Spring Classic Recap

 The D1 Nation  held their Spring Classic in Austin this weekend and there was loads of talent in the gym. I had a chance to catch up with the San Antonio Bearcats for this group photo. This is a very talented group with loads of athleticism. the Bearcats took 2nd place in the Varsity Division.

(L) 6'5 Christopher Stephens of Roosevelt high school played very well this weekend. Stephens has adequate size with a nice skill set.

(R) 6'1 Nigele Robertson of Brennan High School showed good range on his shot. Very athletic player that doesn't mind shooting the ball.

(Far Right) 6'5" Royce O'Neale of Harker Heights was very impressive. Nice size & frame with great moves off the bounce. Played at a very high level throughout the tournament.

I also had a chance to catch up with The Lady Dream Team for this group photo. A very talented group of girls with great athleticism. Dream Team competed down to the last second during the entire tournament. They executed well and should do good things over the summer months.   

(L) 2011 W 6'7" Austin Jenkins of Austin Hyde Park did a great job working the paint. The big fellow stayed on the boards and helped Texas D1 Ambassadors-Hardge to a 1st place finish.

(R) 2013 PG 5'11 TJ Williams of Pflugerville is a high quality player with loads of next level potential. Smooth PG with the ability to score or hit the open man for the dime.

Australian Institute of Sport 60 Texas D1 Ambassadors 57

D1 Nation Live-Houston Tournament Recap:



Feature Game: Australian Institute of Sport 60 Texas D1 Ambassadors 57


The Australian team has spent the last two weeks in Houston & Dallas on a goodwill/competitive basketball tour. As always when we are requested to represent our country in international competition, the Texas D1 Ambassadors feel honored. As with most international teams, the Aussies are disciplined and fundamentally sound. Overall they lack the foot speed and athleticism of kids here in the United States but their focus on the team game and their maturity (17-21 year olds) make them a difficult opponent.

Texas D1 Ambassadors Coach Richard Law sharing pregame fellowship with his Aussie counterpart

Both teams spent the first half feeling each other out and not much scoring occured in transition. It didn’t take long to figure out that the University of New Mexico Lobos have gotten a good one in The Kangaroos G/W Hugh Greenwood. He had a nice stroke, was a competent ball handler & was extremely cagey in taking advantage of what the defense gave him.

Aussie Hugh Greenwood will soon be a New Mexico Lobo

On the flip side, this Texas D1 Ambassadors squad out of the Houston area has played only 4 games together and are still defining their roles. They are very talented, but also very young with a freshman (6’6” B.J. Jones), and four sophomores. They are 6’8” Kendrick Morris (Houston Second Baptist), 6’8” Jonathan Motley (Galena Park Northshore), 6’7” Kalvin Singleterry (Van Vleck), and 6’11” Anthony Morris (Van Vleck). They get their leadership from their junior trio of 6’5” Combo Guard Alex Caruso (A&M Consolidated), 6’0” Combo Chase Brogna (Houston St. Thomas) & 6’7” Maurice Letcher-Ellis a high flyer from Houston Yates. D1 rounds out its roster with one unsigned senior in 6’9” Kenyon Willis of Crosby.

The score was 28-23 in favor of the Aussies at the half. A combination of poor execution and excellent team D by the Aussies held Texas D1 scoreless for the first 6 minutes of the second half causing them to run out to a 17 point lead. In danger of getting blown out the D1 backcourt came alive. Two key three pointers by Brogna (the second tied the game at 57-57 with 20 seconds left) & two dunks by Caruso (one was a poster job) keyed the rally. With the clock running down the Aussies slipped a screen and they finished at the bucket with an “and 1” layup to seal the win. Great ball game!

Australian G Hugh Greenwood smiles the thrill of vicory as he's flanked by Texas D1 Ambassadors guards 2012 Devon Turk (left) & 2012 Alex Carso (right) who bite their lips through the agony of defeat.

