Saturday, March 28, 2009

Longhorn Classic Varsity Saturday 9-11AM

2010 7'0" Stuart Lagerson of Converse Judson has a ways to go, but you cannot teach height ultimately making the big fella a D-1 prospect that we'll watch closely. Runs the floor well, and will improve as his body fills out.
2010 G Tyrice Hill of San Antonio Highlands
2010 W 6'5" Malcolm Miller of Midland Lee shows a very nice game. He runs the floor well, gets to the rim and has great timing on his shot blocking.
2009 G 6'2" Dave Morris of Midland Lee
The Longhorn Classic has just kicked off this morning at Akins HS in Austin. 21 groups of varsity hopefuls will fill the gym and square off for bragging rights in the Cen Tex/South Texas Area.

In addition to groups like the San Antonio Ro Hawks and the Texas D-1 Ambassadors organization we've got teams in from Midland, Denton, TX as well as Austin powers ATX, Yellow Jackets & Ray Jackson's Rising Stars.

Saturday 8AM Games

Midland 82 East Austin Yellow Jackets 77

Midland got off the team bus at 8AM and came to play. They jumped all over the Yellow Jackets early led by 2010 Malcolm Miller but the Yellow Jackets roared back. Free throw shooting decided the game as Midland hit, but East Austin didn't

TX D-1 Ambassadors Wilkins 61 San Antonio Ro Hawks DR 39

The Ambassadors-Wilkins got balanced scoring from several players in their win over the Ro Hawks. Demetrius Smith had 9, Michael Hardge 8, Lawrence Noovzad 10m Adam Whitlock 9 & Deion Mitchell 9. The Ro Hawks were led by 2010 Devonte Hill of SA Wagner with 11 & 2010 Tyrice Hill of SA Highlands with 7. The Ro Hawks also sport a 7 footer in 2010 Stuart Lagerson of Converse Judson.

9:05

Texas Ambassadors Carter 58 ATX 39
Ambassadors-Carter were led by 2011 PG Dylan Elias with 14 points while ATX got 11 from 2011 Deron Belford.

Texas Ambassadors Unsigneds 77 Rising Stars 66

The Unsigneds were led by Leander's Combo Guard Joel Smith with 32 & Zach Corbin's 17.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Houston Ice Breaker Recap

The Texas D-1 Ambassadors flagship team journeyed to Houston to play in the RCS Sports Ice Breaker this past weekend. Houston recruiting guru Jimmy Hicks hosted this high quality event which annually attracts a great deal of the top college level talent in the State of Texas & beyond.

From left to right: Tre Drye, R. J. McGhee, Mark Nwakamma, Jonathan Perry, D.J. Stephens, Paul Garnica, Daniel Alexander, Cody Doolin, Conner Kemper, Jake Kocher, Brian Williams & Trey Demps. The Texas D-1 Ambassadors went 5-1 on their 1st trip of the season. Here's a recap.

Saturday Game 1 Texas D-1 Ambassadors 91 Houston Hoops 90 (OT)

The Hoops are regularly amongst the Top 10 teams in the country featuring the #1 player in the Class of 2012, (former Texas Ambassador) J. Mychal Reese and one of the country's top post players in 2010 Toby Oyedeji and high flyer Brandon "Snap" Peters. The D-1 Ambassadors are no slouches though with #29 on Rivals, 2010 Daniel Alexander, dunking machine D.J. Stephens & 2010 Louisiana Mr. Basketball, Brian Williams. (Who was back in Louisiana at a luncheon picking up his award).

This is one of the most exciting games I've ever coached in. The Ambassadors came out hitting everything they shot. At the half they led by 23. A class organization like the Hoops will never quit though, and they pressed their way to a 6 point lead with about 3 minutes to play in the game. The standing room only crowd was thrilled by dunk after dunk by Peters and Stephens who sports a 42" standing vertical leap.

Ambassadors PG 2010 Cody Doolin, who is no stranger to winning big games in the City of Houston (he led the Ambassadors to back to back Kingwood Classic Championships) hit a huge 30 foot shot at the buzzer to force the game into overtime.

The Ambassadors had a balanced scoring attack as sharp shooting R.J. McGhee of Baton Rouge Istrouma had 19, Daniel Alexander had 16, D.J. Stephens had 15 and Cody Doolin had 12.

Game 2 Saturday Texas D-1 Ambassadors 57 Rashad Lewis SE Texas Elite 56

After trailing most of the game the Ambassadors scored with 15 seconds on the clock in a nice comeback. SE Texas' top prospect G DeCarlos Frank almost singlehandedly put the Ambassadors away in the 1st half by hitting numerous three pointers from another zip code. Doolin had 11, Alexander had 10, rugged 2010 W Conner Kemper had 8 and 2011 Jake Kocher had 7.

Game 3 Saturday Houston Select Swoosh 81 Texas D-1 Ambassadors 69

Playing their 3rd game of the day, the quickness of the Select guards; 2011 Texas A&M commit Jamaal Branch and 2010 Jamal Outler who shot lights out was too much for D-1 to handle. Select led most of the game, although the Ambassadors tied it with several runs, the last time at 63-63 before Select went on the late run to salt it away.

