Coach Max Ivany's D1 Nation Austin/San Antonio

2012-01-18T12:52:00.000-06:00

All Basketball info is now on our new site

www.d1nation.com

San Antonio High School Round Up: January 3rd

2012-01-04T16:07:00.001-06:00

Please click on the link below to go to the new D1 Nation Report. Also, stay tuned for the NEW D1 Nation site which will be functioning soon.

San Antonio High School Round Up: January 3rd.

Central Texas High School Round Up: January 3rd

2012-01-04T10:14:00.003-06:00

Central Texas High School Round Up: January 3rd.

Click on the above link and it will take you to our new blog site. The NEW D1 NATION is about to be launched at www.d1nation.com . Be sure to book mark both of these links. Thank You- Coach Max Ivany

D1 Nation Alumni: Top NCAA Holiday Performances

2012-01-02T23:38:00.000-06:00

The D1 Nation had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year as thier alumni had some outstanding holiday performances. Here's our Top 25:

25. Osas Ebomwonyi P 6'9" Sophomore Pflugerville (TX) Lamar
4 points and 8 rebounds vs Louisville

24. Daniel Alexander F 6'8" RS-Freshman Dripping Springs (TX) Texas A&M
6 points and 8 rebounds vs Arkansas Tech

23. Paul Garnica            G 6'0" Sophomore      San Antonio Lee (TX)        Northern Colorado
11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists vs Idaho State

22. Deon Mitchell           G 6'0" Freshman         Pflugerville (TX)                Northern Iowa
14 points vs Evansville

21. Paul Garnica            G 6'0" Sophomore      San Antonio Lee (TX)        Northern Colorado
11 points, 4 rebounds vs Northern Arizona

20. Brian Williams          G 6'6" RS-Freshman Baton Rouge Glen Oaks (LA) Oklahoma State
14 points and 4 rebounds vs Virginia Tech

19. Jordan Clarkson      G 6'5" Sophomore      Converse Wagner (TX)        Tulsa
12 points and 5 rebounds vs Mercer

18. Brian Williams         G 6'6" RS-Freshman Baton Rouge Glen Oaks (LA) Oklahoma State
9 points and 7 rebounds vs SMU

17. Mark Nwakamma     P 6'6" Freshman         Leander (TX)                      Hartford
10 points and 9 rebounds vs La Salle

16. Royce O'Neale           W 6'5" Freshman       Harker Heights (TX)           Denver
14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists vs Troy

15. Joel Smith                   G 6'4" Junior             Leander (TX)                      Northeastern
19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists vs Vermont

14. Josh Swan                   G 6'3" Freshman       Atlanta (GA)                       Southern Illinois
15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists vs Illinois State

13. J.J. Avila                     F 6'7" Sophomore     McAllen (TX)                       Navy
16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists vs Mercer

12. Royce O'Neale           W 6'5" Freshman       Harker Heights (TX)           Denver
15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks vs Arkansas-Little Rock

11. Jason Brickman         G 5'10" Sophomore   San Antonio Clark               Long Island
18 points and 6 assists vs N.J.I.T.

10. Andre Roberson         F 6'7"   Sophomore   Converse Wagner (TX)       Colorado
12 points and 12 rebounds vs New Orleans

9. TaShawn Thomas       F 6'8"   Freshman      Killeen (TX)                         Houston
9 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks vs North Carolina A&T

8. Cameron Moore    F 6'10" Senior    San Antonio Roosevelt (TX)      Alabama-Birmingham
16 points and 9 rebounds vs Alabama A&M

7. John Henson      F 6'11" Junior    Round Rock (TX)/Tampa Sickles (FL)   North Carolina
16 points and 11 rebounds vs Elon

6. J.J. Avila                     F 6'7"    McAllen (TX)                                                Navy
18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists vs Norfolk State

5. John Henson      F 6'11" Junior    Round Rock (TX)/Tampa Sickles (FL)      North Carolina
21 points and 8 rebounds vs Monmouth

4. Jordan Clarkson        G 6'5" Sophomore      Converse Wagner (TX)          Tulsa
23 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists vs TCU

3. TaShawn Thomas F 6'8" Freshman Killeen (TX) Houston
16 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks vs Texas State

2. Andre Roberson F 6'7" Sophomore Converse Wagner (TX) Colorado
17 points and 17 rebounds vs the PAC-12's Utah Utes

1. Cameron Moore F 6'10" Senior San Antonio Roosevelt (TX) Alabama-Birmingham
Moore had an incredible 19 points and 24 rebounds vs George Washington. This performance earned him his second career Conference USA Player of the Week Honors.

Final Games of 2011

2012-01-01T11:48:00.001-06:00

Dripping Springs won the Wimberley Tournament with a 59-52 win over San Antonio Cole as the inside-outside presence of Senior Taw Mann who moved in from The Woodlands and Mr. Outside, Collin Tubbs has gotten Drip off to a 17-3 start this season.

2012 G Collin Tubbs, a high academic student has really come into his own as a senior

Cedar Park took care of business in their won tournament beating Killeen Shoemaker 62-58 in overtime. 2012 Travis Guebert (below) had 24, 12 and 16 points for the Timber Wolves where they also beat Belton and Austin McCallum in overtime.

How about little 1A Mumford? They won the Thorndale Tournament and are 18-0. Along the way they beat a 4A team. Leadership coming from 2014 G 6'5" Aubrie King who recently scored his 1000th point as a varsity player.

The Austin Anderson Trojans won the Corpus Christi Calallen Christmas Tournament with wins over defending 3A State Champions West Oso and Corpus Christi Calallen.

San Antonio Churchill 64 San Antonio Reagan 49

Chruchill used double digit scoring from 4 players to handle Reagan pretty easily. 2013 F D.J. MacLeay led the Rattlers with 16 in the loss.

San Antonio O'Connor 68 San Antonio Warren 64

The upset of the season in the Alamo City as 2013 G Dapo Ogunfeitimi had 19 for O'Connor. 2012 F Taurean Waller Prince had 36 in the loss. It does hurt to have point guard Marcus Keane on the shelf with injury make no mistake.

Junior G Dapo Ogunfeitimi had a big game for O'Connor

San Antonio Alamo Heights 84 Lockhart 43

I was on hand to see Alamo Heights massive front line. They dominated a thin Lockhart team. 2012 6'8" Shelby Lane (Claremont College), 2012 6'6" Jeffrey Rodewald (22) and 2014 F 6'8" Ben Lammers (19) did what they wanted, when they wanted.

2012 Jeffrey Rodewald

Kerrville Tivy 47 Uvalde 33

Tivy opened District play by riding the scoring of 2013 F 6'6" Zach Overby (below) and 2013 F Rowdy Winters (13) to a convincing victory over Uvalde.

Killeen Runnin Roos Report

2011-12-31T11:33:00.001-06:00

Fort Worth ISD Coca Cola Classic
Killeen Runnin' Roos Coach Jason Fossett knew he'd take some lumps early as he put much of his team's fortunes on two Texas D1 Ambassadors youngsters in 2014 G 6'3" Brian Long and 2015 PG Demarius Cress. However, his plan is falling nicely into place as these two under classmen are growing up on a daily basis and he's getting solid senior leadership from 2012 F 6'6" Tevin Bartney.

Things came together this past few days as the Baby Roos made it to the championship game of the Fort Worth event before losing to Crowley in the 'Ship. Both Bartney and Cress (the latest in a long line of quality Killeen PG's made All Tournament.)

Freshman Demarius Cress hits the game winner vs Mansfield Summit

Austin Westlake Holiday Classic: Championship Day

2011-12-29T23:16:00.000-06:00

Silver Bracket: Pflugerville 78 Houston Westbury 56
2013 G T.J. Williams continued his superior play as he scored 24 points to lead the Panthers. 2013 W Justin Moss contributed 15, 2013 G Bryce Bierbower 14 and 2013 G Napoleon Onyeje 14 as Pflugerville cruised. 2013 W Donivan Jones had 31 for the second straight game in a Westbury loss.

2013 G T.J. Williams

I've got to call my Pflugerville guys out on this. You should beat Westbury by 20. You didn't bring it agaist Bush a team you knew you had to fight tooth and mail. Instead you mailed it in and took a butt whoopin'. The Ville has too much tradition and you have a good Coach in David Raigosa. There's no excuse for a lot of you guys to be playing grab ass. Have some pride in your defense or else kiss your dreams of playing college basketball goodbye. That's real talk. I very rarely editorialize, and I don't believe in calling out individuals on a web site but this needed to be said. I'd love for ya'll to prove me wrong come district play-Coach Max

Gold Bracket: 3rd Place Game
Austin Westlake 55 Converse Wagner 53
Wagner and Westlake both tasted defeat last night in overtime. Both should come out hungry...and they did. It's no surprise that it's going down to the last possession. This one had an unlikely hero, 2013 G Vince DeBlasio. DeBlasio is a 6'3" hopper who is a very deceptive shot blocker and rebounder. His final rebound (10th) secured Westlake's win but it was his two prior boards which turned a Westlake deficit into a W. He blocked a shot and grabbed the rebound off a Wagner jumper and then had an offensive rebound off a missed free throw, got fouled and converted the freebies for the win over a gritty Wagner team in the closing seconds.

"My Cousin Vinny", Vince DeBlasio keyed Westlake's final two minutes

The bulk of the Westlake scoring came from 2013 G Will Morse who finished with 21. 2012 G R.J. Rowan added 13 while 2012 Drew Wikelius had 12.   Senior Ken Bray had 11 for Wagner, as did Senior Rakim Sharkey.

Converse Wagner    13 18 13 9-53
Austin Westlake       18 15 13 9-55

Austin Westlake Holiday Classic Championship
A&M Consolidated 66 Clear Lake 64

A&M Consolidated jumped out to a 29-19 lead on the strength of 2013 F Jimmie Gilbert's work on the boards and subsequent conversion of 7 straight free throws. Alex Caruso had a quiet, but efficient 10 points in the half as Rob Lewis and Colton Krenek were on the bench with foul trouble for Clear Lake. Paris Clayton picked up the slack and had 12 points to bring Lake close at the half.

At the end of 3 quarters, Consol is clinging to a 1 point lead, 46-45. I expect to see a lot of Lewis and Caruso in the final period. The winner of that battle will probably decide the game. Clear Lake takes it's first lead of the game on free throws from 2014 G William West with 3:33 to play. The last two minutes the lead changed hands multiple times. With the score 64-64, Jimmie Gilbert is on the line with the score at 64-64. This tournament has had some incredible finishes! Gilbert had a hot hand in the first half but was 1-10 from the field in the second half. Now he's at the line with the game on the line. He hits them both, he's 11-11 from the line for the game! Consol wins and are the Westlake Holiday Classic Champions!

Paris Clayton and Rob Lewis led Clear Lake with 17 and 15 points respectively. Alden Miles added 13, and soph William West had 12. 2013 Josh Stewart had 10 points, 5 boards for Consol and Gilbert had 21, none bigger than the final free throws. Alex Caruso had 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. His last was a textbook back door cut for a thunderous slam. He was clearly the tournament MVP. More on that in another post tomorrow.

A&M Consolidated 20 13 13 20-66
Clear Lake               17 12 16 19-64
I'll have my complete All Tournament performers tomorrow. Below are from left to right: 2013 6'5" Josh Stewart, 2012 G 5'11" Rob Lewis, 2012 G Alex Caruso (MVP), 2013 G Paris Clayton and 2013 F 6'5" Jimmie Gilbert

Austin Westlake Holiday Classic: Bracket Semis

2011-12-28T21:14:00.001-06:00

Austin Westlake Holiday Classic Silver Bracket

Fort Bend Willowridge 62 Houston Westbury 61 (Double Overtime)
This one went to overtime as Coach Howie who moved over from Westbury this season to take the Willowridge job caAme from trailing all game long to steal this one in the second extra session. 2013 G Michael Hunter had 21 points and Senior G Chris Hynes hit for 15, all on three pointers. None were bigger than his final one in the first OT. 2013 W 6'5" Donivan Jones had an outstanding 31 point effort in the loss for Westbury.

Michael Hunter is a powerful guard who can get to the rim and finish

2013 W Donivan Ross' 31 points weren't quite enough for Westbury.

Fort Bend Bush 92 Pflugerville 69
From the opening tip Cameron Ridley (Texas) tried to tear down the rim. Some 6 dunks later the rims were still intact but a lot of Pflugerville players had knots on their heads from Ridley "freakin the oop". Bush raced to a 20 point first quarter lead before Pflugerville knew what hit them. Ridley had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. Senior Ryne Williams had 18 and 2014 W 6'6"Kelly Oubre showed flashes of future brilliance as he scored 17 points.

Pflugerville was led by 2013 G T.J. Williams with 18, 2013 Napoleon Onyeje (11), Justin Moss (10 points, 7 rebounds) and 2013 G Bryce Bierbower who added 15.

W 6'6" Kelly Oubre is one of Houston's finest 2014's

Pflugerville 14 18 17 20-69
Fort Bend Bush 33 19 22 18-92

Gold Bracket

Clear Lake 74 Austin Westlake 70 (OT)
Clear Lake jumped out to a 11 point lead behind the hot three point shooting of 2013 G Alden Miles and the tough inside presence of 2012 P 6'6" Colton Krenek with 4 blocked shots in the first quarter. Clear Lake maintained that lead at the half. The third quarter was all Westlake as Drew Wikelius had as good an offensive burst in a 3:00 span as I've seen in 4 years from him. Wikelius finished the half with 13 points and 6 boards. Will Morse had 2 fouls early in the first half but he was a scoring machine once he returned and had 17 by the end of the quarter.

2012 G Rob Lewis brought it down the stretch and in OT for Clear Lake.

The 4th quarter started slow but had a frenetic finish as 2013 Rob Lewis hit an 8 foot jumper for the Clear Lake lead with 6 seconds left, only to have R.J. Rowan race the length of the court to tie it and send the game to OT.

Foul trouble made for a quiet 1st half, but 2013 Will Morse finished with 21 for Westlake

The tone was set in OT by Chase Carlton as the soph reached in and got a big tie up on Lewis. Westlake took a one point lead for the first time on a Wikleius bucket but Clear Lake answered with Miles 4th triple of the game. R.J. Rowan hit an NBA three to draw Westlake back to 1 down with 10 seconds left. It's all about free throws and Clear Lake is hitting them. The difference was Rob Lewis. The unsigned senior is a D1 player waiting to be scooped up. He gets where he wants to go on the floor and hits all his freebies. He finished with 26 points, including going 14-16 from the charity stripe. Alden Miles had 17 for Lake. 2012 P Drew Wikelius had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the loss and 2013 G Will Morse had 21 after overcoming his foul trouble. R.J. Rowan had 16 points and Chase Carlton had 7 assists.

2012 P Drew Wikelius had his second big game in a row, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds.

Clear Lake 20 14 15 16 9-74
Westlake 9 14 25 17-5-70

A&M Consolidated 64 Converse Wagner 61 (OT)
The first half had several lead changes with Wagner going up by 4 on a pair of three pointers from 2013 G Tre Powell. Consolidated answered with back to back three point plays of their won and two steals and dunks by Alex Caruso (Texas A&M). The score at the half is 37-35 in favor of the Tigers.

The Wagner Thunderbirds are doing it by committee and living by the three pointer (they've got 7 of them. They enter the final period with a 4 point lead. Wagner built their lead to 8 points until a dose, no make that an over dose of Alex Caruso was administered to them. Wagner's most effective player, 2013 Tyler Collins fouled out with 2:00 left. He had 15 points and 6 boards on the night. It's tied at 59 with 1:00 left............another overtime game!