The Texas D1 Ambassadors are proud to have represented their community, Texas & their country in international competition and fellowship.  Over the years we have gone 11-1 including a tour of France where they were undefeated, as well as domestic wins over teams from Japan, Chile & Mexico (3 times). The Aussies broke that streak and were a worthy opponent. We wish them well-Coach Max Ivany

San Antonio's Paul Garnica Key To Northern Colorado's Success

Follow the link below to read a great story on San Antonio Lee & Texas D1 Ambassadors alumni Paul Garnica.  The Greeley, Co dtory focuses on the quality of Paul's character and what a great team mate he has been as Northern Colorado has punched it's ticket to The Dance.

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20110314/SPORTS/703149972/1051&ParentProfile=1001
Jake Kocher (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) & Paul Garnica (Northern Colorado) shown below with the Texas D1 Ambassadors

Not too many things in the basketball world bother me, but one thing that stuck in my craw a year ago was hearing some talk that Paul Garnica was a "hot dog", a ball hog, only cared about his scoring stats, etc.  His role at Lee was to score and he did everything Coach Tommy Hines asked of him.  Sure Garnica played with a chip on his shoulder.  He had to. He wanted to get out of San Antonio and build a better life using basketball as his vehicle.

Garnica played two seasons with the Texas D1 Ambassadors top team.  The first year, he never complained as both he and Cody Doolin (San Francisco) apprenticed and understudied behind Garland Judkins (Arizona/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) & Brandon Thompson (Arizona State).  The following season when he & Doolin took over the leadership role, Paul sacrificed his own scoring to get other players involved and he served as a mentor for the younger players (Kocher & Tre Demps (Northwestern).  Paul encouraged and when appropriate got on his team mates to do bigger and better things.  You could see his leadership qualities blossoming.

When Colorado Coach Tad Boyle & Northern Colorado Coach B.J. Hill asked me Paul's best quality I told them in no uncertain terms that it wasn't his shooting , ballhandling & scoring.  It was his leadership.  It should make all of San Antonio & the Hispanic Community proud to see him have this early success.  Congratulations Paul-Coach Max & the D1 Ambassadors Family

NCAA Bracketology

Who doesn't have an interest in the NCAA Tournament & the bracketology that comes with it?  Below is Coach Max's (aka Big Snappy) bracket.  I'm picking the Louisville Cardinals.

Of course it's even more fun when you have a personal relationship with some of the players.  Here's a brief rundown of the players who have worn the uniform of the D1 Ambassadors during their club basketball careers that are playing in this year's NCAA Tournament.

East Regional

2009 6'10" John Henson               Round Rock                        North Carolina

2010 5'11" Jason Brickman          San Antonio Clark              Long Island

2008 6'9"   Cameron Moore         San Antonio Roosevelt       Alabama-Birmingham 

2010 6'0"   Chris Clement            Round Rock Stony Point     Princeton 

West Regional

2009 6'5"  D.J. Stephens               Killeen Harker Heights     Memphis

2010 6'0"  Paul Garnica                 San Antonio Lee                Northern Colorado

Southwest Reginal

2010 6'8"  Daniel Alexander         Dripping Springs                 Texas A&M (redshirt)

2007 6'8"  Carlton Scott                San Antonio Madison         Notre Dame

Southeast Regional

2010 6'9" Gus Leeper                   Austin Westlake                  Arkansas-Little Rock

The best of luck to all these players whose dreams are coming true!-Coach Max Ivany

D1 Nation Mixer @ Houston's Big Dance Thursday, March 31st, 2011

The D1 Nation & Full Court Press hosts the Big Dance Mixer in Houston, TX

Location: Little Woodrow's  2019 Walker St.  Houston, TX

Date: March 31st

Time: 6pm-9pm

An open invitation to college coaches at all levels as well as Texas High School Coaches. (Not open to the general public. Sorry, no parents of recruitable athletes may attend).



We're excited to announce a new experience surrounding college basketball's biggest event. Max Ivany of D1 Nation Prep Report & the D1 Ambassadors has partnered up with longtime associate Dinos Trigonis of Full Court Press & the Belmont Shore to host a mixer for Texas' High School Coaches & all college coaches who will be in Houston for the NCAA Final Four.

