Austin Area Thanksgiving Performances Of Note

I fell behind a little over the last few days as I put most of my efforts into the highly successful D1 Nation Houston Thanksgiving Jamboree.  This morning was spent catching up on Austin area hoops and giving props to some of the top performers over the last few days.

2013 G Jacob Vick had 15 points as Georgetown drilled Willis.

2012 G Tevin Bellinger had 25 to lead Hutto over Austin St. Michael's 59-36.

2012 G Derek Nalodka helped Round Rock Westwood "hang a hunny" on Cedar Park Vista Ridge 101-51.

2012 G P.J. Rivera had 22 but Austin Akins fell to San Antonio Churchill 75-68.

Woodlands College Park beat Georgetown 62-49 despite 28 points from 2012 G Michael Hardge.

Waco La Vega beat Austin Anderson 72-66 despite 21 points from 2013 G John Gramlich
Dripping Springs Collin Tubbs had 19 in their 60-51 win over Burnet.

Killeen came from behind to beat rival Killeen Ellison 64-62 and got two huge and ones from 2014 G Brian Long who finished with 16 points.

Austin High had 17 from 2013 F Patrick Strake in a 59-47 win over Leander.
Harker Heights won 74-59 over Round Rock Stony Point behind 2012 G Thomas Cherry's 17.
2012 Chris Runnels had 15 points as Killeen Shoemaker beat Georgetown 69-51 to stay unbeaten.

2015 W Rashard Odomes had 32 points and played like a man possessed as Copperas Cove beat Waco Midway 95-65.

2013 Trey Nash had 19 in Elgin's 67-58 win over Manor.

Austin Westlake beat Austin St. Andrews 74-46 behind 2012 Drew Wikelius (22), 2013 G Will Morse (13) and 2014 G Chase Carlton 13

2013 P 6'10" Leonard Allen had 18 as Round Rock nipped Temple 52-50

Pflugerville went on the road and beat A&M Consolidated despite 17 from Texas A&M bound Alex Caruso.  2013 G Napoleon Onyeje had scored 19 in the win.

Austin Hyde Park's 2012 PG Spencer Phillips led the way with 21 points in an OT win.

Austin Bowie battled Austin LBJ to an OT win as 2012 WG Mareik Isom (Arkansas-Little Rock) had 18.

San Marcos 81  Austin Travis 50. 2012 W Allex Austin had 31 points in the blowout.

2013 W Rowdy Winters led Kerrville Tivy with 11 points in a win over South San.

D1 Nation Houston Thanksgiving Top Performers

Wow!  I cannot thank the various media outlets enough who took the time to write on our inaugural D1 Nation Houston Thanksgiving Jamboree and the players who performed in it.  I will wait until all their stories are posted and then provide links for the competitors, high school coaches, college coaches, parents and fans to enjoy.-Coach Max Ivany

The D1 Nation Houston Thanksgiving Jamboree's Top Dozen Performers

1. The MVP:  2012 G 6'4"  Christian Sanders     Houston St. Thomas (TX)          Stanford
Stanford has gotten a gem in Sanders.  Yes, he is a high level shooter but that's not all he brings to the table.  He's longer, quicker and tougher than you think.  MUCH Tougher!  This kid is a competitor who does not like to lose and knows how to finish games. He wants the ball and never loses his focus.  18 points vs Brazosport and 32 against Houston Bellaire only tell part of the story.

2.      2013      W 6'9"            Jarell Martin             Baton Rouge Madison Prep (LA)
Martin was the sure fire pro at the event.  His talent is obvious.  Ultra long, bouncy, skilled and has a nice perimeter stroke.  How about the intangibles though?  He's obviously on a second year team with talent not quite up to his level.  Does he sulk or act above his other team mates?  Absolutely not.  His demeanor mever changes, he runs the floor with continuous effort on both ends and the score does not matter.  He keeps working.  Toss in the fact that he's only been playing basketball three years, only had one summer on the circuit and has only played a total of 11 high school games thus far.  There's a reason that Louisville, Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas, Louisiana State, Marquette and others have offered him already. 