The overtime was punctuated by Alex Caruso. He set up his man with a sneaky half effort defensively. As the offensive man went by him, he wrapped around, tipped the ball and was off to the races for an unbelievable dunk, being fouled hard and landing on his back. Two additional free throws on his next possession and he sank them both for the deciding margin. One great player makes a difference! His stat line: 19 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 8 steals...a hair off a quadruple double. 2013 Jimmie Gilbert did a lot of the dirty work for Consol finishing with 10 points and 6 rebounds. 2013 W Josh Stewart added 18 points and 5 rebounds. 2013 G Tre Powell had 12 points on 4 three pointers for Wagner who had balanced scoring otherwise.

A&M Consolidated 18 19 10 12 5-64
Converse Wagner 13 22 16 8 2-61

Austin Westlake Holiday Classic: Day 2 (Pool Play)

2011-12-28T13:04:00.002-06:00

Pflugerville 40 El Paso Montwood 38
Trailing 33-28 entering the 4th quarter Pflugerville looked confused for the most part and had trouble solving Montwood's disciplined offensive attack. Montwood held Pflugerville to only 2 first quarter points. In what could be a signature win for the young Panthers and first year Head Coach David Raigosa The Ville rallied in the 4th quarter and nipped the Rams on a late bucket by 2013 G Darian Bostic.

2013 G Napoleon Onyeje

The bulk of the Pflugerville scoring was handled by 2013 G Napoleon Onyeje who had 17 points. After PG T.J. Williams picked up two early fouls Onyeje steadied the ship, hitting several three pointers. The Rams got 10 a piece from much improved 2012 P 6'9" Joey Martinez and 2013 G Ruben Lopez.

Cedar Hill 64 Fort Bend Bush 58
Cameron Ridley scored 21 points and was dominant inside for Bush. He got great support from Senior Ryne Williams with 18 but that's where it began and ended for the Broncos. Cedar Hill used a fast paced transition attack and balanced scoring from four players to upset one of Texas' most dominant teams. Senior G Brandon Harris (15), 2013 W 6'5" Dorian Waggoner (14), 2013 G Jalen Jones (13), and 2013 G Charles Wesley (11)

Westlake Holiday Brackets Set

Pool D held all the drama with the three teams going 1-1. The plus/minus favored A&M Consolidated as they head to the Gold Bracket, with Bush going Silver and Cedar Hill taking Bronze.

Gold Bracket:
Clear Lake vs Austin Westlake
Converse Wagner vs A&M Consolidated

Silver Bracket:
Houston Westbury vs Fort Bend Willowridge
Pflugerville vs Fort Bend Bush

Bronze Bracket:
Bryan vs El Paso Socorro
El Paso Montwood vs Cedar Hill

Austin Round Up: December 27th

2011-12-28T12:12:00.000-06:00

Austin Travis 73 Marble Falls 72
2014 F 6'5" Garrett Gray is getting healthy. He dropped 23 points for Marble Falls.

Austin Akins Tournament

San Marcos 56 Manor 45
Seniors Collin Hart and Allex Austin had 23 and 19 points respectively to lead the Rattlers over the Mustangs. Austin is coming off an ankle injury and is rounding back into shape.

2012 W Allex Austin of San Marcos

San Marcos 74 Austin Lanier 58
Hart had 27 and Austin 25, as they both put in work for the 2nd game in a row.

Georgetown 79 Austin Lanier 46
Lanier got 14 from Senior Mark Brown while Georgetown was led by 2013 G Jacob Vick with 16

Austin Akins 47 Georgetown 46
2012 G Michael Hardge had 16 in the loss for Georgetown

Round Rock McNeil 68 New Braunfels Canyon 61
2014 G Trey Dilworth had 22 for the Mavs and Senior G Sean Tollinger had 21 for Canyon in the loss.

2014 G Trey Dilworth plays much bigger than his 6'1" for Round Rock McNeil

Round Rock McNeil 68 Smithson Valley 46
Dilworth followed up with 16 points in the convincing win over SV.

Liberty Hill 67 Buda Hays 60
With half their squad suffering from the flu, Liberty Hill struggled and dug deep to beat Hays behind 23 from 2013 F Blake Danielak and 20 from 2013 PG Shane Lacaille.

2013 F 6'7" Blake Danielak had 23 in the win for Liberty Hill

Liberty Hill 67 Bandera 50
LH used balanced scoring and went deep into their bench in taking care of Bandera. Danielak had 13, Lacaille 11 and Senior Steven Graves added 13.

Austin Westlake Holiday Classic: Session #3

2011-12-27T21:32:00.001-06:00

Clear Lake 59 Houston Westbury 50
Clear Lake used a 4th quarter push to break open a nip and tuck. 2013 F 6'4" Donivan Jones led Westbury with 17 points and was a force on the boards but in the end it was the guard combo of 2013 Paris Clayton (17) and 2012 Rob Lewis (16) who took over the game in the final stanza.

Converse Wagner El Paso Montwood
Who else can start a pair of guards that are listed at 5'6" & 5'7" at the 5A level in Texas and still win? That would be El Paso Montwood, and veteran Coach Tony Harper has 850 plus wins and he's done most of it with undersized guys.

Having said that, when you run into a more talented and deeper team that's also well coached it's tough to overcome the odds. As the game progressed through the middle of the 3rd quarter the deep Wagner T Birds took control. It's a consummate team, with no real stars per se. 2013 W Theron Bray had 10 in the win. For the Rams, 2012 P 6'9" Joey Martinez is much improved over the last time I saw him a year ago. He had 10 points and 5 boards. They also received 10 points from Senior G Andrew Ramirez.

Montwood 8 14 8 11- 41
Wagner 7 13 18 13-51

A&M Consolidated Fort Bend Bush
Coach Rick Barnes, half of his staff and all the Texas Longhorns players are in the house tonight to see Texas commit 6'11" Cameron Ridley. Ridley has 2 points as does the other twin tower, 6'10" Marquette signee Aaron Durley. This is as physical as a high school game gets. A&M Consolidated is gutting it out and competing on every possession but they've failed to take advantage on the offensive end and in transition.
Bush's Twin Towers, 6'10" Aaron Durley (Marquette) and 6'11" Cameron Ridley (Texas)

it looked like Bush could be ready to blow Consol out but with 4:30 left in the game, Cameron Ridley has fouled out and Alex Caruso has his second of two thunderous dunks to cut the game to 5 points. Ridley finished with 6 points and 5 rebounds as he was denied the ball constantly throughout the game by the double team. 2013 G ShawnDre Jones was the glue holding Bush together. He made clutch free throws as the game wound down, finishing with 10 points. 2014 G 6'6" Kelly Oubre led Bush with 12 points, including a key steal and dunk with 2 minutes left to play. 2012 G Ryne Williams also chipped in with 12 for the Broncos. The free throw line was not kind to Consol either as they were 2-10 at one point, squandering many opportunities, where on the other hand Bush was 18-19 from the charity stripe.

Alex Caruso (Texas A&M signee) led all scorers with 13 points, 3 steals, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. 2013 Jimmie Gilbert battled hard all game long against the Bush Towers and scored 11 points and had 8 boards in the loss.

A&M Consolidated 7 6 14 20 -47
Fort Bend Bush 9 12 17 16-54

Austin Westlake Holiday Classic: Session 2

2011-12-27T16:14:00.002-06:00

Houston Westbury 58 Bryan 47
Bryan Senior P.J. Payton led all scorers with 19 but it wasn;t enough as Houston Westbury got balanced scoring. 2012 G Zachary Cross had 10 points and 2013 Donivan Jones added 9 to get the W.

A&M Consolidated 47Cedar Hill 36
For all but a few brief moments early in the 4th quarter this was A&M Consolidated's game from midway through the 1st. It's quite a luxury when you have one of the country's most outstanding players in all purpose, 2012 Alex Caruso. At 6'6" he sees the floor as well as anyone, he's active defensively and he's always looking to get his team mates involved for the easy look. His stat line was 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Consolidated got nice games out of hard working 2013 P Jimmie Gilbert with 8 points and 8 rebounds, most of them while battling Cedar Hill's Zeldric King (Tulsa) who is a load at 6'7" and 290lbs.

The Aggies are getting a player in Caruso who can play the one, two or three

Cedar Hill's King had 10 points, and showed a nice touch both handling and shooting the ball on the perimeter. Senior G Quinton White also hit key shots for the Tigers and finished with 10 points, while 2013 W Josh Stewart had 11 points and 5 rebounds.

A&M Consolidated 8 14 13 12- 47
Cedar Hill 5 7 10 14- 36

Austin Westlake Fort Bend Willowridge
Early in the 2nd quarter, the Westlake Chaps started to assert themselves behind the three point shoooting of Will Morse, R.J. Rowan and Chase Carlton. After suffering a knee tweak in the opener, 2012 P 6'7" Drew Wikleius (5 points, 16 rebounds) returned to provide toughness on the boards along with 2014 Jordan Severt's hard work. Carlton (10 points and 5 assists), Morse (17 points) and Rowan (16 points, 7 rebounds) outplayed Wllowridge's guards as Westlake cruised to the win, which was Coach Tres Ellis' 200th victory.

2012 Post Drew Wikelius had 16 rebounds vs Willowridge.

2013 G Michael Hunter was by far the best player for Willowridge. The athletic combo has nice bounce, gets to the rim and shoots it from the perimeter too. he had 18 points and 5 rebounds.

Austin Westlake 13 20 14 19-66
Fort Bend Willowridge 10 17 14- 8-49

Austin Westlake Holiday Classic

2011-12-27T09:41:00.000-06:00

Austin Westlake 55 El Paso Socorro 27
El Paso Socorro was outmatched from the jump ball. Whether it was size, speed, defensive intensity or just plain ol' basketball savvy you could give the nod to the host Austin Westlake squad in every category. They raced out to a 19-2 lead, and emptied the bench subbing liberally. The only blemish on the game was 2012 P Drew Wikelius tweaking a knee. That gave the front line subs a chance to play plenty, including budding star 2014 P 6'5" Jordan Severt who led the Chaps with 7 rebounds. 2012 G R.J. Rowan had 13 for Westlake while 2014 G Chase Carlton (below) added 10.

Austin Westlake 19 12 15 9- 55
El Paso Socorro 2 7 6 12-27

Converse Wagner Pflugerville
After an even first quarter (19-19) the Wagner Thunderbirds proceeded to give Pflugerville a sound beating. A huge run at the end of the half and in the entire 3rd quarter caused the rout to be on. 2013 W 6'2" Theron Bray was the best player on the day for Wagner, scoring 18 points, getting to the rim and showing all around hustle. He had lots of help from his team mates as balanced scoring and team play were the order of the day. 2013 G Avionte Sanders had 13 for Wagner.

2013 G T.J. Williams had 35 points and 8 rebounds today.

2013 G 6'2" T.J. Williams was easily the most impressive player on the floor as he took care of the ball for the Panthers and handled the bulk of the scoring as well. Williams is getting recruited by mid majors like Denver and Northern Iowa which are perfect fits for his skill set. He led his team with 35 points and 8 rebounds from the PG spot and could play his way into a high major this coming summer. 2013 G Darian Bostic added 11 off the bench for The Ville.

Pflugerville 19 16 15-27-77
Wagner 19 25 22-18-84

D1 Nation Alumni: NCAA Top Performances

2011-12-26T16:09:00.001-06:00

Christmas week was busy in many ways for the D1 Nation. Our alumni had plenty of solid performances over the past week. Have a heapin' helpin' of D1 Candy, here's our Sweet 16:

16. Tre Nicholls Senior G 5'11" Killeen Boise State
How about a shout out to my man, Tre Nicholls from the 254, repping K Town out in Boise. He had 7 points and 3 assists vs Fresno State and will soon have his bachelor's degree in his pocket!

15. Travis Jones               Senior             G 6'6"   Georgetown                  Texas State
Jones scored 8 points and had 5 rebounds vs Fordham.

14. Brandon Thompson Junior             G 6'2"   San Antonio Stevens    Long Island
Thompson scored 8 points and had 5 rebounds in a win vs. St. Peter's

13. Eric McClellan       Freshman          G 6'4"   Austin                            Tulsa
McClellan is carving out a niche at Tulsa, scoring 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists vs Texas State.

12. Cory Jefferson       RS-Sophomore F 6'10" Killeen                           Baylor
Jefferson is part of NCAA College Basketball's most talented and deep front lines. He had 9 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks vs Paul Quinn College in a mere 15 minutes of play.

11. TaShawn Thomas Freshman      F 6'8"  Killeen                                  Houston
Thomas contineus his excellent true freshman campaign as he had 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in a win over Texas-San Antonio.

10. Cameron Catlett   Junior            G 6'4" San Antonio Madison         Texas-Arlington
Catlett has become a solid player for the Mavs. He had a 10 point, 6 rebound and 4 assist game vs Tulsa.

9. Deon Mitchell          Freshman      G 6'0" Pflugerville                           Northern Iowa
Mitchell is now running the show for the 11-1 Northern Iowa Panthers one of the country's top mid major teams. He had 13 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals vs Loras.

8. Royce O'Neale Freshman W 6'5" Harker Heights Denver
O'Neale has been a model of consistency as a true freshman on a surprisingly good Denver squad. He had 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals vs the Citadel.

7. Joel Smith Junior G 6'4" Leander Northeastern
Smith turned in 3 solid performances this week as he chugs along to all conference honors. He had 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists vs Princeton, 5 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists vs Louisiana Tech and then had 15 points and 2 steals vs North Carolina State.

6. Jason Brickman Sophomore G 5'11" San Antonio Clark Long Island
Brickman is really beginning to lead his Blackbirds, notching a a double-double of 12 points and a whopping 11 assists vs Texas State.

5. Jordan Clarkson Sophomore G 6'5" Converse Wagner Tulsa
Clarkson had 14 points and 8 rebounds vs Texas-Arlington and then followed that up with a 14 point, 2 rebound effort vs. Creighton.

4. John Henson Junior F 6'10" Round Rock (TX)/Tampa Sickles (FL) North Carolina
Tar Heels fans have a lot of big names to root for, but don't sleep on Henson. Enjoy him, you'll be watching him in the NBA next year. John had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 7 blocks vs Nicholls State and in a marquee matchup had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists vs the Texas Longhorns.

3. Andre Roberson Sophomore F 6'7" Converse Wagner Colorado
Roberson continues to build on his reputation as an almost automatic double-double guy. He had 11 points and 16 rebounds vs Texas Southern and then killed it vs Cal State-Bakersfield with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.

2. J.J. Avila Sophomore F 6'7" McAllen Navy
Avila continues to be the go to guy for the Midshipmen as he had a 21 point, 8 rebound game vs Presbyterian

1. Cameron Moore Senior F 6'10" San Antonio Roosevelt Alabama-Birmingham
Cameron had a nice game of 7 points and 9 rebounds vs VCU but it was his dominant 18 points and 16 rebounds, 5 block effort against Jacksonville that earned him D1 Nation's Alumni Player of the Week!

Merry Christmas To All

2011-12-25T11:18:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to all. That's friends, family, business acquaintances and even those who I spar with occassionally. Health and happiness to everyone's family in the coming New Year and much success in your basketball endeavors. My family is scattered all over the map, so we never get together as a group. Safe travels on the road to my son Chip, Judy and my grandson, Julian who are in Louisiana for the holidays.

I stayed in Arizona a little longer than normal this year and it almost cost me Christmas as Yolanda and I endured two closures of I-10 in New Mexico, and icy conditions for almost all of the 1000 mile journey. Countless vehicles in the ditch, several cars over turned and even semi trailers jack knifed along the way. We fell blessed to have arrived in Austin last night. I found myself humming Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take The Wheel" many times on the trip.

Thanks to everyone who called, texted and sent us facebook messages on the trip. It was great hearing from so many of my former players. Special thanks to the Good Lord, my Merecedes SUV and resident D1 Ambassadors photographer and meteorologist Todd "Big Rowdy" Winters for giving me constant weather updates on the trip!