The event will be hosted at one of Texas' most recognized names in the "Sports Bar" business by Little Woodrow's.  With 7 locations in Austin & Houston it's a classy place to unwind and talk hoops, and to catch the latest buzz on who's interviewing for job openings as we lead up to the games on April 2nd & 4th.

This private mixer will be held on March 31st on the patio at Little Woodrow's newest location, 2019 Walker in Houston, TX just a stone's throw (less than 5 minute walk) from the George R Brown Convention Center where most of the NCAA's coaches clinics, meetings etc will be held.

Click on the link below to head to Little Woodrow's

http://www.mapquest.com/?__aolrel=1300157928263

Dinos Trigonis Recognized as an expert on the West Coast prep recruiting scene. Editor of the Full Court Press Report,  Director of the Pangos All American Camp & architect of the Belmont Shore Basketball Club.

        Dinos Trigonis                              Max Ivany

Max Ivany Recognized as an expert on the Texas, Louisiana & Mississippi prep basketball recruiting scene, Director of the All American Prodigy Camp & architect of the Texas, Louisiana & Mississippi D1 Ambassadors.

From High School To Summer Basketball

Saturday evening officially ended the Texas High School Season.  Dallas Kimball walked away with the 4A hardware, defeating La Marque.  Meanwhile the 5A contest saw Flower Mound Marcus edging Garland Lakeview Centennial to nab their first ever 5A championship. Congratulations to all!

Less than 12 hours later 200 players converged on Buda, TX on 4 courts for the 4th All American Prodigy Camp held in the spring during State Tournament Weekend. An additional 50 pre-registered players had conflicts with family Spring Break plans to keep the numbers from hitting 250.  There was plenty of action & instruction on 4 floors including a separate camp for the ladies, 8th/9th grade boys & two floors of varsity level players and top notch prospects.  We'll have a detailed recap of camp award winners & highlights over the next several days.

Texas State Championship Day

5A Garland Lakeview Centennial 87  San Antonio Taft 77
Senior Chris Jones led the way with 24 points as Taft trailed early, down by almost 20 points for much of the game.  The final score was respectable as their three seniors left with next level play on their minds.  Deondre Logan led with 24 points & Dylan Elias (Northern CVolorado chipped in with 17 in the loss.

Elias had a great senior year for Taft and now heads to Northern Colorado where he'll join fellow San Antonio native, Paul Garnica.

5A  Flower Mound Marcus 53  Fort Bend Hightower 41
Marcus led throughout, and advanced to the Championship unlike last year when they lost in the semifinals to Fort Bend Bush. Their matchup with Lakeview Centennial assures that one of the two go home happy this year.

4A La Marque vs Dallas Kimball
Kimball brings a storied history to the State Tournament, while La Marque is making it's first appearance.  Kimball also brings 3 big time D1 players with them (Jalen Jones (SMU), Jordan Williams (North Texas) & 6'9" Jarion Henry while La Marque brings only one (Julien Lewis-Texas).

5A  Flower Mound Marcus vs Garland Lakeview Centennial
This one should be a dandy.  Look for Lakeview Centennial's pressure to be the deciding factor as they bring wave after wave of pressure. Centennial is also motivated to be the bridesmaid, which is how it went down last year.

Texas State Tournament

Last night the favorites as predicted, took care of business in 4A. 

Dallas Kimball  Cedar Park 36
The Cedar Park Timber Wolves won 11 straight games with stifling defense but last night Dallas Kimball turned the tables on them, allowing only 4 points in the 3rd quarter.  Cedar Park had tied the game 18-18 with 5 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, but Kimball began their run & ended the 3rd with a 42-26 lead.  Kimball was simply too long and too deep.  Senior Spencer Drago (Baylor-football) led CP with 15 points while Army bound Dylan Cox added 10 points and 13 rebounds.  Jalen Jones (SMU) led the way for Kimball as they head towards a final game vs LaMarque.