3.     2013     G 6'1"              Ken "Juice" Williams  Houston Episcopal (TX)
The Juice is loose!...and I'm not talking about the infamous O.J.  This is Ken Williams who's as good a microwave scorer as you'll find in the 2013 Class. He can and will shoot it from deep but he's got a devastatingly quick first step and burst to the cup that's not easy to defend.  He had 27 in EACH of Episcopal's wins.  He defends hard too, only question I have is how does he distribute the ball at the next level?  Not saying he can't, just that he was busy scorching and scoring during this event.

4.   2012 G 6'1"   Branford Jones      Fort Bend Elkins                          Long Beach State
Long Beach has a tough program, and they've gotten a tough kid in Jones.  One of talent rich Houston's best guards he can score, distribute, defend and lead a team.  He's got just enough of a swagger but he combines that with a hard nosed style of play.

5.   2012 G   6'0"          Chase Brogna           Houston St. Thomas          
St. Thomas' backcourt was the difference in their two wins.  Running the point and off guard Brogna had an outstanding event.  He scored 15 and 18 in his two games.  It wasn't only with his trademark catch and shoot perimeter game though.  He slashed to the hole effectively in traffic several times and hit clutch midrange shots. 

6.   2013     P 6'5"        Kendell Ramrale     Houston Episcopal
The negatives, he's undersized.  Now, forget the negatives.  Go ahead and recruit Ramrale.  He's got Ivy type grades, toughness and court savvy.  He's strong physically and bangs on every play controlling the boards against bigger opponents.  He was the event's leading rebounder, totalling near 30.

7.   2012     P 6'9"       Jeremy King             Houston St, Thoma
King's got it down pat on the defensive end.  He rebounds exceptionally well and is an above average shot blocker. Offensively King shows flashes of brilliance but it's intermittent.  Once he tidies that up and revs his motor he's a high major.  He's a nice mid major get in the spring as things now stand.  Good academics and athleticism make him an intriguing prospect.

 8.  2012     G 5'11"     D.J. Griggs               Brazosport
Griggs is well put together and is quick on both ends of the floor.  He's got multiple D1 offers but is currently scheduled to attend prep school.  He's academically in order but feels he can get "better" offers with another year to hone his PG skills.  Griggs has long range although he was off on Friday night.  He did get to the free throw line a bunch and once there he knocked them down.  He finished with 16 points.

9.          2013   WG   6'3"  Jaleen Smith                    Brazosport   
Smith is going to be a real find.  Playing on a low profile club team has kept him under the radar but the word will quickly get out that this active, high energy player is long, can shoot it from deep and slash to the hole. He's a nice mid major find.           

10.      2012 G 6'1"  Myles Elgin       Houston Bellaire
Elgin was the heart and soul of Bellaire.  He slashed to the hole and he battled bigger players for rebounds.  He's fearless and plays with a high level of intensity.  He would not allow his Bellaire team mates to quit, never let the crowd intimidate him and finished with 20 points.

11.      2013  P  6'8"       Bobby Reeves                                  Houston Furr
Reeves was a new face to me.  He's raw, but has a great body; long and wide.  Keith White, come get this guy and work with him!  Had 15 rebounds and got better as the game went on.

12.      2013 PG   5'11"  Robert Hatter                                 Houston Westside
Hatter has some growing/filling out to do.  However he pushes the ball well and has confidence in his shot from deep.  Clearly made his team "go".  SHowed a nice ability to both get out and to finish in transition as well.

Just outside the Top Twelve were 2012 P 6'4" Mark Gray of New Iberia (LA) who is undersized and not particularly fleet of foot.  However, this kid showed the heart of a lion and a knack for rebounding and scoring down low which require me to give him props.  Tough sell to D1 because of his size but he will help a college program at the D2 level.

Also, 2013 W 6'5" Khory Ross of Brazosport is a long, intriguing prospect.  I felt he was too quick to shoot it on his first touch from the perimeter and unfortunately it limited his impact on the game.  No doubt he's a prospect though and will be a nice mid major player when all is said and done.

2013 G Jamal Williams of Houston Episcopal is long, quick defensively and not afraid to take shots at key points in the game.  Will be one of Houston's more intriguing 2013 prospects.