So, here we are in Austin, Texas spending Christmas in the beautiful Radisson on Town Lake where I'll be covering the Austin Westlake Holiday Classic beginning Tuesday. Then it's off for Christmas dinner with one of my former players and his family (Cody Doolin of San Francisco).

Austin's the home of Willie Nelson, the Texas Longhorns and the birthplace of the Texas D1 Ambassadors. It feels good to be home for the next 4 months. Merry Christmas everyone!
Coach Max Ivany and the D1 Ambassadors Family.

Austin Westlake Holiday Classic Preview

2011-12-22T14:15:00.000-06:00

In only it's second season the Westlake Holiday Classic has quickly established itself as the go to event of the prep basketball holiday events in the Austin area. Westlake Coach Tres Ellis, along with Craig Carlton and John Rowan have established a strong field with marquee players for Austin fans to get a peek of after they digest their Christmas dinner. The tournament starts on starts on Tuesday, December 27th at 8:30am when Austin Westlake takes on El Paso Socorro and concludes with the Gold Championship at 5:30pm on Thursday, December 27th.

Pools A: Pool B: Pool C: Pool D:

Bryan Westlake Pflugerville F.B. Bush

Westbury Willowridge Montwood A&M Consol

Clear Lake Socorro Wagner Cedar Hill

Marquee' Players Class of 2012

1. Cameron Ridley C 6'10" Fort Bend Bush Texas
Ridley is one of the best the country has in the Class of 2012. The Longhorns commit is unstaoppable when he receives the ball in the low block. Along with Alex Caruso, he is one of two players in the Westlake Holiday Classic who were at the prestigious NBA Players Camp this past summer.

2. J. Mychal Reese G 6'2" Bryan Texas A&M
J. Mychal was consesnsu All State in his first three years of high school at the Texas 5A level, a feat never accomplished before. Unfortunately he sustained a knee injury near the end of his summer and has not played yet this fall. We wish him a speedy recovery.

3. Alex Caruso G 6'5" A&M Consolidated Texas A&M
Caruso is the truth. Make no mistake about it, he could have played anywhere in the country. he can defend, pass, score and shoot it. His father, Mike is Associate AD at Texas A&M, so it was hard to escape the Aggies.

4. Aaron Durley P 6'10" Fort Bend Bush Marquette
I first saw Aaron at my All American Prodigy Camp in Austin, TX as he was entering the 8th grade. He'd just returned to the States from Saudi Arabia. Signed with Marquette, I thought the story below would be a nice change of pace. He is the biggest player to ever participate in the Little League World Series.
http://www.aolnews.com/2007/08/18/aaron-durley-is-610-280-pounds-and-is-playing-in-the-litt/

5. Zeldric King P 6'7" Cedar Hill Tulsa
Tulsa has gotten a nice wide bodied player with touch and an ability to finish around the rim. He is strong, handles the rock well for his size and moves well out on the perimeter too. (Photo compliments of Texas Hoops.)

San Antonio High School Round Up

2011-12-21T15:34:00.002-06:00

San Antonio Warren 67 San Antonio Clark 47
How good is Warren? Real good! Missing their star PG, 2013 Marcus Keene and going up against a Clark team that is well coached and can control tempo I thought it would be an 8-10 point win. Nothing doing as there's no answer for Taurean Waller Prince who had 21 points and double digit boards. Threee other team mates scored in double figures in the rout for the Warriors.

San Antonio Alamo Heights 61 San Antonio McCollum 31
The Mules kicked the Cowboys behind 2014 Ben Lammers (19) and 2012 Jeffrey Rodewald (17).

San Antonio Brennan 67 San Antonio Central Catholic 65
2013 PG Johnny Azzinaro scored 27 to lead the Bears ina tight game over a young CC squad.

San Antonio MacArthur 52 San Antonio Stevens 45
2012 Matt Gramling (West Point) was an Army of One as he led Mac with 23 points. 2012 Uche Ofoegbu (Southern Methodist) had 17 in the loss.

Austin High School Round Up

2011-12-21T10:36:00.002-06:00

San Marcos 93 Killeen 66
San Marcos best team in a decade beat down Killeen behind 37 points from 2012 G Collin Hart. The young Killeen team was led by 2014 G Brian Long with 14 and freshman Demarius Cress who had 11. The future looks bright for the Baby Roos.

2015 PG Demarius Cress has the keys to the Runnin' Roo attack for the next 4 years.

Liberty Hill 59 Lorena 46
The 2013 tandem of Shane Lacaille (22) and Blake Danielak (18) pushed the Wildcats record to 15-1 in their win over Lorena.

2013 PG Shaine Lacaiile runs the potent Liberty Hill attack

New Braunfels 62 Buda Hays 48
2012 G Kyle Hittle led the Unicorns with 23 points in the win.

Georgetown 68 Waco Midway 47
2012 Michael Hardge led the way with 18 points as the Eagles soared.

Elgin 67 Bastrop 53
The Wildcats are 14-1 (only loss was to Liberty Hill) as the Nash Boys led the way in the win.

San Antonio Churchill 69 Round Rock Stony Point 42
2013 Taylor Sutlive had 17 in the win for the Chargers who are now Boss in San Antonio (along with San Antonio Warren). Stony Point and Churchill are two of the biggest teams in the area.

Austin Westlake 71 Austin Hyde Park 48
The Chaps had a balanced attack getting a double double with 17 points and 11 boards from 2012 R.J. Rowan, 16 from 2014 Chase Carlton and 14 from 2013 W Vince DeBlasio. A Christmas shout out to Coach joe Phillips looking down from heaven above as 7 different players who were part of his Texas Thunder teams over time were in this contest.

Round Rock McNeil 91 Midland 76
2014 G Trey Dilworth continues to be a rock for the Mavs. He scored 20 and helped them push their record to 15-1.

2014 G Trey Dilworth is McNeil's most talented player since A.J. Abrams (Texas Longhorns/Italy) led the Mavs back in 2005.

San Marcos 64 Smithson Valley 59
With 2012 W Allex Austin nursing an injury, 2012 G Collin Hart is taking the Rattlers on his back. He scored 34 in the win.

Pflugerville 68 Austin Bowie 50
What is historically one of the Austin area's marquee' matchups is a little bit down this year. 2012 G Paul Baxter had 28 last night in the loss for the Bulldogs. 2013 G Napoleon Onyeje had 16 for the Panthers in the win.

2012 Paul Baxter leads Bowie.

D1 Ambassadors Alumni Top NCAA Perfomances of the Week

2011-12-17T09:01:00.000-06:00

It was a slow week in NCAA hoops as many school break for exams. Here's the D1 Ambassadors alumni NCAA top 10 highlights for the week.

10. Cody Doolin San Francisco 5 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists

9. Cory Jefferson Baylor 2 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.

8. Trey Lindsey Louisiana-Monroe 5 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds

7. Jason Brickman Long Island 6 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists

6. Jason Brickman Long Island 8 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds
5. Mark Nwakamma Hartford 11 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists

4. Paul Garnica Northern Colorado 18 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds

3. Royce O'Neale Denver 14 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds

2. J.J. Avila Navy 26 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists

1. John Henson North Carolina 24 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks

The highlight for me was the Denver-Northern Colorado game where soph Paul Garnica of San Antonio Lee faced off against frosh Royce O'Neale of Harker Heights. Both players had outstanding games but it was the feeling of family that was special with several of our families including Royce's mom, Deborah and Cody Doolin's dad Jim contacting me during the game cheering BOTH boys on. That was pretty cool.

Holiday High School Wrap Up

2011-12-16T23:18:00.000-06:00

Check out the story on www.texags.com about my man, Alex Caruso. He gave cross town rival, Bryan the business last night hanging a trple double on him with Texas A&M Assistant Kyle Keller in the house. Caruso had 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds as they crushed the Vikings who were shorthanded without fellow 2012 Aggies signee, J.Mychal Reese who is still recovering from a knee injury.

Round Rock McNeil 69 Round Rock 51

It's a bad sign for everyone else as this season's edition of McNeil has talent too go along with their ever present high quality coaching job. The Mavs rolled to 15-1 as 2014 Trey Dilworth had 20 in the win. 2013 P Leonard Allen had 19 in the loss for the Dragons.

Austin LBJ 84 Marlin 40

2013 F Lawrence Ammons had 22 in the win for the Jags.

Converse Judson 56 Pflugerville 50

A 16-5 run in the 4th quarter, propelled the Rockets past the Panthers. 2014 P David Wacker led Judson with 13 and 2013 G T.J. Williams had 15 in a losing effort for Pflugerville.

El Paso Faith Christian came to Austin and left with a pari fo wins. They thumped Buda Hays 74-47 and then they jumped on Austin Westlake , going up by 17 early and beating them 76-68. 2013 Will Morse led Westlake with 22 in the loss. The Faith Christian crew were led by 2013 Roy Vincenzio with 18. The team is comprised of primarily Mexican Nation players who are skilled and savvy. They played together during the summer circuit as Latino Select. They are well coached, skilled and play hard.

San Antonio Churchill 72 Converse Wagner 66

2013 G Scott Mammel (Army Prep) and Texas Longhorn bound Connor Lammert added 19 in the win over Wagner.

San Antonio Clark, always steady had a pair of wins. They handled a solid Brandeis team 62-38 behind 15 points from Senior G Adam Perez and then beat San Antonio Jay 56-40 behind 2012 G Adam Perez' 25 points. Perez is wothout a doubt the most under rated G in the area. He will be a great late signee for some program.

San Antonio Alamo Heights 78 Somerset 39

2012 W Jeffrey Rodewald had 28 points to lead the Mules. His fellow D1 Ambassadors alum hard nosed post Shelby Lane had 8 points and regulated the paint. Lane, a superior student was receiving serious interest from Ivy League's Columbia but visited Claremont McKenna College in California and fell in love with the campus, academics and their basketball program. Congratulations to Shelby and his family as the young man takes his 1900 SAT score out West and is well on his way to being a success!

2012 P 6'8" Shelby Lane to Claremont McKenna (CA)

The Texas D1 Ambassadors-San Antonio won Las Vegas Live this past summer as most grassroots basketball fans are aware. How about All Academic team of the summer too? The trio of 2012 Adam Perez (1810 SAT), Lane (1900) and 2012 G Carter Josephs with a 2040 score! Wow!

San Antonio Brennan 60 San Antonio Roosevelt 58

The Brennan Bears won in a squeaker as 2013 W 6'5" George King had a 20 point performance.

San Antonio Reagan 71 Cedar Parker Vandegrift 37

2013 F D.J. McLeay scored 12 in the run away victory.

San Antonio Warren 87 San Antonio Stevens 69

Stevens has no depth, and Warren does. 2012 G Uche Ofoegvu left it all on the floor as he scored 28 and got 16 from 2012 Marcus Roper. After that the cupboard is bare and Warren feasted behind 26 a piece from 2012 Taurean Prince Waller and 2012 W Jerell Ellis. 2012 Jordan Corona added 15 for good measure as Warren played the game without 2013 PG Marcus Keene who is out for a couple of weeks with an ankle injury. Warren will be tough come playoff time under the leadership of Coach Gentleman Jim Weaver.

2012 W Jerell Ellis is elevating his game

John Lucas Camp Right Way: December 29-30

2011-12-15T18:16:00.003-06:00

John Lucas' Camp Right Way: December 29-30th

Legends Sports Complex: Houston (Spring, TX)

Are you a 7th or 8th grader that has GAME? If so, my friend/mentor and NBA legend John Lucas will be holding his Camp Right Way later this month at the Legends Sports Complex. Coach Lucas offers focused, intense training and a basketball resume' second to none.

For further information and registration details be sure to go to his web site for immediate consideration.

www.JohnLucasEnterprises.com

Shout Out To Nikko Maxwell of San Antonio Clark

2011-12-15T18:00:00.004-06:00

2012 W Nikko Maxwell of San Antonio Clark

Our prayers go out to 2012 WG Nikko Maxwell of San Antonio Clark and the Texas D1 Ambassadors. Nikko underwenty surgery for a torn ACL and will miss his senior season. He's a tough, physical and talented player who wll be sorely missed by Coach Steve Sylestine's Cougars. Maxwell was a huge part of the success of the Texas D1 Ambassadors-San Antonio team that went 56-9 this past year winning the Las Vegas Live 17U Platinum Division.-Coach Max Ivany, Coach Paul Josephs and the D1 Ambassadors Family (Maxwell wearing #32)

Darrington Hobson Re-Signs With Milwaukee Bucks

2011-12-15T11:00:00.001-06:00

Huge congratulations to Texas D1 Ambassadors alumni Darrington "Butta" Hobson. The former New Mexico Lobo and Mountain West Conference MVP was drafted with the 37th pick overall in the NBA's 2010 Draft. Unfortunately, two hip surgeries put him on the shelf before he ever played a minute for the Milwaukee Bucks and he's spent the majority of the last few months in Albuquerque, NM rehabbing and getting ready for what has become a strike shortened NBA career.

The 6'7" lefty G can score, rebound and has great court vision. I am so happy to announce that he has signed a two year partially guaranteed 1.4 million dollar deal with the Bucks a couple of days ago. When Darrington and I touched base a couple of months ago, I pointed out to him that I think I had a full head of hair back in the day when myself and Coach Beasley were mentoring him. :-) He is the first of what are soon to be several NBA players from the Texas D1 Ambassadors.

Below is a great picture compliments of USA Today. Far left is Austin, TX own A.J. Hardeman of Del Valle H.S. (#00) and Darrington Hobson (#1) both going up for a rebound. Both are Texas D1 Ambassadors alumni, shown here repping the New Mexico Lobos.

Alumni Update: Nate Velasco

2011-12-14T20:50:00.000-06:00

Lon Morris JuCo's Nate Velasco, back row (second from right). With Texas D1 Ambassadors-Chip, winners of the Great American Shootout Father's Day Tournament 2009

We are proud to check in and see how Nate Velasco of Gregory-Portland (TX) is doing in the college ranks. After a stellar career at GP and with the Texas D1 Ambassadors, Nate is now a sophomore at Lon Morris Junior College, a D1 JuCo program in East Texas. He is the starting point guard and being coached by Dale Dotson, one of the best in the JuCo biz. He is averaging 15 ppg and 4 assists so in conference play this season. Nate will graduate with his Associates in Applied Science in May of 2012. He is maintaining a 3.2 GPA. He will be looking to transfer to a four year school to continue his education and basketball career.

San Marcos 70 Del Valle 63
2012 G Collin Hart poured in 32 points as San Marcos won with a strong 4th quarter effort. 2013 G Jahari Wright led Del Valle with 15.

Dripping Springs 66 Hays Lehman 57
2012 Collin Tubbs continues to fill it up, scoring 24 in the victory over Lehman.

Albuquerque La Cueva's Bryce Alford Throws One Down

2011-12-13T11:02:00.001-06:00

2013 G 6'3" Bryce Alford of Albuquerque La Cueva (NM) Throws Down In Transition

I know I'm getting old but I don't remember New Mexico Lobos Heac Coach Papa Steve Alford doing this back in the day for the Indiana Hoosiers. Can't say that Bryce can shoot it like his dad (not many could) but he can also fill it up from behind the three point line.

You'll be able to find Alford in the backcourt with Danny Granger's D1 Ambassadors on the circuit this coming spring and summer.

Weekend Tournament Wrap Up

2011-12-12T12:26:00.000-06:00

Killeen 67 Denton Guyer 65
The Killeen Runnin' Roos won the consolation championship of the Van Friffith Kia Tournament held in Granbury, TX. They were led in the championship game by 2012 Tevin bartney and 2014 G Brian Long who both had 19 points. Long, an athletic 6'3" guard is also a whirling dervish on the boards.

