TX was one of the top prospects at camp. At 6'1" he looks to grow a bunch and is a long player with tremendous upside. He's extremely dangerous as a transition player.

2014 F De'Andre Davis of Round Rock, TX showed great athleticism and explosiveness as he notched a 24.6" vertical. He also sports a nifty 3.0 GPA. A real tough competitor.

2014 PF Essence Sauls of Del Valle, TX shows the kind of aggression and physical play that coaches love to see in a player. She's aggressive, finishes well inside and shows dexterity in her foot work.

2014 Shooting Guard Kelly Oubre Jr. showed a great understanding of the game, was very crafty in getting open for his shots, and once he did showed a nice form on his shot.

2014 G Jacob Trauber was one of the more undersized players in the camp, but that didn't deter the 4'11 dynamo who snagged the Camp 's Mr. Hustle Award. Many times the kids who have to rely on basketball IQ and skills at an early age can blossom into great prospects once their bodies finally catch up to them. Trauber displayed solid handles, use of both hands and a smooth shot to go along with the aforementioned buzz saw mentality.

2014 SG Nicholas Thomas of Arlington, TX had a 26.6" vertical. Along with his athleticism the 5'9" shooting guard showcased a very smooth shot, good handles, and nice moves (hesitation dribble) standing out as one of the camp's top prospects.

2014 Tyler Webber, a PG from Harlingen showed a solid all around game. He shot the ball well and has good court vision. It's a shame he's moving off to Memphis, TN

2014 5'9" Combo Guard Luke Hutton of Lake Travis is a hard nosed player who is fearless in taking the ball to the hole. A high basketball IQ coupled with hard work earned him Defensive Player of the Camp.

2014 5'8" F Matt Perry from Kerrville shows similar attributes to older brother, Jonathan who was twice an All Region player for Kerrville. Hustle and superior shooting skills make him one to watch.

2014 Stephen O'Suji of Houston was extremely aggressive and showed quality handles and a nice shot.

All American Prodigy Camp Class of 2015

CREAM OF THE CROP 2015
2015 Kennedy Harris showed superior athleticism, hustle and a nice shot. Her 20" vertical was 2nd best in the class. I expect big things from the physical, 5'6" F.

2015 Japreece Dean had the top vertical jump in the class with a 21" vert. The 5'3" PG showed great handles, burst of speed and camp long hustle. The Del Valle coaches ought to be licking their chops at the thought of her stepping on campus in a few years.

2015 Jake Berg was a smart, coachable player who showed considerable improvement and absorption of coaching information over the duration of the camp.

2015 F Cole Carpenter showed an advanced understanding of team concepts, such as ball screens. He has a solid shot, worked hard and was very coachable.

2015 Kevin Owens of Cedar Park has all the makings of a quality post. The Big Fella is already 5'10". He's a smart, fundamentally sound player who looks like he'll grow quite a bit over the years.

2015 Blaine Sanders proved to be a coachable, hard working player with a nice shot. The PG position looks solid at Dripping Springs for the future.

2015 Alec Lebovitz displayed a nice shot, and a solid all around game. Continued improvement of his handles should make him a very solid high school player for Dripping Springs.

All American Prodigy Camp Class of 2016

CREAM OF THE CROP CLASS OF 2016

2016 Daniel Venzant of Midland, TX attended his 3rd All American Prodigy Camp, this time as a 5th grader. Let me tell you, he keeps getting better and better. The 4'9" G plays big. He has great form on his shot, nice handles and you can see he has a joy for the game. He also won the Hot Shot Shooting Contest at Camp in his division.

2016 Mikayla Christian, despite her sweet off court demeanor was not afraid to mix it up with older players. The 4'11" G showed lots of hustle, and a nice touch on her shot.

Joel Smith of Leander Signs With Northeastern!

2009 CG 6'4" Joel Smith of Leander HS has just inked D-1 with Northeastern Huskies in the Colonial Athletic Association. Smith, shown below at the www.TexasRecruit.com combine in Austin, TX last October.

In the breaking news department, 2009 Texas D-1 Ambassador Joel Smith will sign with Northeastern in about 20 minutes. (Scheduled for 12:30 today). The 6'4" combo guard was a relative unknown before last summer when he made his way onto the circuit with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors team coached by by former Pflugerville Connally Assistant Marquette WIlkins.

Smith is an outstanding athlete, who at 6'4" has just tapped into his potential. In his Senior season at Leander HS he led the school to it's first playoff appearances in YEARS. Joel is a game changer with NBA range on his shot. He's also an incredibly bright kid. That's the reason he chose the Boston, Massachusetts campus which house one of the best business schools in the country. Hats off, as another Central Texas player gets an opportunity to pursue their Division One basketball dreams.