D1 Nation Houston Thanksgiving Jamboree Recaps

The inugural D1 Nation Thanksgiving Jamboree has now come and gone.  The event was a huge success.  As both days progressed the crods grew, culminating in a house that was rocking when the host team St. Thomas Eagles took the court in what turned out to be high energy victories over Brazosport and last night over Houston Bellaire. Despite the fact that many college teams are playing in tournaments of their own this time of year the first time field was strong enough to attract college coaches from Texas A&M, Lousiana State University, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Louisville, Lee College, Springhill College (AL), Air Force, Baylor and UTEP.  My man, John Lucas was in attendance as well.

The following media outlets were on hand to provide coverage for the event.  www.d1nation.com   www.areacodesbasketball.com  www.westcoasthoopsreport.com  www.fivestarbasketball.com www.rcssports.com  www.texashoops.com www.rivals.com and www.bbcbasketballplayers.com

Houston Furr   70       Sharpstown 65
Both teams have young coaching staffs and young players trying to make a name for themselves.  The opener was a see saw affair. In the end it was too much of 2013 P 6'8" Bobby Reeves of Furr.  As the game wore on, Reeves wore Sharpstown out to the tune of 24 points and 15 rebounds.

Houston Episcopal    Baton Rouge Madison Prep (LA)
Episcopal were not good hosts to the young Louisiana squad as they broke open a close game late in the 3rd quarter behind the scoring of 2013 G Ken "Juice" Williams who had 27 points.  I was also impressed with the work ethic of one of the State's top rebounders in 2013 P 6'5" Kendell Ramrale who had double digit boards and controlled the defensive end.  2013 F 6'9" Madison Prep's Jarell Martin had the crowd buzzing as he had several nice dunks, showed off his length and also highlighted his handles, which were pretty impressive for a young man that big.  He finished with 15 points. Amazingly, this was only the 10th high school game of his career.

Houston St. Thomas   Brazosport
Brazosport jumped out early on the home team, St. Thomas 16-7.  That was the highlight of their night though as St. Thomas is just too talented and methodical in getting the shots they want. Their backcourt is polished with 2012 G Christian Sanders (Stanford) leading the way with 18.  2012 PG Chase Brogna had 15.  I've watched Brogna for awhile now and he is continuing to make strides in his defensive footspeed and improved handles and a little slash to his game.  He's rounding into a more complete player while still maintaining his shooter's edge. Brazosport were led by 2013 G D.J. Griggs as he scored 16.  His shot wasn't fall tonight and most of his points came from the free throw line. 

2013 G D.J. Griggs

2012 P 6'10" Jeremy King showed more offensive aggressiveness in a 3 minute span than I've seen out of him before as he had two monster dunks, including one off the bounce from the wing.  He finished with 10 points.  Both King and Brogna are unsigned and have excellent credentials on the academic side of the coin as well.

Houston Episcopal  65     New Iberia (LA)  35
The folks in Louisiana probably have never heard of Episcopal High School before this weekend.  Now that they have, it will not be pretty.  For the second day in a row they gave a Lone Star whuppin' to their neighbors from "The Boot". Once again, Ken Williams showed why he's one of H-Town's premiere scorers as he torched New Iberia for 27.  2013 G Jamal Williams added 12 for Epicopal.  2012 P 6'4" Mark Gary led New Iberia with 20 points as he battled hard all night long on the boards.

2013 Mark Gary of New Iberia (LA)

Fort Bend Elkins  69   Bryan  60
With Bryan's roster depleted of a couple of key players (2012 G J. Mychal Reese-Texas A&M, and 2013 F Chris Johnson deciding that football is his future) their trademark full court pressure was limited.  When you toss in the fact that Elkins is very talented and physical, it wasn't that big a shock to see the Knights pounce on the Vikings and hold a 20 point plus lead.  The Vikings did show pride under first year Head Coach Chris Jones though and pushed hard towards the end of the game.  They closed the gap but ran out of time.  The Knights were simply more talented and bigger in their backcourt.  They were led by under rated G Branford Jones who scored 20 and physical WG Chance Allen.  Jones is signed to play at Long Beach State while Allen mulls countless football and basketball offers.