2014 Brian Long

Hill Country Classic
Brazosport overwhelmed Round Rock Westwood in the Championship game of the Hill Country Classic, 97-78. His shot wasn't falling in my D1 Nation Houston Thanksgiving Classic last month but D.J. Griggs found his range in the 'Ship as he had 33 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. The 2012 G took home tournament MVP Honors. He has multiple scholarship offers but is considering prep school for another year of seasoning. 2013 G 6'3" Jaleen Smith had 32 points and 15 rebounds on his way to All Tournament Honors.

2012 G D.J. Grggs of Brazosport

Outback Tournament: Houston, TX
San Antonio Churchill Chargers had a successful weekend at the Outback Tournament going 4
and 1, winning the Consolation Championship. They'll probably look back at the one that got away though as they lost to Fort Bend Elkins 48-46. They staged a very good 4th quarte rally but a pair of missed free throws at the game's end were the difference. Churchill ran in to two very good guards in 2012 Branford Jones (Long Beach State) who had 17 and two sport star Chance Allen who were too physical for the smaller guards to handle.

2012 G Branford Jones shown below at the D1 Nation Thanksgiving Jamboree.

It was a missed opportunity as reputations are made when heavyweights meet. The Championship was won by Fort Bend Travis (Harrison Twins) who beat Fort Bend Bush (Texas commit, Cameron Ridley). Would have been interesting to see Connor Lammert (Texas) resume his summer battles with future team mate Ridley.

Converse Judson 50 San Antonio Clark 49
Two of San Antonio's most respected coaches squared off in this one as Mike Wacker's Rockets held off Steve Sylestine's Cougars in the 4th quarter despite 20 points from Clark's 2012 PG Adam Perez. Clark is really missing 2012 G Nikko Maxwell who may have a torn ACL.

Alamo Heights Tournament
Alamo Heights protected their own house going undefeated to win their own tournament. Tourny MVP, 2012 W 6'6" Jeffrey Rodewald led the way with 16 in the Championship game.

River City Tournament: New Braunfels, TX
The Warren Warriors went undefeated, getting a monster game from Taurean Waller Prince (Long Island) who dropped 30 on the Unicorns. I wasn't there but a good guess has Prince snagging MVP, sharing with his team mate Marcus Keene who earned MVP Honors last week. 2012 G Kyle Hittle had 29 in the loss.

Prince was a goonie in the 'Ship

2014 G 6'5" Aubrie King continues to tear up the small school tournaments with his second straight MVP performance. leading undefeeated Mumford (11-0) to the Fayetteville Tournament Championship. In addition to going 6-6 from the three point line, King also received his PSAT score and had a whopping 1860 in his first try!

Cole Martinez Comes To San Antonio With Guns Blazing

2011-12-12T11:04:00.000-06:00

It was a home coming for Central Catholic and Texas D1 Ambassadors alum Cole Martinez who know serves our country at the Unites States Air Force Prep School. The USAF Huskies went undefeated in the event and in the championship they routed Tinker AFB (OK) 110-60 to win the Joe Hall Basketball Tournament held at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.

Despite limited playing time becaus the final was such a rout, Martinez dropped 7 of his trademark three pointers, scoring 21 in the game. Martinez received the Sportsmanship Award plaque from the Hall Family for his performances.

D1 Ambassadors Robert Griffin III Wins Heisman

2011-12-11T09:57:00.001-06:00

In 11 years since founding the D1 Ambassadors basketball club there have been many special moments. As a father, without question my own son seeing his goals realized of playing Division One basketball and subsequently obtaining his bachelor's degree tops the list. I always say that the McDonald's All American Honors won by John Henson is "sexy" but that each of our guys is equal and a player such as Reinier Strobos of New Braunfels Canyon going to M.I.T. arguably the world's #1 engineering school is just as gratifying to me as the program founder. Last night added another chapter in the book. (Photos compliments of Baylor University)

Texas D1 Ambassadors and Copperas Cove (TX) multi sport athlete Robert Griffin III took home one of amateur sports biggest prizes. He is the 77th winner of the Heisman Trophy. His exploits at Baylor on the gridiron speak for themselves and are well chronicled. He has had an amazing career. It was both joyous and painful watching him kick the Texas Longhorns around last week which was a performance that likely cemented the Heisman for him. (I watched the game in Arizona at a Phoenix Texas Exes gathering).

There is however, another RG III that most casual fans do not know. An old friend of mine, Coach John Avritt was the girls basketball coach at Copperas Cove back about 8 years ago. Coach told me unequivocably that he had a freshman at the high schoool who just had to play for me. He could run, jump, dunk handle the ball and was an excellent team mate and top shelf person. As with many of our players, an endorsement of our program was given by the high school coach and Griffin was on his way with Texas D1.

His family were outstanding folks but I remember well his dad being firm on playing multiple sports so many times he had to juggle basketball with track and sometimes we'd miss him not being at hoops events. He had good reason though as he was a world class 400 meter hurdler and there was this other silly little thing getting in the way....FOOTBALL. Good choice, Robert although I believe anything you'd chosen would be done at a high level.

Griffin finished high school in December, enrolled at Baylor early not only for spring football but to run track as well. At a school with several Olympic Champions coming out of the 400 meter ranks (think multiple Olympic Champion Michael Johnson) he also made his mark on the football field. First he made it as a runner (1000 yards rushing as a freshman) and then as a passer/dual threat. Don't be surprised if he turns down the millions from the NFL Draft to stay for his senior year and snag a Baylor Law Degreee while he's at it. It's not improbable for the straight A student.

Congratulations Robert and to his parents, Mr. and Mrs, Robert Griffin of Copperas Cove. We're proud you wore the jeresy of the Texas D1 Ambassadors. As with all things you did it with class, dignity and a smile on your face. You have truly gone on to be an ambassador to your community of Copperas Cove, Baylor and Texas D1.-Coach Max Ivany and the D1 Nation Family.

Friday's High School Games

2011-12-10T10:31:00.001-06:00

Holiday action is in full swing with tournaments all over the Cen Tex and San Antonio area. One thought that comes to mind as most teams are about 12-15 games into their seasons is that Austin has no clear cut favorite in 4A or 5A with a variety of teams who with a break here or there could be the talk of the town...or NOT. Parity rules the day, to the point where David Stern would be proud. San Marcos has a great senior o-two punch in 2012 G Colling Hart and 2012 W Allex Austin. One team that is well coached, no matter what talent they have is Round Rock McNeil. Coach Hagerman's squad could be Austin's best group when it's all said and done.

Right now, in my opinion that mantle of top team goes to 3A Liberty Hill. I've watched them win consistently in the fall leagues and now into the high school season they are beating all comers at the 4A and 5A level, many times by wide margins. They've got senior leadership, excellent talent, a deep bench and excellent coaching. Liberty Hill could be the lone representative at the State Tournament from the area.

Austin LBJ Tournament
Temple is proving to be a tough opponent as they are getting senior leadership from Jonathan Sulak and Avery Polchinskii. They lost a tough one to Katy Seven Lakes 51-50, beat Austin St. Andrew's 80-60 and put away Manor 57-50. Sulak had games of 26 and 23, while Polchinski fills the stat sheet. He had 17 in two different games and is always a threat for double digit rebounds and multiple assists per game.

2012 W Avery Polchinski leads Temple

Austin LBJ steams towards the championship game of their own event as they had a 65-63 win over Austin Anderson. 2013 W Ethan Gilbert led LBJ with 20 points while 2013 G John Gramlich had 22 in the loss to lead all scorers.

Salado Tournament
Liberty Hill steps back down to their own 3A Class for this tournament. Look at the results. They beat Waco Connally 63-51 behind 2013 PG Shane Lacaille (23) and clobbered San Antonio Hawkins 100-57. 2012 F Steven Graves led the way with 24.

2012 Steven Graves provides senior leadership for Liberty Hill

Austin Bowie split two games. They lost to San Antonio East Central 81-68 amd then beat Converse Wagner 51-50 in OT. 2012 PG Paul Baxter scored 21 and 23 in his pair of games.

Round Rock Westwood will run and gun if you let them. They beat Austin High 89-78 and then followed up by whacking Hays Lehman 89-58. Senior G J.T. Dettman had a high point game of 28.

Austin St. Michael's beat Hutto 60-50 as 2013 Sled Allen had 23 points in the win. Below, Allen rises above a gaggle of defenders.

Down San Antone way the picture is becoming clearer as San Antonio Churchill and San Antonio Warren appear to be on a collision course for area supremacy. I will be shocked if one of those two do not represent the Alamo City at the State Tournament in 5A. Of course Converse Judson is one of those teams that if they get a lead on you are tough to come back and beat because of their discipline. In 4A, I like Alamo Heights and their big front line of 2012 P 6'8" Shelby Lane, 2012 W 6'6" Jeffrey Rodewald and 2014 P 6'8" Ben Lammers.

River City Tournament: New Braunfels
3A Boerne stepped up to the challenge and are 2-1. They got a big win over Austin Westlake 60-58 as 2013 G Griffin McHone had 18 and 15 in a win over SA McCollum to lead the Greyhounds. 2014 G Chase Carlton had 13 for Westlake.

Westlake then beat a scrappy Loredo Alexander team 73-67. 2012 G RJ Rowan had 23 points and 6 rebounds, 2013 G Will Morse had 19 points and 7 assists, and 2012 P Drew Wikelius had 15 points and 8 rebounds. Winners of seven of their last eight games, the Chaparrals moved past the Del Rio Rams to earn a spot in the River City Classic consolation championship game. Drew Wikelius led the Chaps with 14 points while Vince DeBlasio and Will Morse had 11 and 10 respectively.

2013 G Griffin McHone leads Boerne

New Braunfels Canyon cruised to two easy wins over San Antonio McCollum and San Antonio Fox Tech as Senior Sean Collinger had scoring game sof 15 and 10.

San Antonio ISD Tournament
Kerrville Tivy won a squeaker beating San Antonio Southwest 53-52 behind scoring from 2013 Rowdy Winters (16), 2013 P Zach Overby (14) and 2014 G Matt Perry with 13.

2013 Rowdy Winters throwing it down for Kerrville

Round Rock McNeil notched 2 wins including an exciting overtime win over San Marcos 74-72. McNeil is evolving and they are doing it with balanced scoring and the emergence of 2014 G Trey Dilworth.

D1 Nation Alumni Top NCAA Performances For The Week

2011-12-09T23:50:00.001-06:00

The top 24 performances by alumni of the D1 Nation playing Division One basketball during the past week are as follows:

24. Jake Kocher              Freshman          Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
9 points and 4 rebounds

23. Josh Swan                   Freshman          Southern Illinois
6 points and 8 rebounds

22. Mark Nwakamma     Freshman           Hartford

21. Royce O'Neale            Freshman         Denver
9 points and 6 rebounds

20. Eric McClellan           Freshman          Tulsa
15 points and 3 assists

19. J.J. Avila                     Sophomore        Navy
14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals

18. Deon Mitchell Freshman Northern Iowa
Mitchell had 12 points and 4 assists in a win over Colorado State.

17. Cameron Moore        Senior                 Alabama-Birmingham
11 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists

16. Paul Garnica              Sophomore        Northern Colorado
12 points and 8 assists

15. Jason Brickman         Sophomore        Long Island
5 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds

14. Jason Brickman         Sophomore        Long Island
7 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds

13. Osas Ebomwonyi       RS-Sophomore Lamar
7 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks

12. Jordan Clarkson        Sophomore        Tulsa
18 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists

11. John Henson Junior North Carolina
Henson had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks in a heavyweight battle vs Kentucky. John's shot was blocked at the buzzer. No worries, he'll be back!

10. Andre Roberson Sophomore Colorado
10 points and 12 rebounds

9. J.J. Avila                      Sophomore          Navy
14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists

8. Cameron Moore          Senior                  Alabama-Birmingham
14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks

7. Joel Smith                    Sophomore          Northeastern

17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists
6. Jordan Clarkson Sophomore Tulsa
15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists against Arizona State

4. TaShawn Thomas Freshman Houston
12 points and 12 rebounds

4. TaShawn Thomas Freshman Houston
13 points and 11 rebounds

3. John Henson Junior North Carolina
13 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks as the UNC smashed Evansville.

2. Andre Roberson Sophomore Colorado
21 points and 10 rebounds

1. Travis Jones Senior Texas State
23 points and 11 rebounds

December Tournament Action

2011-12-09T09:07:00.001-06:00

Austin Anderson 56 Austin Hyde Park 35
Hyde Park's Spencer Phillips led all scorers with 18 but Anderson received balanced scoring, including 17 from Senior Hayden Graham (17), 2013 John Gramlich (13) and 2013 G Rasmus Bach (9).

Round Rock McNeil 60 Vista Ridge 51
Round Rock McNeil 52 Harker Heights 50
In tournament play, a double dose of 2014 G Trey Dilworth was in order as he the super soph had 17 in the first game followed by 14 against a young, quickly improving Heights squad to lead his team in scoring both games.

2014 Trey Dilworth of Round Rock McNeil

Pflugerville 72 McAllen Memorial 49
2013 T.J. Williams had 13 and 2013 W Justin Moss added 12 in the Panthers victory.

T.J. Williams

Georgetown 45 Allen 39
Frisco 66 Georgetwon 58
2012 Michael Hardge continues to carry the scoring load for the G Men with 20 while 2013 G Jacob Vick chipped in with 10 in their win over Allen. In the loss vs Frisco Hardge had 28.

2012 G 5'11" Mike Hardge throws one down

Liberty Hill 95 Cameron Yoe 42
LH's Big Three gave Yoe the business as 2012 Steven Graves had 15, 2013 Shane Lacaille had 16 and 2013 Blake Danielak had 19 in the runaway.

C.J. Siples of Cibolo Steele had back to back games of 17 a piece in the Buda Hays Tournament. They beat Cedar Park Vista Ridge and then lost to Harker Heights 53-44 as 2012 G C.J. Rodriguez led HH with 15 in the win.

San Antonio Highlands 59 Kerrville Tivy 56
Tivy was nipped in this one despite getting balanced scoring from 2014 G Matt Perry (18), 2013 P Zach Overby (16) and 2013 W Rowdy Winters (15).

2014 G Matt Perry led Tivy with 18

San Antonio Brandeis 45 Converse Wagner 43
Brandeis used a furious 4th quarter rally to shade Wagner behind 2013 G Justin Graham's 18 points.

San Antonio Churchill 69 Fort Bend Kempner 37
San Antonio Churchill 92 Fort Bend Clements 47
2013 G Taylor Sutlive ad 25 vs Clements as the Houston area schools had back to back cases of "Who Dat" when the Chargers came to town for the Outback Tournament.

San Antonio MacArthur 58 San Antonio Sam Houston 53
2012 G Matt Gramling (Army) had 20 points in the win.

Arlington Seguin 77 San Antonio Stevens 49
2012 W Marcus Roper went off for 29 and 2012 G Uche Ofoegby added 16 but nobody else showed up for Stevens as they took it on the chin at the Cedar Hill Tournament.

2012 W Marcus Roper is capable of BIG numbers

Hump Day Basketball Results

2011-12-08T16:34:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I took in a couple of Phoenix area high school games and then had a chance to interact with San Francisco, USC Head Coach Kevin O'Neil and then spent the evening at a junior college game with Texas Tech Head Coach Billy Clyde Gillispie. Continuing to develop relationships with college programs that benefit the members of the D1 Nation!

Coach Max and Coach Gillispie at John Lucas' Camp Right Way while Coach was in between gigs at Kentucky and Texas Tech. (That might be the closest he ever comes to someone in a Texas Longhorns shirt...lol)

San Antonio Clark 66 Seguin 51
Seniors Travis Matthews (14) and Adam Perez (12) and Carter Josephs (8) led the way to victory for the Cougars.

2012 Carter Josephs is steady as a rock in the deep Clark bckcourt.

Tuesday evening 2012 W Jeffrey Rodewold poured in 30 points as Alamo Heights beat New Braunfels 60-54.

2012 W 6'6" Jeffrey Rodewald will be primed for an April signing as he continues his high level of play. He's also on a quest to capture back to back District MVP Honors.