Cedar Park's Dylan Cox rides off into the sunset as one of the most successful two sport athletes in the State.  He now takes his hard nose, classy game to West Point.

La Marque  72   Fort Worth Arlington Heights  61
La Marque jumped out in a big way, early.  Heights fought back midway through the game but they seemed to lose a lot of energy.  Julien Lewis (Texas) sliced and diced his way to 21 points, leading his squad to it's first ever tournament finals appearance.

Cen Tex & South Texas Players Put On NCAA Dancing Shoes

This is a great time of year if you're a basketball junkie.  The NBA players are finally taking things seriously, the Texas & Louisiana State High School Championships are in full swing & the NCAA is in the process of deciding their conference tournaments.  Of course there'll be lots of at large bids form the power conferences but the most intrigue always comes from who wins the conference tournament from a "one bid" league.

Many of our Texas D1 Ambassadors alumni are making their mark on the college scene and eying the big dance.  Last night I watched Big Gus Leeper, the true freshman from Austin Westlake help his Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans to their first NCAA appearance in 20 years.

Gus Leeper (left) gets better every game out for the Trojans

In the late late game Northern Colorado and their do it all guard Devon Beitzel beat Montana on their home floor in Greeley, CO to earn their first ever NCAA Tournament berth.  San Antonio Lee's true freshman Paul Garnica was a big part of their success.

Northern Colorado's Paul Garnica puts on his dancing shoes while admiring the hardware

Two nights in a row now Converse Wagner true freshman, Andre Roberson has helped lift his Colorado Buffaloes to improbable wins over Iowa State (9points, 15 rebounds) & tonight vs Kansas State (11 points, 14 rebounds).  They face the mighty Kansas Jayhawks tomorrow.

Roberson's led the Buffs in rebounding as a true freshman

Long Island earned it's first NCAA berth in 13 years as true freshman Jason Brickman of San Antonio Clark had 15 points & 8 assists.

San Antonio Clark's Brickman is quietly assuming a leadership role with Long Island

Memphis is not their usual lock for the NCAA's this year and may have to win their Conference USA Tournament.  Killeen Harker Heights F D.J. Stephens doesn't always get big minutes but is there a more exciting dunker in all of college basketball? He averages 12 minutes a game, but is shooting over 50% from the field as he brings the house down almost every night for the Tigers.

It's rim rattling dunks like this which makes sophomore Stephens a Memphis fan favorite.

Congratulations to Converse Wagner's Jordan Clarkson.  He scored 21 tonight in a win over Rice. He was recently named to the Conference USA Newcomer squad.

Texas Final Four: 4A & 5A

The State Tournament kicks off today from Class 1A-4A, while the 5A semis go ahead on Friday afternoon.  Congratulations to all teams who've made it.  This year was a real minefield as 12 #1 seeds in 4A and 5A were bumped out of the first round of the playoffs.  Make no mistake about it that Texas is as fertile recruiting ground for Division One caliber players as any state in the nation.

4A Fort Worth Arlington Heights Vs LaMarque
Heights will be led by two sport star Marquis Jackson, but Texas signee Julien Lewis should be the difference for LaMarque.  Both teams like to get out and run.

4A  Dallas Kimball vs Cedar Park
The slipper doesn't fit for Cinderella, as big, bad Kimball is just too athletic and deep.  Cedar Park PG Dylan Cox (Army) will need plenty of support from his troops. Kimball is chock full of D1 talent with Jordan Green (North Texas),  Jalen Jones(SMU) & Jarion Henry.

5A  Flower Mound Marcus vs Fort Bend Hightower
Marcus' looks to be on the verge of starting a dynasty as far as appearances at The Drum.  Their top three players are 2012's. They are led by hard playing Marcus Smart, G Phil Forte & 6'8" Nick Banyard.  Hightower will try and control pace as they are led by 2012 F Danuel House.