Cody Doolin led with 18 points while 2010 WG Brian Williams showed why LSU & Oklahoma State have already offered him as he dropped 12 points along with 10 boards from the Wing.

Game 4 Sunday Texas D-1 Ambassadors 69 Houston All 4 Sports 32

With too much depth for All 4 Sports to contend witha total team effort. No Ambassador was in double figures as we went deep into our bench getting a great contribution from all the players.

Game 5 Sunday Texas D-1 Ambassadors 65 Houston Superstars 54

As is our trademark, we just wore the Superstars out. Trailing early 9-0 and at the half by 10, there was a 20 point swing in the 2nd half. We pounded the boards with 2011 Tre Drye nabbing 10 rebounds while Daniel Alexander had 10 points and 10 rebounds of his own. 2011 G Trey Demps also added 9 points.

Game 6 Sunday Texas D-1 Ambassadors 74 Houston Clippers 69

Six games in two days against a team only playing it's 3rd required the Ambassadors to play through fatigue coming back from 6 down late in the game and winning going away. R.J. McGhee fired 28 points for the Ambassadors.

The Ambassadors will make a rare Austin appearance on March 28-29th as they play in the Longhorn Classic being held at Austin Akins High School.

Friday, March 20, 2009

NCAA Tournament-Hoop Dreams

This is the time of year when every basketball fan, novice or fanatic comes out of the closet to get involved in March Madness. We've already seen some very exciting games in yesterday's 1st round. It seemed timely to me that I write this article as it is also the time of year which bridges the gap between the recently finished high school season and the open of the Club Basketball Season. As most of my audience are families that dream of playing college basketball it seemed like perfect timing to recount our story.

Firstly, I'd like to thank all the high school and college coaches that I've been blessed to get to know over the years. Contrary to what many people believe there does not have to be a lack of respect between the high school coach and the club coach. (If there is, that's a very good sign that your child is not in a reputable club program.) We should be working together to help kids get the best opportunities in life as well as in the game of basketball.

A QUALITY high school coach is responsible for training a player during the majority of the school year. He has access to gym time, and is likely acquainted intimately with the player's academic situation. There is nothing like the pride of representing your school and being "big man/woman on campus".

On the other hand a QUALITY club program should be well organized, have a code of discipline for it's players and ensure that the kids have an opportunity for EXPOSURE to recruiting services and college coaches during their "second season".

When the club and the school coach have a mutual respect for each other's role it helps the player and family maximize the opportunity to live out the dream of playing at the collegiate level and ideally to subsidize/pay for the player's education.

(Below; From left to right circa 2003 is Pflugerville's Bryan Beasley (Rice University), a young Chris Paul then at Wake Forest, and Pflugerville Connally's Chip Ivany (UT-San Antonio)

It's hard to believe almost 7 years have gone by since Chip & Bryan were at Five Star Camp in Pittsburgh and I had the chance to coach Chris, and guys like current Kentucky star Jodie Meeks. The boys were sophomores in HS and the recruiting process had not hit them yet. The kids were two years away from what would be my first graduating class of players with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors. Quite honestly, I didn't know if they were good enough to get the chance to play in college.

Turns out that they were, but I'd like to share my observations along with our family's odyssey (hopefully for your enjoyment) but also a sense of reality as to how tough and competitive it really is as you and your child chase your hoop dreams.


In the fall of 2006, after completing a high school varsity career where he scored over 1200 points my son did not have a D-1 offer. His ego was bruised and like most kids out of high school the question was, "What now?" The answer was Junior College. On the recommendation of a good D-1 coaching friend of mine Chip landed a scholarship at Hill Junior College (TX). There are typically two types of kids who go the JuCo route. The first, are boys like mine, who have no academic issues but are simply not ready physically for D-1 (About 20% of the kids) The 2nd are guys who have either/or grade or personal character flaw issues. JuCo is their last hope, to reinvent themselves as model citizens and to get their academics in order. (80%)


If you think it's the best players who are playing in college and even the pros, you are sadly mistaken. I have personally seen kids with more talent in their little finger never play past high school because they could not be accountable for their actions, keep their grades in order and be people of character. College basketball is a BUSINESS. Coaches feed their families based upon the perfomrance of players. They do not need extra headaches or someone who will embarass them and cost them their jobs.


After a year at Hill JuCo, Chip was ready for the D-1 route. As an academic qualifier out of high school he did not have to spend 2 years at the JuCo as the academic casualties do. As a family, we narrowed down his options to 5 schools and hit the road to visit the campuses. UT-Arlington, UT-San Antonio, University of New Orleans, South Alabama, and the University of Florida.


Needless to say the possibility of walking on at Florida to play for Coach Billy Donovan was incredible. (The thought of me paying out of state tuition was not real appealing though..lol) The facilities were top notch, and while we were there Chip worked out with several of the Gators who were selected in the NBA Draft a couple of days later. PROBLEM: Even though my son was a GOOD student, he was not a GREAT student. I was shocked to find that Florida's admission standards were incredibly competitive and that he was on the cusp of being admitted. If he had ONLY worked harder in high school to raise his GPA to 3.5 instead of 3.3. A door closed for my son that day and he was heartbroken.