San Antonio Sam Houston 81 San Antonio Central Catholic 74
The story of this game is not the score but the fact that two of Central Catholic's freshmen are really beginning to emerge on the varsity level. 2015 G Jorden Kite scored 15 while 2015 W Jordan Murphy added 12.

2015 G Jorden Kite

2015 W Jordan Murphy

Cold Night/Hot Basketball Performances in the CenTex

2011-12-07T11:32:00.001-06:00

In a dominant performance, 3A Liberty Hill continues to build on what could be a special season as they thumped 5A Round Rock Westwood 97-48. Westwood is not a terrible team either, it's just that Liberty Hill is that good. There's a special player brewing at LH in 2013 F 6'7" Blake Danielak. He's got the high end academics to go to a Rice/Stanford/Harvard environment and he shows the talent to support it. Last night he had 32 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks in the win. The other 2/3 of Liberty Hill's high octane offense comes from 2012 F Steven Graves who added 24 points/ 9 rebounds and 2013 PG Shane Lacaille who had 10 points and dropped 15 dimes.

Johhny Azzinarro of San Antonio Brennan put in major work vs San Antonio Lee as he had 35 points and 5 assists.

Marble Falls 44 Burnet 42
2014 W 6'4" Garrett Gray showing flashes of huge things to come as he had 22 last night in win over rival Burnet as Falls built a big lead then barely held on in the 4th.

San Antonio Reagan 57 San Antonio Brandeis 46
Reagan cooled Brandeis who were coming off a championship in the Seguin Tournament behind balanced scoring and a nice 21 point effort by by 2013 F D.J. MacLeay. Brandeis star, 2013 G Justin Graham had 20 in the loss.

San Antonio Churchill 52 Converse Judson 44
Churchill had double digit scoring from 4 players to beat Judson in a matchup of two of the area's more dangerous teams.

Round Rock McNeil Knock Off Aussies

2011-12-06T10:12:00.001-06:00

Round Rock McNeil 61 Australia School of Sport 51
2014 G Trey Dilworth brought his "A" game to a matchup with a touring Australian HS team and left a lasting impression. The Texas D1 Ambassadors/McNeil Mavs G scored 17 points and put his athleticism on display for the visitors to view.

College Station A&M Consolidated 49 Round Rock Stony Point 35
Consolidated is beginning to gel now that they have their football players back. They lost the Championship game of the Mansfield Summit Toutnament last week as 2012 Alex Caruso (Texas A&M) and 2013 P Jimmie Gilbert made All Tourny. Last night Caruso had 20 and Gilbert 15 in the win.

Killeen Shoemaker 75 Round Rock 68
2012 F Chris Runnels led Shoemaker with 28 points while ever improving 2013 P 6'10" Leonard Allen had 17 in the loss for the Dragons. (Leonard is shown belelow as an incoming FRESHMAN at Max Ivany's All American Prodigy Camp) To his left is former Purdue and 12 year overseas pro 6'9" Jeff Arnold.

Central Catholic's Cole Martinez @ Air Force

2011-12-05T11:20:00.001-06:00

San Antonio Central Catholic and Texas D1 Ambassadors star Cole Martinez will be back in San Antonio December 10-11th to play in a tournament at Lackland (TX) Air Force Base. Unfortunately I won't be able to see him as I will be out of town but the 2010-2011 San Antonio Express News Player of the Year will surely put on a good show. He's leading his Air Force Prep squad in scoring at over 17 ppg. The D1 Ambassadors Family is very proud of him.-Coach Max Ivany

Their first game is Saturday morning at 10AM. Below is info sent to me by Mr. Martinez for those of you wishing to attend. Pay attention to the requirements or you may not be admitted on the base.

"I know some of you have expressed an interest in seeing Cole and the USAF Prep Team play next weekend at Lackland AFB. In order to get clearance to enter the base I will need the following:

Names of all occupants in the car

Dates of birth

Drivers License (of the driver)

Please shoot me an e-mail to rmartinez651@satx.rr.com with this information if you wish to attend the tourney by next Tuesday, 12/6/11".

If you already have a military ID, this is not required.

Cole is the son of Mr and Mrs. Reuben Matinez of San Antonio, TX

Travon Landry To Tennessee Volunteers

2011-12-04T20:55:00.001-06:00

I received a text message this afternoon from Papa John Landry informing me that his son, Travon Landry had verballed to UT. "Not Texas, says Big John, but the other UT." Landry a 6'1" G in the class of 2013 will play in the Southeast Conference for the Tennessee Volunteers. Landry started as a freshman at San Antonio Madison (TX), started alongside J. Mychal Reese (Texas A&M) as a soph at Bryan (TX) and recently moved to Huntsville, AL as his father took a job there and currently starts for Huntsville Bob Jones, an Alabama 6A powerhouse. Travon's older brother Jonathan played at Coppin State and is now at Alabama A&M.

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Bob Jones basketball coach Danny Petty has confirmed that Travon Landry, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound junior point guard who transferred in from Bryan (Texas) High this past summer, verablly committed to Tennessee this weekend.

Landry had drawn interest from other SEC schools like Alabama, Vanderbilt and Georgia. He is averaging approximately eight points per game through four games this season after averaging 12.3 points and 3.5 assists per game last year as a sophomore.

"He's not shooting that much," Petty said. "He's a great point guard and sees the floor extremely well. He's a great defender, too. "He's a coach's dream in that he's very coachable. He goes hard in practice, which is what you want from your leaders. He's got a lot of basketball knowledge, and he's still learning our guys."

Bob Jones is 4-0 this season and is coming off an appearance in last year's Class 6A Northwest Regional final. The Patriots won the state title in 2009.

Landry is a super athletic point. Always looking to attack and get into the paint, he's a tough guy to stop when it comes to dribble penetration. His shot is improving and he defends hard. Travon played with the Texas D1 Ambassadors starting back when he was in the 6th grade and is shown above with Texas D1 in Minnesota. he began playing 17U with Texas D1 when he was a freshman. Congratulations to the Landry's.-Coach Max Ivany and The D1 Ambassadors Family

Texas Tournament Action December 1-3, 2011

2011-12-04T12:47:00.001-06:00

San Antonio Warren Wins South San Tournament
It should be interesting if/when the Warren Warriors meet the Churchill Chargers. These are clearly the two most talented groups in the Alamo City this year. We'll see if they are the ebst teams as Alamo Heights and Converse Judson are also tough matchups. Warren beat the San Antonio Stevens Falcons in the championship game as 2012 G Jordan Corona had 24 points. Marcus Roper scored 25 for Stevens in the loss.

While going 5-0, Warren disposed of san Antonio Holy Cross 91-43, San Antonio Edison 62-52, New braunfels 86-72 and in the semi final beat San Antonio Christian 62-49. The All Tournament team was made up of Seniors Uche Ofoegbu and Marcus Roper of Stevens, while Seniors Jordan Corona and Taurean Prince-Waller represented Warren. The MVP was 2013 G Marcus Keene of Warren the only underclassman. The athletic Keene gets in the lane when he wants and makes his team mates better.

2013 G Marcus Keene led Warren to the South San Title

Liberty Hill Wins Marble Falls Tournament
How many times do you hear me say that "Them 3A Country Boys From Liberty Hill" are a tough out. They won the Marble Falls Tournament with a win over a talented 4A Waco University squad in the Championship with a 67-63 win. They hitched their cart to Texas D1 Ambassadors 2013 G Shane Lacaille who had 29 points in the final.

2013 Shane Lacaille put Liberty Hill on his shoulders in the Championship.

A young Killeen team continues to grow and find it's identity. There's no doubt that Texas D1 Ambassadors 2014 G 6'3" Brian Long has found his as he leads the team in scoring and averaged 20ppg in the tournament.

2014 G Brian Long of Killeen

The toughest interior play of the event game in and game out was provided by Texas D1 Ambassador and Kerrville Tivy 2013 P 6'6" Zach Overby ashe averaged 14 points and double digit rebounds and was named All Tournament. Congrats Zach!

Round Rock McNeil Classic
No doubt that Round Rock Mcneil is always well coached and a threat to be in most every game they play but I was shocked by the result of the Championship game where they simply blew out a talented Austin Anderson squad 60-36 to win their own tournament. McNeil is a different team with 2014 G Trey Dilworth in the lineup. The talented soph had 16 points in the win and brings an athleticism and swagger to go along with the fundamentally sound Mavs.

Texas D1 Ambassadors and Round Rock McNeil 2014 G Trey Dilworth

Garland Metro PCS Invitational
Harker Heights went to the DFW Metroplex and put on an excellent show, beating powerhouse Garland Lakeview Centennial 51-47 in the semis before falling in the title game to Garland Naaman Forest, 51-38. Naaman Forest is a tough match up with 2012 P 6'10" Prince Ibeh (Texas) patrolling the paint. 2012 G Thomas Cherry had 14 in the cahmpionship game loss for the Knights. Cherry and 2012 G C.J. Rodriguez were All Tournament.

San Antonio Churchill Cruises To Lonestar Invitational Win
The Lonestar Invitational used to be one of the State's atrongest tournaments in early December. This year's field was so so. Churchill ran their record to 11-1 as they dominated, winning back to back tournaments. (They won Georgetown's Jack Frost Invitational last week.)

Along the way they danced past San Antonio Brackenridge 86-54, over San Antonio Clark 61-52, in the smei they beat San Antonio Johnson 72-53 and then put away Converse Wagner 75-67 to take the title. Senior F Theron Bray had 20 for Wagner. 2013 G Taylor Sutlive led the way with 16, while 2012 Connor Lammert (Texas) added 13.

Dripping Springs Wins Rockdale Tournament
A surpsirisingly good start for Dripping Springs. They are now 7-1, winning the Rockdale Tournament easily as they blew out Robinson for the 'Ship. The seminfinal was a barnburner against always tough Brenham, with Drip winning 69-61. Texas D1 Ambassadors, 2012 SG Collin Tubbs led the way with another 30 point game. Taw Mann added 23. Along with Sam Kohler they were named to the All Tournament team.
2012 G Collin Tubbs of Dripping Springs is blooming late. He can shoot it with the best of them

Riesel Tournament
Mumford beat Valley Mills 88-62 as Texas D1 Ambassador 2014 G Aubrie King had 34 points on 8-10 from behind the three point line. 2015 W 6'2" LaKendrick Hyson, an impressive freshman nabbed Tourny MVP honors for Mumford.

2014 Aubrie King continues firsing from deep for Mumford

Bouncy 2015 W 6'2" LaKendrick Hyson snatched MVP Honors

San Marcos 80 Georgetown 69
Not a tournament game but one that features several of the area's top unsigned players. 2012 G Michael Hardge had 30 points in the loss for Georgetown while 2012 San Marcos W Allex Austin had 29 in the win and 2012 G Collin hart had 16.

2012 G Michael Hardge is putting up big numbers for Georgetown

Austin Westlake 58 Austin Lanier 43
Westlake cruised to the win despite a so so shooting night. They were led by 2013 G Will Morse who had 13 and 2012 P Drew Wikelius with 15 .

Texas D1 Ambassadors and Austin Westlake 2013 G Will Morse shown at Five Star Camp (2012 Pflugerville G T.J. Williams is seen trailing the play in the background)

South Padre Island Invitational
A young Converse Judson squad had a good showing in South Padre. They are getting senior leadership from G E.J. Hubbard and great contributions from 2014 P David Wacker and 2014 F Tanner Leissner. They lost the semi final to the eventual champion Houston Yates by 4, and then dropped the 3rd Place game to a tough Houston St. Thomas squad 66-54.

2014 F Tanner Leissner is an up and comer for Judson

2012 G Christian Sanders (Stanford) was All Tournament for St. Thomas while back court mate 2012 Chase Brogna averaged 15 points for the event.

Caught My First Arizona High School Games

2011-12-04T12:44:00.001-06:00

It's been a busy 5 days in Arizona since arriving back from my D1 Nation Houston Thanksgiving Jamboree held at St. Thoimas High School in the heart of H-Town. I have spent the last two days evaluating players for three NBA teams that asked me for reports on a few veteran player's looking to get invited to camps next week. Once that was taken care of, I spent my evening on the high school scene as I had a chance to get out and see a couple of rivalry games in Phoenix over the last couple of days.

Ahwautukee Desert Vista thumped host Pinnacle. They simply couldn't handle 2012 F 6'6" Danny Powell (Eastern Washington). I had a chance to visit briefly with Arizona State Head Coach Herb Sendek who was there watching 2014 Dorian Pickens of Pinnacle who ASU offered last year as a freshman. The 6'4" WG has a good body. I'll need to see him more to determine what kind of impact he can have at the high major level. 2012 P 6'7" Cody McDavis (Pinnacle) is athletic and long. He's a raw prospect. 2014 Cody MacDougall of Desert Vista has a nice wide body, and can run the floor. Bigs take longer to develop but he's one to watch for sure.

2014 Connor MacDougall (left) and 2012 P 6'7" Cody McDavis squared off

Last night's "Hate Game" between host Scottsdale Chaparral and Scottsdale Desert Mountain was a definitely a spirited affair. Desert Mountain had the game won but two costly turnovers in the last minute sent the game to OT where the home Firebirds pulled out the W. Chaparral has several good looking freshmen, while Desert Mountain is the consummate team. 2012 W 6'7" Austin Cooke is intriguing. He had 16 points and has a beautiful stroke from the perimeter. With improved strength and defensive intensity he could get a nice look in the spring signing period.

2012 W 6'7" Austin Cooke has a sweet stroke

A wise word to a lot of these kids. It's a competitive environment out there for scholarships. I've got to see a higher motor and a sense of urgency that tells me that you really LOVE the game. I'm known for being brutally honest with players and parents, as well as college coaches. -Coach Max Ivany

San Antonio Churchill Goes North & Melts Jack Frost

2011-12-03T12:00:00.001-06:00

To date, San Antonio Churchill has one blemish on it's record, a last second loss to San Antonio Stevens as Southern Methodist University signee, Uche Ofoegbu his a long range banked three. Their record stands at 10-1 and will be tested tonight in the Championship game of the Lone Star Invitational as they play Converse Wagner.

I'm getting ahead of myself though as this recap is in regards to the Georgetown Jack Frost Invitational. It's less than a 3 hour drive up I-35 for Sir Winston Churchill and once the Chargers arrived they ran roughshod over the field.
Connor Lammert of San Antonio Churchill shown throwing one down in the summer with the Texas D1 Ambassadors. The Texas signee is dominating this school season.

San Antonio Churchill 95   Austin Reagan 23
Sadly, gone are the days of mighty, mighty Reagan once the scourge of Austin in football, track and basketball. Shifting demographics and the Austin ISD turning a blind eye to "magnet schools" pillaging their players have left them with almost nothing on the athletic scene. Churchill played everyone but the waterboy in this rout.

San Antonio Churchill 75   Austin Akins 68
2012 G P.J. Rivera led Akins with 20 points, while 2012 G Scott Mammell (Army Prep School commit) had 23 in the win.

San Antonio Churchill 96    Conroe Woodlands College Park 77
College Park's Evan Cooper dropped 32 points but Texas signee Connor Lammert dominated inside and out with 27 points.

2013 G 6'3" Taylor Sutlive of Churchill shown below at Max Ivany's Austin-San Antonio Challenge. He's coming into his own is an excellent shooter and is showing some of Momma Sutlive's genes (she played for Virginia Tech).

San Antonio Churchill 76 HCYA South 48
2014 Justin Jackson of HCYA is big time in the National Rankings and he didn't disappoint as he scored 19 points. However, Churchill has too many weapons and 2013 G Taylor Sutlive's 21 points supported by 2012 P 6'9" Connor Lammert's (Texas signee) 18 allowed the Chargers to cruise to the "Ship".

