Austin Round Up

Cedar Park Vista Ridge 47 Georgetown 46 OT 2011 W Joey Faglie had 20 to lead The Ridge

Austin Bowie 59 Bastrop 44. Bowie were led by 2010 G Tre Lindsey (Army Prep) , pictured below with 22 points. Bowie is now rolling towards the season's end at 25-4. Pflugerville 57 Pflugerville Connally 37. Deon Mitchell had 12 to lead The Ville, in what has become pretty much a non rivalry of late.

Austin High 76 Austin Anderson 45. 2011 PG Eric McClellan, shown below driving the lane had 12 points in the blowout win for the Maroons.Lake Travis 56 Hutto 53. LT ran their record to 26-4 as Coach Jan Jernberg's senior laden squad downed Hutto.

Killeen 67 Lampasas 39. 2011 P Ta'Shaun Thomas had 16 to lead the Runnin'Roos.

Below, 2011 PG Dylan Cox finger rolls to the bucket. Last night he led Cedar Park to their first ever District Championship. Congratulations to Coach Blake Brown as they head towards Houston for their first round playoff game in a couple of weeks.

Austin Westlake 93 Austin Akins 72

Last night I raced from Round Rock HS to Austin Akins for the big 8:15pm matchup between the hosts and visiting Austin Westlake. I fully expected a tough, tight game as even though Westlake is undefeated in district they've not been hitting on all cylinders lately. On the other hand, Akins Coach David Peavey has his trooops peaking at the right time. (Keep in mind that Westlake only beat Akins by 10 last month, and they were missing senior W Kevin McFarlane). They were also brimming with confidence after their HUGE win over Pflugerville last week. I'm sure visions of a future matchup with Austin Bowie possibly for 2nd place in the district were talked about as real possibilities with a win tonight over Westlake.

If only this were golf, Akins could have asked for a mulligan. Or a tennis match, where you get whipped in the first game but then regroup and take a drink of Gatorade and come back to beat your opponent 6-1. Alas, there was no tee box, or no net dividing the court last night. There was just 94 feet of hardwood. It was OVER when Westlake went up 14-4 out of the gate. One of the Akins players started talking smack to 2010 PG Cody Doolin of Westlake, and I can tell you from experience that was a poor decision. Doolin unleashed a three pointer coming off a screen, had two rebounds to key the break, and had tallied 3 assists in the first couple of minutes.

Below: 2011 WG Malcolm Canada of Akins listens to his coach during a timeout. Canada finished with 12 points and was the most aggressive player on the floor for Akins. He's showing continued improvement with his ballhandling and attacked the rim when aggressively when he had the chance. There'll be better days ahead for him and 2011 PG Yolonzo Moore who had 15 to lead the Eagles. Look for them to be one of the better backcourts in the area next year in their senior campaign.Tonight was All Doolin, All The Time. The 6'2" guard who's committed to San Francisco controlled the game completely. The 30 points he scored were impressive, but it was the complete dominance in snagging 12 rebounds, starting the break and the 16 assists which made the night special. A half dozen of the assists were of the spectacular kind as Doolin threaded the needle whipping the passes into the smallest of spaces allowing his team mates easy layups. In the case of 2010 P Gus Leeper's two dunks Doolin streaked down the right sideline and inches from being trapped threw the crosscourt pass in perfect position for the 6'9" Arkansas-Little Rock commit to throw it down.

Below: Doolin with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors pulling up for his picture perfect jumper vs the Memphis Magic. I speak with the San Francisco coaches on a regular basis and they fully expect him to be a major contributor and possibly start for them in the West Coast Conference next year.

Westlake was my 5A pick back in October to get to the Drum for State out of Region 4. Nothing's changed. Coach Tres Ellis has done an outstanding job. Last night Westlake had two suspended part time starters back from a 3 week absence but neither one was a factor. Personally, I love the toughness and ability to hit the three that senior Jason Powell showed when he scored his 13 points in the first half, including knocking down three from behind the arc.

Akins Senior W, Kevin McFarlane finished with 15 points but did not have his usual impact under the boards as the Chaps are just too big. Looking ahead, if Akins finishes 4th in the district look for them to make noise in the playoffs. I like their personnel and they're well coached. The current leader in San Antonio is surprise McArthur who have reeled off 8 district wins in a row. They are a structured, robotic team that Akins can "out athlete" and cause fits with on the offensive boards.

2010 Gus Leeper had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks for Westlake. I was most impressed with his 5 assists though as he's becoming a tough matchup when he goes to the high post, as well as when he's laying a big body on you down in the block. Old Arkansas Razorback, Joe Kline has to be licking his chops for next season at UA-Little Rock when he gets to work with Leeper and teach him the nuances of the post game.

Westlake Senior P Carl Meyertons (M.I.T.) had a quietly efficient 20 points last night for Westlake. I believe that was a season high for him. He does the dirty work, and does it well. Senior W Connor Kemper also had 12 points for the Chaps who led by as many as 30 points.