However, God has a plan. He ended up at South Alabama. They had an incredible season going 26-7 and receiving an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Chip got to play in 13 games but most of his contribution was behind the scenes as he studied the opposing team's offensive sets for 2 hours the day before playing each opponent & then had the responsibility to run it in practice so the team mates who were starters were as fully prepared as possible when they faced the opponent the following day. Make no mistake about it, college athletics are a 25 hour per week J-O-B. Is this really what you want to do?


Below: Top left: Chip Ivany #42 South Alabama, Top Right: South Alabama live on CBS as they receive word of their at large bid to the 2008 NCAA Tourny. The kids go crazy and start texting. Bottom Right: Chip with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors in Las Vegas



I got in my car and drove 800 miles to the NCAA Regional in Birmingham, AL. It was an exciting game for almost all of the 1st half and then Butler University proceeded to knock down 16 three pointers and after 8 months of hard work, the South Alabama kids dreams died and the Butler kids dream lived on. As a father, I cried with my son when it was over.

Below: (Excuse the poor picture.) Chip's Sunbelt Champions & NCAA ring. A momento for a lifetime.


From August 11th to May 5th my son could not get home. The schedule simply didn't allow for it. Even the token break at Christmas time lasted just 30 hours before they began practice again on Christmas Day at 7PM. Back to work on Christmas Day!

After the year ended he and I sat down and he said he wanted to come closer to home. The coaches at South Alabama treated my son like family. We will forever be indebted to Coach Ronnie Arrow. My son still talks on the phone a couple of times a week with him & the USA staff. Chip is now completing his
redshirt season at UT-San Antonio. The dreams of a 2nd straight NCAA Tournament appearance died last Sunday when UTSA lost the Southland Conference Championship Game to Stephen. F. Austin. Once again, one kids dream die, another's live on.

Chip will make his final resting place at UTSA. He'll finish his degree on time and be working on his Master's degree in his 5th and final year. His goal has become refined, to be a college coach. He'll be a graduate assistant at a D-1 school shortly thereafter. He already has promises from several prominent coaches to become part of their staff. Is this how his dream was envisioned when he dropped 27 points v Boerne while leading Pflugerville Connally to the Texas UIL Regional Final? Doubtful. But that's the twists and turns this game can bring for you. Do you make lemonade out of lemons, and learn to redefine your goals?


In wrapping it up, I wish all the kids who aspire to be a college basketball player the very best. Understand that you'll be faced with a mountain of hard work. Basketball as you know it will never be the same. It will be a job. Adversity will face you. Maybe you'll be homesick, maybe you'll have grade issues, or perhaps the coach who recruited you gets fired and the new staff barely acknowledges that you exist. Are you ready for that?


I hope you've enjoyed one family's insight into the college basketball world. Best of luck as you follow your hoop dreams. If I can be of assistance to any of you, do not hesitate to contact me.


Coach Max

Saturday, March 14, 2009

March Madness Tournament

The San Antonio Comets went undefeated to win the Girls 7/8th grade division at Texas Basketball Inc's March Madness Tournament.
There was lots of great action today as the end of the high school season unofficially kicked off the surge in summer basketball.

Texas Basketball Inc.'s March Madness Tournament saw some great varsity action with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors Girls running through the competition to go undefeated.

On the boys side in the varsity division, the Texas D-1 Ambassadors won all three of their scrimmages handily; having played D-1 Ambassadors Carter, Houston Franchize All Stars & D-1 Ambassadors DFW.

The Girls 7/8th grade was won by the San Antonio Comets as they beat the San Antonio Storm in the championship game.

Texas State Finals

Houston Yates 94 Dallas Kimball 78

As forecasted Yates was too quick and too deep for anyone to give them a game. In fact, their only loss this season was to a talented Alief Elsik team coached by veteran Tim Martin.

My, how time flies by as Joe Young led Yates to their State 4A Championship by dropping 29 points tonight on Kimball. Seems like just yesterday that his father, Michael Young was rattling dunks for the famous Phi Slamma Jamma fraternity at the University of Houston.

Congratulations to Coach Greg Wise on his long awaited championship. Yates plays at a breakneck speed, but not with reckless abandon. Their timing and spacing on their relentless pressing and trapping game are a thing of beauty. Have you ever heard of a team causing 40 turnovers in agame, as the Lions did in the Semifinals v. Mansfield Timberview? Simply amazing!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Texas 5A Semi Finals/Louisiana 4A Champions

Desoto 48 Houston Strake Jesuit 44

Strake Jesuit's undefeated season went up in smoke at the hands of a great Desoto surge in the last minute and a half. Desoto finished the game on a 10-0 run, holding Jesuit scoreless in the last two minutes.

Rico Dandridge was clutch down the stretch with a big three pointer, steal and rebound. Strake had control with a little over the minute to play in the game. Let's see; possession, score, clock and foul count are all in your favor. The fly in the ointment is instead of holding the ball, and forcing Desoto to foul Penn State bound Tim Frazier decided to drive the lane and throw up a leaing floater. No good. Desoto hit a subsequent three and an additional basket...Game over the other way. Great job by Desoto as they maintained thier composure while down to get the win.