D1 Nation NCAA Alumni: Week In Review

2011-12-03T09:17:00.001-06:00

It was a busy week and I didn't get a chance to do aalumni updates for a few days. It's gotten to the point now where I simply can't acknowledge every D1 Ambassadors alumni after each of their games. There are just too many of you guys and I love ya'll! Here's some big numbers and breakout performances by different players. Keep working men! The D1 Nation is strong!

Tre Demps Freshman G 6'3" San Antonio Reagan (TX) Northwestern
Playing for an unbeaten Northwestern squad, Demps suffered a shoulder injury prior to the season. He decided to forego surgery and rehabbed instead. Last night was a break out as he played 26 minutes had 8 points and 4 assists. Stay healthy Tre!

Joel Smith Junior G 6'4" Leander (TX)
Smith continues to dominate as this time he put up 29 points, 10 rebounds 3 assists against Big East's St. John's in a convincing win.

John Henson Junior F 6'10" Round Rock (TX/Tampa Sickles (FL) North Carolina
Our McDonald's All American is really putting the pedal to the metal as he had 11 points, 8 rebounds in a surpsrise loss ot UNLV and backed that up with 8 points, 17 rebounds and 5 blocks in a nailbiting win vs Wisconsin.

Royce O'Neale Freshman G 6'5" Harker heights (TX) Denver
Royce give solid numbers every night out and is playing a key role in Denver's surprising start to it's season. he had 7 points, 3 rebounds and then followed it up with 5 points and 4 rebounds

Jake Kocher Freshman G 6'2" Austin St. Michael's (TX) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Kocher got 20 minutes against Texas A&M and although his shot didn't fall (3 points) he battled hard, played good D (shown taking a charge) and snagged 6 rebounds.

Paul Garnica Sophomore G 6'0" San Antonio Lee (TX) Northern Colorado
Garnica had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists then followed it up with a 14 point, 5 assist effort. Don't be shocked if Garnica (below right) leads Northern Colorado back to the Dance.

Jordan Clarkson Sophomore G 6'5" Converse Wagner (TX) Tulsa
Clarkson is really hitting his stride and shows signs of being DOMINANT. He had 23 points and 6 rebounds then followed it up with 18 points and 4 rebounds.

Cody Doolin Sophomore G 6'2" Austin Westlake San Francisco
Doolin had 5 points, 7 assists and 3 steals in a loss to a tough New Mexico State team and then followed it up with 11 points, including his 5th game winning basket for the Dons as they beat Montana in OT. (Doolin shown winning the MVP Award at Max Ivany's Texas Super Showcase in Sept/2009)

Deon Mitchell       Freshman      G 6'0"  Pflugerville (TX)                  Northern Iowa
Mitchell had 7 points and 3 assists as his game was cutrailed by a bruised wrist and tailbone. he has become the starter on a revamped UNI squad who are now 6-1.

Mike Byron          Sophomore     P 6'9" San Antonio Churchill (TX)    Gardner-Webb
Byron who was lightly recruited out of high school shows how hard work pays off as he had two excellent performances this week with 18 points and 13 rebounds and then a 16 point and 9 rebound encore.

Cameron Moore   Junior        F 6'10" San Antonio Roosevelt (TX)   Alabama-Birmingham
Alabama-Birmingham is struggling this year but Moore is not part of the problem. He had 15 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks followed by a 13 point and 6 rebound effort.

J.J. Avila               Sophomore F 6'7"    McAllen (TX)                           Navy
One of SEVEN D1 Ambassadors playing for the Academies (Army, Navy and Air Force) J.J. Avila had 19 points and 2 rebounds followed by a 14 points and 11 rebounds game.

Brandon Thompson Junior    G 6'2"    San Antonio Stevens (TX)       Long Island
Thompson is beginning to work his way into the rotation after transferring from Arizona State via South Plains JC. He had 9 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals followed by 8 points and 4 rebounds.

Cameron Catlett      Junior      G 6'3"    San Antonio Madison (TX)     Texas-Arlington
Catlett had a 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists game.

Andre Roberson      Sophomore F 6'7" Converse Wagner (TX)            Colorado
Roberson may end up leading tha country in rebounding. He's on everyone's NBA draft radar for the summer of 2013. He had 15 points and 15 rebounds and in his next game was saddled with fouls, only took two shots but still had 12 rebounds.

Cory Jefferson RS-Sophomore P 6'10" Killeen (TX) Baylor
Jefferson averages about 17 minutes a game on a loaded Baylor front line. He scored 12 points, 2 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Mark Nwakamma Freshman P 6'6" Leander (TX) Hartford
Nwakamma had a solid outing with 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists

Jason Brickman Sophomore G 5'11" San Antonio Clark (TX) Long Island
Brickman is an outstanding playmaker. He had 11 points and 6 assists

San Francisco Sophomore Cody "Do It All Doolin"

2011-12-02T15:56:00.001-06:00

While many of Central Texas' naysayers were dismissing Austin Westlake's Cody Doolin 2 years ago as "not being good enough" I was singing his praises. Today those same people shut their mouths and avoid the subject as Doolin continues to play at a high level for demanding San Francisco Dons Coach Rex Walters. The true soph has averaged over 30 minutes a game for both of his campaigns by the Bay.

Doolin continues to add to his legacy by scoring the 5th game winning bucket of his young career. This was nothing new to me as I saw him hitch talented Texas D1 Ambassadors squads on his back during the summers and lead them down the stretch. The tough as nails guard scored the equalizer in the last minute of the game against Montana, a three pointer. He finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 32 minutes. He saved his best for overtime though as he scored the game winning layup with 35 seconds to go in the extra session.

From the Helena (MT) Independent Record:

MISSOULA — Sophomore guard Cody Doolin scored on a layup with 35 second remaining to lead the University of San Francisco Dons to a 65-62 victory over the host Montana Grizzlies on Thursday evening in Dahlberg Arena.

The Grizzlies (4-3) took a six-point lead over the Dons (6-3) with 3:58 left to play on a lay-up by senior forward Art Steward. USF scored six unanswered point after that, though, and tied the contest 59-59 with 2:07 to go on a lay-up by senior forward Angelo Coloiaro.
Montana then regained the lead on a three-point play by sophomore guard Kareem Jamar, making it 62-59 UM at the 2:02 mark. But Doolin’s three-pointer with 1:40 left tied it at 62-all, and then Doolin made the game-winner about a minute later.

Texas D1 Ambassadors alum, Cody Doolin of Austin Westlake, the Justin Bieeber look alike of the West Coast Conference. All American boy with an assassin's mentality.

Explosive Athletes Institute Training

2011-12-02T00:14:00.001-06:00

Coach Max Ivany of www.d1nation.com with 6'10" Tommy Smith (Phoenix North HS, Arizona State) Chicago Bulls 2003 Draft Pick and Houston native 6'11" Jake Voskuhl (right) Houston Strake Jesuit HS, member of UConn's 1999 National Championship squad and 9 year NBA veteran. For those of you who only see NBA guys from afar it's hard to understand how big and strong these dudes are. (I'm 5'10" and 205 pounds to give you a point of reference.)

Today I was invited to the Explosive Athletes Institute in Phoenix, Arizona by owner Sid Sharma. I've seen more trainers doing their thing and claiming to be the "best" than I have fingers and toes. I watched Mr. Sharma's workouts and was impressed with some of his thinking outside the box as well as his technical expertise as he holds two advanced degrees in biomechanical engineering. He certainly brings a unique scientific background to the business. Anyone who gets NBA guys to buy in have to be doing something right.

The most enjoyable part of the day was interacting with Tommy Smith and Jake Voskuhl, two really nice guys who are both looking to be in The League this year and getting their bodies ready. Both swore by Sid's methods. Jake and I both being Houston guys exchanged a lot of stories and of course know many of the same people. He got a chuckle out of recounting how John Lucas tabbed him with the name "Old Franchise" back in the day when he was getting up at 5AM to go to Luke's workouts....anyway, this is good stuff. Enjoy the video.-Coach Max Ivany

2012 W 6'6" Allex Austin Update

2011-12-01T23:36:00.001-06:00

San Marcos (TX) and Texas D1 Ambassadors 2012 W 6'6" Allex Austin

Allex Austin, (above) is a long and super bouncy athlete. He's a quality perimeter shooter and continues to improve on his handles. He holds the top high jump in the country in the Class of 2012 (7'2"). That's world class. He's the son of Olympic Champion Charles Austin. Allex has excellent academics and has a long list of track scholarships in his hip pocket. He's made it abundantly clear that he will play basketball in college too, so I encourage any high level track school that also would love to get a steal in a basketball player too, to contact me at 512-791-5455 or via email at TexasBasketball@aol.com

The first video is from this past July as Allex goes up and blocks 7'0" Baylor commit, Isaiah Austin (no relation) at the Great American Shootout in Duncanville, TX.

Austin in action with his San Marcos High School team last week doing his thing.

Austin Area Thanksgiving Performances Of Note

2011-11-30T09:27:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-28T18:22:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-26T16:22:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-26T11:24:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-24T14:34:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-24T11:45:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-23T23:03:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-23T17:09:00.001-06:00

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)

2011-11-23T11:28:00.001-06:00

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.

Monday Night Hoops

2011-11-22T16:17:00.001-06:00

Attention Hoopers! If you friend me on Facebook/Max Ivany and follow on Twitter@D1Nation I am able to notify you when I publish a report acknowledging your accomplishments. You can then retweet to college coaches following you or facebook followers as well. I am trying to maximize your exposure. Coach Max Ivany 512-791-5455
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Austin Anderson 66 Georgetown 56
It was all Anderson in OT as 2013 G JohnGramlich led his Trojans with 27 points. 2012 G Mike Hardge had 30 in the loss for Georgetown.

2013 G John Gramlich of Austin Anderson

San Antonio Clark 81 San Antonio Highlands 56
Balanced scoring was led by 2012 G Niko Maxwell (15) and 2012 G Adam Perez (13).

San Antonio Brennan 71 Schertz Clemens 69
2013 G Johnny Azzinaro had 29 to lead the Bears

Floresville 43 Kerrville Tivy 40
2013 P 6'6" Zach Overby was top dog for the Antlers in the loss with 18 points.

New Braunfels 75 San Antonio Roosevelt 64
2012 G Kyle Hittle had 31 for the Unicorns in the win.

San Marcos 77 Hays 60
2012 G Collin Hart (29) and 2012 W Allex Austin (27) led the way for the Rattlers

Boerne 55 Dripping Springs 53
2013 G Griffin McHone had 18 to lead the Greyhounds while 2012 G Collin Tubbs had 18 in the loss for Drip.

Pflugerville 67 Austin Akins   43
It's apparent early that 2013 G T.J. Williams will steer the ship but the home run hitter will be energetic wing 2013 Justin Moss who led the Panthers with 18.

Liberty Hill 67 Pflugerville Connally 64
3A Liberty Hill aka the 4A/5A "giant killer" was at it again last night in their win over 4A Connally. 2013 PG Shane LaCaille had 25 points in a dominant prformance.   2014 G Deshawn Riddick had 21 in the loss for the Coogs.

Round Rock McNeil 64     Cedar Park 48
2014 G Trey Dilworth led the Mavs with 21 points

Austin LBJ 62    Harker Heights 53
2014 G Jahlil Tutein is the newest backcourt star for the Jags. he had 17 in the win.

D1 Nation Weekend NCAA Alumni Updates

2011-11-20T22:02:00.001-06:00

John Henson Junior F 6'10" Round Rock (TX) Tampa Sickles (FL) North Carolina
Henson is not taking a backseat to anyone on the talented Tar Heels roster thus far as he had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 3 assists in the blowout win over Mississippi Valley State.

Andre Roberson Sophomore F 6'7" Converse Wagner (TX)                            Colorado
Roberson was in foul trouble all night and only manage 3 points, but added 6 boards in the 81-76 win over Central Michigan.

Cameron Moore Senior   F 6'10"     San Antonio Roosevelt (TX)             Alabama-Birmingham
Moore had an outstanding game with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 7 blocks.

Seth Gearhart     Freshman F 6'7"   Wilsonville (OR)                                        Rice
Gearhart had 3 points and 3 rebounds in the win.

Travis Jones        Senior G 6'6"        Georgetown (TX)                                     Texas State
Jones had 9 points and 4 rebounds in a loss against South Carolina Upstate.

Paul Garnica       Sophomore G 6'0" San Antonio Lee (TX)                         Northern Colorado
It's Garnica's team now at Northern Colorado as he logged 36 minutes, 22 points, 3 assists and 2 steals as he found his old Texas D1 Ambassadors team mate Deon Mitchell of Northern Iowa guarding him for a good portion of the game.

Deon Mitchell Freshman G 6'0" Pflugerville (TX) Northern Iowa
A slight edge goes to Garnica in tonight's game but Mitchell's squad won the contest. Deon had 12 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds. A nice stat line for a freshman!

Below: Mitchell goes up for the jumper while Garnica goes for the block.

After the game Garnica called me and after we spoke he asked for Deon's cell number so they could rap and he could give Deon some feedback. That's the Paul Garnica most people do not know. He's a great team mate and a great person wanting to help Mitchell after the game. That's why I love these kids!

Osas Ebomwonti RS_Sophomore  P 6'9"   Pflugerville (TX)                          Lamar
Ebomwonyi is having a great season as he notched 4 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks in the win over North Carolina-Charlotte.

Tre Nichols           Senior                  G 5'11" Killeen (TX)                               Boise State
Nichols had 5 points and 3 assists as Boise State cruised to victory.

Cody Doolin         Sophomore          G 6'2"   Austin Westlake                         San Francisco
Doolin had 9 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in the win over Seattle U.

Star Power: From left in AAU days, Paul Garnica (Northern Colorado), background Jordan Clarkson (Tulsa) and right Cody Doolin (San Francisco). Did you know...on the same Texas D1 Ambassadors team we have FOUR current D1 point guards. Garnica, Doolin, Mitchell, Tre Demps (Northwestern). I point this out because many parents are cautious about having other strong players at their son;'s position. Yes, it works and all can prosper the D1 Nation Way!

Jaleel Williams Freshman W 6'6" Killeen Ellison San Jose State
Jaleel had 8 points and 2 rebounds in the loss to Santa Clara.

Jason Brickman Sophomore G 5'11" San Antonio Clark Long Island
Brickman had 10 points and 5 assists in the win over Vermont

Saturday's Notable Austin Area Performances

2011-11-20T21:29:00.001-06:00

Austin High 74 Ennis 73
2013 F Patrick Strake had 27 points in the squeaker.

San Marcos 73 Austin Hyde Park 55
2012 G Collin had 24 while 2012 W Allex Austin, the Mad Hopper had 23 in the victory.

Allex Austin (below) is poised along with 2012 G Collin Hart to lead San Marcos into the playoffs, a place they've rarely had much success lately.

Austin Bowie Bowie 79 Austin Crockett 33
2013 Zach Nunnery led the way with 16 for the Bulldogs.

It's not too often I get a chance to report on JV basketball as I'm running in a hundred directions but with a quiet varsity slate this weekend the Georgetown JV Tournament took center stage . Austin Westlake is quietly establishing their program as quality from top to bottom under the leadership of Varsity Head Coach Tres Ellis. He's got a nice vasity squad but his JV is stocked and waiting their turn for next year.

2014 G "Long "Range" Luke Rowan whose older brother R.J. is a huge part of their varsity success looks to carve out his own niche as he proves to be a potent scorer on the perimeter.

Despite missing 4 players who traveled to Houston for the Chaps football playoff game (They lost) their deep JV squad took the Georgetown title. The most exciting game was the semi final as Round Rock Westwood came charging back from a 25 point deficit in the 4th quarter and barely missed derailing the Chaps who won 86-85. 2014 G Luke Rowan led the way with 21 points. Westlake Bigs, 2013 Jackson Carter (16) and 2014 Jack Getman (19) were also key in the win.