2012 G Branford Jones brings his winning game to Long Beach State

Houston Westside  56  Baton Rouge Madison Prep (LA)  46
Madison jumped out to a 29-21 halftime lead but the Westside Wolves came roaring back early in the 2nd half to take a 31-29 lead.  The rest of the game was spirited with baskets being traded until Westside's late surge propelled them to the win.  Westside's 2013 PG Robert Hatter led with 16 points in the win.  2013 F Jarell Martin turned in another solid performance with 20 for Madison Prep.

Houston St. Thomas   60   Houston Bellaire  53
This was the game of the night.  The energy level was high and you could see that the teams had a healthy dislike for each other.  The officials let them play, and play they did.  No shot went unchallenged and no rebound was snagged without bodies banging.  The Reckling Rowdies, (St. Thomas' version of Duke's "Cameron Crazies") razzed the Bellaire players at every opportunity.  It was nip and tuck the whole way but once again St. Thomas' backcourt was the difference. 

It was a healthy dose of Christian Sanders early, followed by Chase Brogna scoring key baskets in the 3rd quarter.  With the game on the line, Christian Sanders showed why schools like Texas and Colorado offered him and why Stanford will be lucky to have signed him.  Brogna had 18 clutch points and Sanders was dominant with 32 as he hit big free throws, broke pressure and scored after he got in the lane.

2013 Myles Elgin of Houston Bellaire

D1 Nation NCAA Thanksgiving Alumni Updates

It may be Thanksgiving, but these D1 Ambassadors alumni are no turkeys. We had some notable performances last night.

Deon Mitchell Freshman G 6'0" Pflugerville (TX) Northern Iowa
Mitchell had the first of what will be many HUGE performances as the true freshman led his "other" Panthers over Rice at the South Padre Invitational.
When Deon Mitchell signed with UNI, they knew they'd gotten a high major steal and a four year starter

John Henson       Junior    6'10"      Round Rock (TX)/Tampa Sickles (FL)      North Carolina Henson had 18 points and 8 rebounds in a win over South Carolina.

Paul Garnica      Sophomore  G 6'0"    San Antonio Lee (TX)                  Northern Colorado
Garnica had 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in their win over Western Carolina.

J.J. Avila            Sophomore  F 6'7"     McAllen (TX)                                Navy
Avila had 12 points and 9 rebounds

Cameron Moore  Junior       F 6'10"  San Antonio Roosevelt (TX)         Alabama-Birmingham
Moore is putting up big numbers on a nightly basis.  He had 18 points and 9 rebounds.

Cody Doolin       Sophomore  G 6'2" Austin Westlake (TX)                     San Francisco
Doolin's 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists were not enough as Murray State nipped the Dons.

D1 Nation's Houston Thanksgiving Jamboree

Thank you to www.fivestarbasketball.com for providing event coverage.  You can click on the big link below for their story on ther D1 Nation Thanksgiving Jamboree.

http://fivestarbasketball.com/originals/11-24-2011-houston-thanksgiving-jamboree-preview

Enjoy your Thanksgiving Hoops fans.  When you get your fill of football today, head to Houston St, Thomas High School tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday for the inaugural D1 Nation Thanksgiving Jamboree.  Over 20 D1 prospects will be on display in the 7 games on tap.  Come see a future pro when Madison Prep's (Baton Rouge, LA) 2013 W 6'9" Jarell Matin takes to the floors twice against a loaded young Houston Episcopal squad Friday at 6PM and then Saturday at 6PM vs Houston Westside.

Uche Ofoegbu Feasts on Thanksgiving Eve

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  The D1 Nation Family.
San Antonio Stevens 64  San Antonio Churchill 63
I was on hand for this game as Stevens led through the majority of the contest.  They then opened up an 8 point lead with little more than a minute left. That's when Churchill stormed back and after a 10-0 run held a two point lead.  2012 G Uche Ofoegbu saved his best for last.  It wasn't pretty as he wound up and fired up an off balance 25 footer, calling "bank" on the way down.  Bucket!  The Southern Methodist University signee had 24 points and pretty much got to the goal any time he wanted during the game. 