Cedar Hill 61 Converse Wagner 58

The Coach's son, Tanner Mislon hit a wide open three ball from the corner as the clock wound down to less than three seconds to propel Cedar Hill to an exciting semifinal win over Wagner.

Perimeter shooting was brutal for both teams, but especially for Wagner as they went 5-23 from beyond the arc. However, Wagner's relentless pace and hustle on the boards where they outrebounded Cedar Hill kept them in the game. Cedar Hill had a 6 point lead with a shade over 2 minutes left in the game but Wagner came fighting back hitting two rare three pointers and a layup to draw even with 12 seconds to play.

2010 W Jordan Clarkson led Wagner with 19 points and 2010 W 6'6" Andre Roberson battled on the boards all night long. Overall Cedar Hill was the more physical team with man child 2011 Thomas Gibson a load underneath all night long. 6'0" G and linebacker Jordan Jones drew the defensive matchup on the Big Fella and let me tell you, they'll both be bruised and battered tomorrow. Shawn Glover was clearly the best player on the floor as he showed a very nice mid range game, he blocked shots and had 19 points for CH.

The 2009 F 6'6" Glover had offers from Oklahoma State & Marquette among others but has opted to take his game out West. He signed with the Utah Utes and should be a good one.
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In Lousiana, Slidell Salmen won their first State 4A title by beating Bossier 61-46

Texas 4A Semi Finals

I didn't have any pics of the Yates personnel to spice up the story, so I included the pic below of Nic Wise (left) & Chip Ivany (right) as they both worked the Arizona Elite Camp last summer.
Nic Wise is of course, the son of Yates Coach Greg Wise. The younger Wise is a Junior starting at the point for the Wildcats and has one State Championship under his belt with Humble Kingwood. Pops Greg Wise looks to be barrelling towards his 1st State Championship at Houston Yates. Wise previously lost at State while coaching Fort Bend Hightower.
Houston Yates 76 Mansfield Timberview 51

Congrats to my buddy, Coach Greg Wise as his Yates Lions crushed an overmatched Mansfield Timberview squad with their relentless pressure. Timberview did a great job in the 1st quarter as they held Yates to a one point game. However, depth was the difference. As Timberview tired and the fouls mounted so did their mistakes. Forcing close to 30 turnovers, the wave after wave of Lions pressed full court for almost the entire game. I forget who said it, but some coach said, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all". Yates imposed their will. Look for the best team in the State of Texas in ANY CLASS to thump a pretty good Kimball team by 25 or more on Saturday.

The scoring was balanced. Brandon "Snap" Peters was all over the place defensively and showed his great vertical on several occasions while notching 12 points for Yates. Timberview Senior Cedric Ivory had a dozen for Timberview.

LBJ's 2010 G Donald Dallas (Below) Dallas Kimball 66 Austin LBJ 54

My heart said LBJ, but it was not to be. A competitive 1st quarter where LBJ looked like the aggressor early turned quickly to disappointment for the Jaguar faithful. In the early going it was LBJ who looked like the quicker team. They caused turnovers and rebounded with energy. The Jags had a 16-14 lead.

Early in the 2nd quarter the tide turned when the Kimball Knights turned up the pressure full court and LBJ turned it over on successive possessions, resulting in easy buckets. Lanky 2010 W 6'5" David Kates turned the quarter into his personal one man show. He finished with 24 points, and double digit rebounds. Throw in several blocks, steals, a couple of deep threes as well as assists and he was easily the best player on the court.

2010 G Cameron Brown (Lee Brown's boy from the Austin Wreckers club team) led the Jags with 15. 2010 G Donald Dallas also scored in double digits for LBJ. After showing energy on the boards early, the rest of the game was left on the broad shoulders of Texas Tech football signee Kerry Hyder. He had little to no rebounding help. In my opinion this was the difference in the game. LBJ was more effective going small. Too much David Kates was the difference. His energy level was unmatched.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Lousiana Final Four 4A & 5A Predictions

Young Sophomore (15) 2011 6'7" Trevante Drye will be a key tonight as Baton Rouge Glen Oaks attempts to move on to the Louisiana Stae Championship Game v speedy Bossier High. The Final Four is being played in Lafayette at The Cajun Dome.4A
Salmen v Op Walker...OP Walker
Bossier v Glen Oaks...Glen Oaks

5A
Huntington v Hanville....Huntington
West Monroe v Ouchita...Ouchita

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Texas 4A/5A Final Four Forecast

LBJ 2010 G 6'2" Donald Dallas will lead the Jaguars into the Erwin Center on Thursday in an attempt to bring the hardware of a State Champinship home to Austin.We finished up the predictions leading to the Texas State Championships in the Drum by picking only one of four participants in the 4A, but made a clean sweep in 5A including Duncanville going down to Cedar Hill on a buzzer beater.

The Schedule is set for Austin with the Boys 4A Semi Finals tipping off on Thursday.