The championship was less dramatic with Westlake beating Lake Travis 63-55. Getman led the way with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while promising 2015 G prospect Harrison Hackney had 14 points and 5 assists to secure the title.

2015 G Harrison Hackney show plenty of promise for Westlake

McDonald's Texas Invitational: Tournament Wrap Up

2011-11-20T20:07:00.001-06:00

I don't believe the outcome of the McDonald's Invitational held this past week in Pasadena, TX was too much of a surprise to anyone. It was all Flower Mound Marcus. The defending 5A State Champions are loaded with their top players returning. The combo of 2012 Marcus Smart and Phil Forte are both signed with Oklahoma State. It doesn't stop there though because you can add 2012 F 6'8" Nick Banyard who has signed with New Mexico and 2012 G A.J. Luckey an athletic player who can score in bunches too.

Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State) knows a little something about cutting down nets and winning championships. He's got one State Title with Flower Mound Marcus HS and another with Texas Assault when he helped capture the adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas. Add the McDonald's Texas Invitational to the ever growing list while you're at it.

FM Marcus swept the strong field, going a perfect 5-0. They disposed of Langham Creek, San Antonio Warren and in the Championship beat Desoto 55-42.

Overall the Austin/San Antonio teams did ok, with San Antonio Warren and San Antonio Clark both reaching the Gold Bracket.

Gold Bracket Play

San Antonio Warren 75 North Crowley 73
Flower Mound Marcus 74 San Antonio Warren 65
Fort Bend Bush 91 San Antonio Warren 73 2012 Taurean Waller-Prince had 32

2012 Taurean Waller-Prince battled Big Cameron Ridley and gave Bush 32 points in the loss. Warren is establishing itself as San Antonio's top team early in the season. They've got a nice threesome in Waller-Prince, 2012 G Jerell Ellis and 2013 PG Marcus Keane.

Fort Bend Bush  68              San Antonio Clark 56 2012 G Adam Perez led with 22 points
San Antonio Clark 54         Richardson Berkner 50 Big 4th Q win, led by 2012 Niko Maxwell-15
North Crowley    66              San Antonio Clark 49   Adam Perez led the way for Clark with 15

Perez is clearly the glue for San Antonio Clark, a guard oriented team that will be tough to beat. Clark's achilles will be their lack of height and ability to board, but they are a tough matchup on the guard front.

Silver Bracket Play

Converse Judson  44            San Antonio Madison 30 2014 F 6'5" Tanner Leissner led with 15
Alief Elsik 64                       Converse Judson 52
Humble College Park 56     Converse Judson 49

2014 F 6'5" Tanner Leissner of Converse Judson is tough and effective as a sophomore. When Judson controls the pace they win. Nobody does it better at protecting a lead. Scoring will be an issue though.

Pearland Dawson 49           San Antonio Madison 48
Austin Westlake    62           San Antonio Madison 46 2013 W Vince DeBlasio had 17 in the win.

Spring Dekaney 56               Austin Westlake 49
Mansfield Summit 71          Austin Westlake 62            2012 R.J. Rowan had 25 in the loss
Westlake has some nice pieces. Any one of 5 guys can lead the team in scoring on any given night: R.J. Rowan, Will Morse, Chase Carlton, Drew Wikelius or Vince DeBlasio.

Bronze Bracket

Humble Kingwood 43          San Antonio Taft 40
San Antonio Taft    53          LaMarque 36
Houston Bellaire    59           San Antonio Taft 49

D1 Nation NCAA Alumni Report: Thursday/Friday

2011-11-19T15:53:00.001-06:00

A big shout out to my daughter in law, Judy Jones as she is coming back strong after her medical redshirt year. She had 8 points and 8 rebounds last night in Texas San Antonio's win over Florida International. (Shown below pregame with the Little Hooper, Grandson Julian Ivany).

Eric McClellan Freshman G 6'5" Austin (TX) Tulsa
McClellan got 20 minutes last night and scored 7 points and added 6 rebounds.

Jordan Clarkson Sophomore G 6'5" Converse Judson Tulsa
Clarkson had 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in a win over Western Kentucky. In a big win back in back to back games, Clarkson added 15 against the Big Ten's Northwestern.

Andre Roberson Sophomore F 6'7" Converse Judson Colorado
Playing in the Puerto Rico Tip Off, Roberson had 4 points, 10 rebounds and 2 steals in a loss to Wichita State. Roberson then followed up with a monster game last night vs Maryland as he had 21 points and 13 rebounds.

***How about those "back in the day" photos of Clarkson and Roberson as high school team mates a couple of years back. No wonder Converse Wagner was a mainstay at State with those two together.***

Royce O'Neale       Freshman G 6'5"                       Harker Heights                             Denver
"Rolls" Royce O'Neale had 11 points, 6 rebounds and two steals in a win over Southern Mississippi.

TaShawn Thomas Freshman F 6'8"                       Killeen                                           Houston
Oh Boy! The Cougars have their claws back, beating SEC Arkansas handily as Thomas had 7 points and 10 boards.

Max Yon                 Freshman G 6'5"                      San Antonio Reagan                    Air Force
Yon had 6 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in his first college action as the Falcons won big.

Coach Max Ivany On www.AzGamecast.com

2011-11-19T13:50:00.001-06:00

The high school seaosn is well under way in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Meanwhile the players in Oregon, New Mexico and Arizona are preparing for the opening of their seasons shortly. I'm almost finished my early college fall tour of campuses and teams in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico and will be back in San Antonio on Monday for Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, I was contacted by Keith Perrin of www.azgamecast.com to come into their studios to talk about club basketball and the D1 Nation. Below is a link to the interview which lasts about 20 minutes. (Yes, I know that's a long time to hear me drone on..lol). He does ask some very pertinent questions though about the club scene, what you should look for in an organization etc and did allow me a couple of minutes to brag on the players who are part of the D1 Nation and in particular shouted out to the talent in Texas. (I forget who said it, but I believe the quote is "you ain't braggin' if you can back it up").

I was very impressed with www.azgamecast.com and their professional studio. Great people, who love youth athletics! I want to thank them for the opportunity to be part of their broadcast. You can click on the link below. When Mr. Perrin finishes interviewing me he then speaks with Chad Groth of www.areacodesbasketball.com who spent many years as VP of Player Personnel with the Harlem Globetrotters. Great interview!

http://azgamecast.com/available_games.php?id_game=147

Cen Tex High School Round Up: Friday

2011-11-19T11:07:00.001-06:00

Round Rock McNeil 77 Del Valle 70
While I was in Phoenix, AZ watching Del Valle alum A.J. Hardeman do his thing leading New Mexico over Arizona State one of Austin's outstanding 2014 Class, G Trey Dilworth scored 17 to lead his McNeil squad over the Cardinals.

Austin Anderson 63 Leander 32
One of my preseason favorites, Anderson is nice. They had 4 players in double figures including a couple of under classmen in 2013 floor general John Gramlich and 2013 F 6'7" Alex Frame with 12 a piece.

San Antonio Brennan 72 Austin St. Michael's 31
2013 G Johnny Azzinaro had 14 to guide his Bears squad to the blowout victory.

Pflugerville 69 Killeen Ellison 66
The 'Ville used blanced scoring to ground the reloading Eagles. 2013 W Justin Moss (17), 2013 PG T.J. Williams (14), 2013 G Derrick Brooks (10) and 2013 G Napoleon Onyeje (10) were the biggest contributors. Pflugerville will be good this year, but with all these underclassmen they can really make noise next year as seniors.

Boerne 58 Burnet 51
2013 G Griffin McHone led the Greyhounds to the win. Boerne is one of the Region's tougher outs at the 3A level.

Georgetown 58 Austin Akins 56
2012 PG Michael Hardge had 27 points and 11 rebounds in the win. None were more important than his steal with 5 seconds left for the winning bucket.

Lake Travis 72 Round Rock 62
2013 G Stefan Vidovic has sprouted to 6'4" and is really estblishing himself as a legit D1 prospect. He had 27 in the win. 2013 P 6'11" Leonard Allen had 14 for the Dragons in the loss.

Kerrville Tivy 53 Victoria West 52 (OT)
2013 P 6'6" Zach Overby had 11 points including the clinching FT in overtime with less than a second to play. Senior Riley Miller had 15, 2014 Matt Perry (14) and 2013 Rowdy Winters added 11 in the home win.

2013 W Rowdy Winters goes to the rack for Kerrville Tivy

Mumford (1A) 65 Madisonville 60

How about those youngsters down in Mumford? 2014 G 6'5" Aubrie King had 19 points, 14 rebounds. meanwhile his jumping jack mate 2015 LaHendric Hyson added 14 points and 10 boards.

McDonald's Texas Invitational Tournament: Pasadena, TX

2011-11-19T01:43:00.001-06:00

The McDonald's Texas Invitational Tournament held in Pasadena, Texas is one of the country's best run events to open the school year. The outstanding field of teams includes one team from Austin, five teams from San Antonio and many of Dallas' and Houston's top notch prep teams.

Pool Play Results
Austin Westlake 54 Manvel 40 2012 P 6'6" Drew Wikelius scored 14
Desoto 59 Austin Westlake 55 2012 G R.J. Rowan-18 2013 G Will Morse-18

Wikelius body looks good. He's shed his baby fat and has developed a mean streak on the court. He's finishing much stronger around the goal in his senior year.

Morse, in his second year as a starter for Austin Westlake has a lot more help this season but he'll still need to be the Chaps leading scorer most nights for them to have a lot of success.

Converse Judson 66   Fort Bend Marshall 56           2012 G E.J. Hubbard scores 14
North Crowley 72   Converse Judson 67                      2012 G E.J. Hubbard scores 18

San Antonio Clark 54   Houston Bellaire 48              2012 G Niko Maxwell scores 17
San Antonio Clark 65 Mansfield Summit 44             2012 G Adam Perez scores 17

The Alamo City has had success with undersized Hispanic guards with high motors and a tough mental make up moving on to play Division 1 basketball (Paul Garnica, and Dylan Elias of Northern Colorado). Perez should get the same opportunity with his steady play.

Flower Mound Marcus 75 San Antonio Madison 48   New Mexico signee Nick Banyard-14 pts
San Antonio Madison 52 La Marque 42                    Qualen Holloway scores 22

Humble College Park 47 San Antonio Taft   45         2012 P Joseph Gray scored 16 points
Fort Bend Bush  93 San Antonio Taft 55

San Antonio Warren 49   Humble Kingwood 38        2012 F Taurean Waller-Prince scored 14
San Antonio Warren 94   Pearland Dawson 82

2013 G Cullen Neal Visits Arizona State

2011-11-19T01:26:00.001-06:00

2013 combo guard 6'4" Cullen Neal of Albuquerque Eldorado (NM) spent the day in Phoenix/Temp, Arizona today on an unofficial visit on the Sun Devils campus. In an interesting juxtaposition, Neal wore a burnt orange Eldorado shirt to the game, not Arizona State maroon, nor the silver and red of New Mexico Lobos where his dad, Craig is Associate Head Coach.

Arizona State Head Coach Herb Sendek offered Cullen today. This is his 4th unoffcial visit thus far. He's been to St. Mary's, Stanford and Gonzaga and to this point says he has no clear favorite. There will be plenty of offers coming along for the talented guard who can score, create and just flat understands how to compete and run a team. He'll be paired with UNM Head Coach Steve Alford's son, 2013 combo guard 6'3" Bryce Alford of Albuquerque La Cueva (NM) this spring to form one of the Nation's most effective backcourts when they lace them up for Danny Granger's D1 Ambassadors on the circuit.

2013 G Cullen Neal at Arizona State with Coach Max Ivany of the D1 Nation

New Mexico won in a squeaker as Texas D1 Ambassadors alum, Senior post A.J. Hardeman had a huge bucket in the last minute to seal the win on the road for the Lobos. After the game, young Neal made his way to the Arizona State dressing room to thank Coach Sendek for his visit and offer. Already recognized as a Top 100 player in the country Neal attended the Nike Jamboree in St, Louis, MO with many of the country's top sophomore players.

Del Valle (TX) A.J. Hardeman came to battle ASU's two 7 footers tonight.

D1 Nation Real Talk: 2012 Alex Caruso

2011-11-18T16:34:00.001-06:00

2012 G Alex Caruso of A&M Consolidated: Signed with Texas A&M.

Shown below at Dave Telep's NBA Pro Player's Camp

Q. How old were you when you started playing basketball?
A. First grade

Q. What are some of your hobbies outside of basketball?
A. All sports, hangin' with my friends

Q. What is your favorite class in school?
A. AP Statistics

Q. What music are you listening to before a game?
A. Anything that's gonna get me hyped

Q. What is your favorite food?
A. steak!

Q. What college or NBA player do you model your game after?
A. Kevin Garnett,I love watching KG compete.

Q. List some goals you’ve set for this year?
A. Get stronger, win district, win state

Q. Who is the best player you played against all spring or summer?
A. Shabazz Mohammed. That guy is a level above everybody else..in every aspect of play

Q. What is the best conference in college basketball?
A. It's about to be the sec/acc

Q. List the Top 6 players in Houston right now?
A. Rasheed Sulaimon, Cameron Ridley, Danuel House, The Harrison Twins

Q. What part of your game needs improvement the most?
A. strength, that's the only thing holding me back

Q. Who is your favorite NBA player from Houston?
A. Old school: Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwan

Q. Who are the Top 5 teams in 5A or 4A this year?
A. Fort Bend Travis, North Crowley, Flour Mound Marcus, Desoto, Houston Yates

Q. Where do you see yourself being 5 years from now?
A. -I hope to be graduated from Texas A&M and be playing pro ball somewhere

Alex Caruso is the real deal. He's a player who came out of nowhere to impress a lot of so called basketball people nationwide. That fact that this guy wasn’t on the national radar this time last year is a prime example of hard work and believing in yourself now paying off. He burst on the scene with Max Ivany's Texas D1 Ambassadors A throw back player that plays very hard on defense. In addition to scoring he'll give you steals,blocks and rebounds. On offense he is a beast attacking the rim and watch out on the fastbreak in transition. He's WAY above the rim! Who said White Men Can’t Jump. You haven’t seen Caruso then.-A.W. Robinson

Baton Rouge Madison Prep Heads To Houston For Thanksgiving

2011-11-17T13:45:00.001-06:00

Basketball fans. Where will you be on Friday night @ 6pm November 25th? What about on Saturday night, November 26th at 6pm? The inaugural D1 Nation Thanksgiving Jamboree will be under way and it's at those times you can catch Baton Rouge Madison Prep in action. They will take on Houston Episcopal on Friday and then Houston Westside on Saturday.

Veteran Coach Jeff Jones a long time Assistant at Baton Rouge Glen Oaks under the legendary Harvey Adger is no stranger to winning as Glen Oaks has multiple state titles in Louisiana. In his first year as head coach you can expect his team will play tough defense and uptempo. Although still a young group, they'll be led by 2012 G 6'1" Ralston Morris who leads the team in scoring and dunks. Off to a 6-1 start Madison prep has an early signature win over Family Christian Academy, last year's State Semi Finalist.

2013 F 6'9" Jarell Martin

Make no mistake about it though that the basketball junkies will be out in full force to see Louisiana and the South's latest basketball prodigy and big time prospect, 2013 F 6'9" Jarell Martin. Snakes, alligators, great Cajun cooking and big time hoopers come out of The Bayou! He's ultra long and fluid, with many favorable early comparisons to Kevin Durant. Wow! Check the video below, compliments of Yay Areas Finest as Martin goes between the legs and windmills in this past summer's Las Vegas Fab 48 event playing for the Louisiana Elite. With about 200 college coaches in the house and Coach Max Ivany sitting on the endline in the bleachers Martin exploded on the You Tube map.

See you at Houston St. Thomas High School after you digest your turkey for the D1 Nation Thanksgiving Jamboree!