5A Garland Lakeview Centennial vs San Antonio Taft
Taft has outstanding backcourt play in Marshall Harris (Citadel) & Dylan Elias (Northern Colorado)...and they'll need every bit of it and then some.  Lakeview Centennial will bring the heat from the moment they get off the bus. They are led by PG Jemarlas Demas, Chris Jones (North Texas) & Toddrick Gotcher (Texas Tech).

TAPPS 5A All State Selections

If this was the East Coast, or Chicago most everyone would be gushing over these kids.  Here in Texas we're still a little bit late to the party when it comes to granting respect to the private schools.  Slowly but surely it's changing though as both TAPPS, the Southwest Preparatory Conference & even the home school associations (especially in Houston) are regularly producing Division One players and at the very least school teams that can compete with most any public school in the State.

This year 2012 Zach Paeters has committed to Kansas while 2011 W Jonathan Holmes has committed to the Texas Longhorns. Whether a family is seeking a more intimate classroon setting, or perhaps a faith based education it is becoming a very viable alternative in Texas for a family to achieve the above and to experience athleic excellence.  The Texas D1 Ambassadors have long understood this and we are proud to give the 12 players who made 1st Team All State in TAPPS 5A their props, and especially to the 5 players who have worn our colors.

Jake Kocher Austin St. Michael's G Sr  (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi).  It didn't matter who Kocher played against as he shot, sliced and diced his way into Austin basketball lore. We can't find any substantial evidence to support this as the Austin American Statesman does not keep the historical data but Kocher may be Austin's all time leading scorer with 2700 career points.  If anyone would like to provide evidence to the contrary, I'd love to know.  Possibly A.J. Abrams?

Tyler James Dallas Bishop Lynch G Sr
Trey Guidry Houston St. Pius X F Jr


Devon Turk Houston St. Pius X G Jr
One of 2012's top snipers, Turk will suit up for the Texas D1 Ambassadors-Houston this coming season. He was recently offered by Sam Houston State with many other offers to come.  Oregon State is also very high on him early.

Christian Sanders Houston St. Thomas G Jr
Chase Brogna Houston St. Thomas G Jr
Brogna's 27 points in the State Championship game helped to topple Prestonwood Academy and it's twin towers of Zach Peters & Julius Randle. Louisiana-Monroe has offered early to the smooth stroking combo guard.

Alexis Gaytan Laredo St. Augustine G Sr
Julius Randle Plano Prestonwood F So
Zach Peters Plano Prestonwood F Jr
Jonathan Holmes San Antonio Antonian F Sr


Cole Martinez San Antonio Central Catholic G Sr
Always a high level shooter, Martinez went hog wild as a senior putting up 20 plus points almost everytime out including several buzzer beaters to win games.  He has added other tricks to his arsenal and is able to take people off the bounce now to become multidemensional. He'll play for the Texas D1 Ambassadors-Austin this spring and summer as an unsigned senior.  College coaches alert!

Tommy Berry San Antonio Central Catholic G Sr
Berry is a hardnosed guard that can shoot the three ball, get to the hole and is very physical.  He combined with Martinez to form a very potent backcourt.

Congratulations to all the players & their families for earning these honors-Coach Max Ivany

Austin Westlake's & Arkansas-Little Rock's Gus Leeper Close To Dancing

Little more than two years ago, Gus Leeper was playing basketball as a junior for Austin Westlake in the shadow of talented team mate Cody Doolin (starting PG for San Francisco).  Defensively, Gus was solid but not spectacular.  Then a funny thing happened.  The light switch went on for him and he started to really WORK on his game and his body.  Leeper became one of Austin Westlake Coach Tres Ellis' hardest working guys in practice, he took individual training lessons and he then bought in to my partner, T.J. Garza's Speed Killz Period strength and conditioning program.

The results: Gus had an outstanding senior campaign becoming a tough shot blocker who now had offensive moves around the basket and a bounce in his step. Two seasons playing on the circuit for the Texas D1 Ambassadors and as a product of a high quality high school program made the D1's begin to notice.