The opening game pits Houston Yates against Mansfield Timberview. In my opinion Yates is the best team in Texas regardless of class. Expect this one to be a rout as Brandon"Snap" Peters and company bring their high flying act to the Capital City. My old buddy greg Wise (Arizona G Nic Wise's Pop) get his State Championship ring this time around....Yates by 20+

In the 2nd game of the double header Dallas Kimball will take on the Pride of the Eastside, Austin's own LBJ Jaguars. Kimball will be tough to beat, but the Jags are on their home turf. My mind says Kimball, but my heart says LBJ. It's time for Coach Freddie Roland to get his ring and quiet his detractors. Despite 11 District Championships this man has never been honored by his peers as Coach of the Year. An embarrassment, IMO. Hopefully it's rectified this year. Jags by 2.
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In 5A Semi Final action, starting Friday evening Houston Strake Jesuit with their perfect 37-0 record will take on Desoto. Expect a good game here with the D-1 trio of Strake guards proving to be a little too much for the talented Desoto squad. Penn State bound Tim Frazier, Rice bound Steve Rogers, and Notre Dame bound Joey Brooks are a handful in the backcourt.
The 2nd game will have San Antonio Wagner and their all out pressing assault going against Cedar Hill. Hard to bet against the team that upended Duncanville (Cedar Hill) but the same could be said for Wagner who beat Ballyhooed San Antonio Madison along their playoff trail. Wagner by 5.
Could this be the start of a significant shift and new found respect for the Austin & San Antonio entrants? I'd like to think so.


Saturday, March 7, 2009

Texas/Louisiana Playoff Round Up

We're getting down to the nitty gritty in both Texas & Louisiana High School Playoffs. Pretenders are by the wayside, while in some cases longshots like San Antonio Southwest are becoming contenders.

In Texas, the Boys 4A & 5A Regional Finals are today.

Predictions:
4A
Lake Travis over LBJ
Lancaster over Kimball
Yates over Jones
Amarillo Palo Duro over Mansfield

5A
San Antonio Wagner over San Antonio Southwest
Cedar Hill over Duncanville
Desoto over Mesquite
Strake Jesuit over Chavez

Girls 5A Texas State Final

Aldine Nimitz over Mansfield Summit

****6'8" Britteny Griner scored a State Single game record 44 and 18 rebounds last night as Nimitz blasted Pflugerville in the Girls 5A Semis.


Louisiana starts their Final 4 at the Cajun Dome in Lafayette next Thursday.



Friday, March 6, 2009

Louisiana Quarterfinal Playoff Predictions

2010 G 6'5" Brian Williams who has already been offered by LSU and Oklahoma State looks to lead his Glen Oaks Panthers past DeRidder tonight in a big 4A playoff matchup.
4A
Salmen over Peabody
OP Walker over Alexandria
Northside over Bossier
Glen Oaks over DeRidder


5A
Huntington over Mandeville
East Ascension over Hanville
West Monroe over St. Augustine
Ouchita over Terrebone

UIL Playoffs 5A Region 4 Semis- San Antonio Southwest 63 Converse Judson 61

2010 Ray Pastrano of San Antonio Southwest is overcome with tears of joy after their hard fought 63-61 victory over favored Converse Judson. Pastrano finished with 17 points & 12 rebounds.
Can St. Edward's signee Chris Wacker (below) keep alive the Family Dream Season? His pops sure hopes so tonight as he leads his Judson squad agsaint the high octane San Antonio Southwest Dragons.It's all on Kendric Robinson's (below) back to carry the Southwest Dragons past the Judson Rockets tonight. The super athletic Robinson has signed with UT-San Antonio and let me tell you that Coach Brooks Thompson stole one by getting this kid to commit to his Southland Conference squad. While playing for the Texas D-1 Ambassadors in his freshman summer he was offered by the likes of Texas A&M.


One of my favorite Kendric stories was when he recounted to me how he was playing one on one against this guy in the off season and he just couldnt' stop him from scoring. On the other hand, Kendric told me he could still get his shot off against the guy...and for that matter anyone. The opponent? None other than former Houston Rockets guard Steve Francis...lol That ought to tell you how quick this kid's release is.
PREVIEW

Judson has lost only once all year, and Coach Wacker's crew avenged that defeat by holding powerful Pflugerville to a 47-34 defeat. The Coach's son, Chris Wacker will once again play a big role as the offense tends to go through him, either in the high post or when the mismatch presents itself even out to the perimeter. G Ned Cox is still recovering from an ankle injury but he's dangerous none the less.

For Southwest, the question is can 2009 G Kendric Robinson, a UT-San Antonio signee will his Southwest Dragons to victory? An extra incentive for the talented PG is his quest to break former San Antonio Spurs Devin Brown scoring record for the City of San Antonio. Robinson is just 62 points shy of the mark, so he'll need a win tonight to continue pursuing that dream. He'll need lots of help from Ray Pastrano and 2010 P 6'9" Justin Alexander if they're to beat the disciplined Judson Rockets. Southwest must play with the lead as Judson's ability to control the pace when ahead will be too much for them to overcome.

GAME TIME
1st Quarter Southwest 15 Judson 12

A quick 6-2 SW lead on 2 triples by Senior Paris Johnson. 30 second TO Judson. With 1:36 in the 1st, SW calls a 30 second TO. Score's tied 12-12. Kendric Robinson hit his first shot of the game with 40 seconds left in the quarter. Paris Johnson is playing out of his mind with 8 pts & 2 boards. Senior G Alex Lewis has 4 for the Rockets.