2013 G 6'2" Talyor Sutlive has the sweet stroke and he had it on display for Chirchill, scoring 13.  2012 F Connor Lammert had 12 points, including a rim rattler and a couple of impressive catch and shoot three pointers from deep with a long defender in his face.  Note to the Churchill guards who like to chuck it up there.  You have a 6'10" stud going to TEXAS!  Try going inside and letting your big man touch the ball a little more.  You'll find he's also a heck of a passer and will look for you in return. 

San Antonio Clark 68  San Antonio Reagan 49
2012 G Adam Perez continues to show he's a winner.  He led Clark with 20 points.  Spoke with Coach Steve Sylestine, great to see him looking well.

San Antonio Brandeis 63  San Antonio Roosevelt 53
Balanced scoring was the order of the day for Brandeis.   2013 Matt Kallead (an O'Connor transfer) had 11 and Justin Graham tallied 10.

San Antonio Taft 70  Pflugerville  64  (OT)
Pflugerville allowed a game tying three near the end of regulation and Taft wriggled off the hook in OT.  2012 F Ryan O'Hara had 21 for Taft.  Great to see 2013 G T.J. Williams back form his knee injury.  He had 23 for the Panthers in the loss.  Williams has shot up from being a smallish, skilled guard with great court vision to a 6'2" PG with all the above.  College basketball, here he comes!

Austin Westlake 56  San Antonio Madison 49
2013 G Will Morse of Westlake (15), 2012 G R.J. Rowan (17) and 2012 P Drew Wikelius had Army in the house watching and they made the trip down I-35 a worthwhile one as they beat the Madison Mavs in a game that was never in doubt despite a close score.

San Antonio Warren 64  San Antonio MacArthur 47
2012 F Taurean Prince-Waller had 23 and 2013 PG Marcus Keane brought his flava to the party and dropped off 15 on MacArthur.  2012 G Matt Gramling (Army signee) had 11 in the loss.

Dripping Springs 58   Austin Lanier  49
2012 G Collin Tubbs, an Ivy quality student gave Lanier the business as the sharp shooter put an arrow through the Vikings to the tune of 30 points.

Austin Anderson 67  Lake Travis 43
Anderson is flying high on the wings of Air Force commit, Hayden Graham who had 23 in the win.

Two D1 Gunslingers Out New Mexico Way

How many backcourts on the summer circuit will rival Danny Granger's D1 Ambassadors based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico next spring?  Two interchangeable, and also complimentary players in 2013 G 6'3" Bryce Alford of Albuquerque La Cueva and 2013 G 6'4" Cullen Neal of Albuquerque Eldorado are a couple of 2013's top prospects.

Cullen Neal with Coach Max Ivany on his unofficial visit to Arizona State last week.

Opening night of the New Mexico High School Season, Neal drops 40 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a win as his talented Eldorado squad.  Meanwhile, Alford will be called upon to carry La Cueva this year and it looks like he's up to the challenge as he lit it up for 44 in an overtime win over Cibola, 78-74.

2013 G Bryce Alford of Albuquerque LaCueva dropped 44 (Photo Compliments of Rivals New Mexico)

It doesn't seem to bother or pressure these two hoopers that they have famous basketball fathers: Coach Steve Alford (New Mexico Head Coach and Indiana Hoosiers legend) and Craig "Noodles" Neal (New Mexico Associate Head Coach and Georgia Tech star/Toronto Raptors Assistant). 

It's going to be a great year for both young men during the high school season and then it's going to be a blast watching them do their thing on the circuit with Danny Granger's D1 Ambassadors.  We will be looking at making three impact out of state additions to this New Mexico based team.  If you are interested you must fit the criteria.  6'6" or bigger wing/forward position or 6'8" or better true post man.  You can reside in the neighboring States of Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma or Arizona.- Contact Coach Max Ivany.   512-791-5455

D1 Nation NCAA Alumni Updates: Monday/Tuesday

Donovan Ross     Freshman  F 6'6"                Ridgeland (MS)                    Southeastern Louisiana
Ross got his first meaningful college minutes (24) and produced 10 points and 4 rebounds.