Leeper, (left #55) battles Middle Tennessee in the paint

Photo courtesy of Middle Tennessee State's official site

Gus chose Arkansas-Little Rock mainly for the opportunity to be coached by former Arkansas Razorback & NBA veteran big man, Joe Kleine.  He fully expected to be redshirted this season but when I spoke to Coach Kleine in the fall he told me that Gus was working "too dang hard" for UALR to put the redshirt on him.  Fast forward now, 4 months later and Leeper has worked his way into the starting lineup.  Last night on ESPN, I watched him run the floor extremely well, haul down 7 rebounds and if they can pull off the upset tonight against North Texas then he can punch his ticket to the Dance. Big Papa Rick Leeper sends me updates on his boy on a regular basis.  We'll be watching tonight, Gus and much uf Austin will share your family's pride in your work ethic and accomplishments-Coach Max Ivany

Houston St. Thomas Wins TAPPS-5A State Title

After having watched Houston St. Thomas High School struggle in the first round of the TAPPS Playoffs at home a couple of weeks ago vs Argyle Liberty Christian (they pulled it out in overtime) I was hard pressed to envision them winning a State title. However,  Coach Danny Evans rallied his charges and they got stronger as each round went on.


After dispatching Dallas Bishop Dunne with a stifling defensive effort in the semi finals (St. Thomas held Dunne to 24 points in a 42-24 win), St. Thomas had to face mighty Prestonwood Academy in the Championship Game. Prestonwood is talented, and BIG. The man in the middle for them is 2012 Zach Peters who has committed to play for Coach Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks, while 2013 Forward Julius Randle is near the top of everyone's list of the top players nationally in his class.

St. Thomas is no slouch either though as they have a trio of 2012 Division One prospects. They anchor their two-three zone with lanky 6'9" Jeremy King, 6'3" combo guard Christian Sanders who is a superior academic student. That's why the Ivies, Stanford, Vanderbilt and the like are watching him closely (Christian's Pops, Brad played for Kansas back in the day).  The other outside threat is 6'0" Chase Brogna who when he is hot is as good a shooter as Texas has in the 2012 class.

Brogna will be on every mid major's list for a shooter in the Class of 2012

Prestonwood shot out of the gate and had the Eagles on the ropes going up 14-2 in the 1st quarter and with St. Thomas big man, Jeremy King on the bench with two early fouls it did not look good. A couple of buckets away from a knockout punch St. Thomas composed themselves and behind Brogna's hot second quarter shooting ( 14 points). It was knotted at the half, 27-27.


The foul situation flipped in the 3rd quarter, and with Randle & Peters in trouble the duo of Brogna & Sanders got red hot. Outscoring Prestonwood 19-5 in the 3rd caused them to become unravelled and St. Thomas won going away, 76-57. Chase Brogna, who will suit up for the Houston version of the Texas D1 Ambassadors led the way with 27 points while Sanders added 20 of his own for the school's first ever State basketball Championship. Congratulations to Coach Evans & his staff, along with the players and their families.

Texas 4A & 5A State Tournament-Austin, TX March 9-12th

Here are your Regional representatives in Texas 4A & 5A for next week's State Tournament at the Erwin Center on the campus of the University of Texas.

4A
Region 1     Fort Worth Arlington Heights
Region 2     Dallas Kimball
Region 3     LaMarque
Region 4     Cedar Park

Cedar Park dominated Boerne Champion who seemed to have no legs left after last night's triple overtimegame.  Thet had no answer for Army signee Dylan Cox as the 6'4" PG scored 19 points and recorded 12 rebounds in the title game.  Cedar Park won going away, 45-26.  It's the first time that a Leander ISD team has ever advanced this far in a boys team sport.