Half Time Southwest 31 Judson 24

Southwest has a slim 25-20 lead with 3:09 left in the half. TO Judson. Could there be an upset brewing? Judson is doubling Robinson everytime he touches the ball. He's had limite scoring opportunities with 7 pts at the half, but his team mates have really stepped up to this point. Big Justin Alexander 7 boards & 2 blocks, while second option Ray Pastrano has 6. The BIG STORY at the half though is unsung Senior Paris Johnson. He has 11 points. For Judson Senior Alex Lewis is showing a nice mid range game leading the Rockets with 8 points. Chris Wacker has 6 for Judson.

3rd Quarter Southwest 48 Judson 39

TO Judson with 4:21 to play in the 3rd. SW 43 Judon 28. Kendric Robinson is going off. He has 10 in the quarter and NOBODY on Judson can hold him! Two quick buckets by Wacker have cut it to an 11 pt game. Judson comes roaring back to cut it to 6 as ned Cox buries a three. TO Southwest with 2:51 to play in the 3rd. Judson had SW on the run for a minute, but an incredible double clutch three pointer by Robinson and a bucket by Justin Alexander (his 1st of the game) pushed the lead back up to 9. Tevin Russell has given Judson some great energy off the bench in the quarter with 6 points and 5 boards.

4th Quarter

Two quick buckets and an and one by Wacker cuts the SW lead to 4 with 5:17 to play. A big 3 by Ned Cox cut it to one. A huge 3 by Senior Marc Hall and the free throw is ..missed...SW by 6 with 3:13 to play. TO with 2:03 left to play in the game and Southwest hanging on to a 55-49 lead. With 1:27 to play, Alexander to shoot one and one..the brick goes in. Big FT...2nd one is missed. With 50 seconds left, SW is up by 5. Pastrano has hit 4 straight free throws for the Dragons. Huge triple by Robert Shaw. It is now 60-58 with 41 seconds to play. The next foul and SW will be shooting 2.
It's money time! Who wants it, folks?

Pastrano is shooting two..Good..Miss...3 point game. Long 3 by Lewis draws iron, and now Alexander is on the line with 25 seconds left. He makes one of them. Huge steal by Alexander as the Judson guard tried a wrap around pass on him. He's back on the line. Make...Miss...SW by 5, with 18 seconds left. Cox hit the double clutch three off a screen. SW by 2 with 10 seconds left. What a high school game. Turnover Southwest on the inbounds play...Oh my. Southwest wins! 63-61 as Judson misses a shot at the buzzer.

Robinson finished with 20 points to lead the Dragons, but it was Ray Pastrano down the stretch hitting 5 straight free throws who deserves mad props. The undersized WG/P at 6'2" muscled his way around the goal all night and finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

UIL 5A Playoffs Region 4 Semi Finals Wagner 84 McAllen 65

Can McAllen Junior, J.J. Avila shock the Wagner T Birds at UT-San Antonio this evening?Game 1 Converse Wagner v McAllen
Preview

Look for Wagner to bring the heat against McAllen High. They met during the regular season in the finals of a tournament and Wagner prevailed by 5. The key for McAllen to be able to compete in this one rests squarely on the shoulders of Senior Cory Pace who will face relentless pressure while still trying to get the ball to his dangerous team mate, 2010 6'6" J.J. Avila.

Wagner will get after it by committe, looking to get easy points off their press. They are led by 2010 W 6'4" Jordan Clarkson and 6'0 G Jordan Jones. Andre Roberson, who is emerging quickly into a force on the boards will look to wipe the glass clean for Wagner. Clarkson is a legit D-1 prospect, to the level of Mid-major.

Mc High was here last year and got beat up by the athleticism they faced. Look for a closer game this time around and keep an eye on J.J. Avila, the best player to come out of the Rio Grande Valley in recent memory.
GAMETIME GAMETIME
1st Quarter Wagner 20 Mc Allen 14
The game has been dominated early by 2010 G Jordan Jones. He's hustling & muscling his way to 11 points and 4 1st quarter rebounds. Cory Pace leads Mc Hi with 6, on two three pointers.
Half Time Wagner 4 McAllen 26
A 12-2 run to begin the 2nd quarter has Wagner up 32-16. Five quick points apiece by Jordan Clarkson & # 42 has caused the most damage along with 6 turnovers in the 3 minute span. It looks like a replay of last year's trip to San Antonio, for McAllen. I'm sitting close to the Mc Hi bench, and Coach Roy Swift told one of his guys "you can't come up here (San Antonio) and play scared". Wagner's pressure is causing some turnovers, while at least half of them are just poor decision making on McHi's part. J.J. Avila was the only one who showed up that quarter with 8 points while Wagner got juiced by Andre Roberson's work on the offensive boards to go with his 6 points and 9 more were poured in by Jordan Clarkson.
3rd Quarter Wagner 64 Mc Allen 40
McHi competed harder this quarter, but it's too little too late. Wagner's already gone deep into their bench in anticipation of resting some guys for tomorrow's final. Avila had 4 pts & 4 boards, while Clarkson hit a pair of threes for Wagner.
Final Wagner 84 McAllen 65
Wagner pretty much emptied their bench in the last 8 minutes. J.J. Avila showed he can play with anyone. He had 23 points & 12 boards. Fellow Junior Ryan Evans, a 6'7" P had 11 pts & 5 boards. Wagner got 19 from Jordan Clarkson, 15 from Jordan Jones and Andre Roberson controlled the paint with 8 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