Super Performance: Round Rock Westwood's J.T. Dettman

2011-11-17T09:07:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I miss a score or two, or perhaps the matchup is mediocre and I only have so much time and space to report on the high scool outcomes. I missed this one as the Austin Statesman didn't have the score in. In a loss, Senior Round Rock Westwood G J.T. Dettman had 27 points on 7 three pointers in a close loss to Killeen Shoemaker. That doesn't happen everyday folks! Dettman, a solidly built 6'4" G who also defends hard, was "en fuego" on Tuesday night. He's no slouch in the classroom either, attending one of the Nation's toughest academic high schools.

D1 Nation NCAA Alumni Update: Wednesday

2011-11-17T00:47:00.001-06:00

Jaleel Williams Freshman WG 6'6" Killeen Ellison (TX) San Jose State
Williams scored the first 6 points of his college career and added 2 boards and an assist.

Cody Doolin Sophomore G 6'2" Austin Westlake (TX) San Francisco
Doolin had 7 points (including 5 in OT) and 5 assists in the win over San Jose State.
J.J. Avila Sophomore F 6'7" McAllen (TX) Navy
Avila continues his offensive leadership with the Middies:19 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

Jordan Jahr Sophomore G 6'6" Lake Travis (TX) Evansville
Jahr had 4 points and 4 rebounds vs the Indiana Hoosiers

Mike Byron Sophomore P 6'9" San Antonio Churchill Gardner-Webb
Byron had 8 points and 6 rebounds in only 16 minutes of play.

Brian Williams RS-Freshman G 6'6" Baton Rouge Glen Oaks (LA) Oklahoma State
Williams had 3 points but the story of the game was my guy Dino's Trigonis' kid, Freshman Cesar Guerrero who came off the bench and scorched Texas-San Antonio with 29 points!

Cameron Moore Senior F 6'10" San Antonio Roosevelt (TX) Alabama-Birmingham
Moore, in his first game of the season had 7 points, 12 rebounds and 7 blocks. Look for Cameron, a young senior to have a professional career soon.

Tre Nichols Senior G 5'11" Killeen (TX) Boise State
Nichols only got 2 minutes but he tallied 5 points and a rebound.

A.J. Hardeman Senior F 6'8" Del Valle (TX) New Mexico
Hardeman had a so so statistical night as he had 2 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in a loss.
Mark Nwakamma Freshman P 6'6" Leander (TX) Hartford
Nwakamma had 8 points, 2 boards and 2 blocks tonight for the Hawks.

Coach Max Ivany in Arizona, Promoting the D1 Nation

2011-11-16T22:54:00.001-06:00

It's no secret I love Arizona and it doesn't take a whole lot of an excuse to visit and get a little golf in or in the summer time, sunning by the pool. The last 10 days though have been strictly business as I continue to cultivate relationships that can help players in the states I serve; Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Oregon and Arizona. It's been a whirlwind tour of the Grand Canyon State.

Stop 1. Grand Canyon University. Phoenix, AZ. Currently a D2 program, but with old friend and former Arizona Wildcats Head Coach Russ Pennell at the helm and the recent grand opening of a beautiful new arena it's only a short while before GCU is D1. Their facilities and organizational structure are already superior to half the Southland Conference. I was on hand pregame to well wish and shake hands with Coach Pennell and Arizona State Head Coach Herb Sendek. I can't tell you how much pride I have in the players who have represented the D1 Ambassadors over the years as both coaches were gracious and professed that they "love recruiting the D1 Nation both because of the quality of the players but their character as well."

Stop 2. University of Arizona. Tucson, AZ. Chilled for a couple of hours with the U of A coaches prior to the game that evening discussing prospects in general and Assistant Coach Emmanuel Booker in particular vow that he has to recruit talent rich Texas harder. I am his eyes and ears in the Lone Star State. As an added bonus, I met the coaches from that night's opponent, Duquesne University who upon hearing I was the Founder of the D1 Ambassadors asked me for their help with a late signee in April.

Stop 3 Arizona State University. Tempe, AZ. Arizona State seems to be hurting for a Pac-12 team. It may be a long year as they barely handled Montana State and zoned them. I touched base with Montana State as well who had a couple of Texas kids on their roster.

Stop 4. Keith Perrin of www.azgamecast.com got wind that I was in town and contacted me to be on his webcast. AzGamecast does a great job of hyping high school sports and providing streaming video og games in Arizona. They are evaluating as to whether they take it nation wide. Based on their studio and technical expertise coupled with love of high school sports it looks like a no brainer to me. I will provide a link to the interview in the next day or so. I'm still nervous in front of the camera despite having done national tv interviews with ESPN's Outside The Lines, among other programs but anytime I can talk basketball prospects and share recruiting knowledge I am down with it!

Keith Perrin of www.AzGamecast.com and Coach Ivany in the green room for a sound check.

Stop 5. At Arizona State University again to see my guys from Pepperdine; Head Coach Marty Wilson and Assistants Damon Lopez and Mark Ameril. We spent half the day at Pepperdine's campus back in early June of this past summer on an unofficial visit with Alex Caruso and 2012 G Chase Brogna (Houston St. Thomas). They Wave loves the D1 Nation, having offered Texas D1 Ambassador Alex Caruso last summer. He decided on Texas A&M. Now for any of you folks who have not been on Pepperdine's campus...just close your eyes and think about what heaven might look like. It has to be comparable, as it's perched high on the cliffs of Malibu overloooking the beautiful California beaches. They already have a verbal commitment from Houston player Dylan Jones, son of former Houston football player Sean Jones.

Tomorrow evening I meet with New Mexico Head Coach Steve Alford and Assistant Craig Neal. I'll be sure to catch up with Del Valle(TX) and Texas D1 Ambassadors alumni Senior 6'8" Post A.J. Hardeman who stars for the Lobos. Both Coach Alford and Coach Sendek will be grumpy as they are both coming off losses. Then on Monday I'll be back home in Texas to enjoy some San Antonio high school hoops/Thanksgiving Day and on to Houston to run my D1 Nation Thanksgiving Jamboree which has a great line up of high school teams from Houston and Louisiana. I hope to see you there!-Coach Max Ivany

D1 Nation Alum Adhar Mayhen Signs In Australia

2011-11-16T22:29:00.001-06:00

Today is a great day for the D1 Nation and one it's classiest alumni. Adhar Mayhen, Class of 2007 at Pflugerville, TX and who had a three year career D1 career and obtained his degree from the University of Hawaii has signed a professional contract to play in Australia.

Adhar played several years for the Texas D1 Ambassadors and always distinguished himself on and off the court. His story is both heartwarming and a profile in courage and commitment. Adhar's family was under political pressure and under the threat of execution in his native Sudan when at 7 years old they escaped in the middle of the night to Egypt. After two years there, his family emigrated to London, England and finally 2 years later to Austin, TX. Despite this, he still graduated high school when he was only 16. How can that be when we have children here with all the creature comforts who use any excuse for their academic failings while another youngster overcomes real challenges?

Primarily because he was so young and skinny, Mayhen had only one D1 offer coming out of high school. he consulted with me and asked my opinion. I felt he had great upside and although his decision to have confidence that he would be fine and that the Lord would reward him. He elected to go to junior college one year and then earned his scholarship and he played his final three season for Hawaii, graduating with his bachelor's degree this summer. The fall has been spent with the Athletes in Action team training and playing exhibition games in North Carolina with other college players.

He called me this morning with the good news: "Coach I've signed to play professionally in Australia!" This couldn't have happened to a nicer human being. He's become a close friend of the family over the last 7 years and has also represented his native Sudan earlier this year in international competition. Congratulations to Adhar-Coach Max Ivany and the D1 Ambassadors Family.

Chris Ellis Throws Down On Thailand

2011-11-16T22:24:00.001-06:00

At the Sea Games In Indonesia. Once again, Chris Ellis reppin' Harker Heights, Texas and the D1 Nation as he delivers in a big win for the Phillipines against Thailand

Central Texas On A Tuesday Night

2011-11-16T00:38:00.001-06:00

Liberty Hill 53 Austin Hyde Park 34
I let the word out that the next exciting young big to emerge from the Cen Tex is 2013 F 6'7" Blake Danielak. He didn't disappoint in his 2011 debut versus a well coached HP crew under new Head Coach Marquette Wilkins. Danielak had 16 points, 9 rebounds and 8 blocked shots as he roamed the paint.

Coach Barry Boren's Liberty Hill Wildcats will be super tough in 3A. 2013 Shane LaCaille is tough and effective. He added 15 points and 5 dimes. 2012 Steven Graves is a deadeye shooter who you have to account for inside and out. Three Wildcats who are depended on to provide tough D just got back from running in the State Cross Country Meet. Nick Carzier, Robert Koepl and Blake Hare provide toughness and depth.

2013 F 6'7" Blake Danielak of Liberty Hill

Pflugerville 65 Austin Westlake 57

In a game which was much closer than the final indicates, 2013 W Justin Moss and his high motor ended up giving the Chaps 20 points, while 2013 G Napoleon Onyeje added 13 and 2013 PG T.J. Williams had 10. Westlake's Will Morse led all scorers with 24 points and 5 assists, and 2012 P Drew Wikelius chipped in 13. There's a new Head Coach in Pflugerville's David Raigosa but it looks like the same old same old Pflugerville juggernaut.

2013 G Will Morse of Austin Westlake

2013 W Justin Moss of Pflugerville

San Antonio Brandeis 79 San Antonio Brackenridge 50

2013 G Justin Graham gave Brack the business as he had 25 points in the lopsided win.

San Antonio Brennan 71 San Antonio Fox Tech 39

Brennan in only their second year of varsity play will be really tough. 2013 Johhny Azzinaro had 18, 2012 Christian Davis added 17 and 2013 George King added 14 as they cruised to the W

2013 W George King will have a great season

San Antonio Warren 92 San Antonio Antonian 54

2012 F 6'10" Jered Kite upheld his end of the bargain for Antonian as he scrapped for 14 points, but the rest of his team mates weren't up to the challenge. The high octane Warren Warriors got double digit scoring from 4 players: 2012 Jordan Corona (22), 2012 Taurean Prince Waller (18), 2012 Jerell Ellis (18) and 2013 PG Marcus Keane (12). This could be the Warriors year.

San Antonio Reagan 62 Cibolo Steele 59

2013 G Michael Williams led the way with 26 points in the win, while 2013 G C.J. Siples paced Steele with 20 in the loss.

San Antonio Christian nipped 4A power Kerrville Tivy in a huge win. 2013 Rowdy Winters led the Antlers in defeat with 13 points.

San Antonio Alamo Heights 61 San Antonio Central Catholic 46

Eventually a young Central Catholic team will be very good but right now it's Alamo Heights time. 2012 W Jeffrey Rodewald led the way for AH as he had 19 points. Alamo Heights is big with 6'8" 2012 Shelby Lane and 6'8" 2014 Ben Lammers.

2012 Jeffrey Rodewald last year's District MVP will lead the Mules deep into the playoffs.

Notable Performances on the night:

2012 shooter Collin Tubbs had 16 to lead Dripping Springs over 62-54

The entire Harker Heights team as they drilled Austin Reagan 88-32

Cedar Park got 16 from 2012 Travis Guebert in their 53-43 win over Leander

Hutto 66 San Marcos 63. 2012 Tevin Bellinger led the Hippos to the win, but it was San Marco's Collin Hart who put up the numbers of the night with 37 points.

2012 G Collin Hart had 37 for San Marcos in thier loss

Austin Anderson beginning to fulfill my prophecy. They beat a tough Round Rock McNeil team 86-77 behind their juniors: 2013 F 6'7" Alex Frame (25), 2013 G JohnGramlich (21) and 2012 Hayden Graham (19), a recent Air Force commit.

2013 Alex Frame continues to develop

Austin High nipped Georgetown 52-49 behind 2013 Patrick Strake's 19 points. 2012 G Michael Hardge had 20 in the loss for Georgetown.

D1 Nation Alumni Updates: Tuesday

2011-11-16T00:00:00.001-06:00

Cory Jefferson RS-Sophomore P 6'10" Killeen (TX) Baylor
Jefferson is establishing himself as glue on the most talented/deepest frontline in the country. Looks like he'll play 20 minutes per game for Coach Drew. Had 2 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks today against San Diego State

Osas Ebomwonyi RS-Sophomore P 6'9" Pflugerville Lamar

Ebomwonyi had his second straight solid performance with 7 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks

Brian Williams RS-Freshman G 6'6" Baton Rouge Glen Oaks (LA) Oklahoma State

12 points and 6 rebounds in his first meaningful college minutes for the Cowboys. The explosive Williams will eventually be a big star at Oklahoma State.

Travis Jones Senior G 6'6" Georgetown (TX) Texas State

Jones had 11 points and 5 rebounds in the win.

Brandon Irwin Senior G 6'1" Thorndale (TX) Howard Payne

How about Irwin putting up 19 points tonight against D1, Texas State!

Paul Garnica Sophomore G 6'0" San Antonio Lee (TX) Northern Colorado

Garnica led in scoring with 18 points and 2 steals

Texas Public School Season Openers

2011-11-15T14:19:00.001-06:00

Fort Bend Travis 77 Houston Yates 69
In one of the country's most anticipated public school matchups the Harrison Twins led Fort Bend Travis over Yates in a game decided by free throws in the last minute.

"In the grand scheme of things it really doesn't mean much," Andrew Harrison said. "This is a great confidence builder. Yates is one of the best teams in the country."

Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/216569/Harrison_Brothers_Lead_Travis_To_Upset_Of_Houston_Yates#ixzz1doEY6Tek

San Antonio Churchill 98 San Antonio East Central 75
The Chargers came out of the gate at a gallop and gored the Hornets. They had balanced scoring including 20 by 2012 G Scott Mammel and 16 points, 5 dunks and 5 blocks by Texas signee Connor Lammert

Lammert is intent on leading the Chargers to Austin next March

Converse Judson 60 San Antonio Stevens 58
Judosn eked out the win in the 4th quarter despite good performances from Stevens Senior duo of Uche Ofoegbu-19 (Southern Methodist signee) and Marcus Roper-13. Senior E.J. Hubbard had 17 and 2014 P David Wacker added 15 for the Rockets in the win.

Austin Bowie 50 San Antonio O'Connor 37
Senior Guard Paul Baxter controlled the game and scored 20 points. Verbally committed to Sam Houston State, Baxter made a decision not to sign early and to play out his senior year instead. He will be a great get for some college program as his athleticism is top shelf.

2012 Paul Baxter is one of the State's top available unsigned seniors.

Austin Akins 65 Copperas Cove 62
Cove let the game slip away in the 4th quarter but 2015 W 6'3" Rashard Odomes had 12 points in the loss and shows a huge upside for the Bulldogs.

San Antonio Clark 66 San Antonio Roosevelt 52
Clark coasted to the win behind balanced scoring from newcomer 2013 G Justin Brickman and 2012 G Niko Maxwell as they emptied their bench. Best wishes go out to Clark Coach Steve Sylestine who is addressing health issues. Get well soon coach!

Brickman adds depth to an already potent Clark backcourt.

Freshman Rashard Odomes of Copperas Cove is one to watch

Anderson's Hayden Graham Inks With Air Force Prep

2011-11-15T11:12:00.001-06:00

Hayden Graham a 6'5" G from Austin Anderson has committed to the Air Force Academy and will spend his first year at the Prep School. He'll join area products Cole Martinez (San Antonio Central Catholic) and Max Yon (San Antonio Reagan) who are already there.

Anderson, yes Anderson will be a force to be reckoned with this year. That hasn't been said since the days of McDonald's All American Kris Clack.

Graham (shown below at Max Ivany's All American Prodigy Camp in the Fall of 2010 where he was named Most Outstanding Shooter.) can hit from deep and also possesses a nice mid range game. He's improving his handles, has high character and may grow more with his already long, lean frame being a prototype two guard body. Congratulation to Hayden and the Graham Family.-Coach Max Ivany