Cedar Park's Dylan Cox was too much for Boerne Champion to handle

5A
Region 1   Flower Mound Marcus
Region 2   Garland Lakeview Centennial
Region 3   Fort Bend Hightower
Region 4   San Antonio Taft

San Antonio Taft never trailed San Antonio MacArthur, with the score after the 1st quarter 3-2!  It was too much Deondre Logan, as the undersized forward battled hard, getting to the rim against the bigger MacArthur team and finishing.  He led the way with 23 points as the Raiders head to Austin.  2012 F Jordan Pratt led the Brahmas with 13 points.  It looked like Taft was going to run away as they built a 9 point lead early in the 4th quarter.  However,  an "And 1" by Pratt, followed by a Matt Gramling three and a subsequent (rarely called) foul under the basket on Gramling's three gave Pratt two more free throws and all of a sudden it was a 41-40 dogfight.  Senior Ryan O'Hara was scoreless until the last minute when he scored under the bucket and added a free throw to put Taft back up 44-40.  Two late free throws made it a a 46-40 final. 

Texas 4A & 5A Regional Finals Are Set

Last night's Results

Region 4
4A
San Antonio Taft 62  Edinburgh 52
Senior Deondre Logan led the way with 24 points as Taft has a new hero most every night.  They head into their final v San Antonio MacArthur with their seniors Dylan Elias (Northern Colorado), Marshall Harris (Citadel) & Deondre Logan determined to get to Austin.  They had to overcome 25 poiints from Edinburgh guard Aaron Olvera to get it done.

San Antonio MacArthur 77  Harlingen 61
Mac came out blazing, getting up by as many as 31 points, which enabled them to rest their starters for half the game.  A year away by most accounts with 2012 Jordan Pratt & G Matt Gramling, the Brahmas stepped up the timelines on their goals.  Tough to pick against Taft, but I think Mac being rested and the middle of the paint being manned by Senior P Jayce Amaro (Texas Tech-football) at 6'6" & 240lbs might be the difference.

Dylan Elias wants to take a side trip to Austin next week for the State Tournament before he heads to Northern Colorado.  If all works out well he'll see his childhood pal and longtime team mate with the Texas D1 Ambassadors, Cedar Park's Dylan Cox there as well.

MacArthur's Matt Gramling has his eyes on a State berth

5A
Boerne Champion 86  Victoria East 77 (3OT)
Cedar Park 43  San Antonio Lanier 41
Senior G Dylan Cox (Army) led the Timber Wolves to the win v SA Lanier. Today's game will be a matchup between Cedar park's highly disciplined, methodical approach under Coach Blake Brown & Boerne Champion under the grand old chessmaster Coach Stan Leech & his star Senior Madison Turner.  Another tough one.  I'll give the edge to the young bull, Brown and his charges over the old bull, Leech (of course I can say that because I'm now sadly in the latter category..lol)

Cedar Park's Dylan Cox has unfinished business from the football field

Regional Finals Today

4A
Region 1    Fort Worth Arlington Heights v The Colony    (The Colony)
Region 2    Dallas Lincoln v Dallas Kimball                       (Kimball)
Region 3    LaMarque v Galveston Ball                             (LaMarque)
Region 4    Boerne Champion v Cedar Park                       (Cedar Park)

5A
Region 1    Flower Mound Marcus v Cedar Hill                 (Flower Mound Marcus)
Region 2    Garland Lakeview Centennial v Desoto           (Garland Lakeview Centennial) 
Region 3   Fort Bend Hightower v Fort Bend Travis          (Fort Bend Travis) 
Region 4   San Antonio MacArthur v San Antonio Taft     (San Antonio MacArthur)

Texas State 4A & 5A Playoff Round Up

Cedar Park 39  New Braunfels Canyon 34
Dylan Cox (Army) led his Timber Wolves to victory in a game where they controlled pace and frustrated one of the Region favorites, New Braunfels Canyon.

Dylan Cox & Cedar Park advance to their first Regional

Bastrop 70   Hutto 65  (OT)
Hutto tied the game at the buzzer as regulation ended but 23 points by Josiah Monroe (Texas-Antonio-football) led the Bastrop Bears to victory over District foe Hutto in overtime. After splitting the season series with a 2 point margin, it looked bad for Bastrop as Jordan Roach (South Alabama) had to leave the game with what appeared to be a possible concussion after a blow requiring stitches.  Bastrop will now face powerhouse Dallas Kimball.