TEXAS UIL Report Card & Predictions

I spoke to Judson Head Coach Mike Wacker after their big win over Pflugerville tonight. We spoke of what a joy it is to be able to caoch your son and share moments with them. He was proud as a peacock as his boy, Senior Chris Wacker put a dagger in Pflugerville's heart with free throw after free throw down the stretch and also from the field as he had a big three pointer, several putbacks and controlled the boards. If that wasn't enough, the St. Edward's signee was also a key for Judson in their ability to control temp as most everything went through Wacker in the high post. My hat's off to the coach's son. Great win for the Wacker family. In tonight's Boys UIL Playoffs we went 9-16 in 4A for 56%, and 12-16 in 5A for 75% Overall 66%

Here are the predictions for the Boys Regional Semi Finals Friday evening.

4A

Region 1
El Paso Andress v Mansfield Timberview...Timberview
Amarillo Palo Duro v Everman...Everman

Region 2
Dallas Kimball v Waco Midway...Kimball
Sherman v Lancaster...Sherman

Region 3
Huntsville v Houston Jones...Huntsville
Livingston v Houston Yates...Yates

Region 4
Austin LBJ v San Antonio McCollum...LBJ
Austin Lake Travis v Corpus Christi Calallen...Lake Travis

5A

Region 1
El Paso El Dorado v Duncanville...Duncanville
North Crowley v Cedar Hill...Cedar Hill

Region 2
Mesquite v Klein Collins...Mesquite
Desoto v Cy Woods...Cy Woods

Region 3
Strake Jesuit v Fort Bend Elkins...Elkins
Houston Chavez v Houston Hightower...Hightower

Region 4
San Antonio Wagner v McAllen,,,Wagner
Converse Judson v San Antonio Southwest...Southwest
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Girls 4A State Semi Final

Buda Hays v Mansfield Timberview...Buda Hayes
Waco Midway v Cibolo Steele...Midway

Girls 5A State Semi Final

Mansfield Summit v Aldine Nimitz...Nimitz
Cy-Fair v Pflugerville...Pflugerville

5A Pflugerville-Judson Will Be Streamed

Pflugerville's Mike Murphy (left) will lead his Panthers tonight against old college pal, Mike Wacker of Converse Judson. A trip to the Regional Semi Finals is on the line when the two Texas Exes Coach's squads meet up.
Texas Basketball Inc. will be in the house tonight at San Marcos HS for the 5A Regional Quarter Final game between Converse Judson & Pflugerville. Should be a good one as Judson's only loss this season in a 53-1 campaign was to Pflugerville by 7 @ The Ville.

Judson will definitely need unsigned senior G Ned Cox to be healthy. Cox missed most of the 4th quarter with an ankle injury against Austin Westlake last week in a hard fought game. Old college team mates Mike Wacker & Mike Murphy who played together for the Texas Longhorns will be roaming the sidelines.

Pflugerville by 4 as I think Murphy could beat Wacker in a game of H-O-R-S-E..lol

The game will be audio streamed live by myself and can be accessed at http://www.texasbasketballinc.com/ Once there, click on "MAX AUDIO".

Louisiana Report Card-3rd Round

2010 G 6'5" Ronald McGhee of Baton Rouge Istrouma took his squad on his back last night and scored 32 points in a losing effort to New orleans powerhouse OP Walker. McGhee will start his club season shortly with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors when the spring season starts up in mid March.The 2nd Round of the LHSAA Playoffs went down in the Bayou State last night.

In 5A we went 5 for 8. In 4A we went 6-8. Not as good as our 81% in the 1st Round, but a pretty fair 69%.

Here are our 3rd Round (Quarterfinals picks)

Class 5A
Huntington v Mandeville....Huntington
Hanville v East Ascension...East Ascension
West Monroe v St. Augustine...West Monroe
Terrebone v Ouchita...Ouchita

Class 4A
Peabody v Salmen...Salmen
OP Walker v Alexandria...Alexandria
Northside v Bossier...Bossier
DeRidder v Glen Oaks...Glen Oaks

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Central Texas McDonald's Nominees Recognized

Two Central Texas Girls were final nominees for the McDonald's All American Game.
Congratulations to Shanay Washington of Del Valle (Baylor signee) and Kaylan Martin of Pflugerville who were a pair of final nominees to the McDonald's All American Game.

GIRLS Texas D-1 Ambassadors High School Tryouts


The Texas D-1 Ambassadors, known Nationally for their acclaimed boys program has expanded to offer the same opportunities to deserving young ladies in the area deserving of playing college basketball. We have only a few spots remaining on our two high school groups which already include D-1 prospects. The teams will play an aggressive schedule. The curriculum will consist of quality instruction, camps, exposure tournaments as well as having their evaluation posted on the http://www.texasbasketballrankings.com/ system for college coaches. Our ONLY OPEN TRYOUT is this coming Sunday for GIRLS grades 9-12th.