John Henson      Junior        F 6'10"    Round Rock (TX)/Tampa Sickles (FL)   North Carolina
Henson keeps getting his hoop on.  He had 16 pts, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks.

J.J. Avila             Sophomore  F 6'7"              McAllen (TX)                              Navy
Avila had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Jordan Brickman   Junior      G 5'11"           San Antonio Clark (TX)             Navy  
Brickman is really beginning to shine.  He had 14 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

Cameron Moore     Senior      F 6'10"       San Antonio Roosevelt (TX)    Alabama-Birmingham
Moore continues to steamroll his way towards the draft with a 22 point, 17 rebound performance.

Paul Garnica          Sophomore  G 6'0"   San Antonio Lee (TX)               Northern Colorado
Garnica had his second straight strong effort with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Old School: Paul Garnica celebrates his City of San Antonio Scoring Record

Cameron Catlett    Junior          G 6'3"    San Antonio Madison (TX)     Texas-Arlington
Catlett had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for the Mavs.

Jordan Clarkson    Sophomore  G 6'5"   Converse Wagner (TX)             Tulsa
Clarkson had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and a block in the win over Jackson State

Jaleel Williams       Freshman    G 6'6"    Killeen Ellison (TX)                   San Jose State
Williams had 11 points and 4 rebounds as he grows into his role as a freshman at San Jose State.

Tuesday's Austin/San Antonio High School Wraps (1000)

Today is a special day for me.  Almost 3 years ago I threw my hands up in the air with disgust at the negative things being written about kids on another basketball site.  Rather than complain, I began writing on www.d1nation.com  We've now added reports covering Houston, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and New Mexico.  However, the roots were right here in Austin/San Antonio , Texas which is home to me.  I didn't know if anyone would bother reading what I had to say but this past month we had almost 50,000 hits on our site in October alone.  This is my 1000th story, along with several hundred more while covering the other geographic areas.  THIS IS A FREE SITE.  THERE IS NO SO CALLED "PREMIUM" SECTION YOU HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE TO.

The years of hard work have allowed me to have a lot of influence at the college level. My opinion as to what level a player is capable of performing at is valued nationally.  I take my responsibility to be able to provide opportunity to deserving players very seriously and pledge to keep working hard for the quality player who is also a quality student and good person. -Coach Max Ivany

I spend approximately 2 hours daily actually compiling, researching and writing (I'm no writer).  As far as in the gym goes, the hours are countless.  Counting tournament games and summer basketball I would think I easily see 350-400 games annually.  It's become a big part of my life that makes me feel I am doing something positive and productive in the community.  I have no plans of slowing down anytime soon.  In fact, we have some great expansion plans on the table.  I hope you enjoy reading these reports as much as I do in providing them. 

Sincerely

Max Ivany

www.d1nation.com

Tuesday's Top performances

Westlake's Will Morse Twists Steel(e)

Austin Westlake beat Cibolo Steele 67-46. Will Morse had 20 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds. RJ Rowan lead the team in scoring with 24 points and 5 steals. Drew Wikelius added 12 points.  2014 Jordan Severt a 6'4" sophomore is now back from the football field and is providing much needed size and rebounding to assist Wikelius on the boards.  2013  C.J. Siples led Steele with 20 points.

2012 G R.J. Rowan is hitting his scoring stride for Westlake.

San Antonio Warren 85  San Antonio East Central  74
2012 G Jerell Ellis led the way with 25 points, while 2012 F Taurean Prince-Waller (Long Island) added 23 in the win.

San Antonio Antonian  51   San Antonio Madison 50
2012 F 6'10" Jered Kite had 14 to lead his team in a tight game.

Liberty Hill 66  Boerne 54
2013 PG Shane LaCaille handles the point and scores the rock. He had 24 last night over another tough 3A foe in Boerne.  2013 Griffin McHone had 15 in the loss.

Round Rock McNeil 84  Austin Bowie 80 (OT)
It must have been a whale of a game.  Despite 2012 G Paul Baxter's 23 points the Bulldogs came out on the short end vs McNeil.