Josiah Monroe held down the fort in the absence of injured team mate, Jordan Roach.

The Woodlands 68  Pflugerville 59
Stymied by The Woodlands zone, Pflugerville had a tough night shooting the ball.  Senior Deon Mitchell (Northern Iowa) finished his prep career with 12 points.

It's on to Northern Iowa for Mitchell as his Pflugerville Panthers were eliminated

Spring Dekaney 65   Austin High 50
Senior Alex Reinking finished his prep career with 17 points, but it wasn't enough.  Austin High's PG Eric McClellan who is now being courted by Central Arkansas, Northeastern & Wichita State amongst others sadly was injured last game and could not play. 

Galand Lakeview Centennial 84  Killeen Harker Heights 62
This one was never close as a combination of poor shooting by Harker Heights (2-17 from the three point line) and Lakeview Centennial's intense full court pressure were too much.  Senior Royce O'Neale had 23 points & 14 rebounds for the Knights as he ended his prep career.

Desoto 60  Killeen Ellison 52
The Eagles had Desoto on the ropes but missed free throws and layups cost them a chance at the win.  Desoto's F 6'6" Antwan Space (Florida State) showed why he was so coveted as he scored 34 points & had 14 rebounds.  Jaleel Williams & Devonte Brown (indiana State) both had 13 in their last prep game.

Boerne Champion 53  San Antonio Alamo Heights 47
Senior G Madison Turner had 18 points as the Chargers beat long time rival, Alamo Heights.

San Antonio MacArthur 57  San Antonio Reagan 52
2012 G Matt Gramling outdueled Reagan Senior Tre Demps (Northwestern) as he led the Brahmas to the victory with 15 points.  Tough inside play by Senior Jayce Amaro (Texas Tech-football) was a key.  He had 6 points but 11 tough rebounds.  Regan Seniors Max Yon (Air Force) had 14 points to lead Reagan in his last prep game.

2012 G Matt Gramling showed he coud do it on both ends of the floor against Reagan

San Antonio Taft 35  San Antonio Clark 33
A buzzer beater by Marshall Harris (Citadel) gave the Raiders the rubber match win over Clark.  Harris led with 11 points in the nip and tuck battle where Clark never led but still tied the score with 18 seconds left.  Senior Jacob Palacios' ended his prep career with 12 points to lead the Cougars.

San Antonio Lanier 51  San Antonio Brackenridge 4 (OT)
Junior Troy Lopez ked the Voks to the win with 17 points, including a long three pointer to force overtime, beating a much bigger Brackenridge team.  6'8" Gabe Taylor led Brack with 26 points.

San Francisco's Cody Doolin Earns West Coast Conference Honors

Another Texas D1 Ambassadors alumni earned All Conference Honors as Austin Westlake & Texas D1 Ambassadors veteran, Cody Doolin was named to the West Coast Conference's All Newcomer squad. Doolin has started the entire year as a true freshman for the University of San Francisco Dons, leading them in minutes played, while running the lead guard spot for them.

Click the link below to read the story.  Congratulations to Cody & His Family.

http://usfdons.com/sports/m-baskbl/2010-11/releases/20110301fra5qp

Doolin, shown below with the Texas D1 Ambassadors led the 2010 group to two consecutive Kingwood Classic Platinum Cahmpionships as well as countless other tournament & showcase victories.  A fierce competitor, and an unselfish player he is well on his way to establishing himself in Dons lore and representing the City of Austin at the NCAA Division One level.

Congratulations to Cody & His Family-Coach Max Ivany

J.J. Avila Named Patriot League Rookie of the Year

I spoke with Coach Eugene Burroughs from the Naval Academy this morning.  He was gushing over former McAllen High star and Texas D1 Ambassadors alumni J.J. Avila.  Avila had just been named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year.  Click on the link below to read the story from Navy's Official Site.

http://www.navysports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022811aaa.html

Avila, shown below with the Texas D1 Ambassadors at the Arizona Cactus Classic

Congratulations to J.J. & His Family!-Coach Max Ivany