Sunday, March 8th 5:30-7PM

Garcia Middle School

7414 Johnny Morris Blvd

Austin, TX




Monday, March 2, 2009

Louisiana Report Card- State Playoffs-2nd Round

Let's see how our Louisiana correspondent did with forecasting the State High School 4A & 5A Divisions, and we'll also look ahead to the 2nd Round matchups.

In 4A, we were a whopping 13-16, and in 5A we were 13-16. If only we were in Vegas now, Baby!...lol 81% is pretty darn good.

Okay, here comes the 2nd Round.

Louisiana 5A

Huntington v St. Amant...Huntington
Mandeville v South LaFource...LaFource
Westgate v Hanville...Westgate
East Ascension v St. Thomas More...More

West Monroe v Carencro...West Monroe
Sulphur v St. Augustine...St. Augustine
Terrebone v Catholic...Terrebone
Thibodeaux v Ouchita...Ouchita

Louisiana 4A

Peabody v Franklin Parish...Peabody
Salmen v Abbeville...Abbeville
OP Walker v Istrouma...OP Walker
Edna Karr v Alexandria...Alexandria

Northside v Opelousas...Northside
McKinley v Bossier...Bossier
DeRidder v Grant...Grant
Ellender v Glen Oaks...Glen Oaks

Sunday, March 1, 2009

UT-San Antonio 79 Lamar 72

Texas D-1 Ambassador Leslie Jackson was Mr. Instant Energy for UTSA last night.
Saturday evening was Homecoming at UT-San Antonio. Coach Brooks Thompson's Roadrunners did not disappoint the raucous crowd of 3128 faithful. With a berth in the Southland Conference at stake, UTSA wrapped it up with a come from behind win 79-72. Down by as many as 9 late in the 3rd they clawed their way back. This team has much more grit than last year's edition.

They were led by last year's Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year Devin Gibson. The Houston native has been slowed by injuries at different times during the season but he looked good last night, taking the Lamar guards off the dribble at will on his way to a team high 17 points.

Former Texas D-1 Ambassador Leslie Jackson also had a nice game as he brought instant energy off the bench. He had 7 points and 6 rebounds in his 15 minutes of play. Jackson originally signed with Louisiana Tech, but was so disappointed when the coaching staff was fired that he transferred to Blinn JC. This, his Junior Campaign is his first with the Roadrunners. Leslie, who played his high school ball for Coach John Reese at Bryan HS is one of the favorite all time kids I've coached as he always had intensity, gave 100% and showed the utmost respect to me as a coach.

Texas UIL Regional Quarter Finals Predictions

In round 2 of the UIL Boys 5A Texas Boys Playoffs I was 23/32 for 71%. The two Arlington schools blowing leads against their El Paso opponents hurt my predictions. However, it shows how the rest of the State is catching up and narrowing the gap between the DFW & Houston schools.

In Round 2 in the 4A classification I was 16-32. 50%. Yikess. I know, go ahead crucify me..lol Let this be a lesson to NEVER bet money on 16-17 year old kids. Keep it good clean fun.

Okay, well let's get on with the next round of battles.
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Boys 4A Regional Quarter Finals

Region 1
El Paso Andress v Canyon Randall....Randall
Legacy v Mansfield Timberview...Timberview
Amarillo Palo Duro v El Paso Chapin...Palo Duro
Fort Worth Dunbar v Everman...Everman

Region 2
Dallas Lincoln v Dallas Kimball...Kimball
Waco Midway v Waco University...Midway
Highland Park v Sherman...Sherman
Lancaster v Cleburne...Lancaster

Region 3
Beaumont Ozen v Huntsville...Ozen
Houston Washington v Houston Jones...Jones
Brenham v Livingston...Brenham
Houston Wheatley v Houston Yates...Yates

Region 4
Austin Reagan v Austin LBJ...Reagan
Roma v McCollum...Roma
Killeen v Lake Travis...Killeen
Corpus Christi Calallen v Mercedes...Mercedes

5A Regional Quarter Finals

Region 1
El Paso El Dorado v El Paso Hanks...Hanks
Plano West v Duncanville...Duncanville
El Paso Montwood v North Crowley...Montwood
Cedar Hill v Irving...Cedar Hill

Region 2
Bryan v Mesquite...Bryan
Klein Forest v Klein Collins...Collins
Desoto v Mesquite Horn...Desoto
Cy-Woods v Tomball...Cy-Woods

Region 3
Alief Taylor v Houston Strake Jesuit...Jesuit
Fort Bend Elkins v Fort Bend Bush...Elkins
Kingwood v Houston Chavez...Chavez
Fort Bend Hightower v Port Arthur Memorial...Hightower

Region 4
San Antonio Stevens v San Antonio Wagner...Wagner
Weslaco v McAllen...McAllen
Converse Judson v Pflugerville...Pflugerville
Edinburg v San Antonio Southwest...Southwest