Austin Westlake 31-27-20-15-93

Austin Akins 14-15-20-23-72

2011 P Connor Robinson of Austin Bowie

Austin Bowie went on the road last night and accomplished the improbable at Pflugerville by coming from 18 down to snatch one from the Panthers in overtime. Of course it's a team game, but the guy who personified grit for Bowie was 2011 P 6'4" Connor Robinson.

It was my first time seeing Robinson, who has been putting up some pretty good numbers. He had 20 points and 12 rebounds last night but the impressive part was that 50% of those came in the 4th quarter and OT. Robinson isn't going to catch your eye in warm ups but I loved his tenacity on the boards and his ability to finish down low in traffic. You can't underestimate a guy who has a feel for the game. I was impressed with the fact that at least half of his rebounds were because of his anticipation and understanding of the angle that the ball would come off the rim.

Below: 2011 P Connor Robinson rolled up his sleeves and went to work down the stretch against Pflugerville.

Photo courtesy of William McCord of www.pflugervillesports.com

Austin Area Games Of Note

Pflugerville Hendrickson 68 Austin Lake Travis 60 Balanced scoring from 2011 PG Jalen Harris (15) & 2011 W Jalen Washington (14) was key to the Hawks win over a dangerous Lake Travis squad.

Austin Westlake 55 Austin High 50 Senior PG Cody Doolin (San Francisco) shown below with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors continues to steamroll his Chaps to an undefeated district record as he scored 17 against their arch rival Maroons. Doolin continues to cement his hands down Cen Tex Player of the Year Honors, IMO.

Cedar Park 54 Round Rock McNeil 34 Where's A.J. Abrams when you need him? (Remember the days when AJ could drop 34 himself in a quarter?) He's in Greece, counting his scrilla. Cedar Park has been on a huge roll since Coach Brown has given the reins of the team over to 2011 CG 6'4" Dylan Cox.

Austin Akins 54 Bastrop 51 2010 W Kevin McFarlane continues to be a load as he dropped 22 for the Eagles in the win. 2011 G Josiah Monroe had 22 in the loss for the Bears.

Austin Reagan 80 Austin LBJ 79 This had to have the Delco Center rocking as the two Eastside rivals gots after each other. 2011 W 6'5" Jaquarius Daniels led the Raiders to their biggest win in years as he notched 25. 2011 LBJ G Darryl Roberts also had 25 for the Jags. Remember early in the year I forecasted the Raiders to win this district in an upset. Both teams are now deadlocked at 9-1 in district.

Killeen 67 Hutto 54 2011 P 6'7" Ta'Shaun Thomas (below) had 20 for the Runnin' Roos. The big fella runs the floor with ease, blocks shots, rebounds and has a nice touch up to 15 feet out from the goal. He'll suit up for the Texas D-1 Ambassadors once the high school campaign ends in a few weeks.

Austin St. Michael's 68 San Antonio Central Catholic 56 2011 SG Jake Kocher (shown below with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors) of SMA continues his torrid scoring as he dropped 31 points in the win. 2011 sniper Cole Martinez of Central had 24 for the Buttons in the loss. Kocher continues to expand his game and is becoming physically mature. Look for him to be in a dog fight with Pflugerville's Deon Mitchell and Reagan's JaQuarius Daniels next year for Cen Tex Player of the Year Honors.

Austin Bowie 70 Pflugerville 67 OT

Pflugerville's Mr. Smooth, Deon Mitchell showed he could bring the hammer down as well as shoot it from downtown, when he flushed a big time contested dunk. 2010 SG Jarrell Turner had a big 1st half with 13 for P'ville. Let's see what kind of mood Pflugerville is in after dropping their first district home game in 56 attempts (last week v. Westlake) and on the road v. Austin Akins. Could they lose 2 in a row at home? Austin Bowie is a stout 23-4 on the season and in the thick of the District race. Under Coach C.C. Collier's direction Bowie is masterful at controlling pace, while Pflugerville would prefer to run under Big Mike Murphy at the helm.

Pflugerville showed a solid shot selection, increased defensive intensity and patience in the first half. That translated into a 34-18 halftime lead. 2012 G Paul Baxter led Bowie with 9, while sharpshooting Jarrell Turner had three from behind the arc and 13 for the half. The signature play of the first half was 2011 PG Deon Mitchell applying a facial on a contested dunk. For those who comment that Mitchell just doesn't seem athletic enough, I just have to chuckle. You think Marquette, Arizona, Arizona State and company are all over this kid because he has heavy feet?

Bowie went on a nice 3rd quarter spurt, getting the ball down low for high percentage buckets. It was their quarter for 7 and a half minutes until The Ville scored two quick buckets to end the 3rd.

With 3:14 to play Bowie has pulled to within 3 as they've become the patient ones and are causing the Panthers to make countless turnovers. The last two minutes were hectic but the best player on the floor, Deon Mitchell took control and made two outstanding cross court passes while being double teamed that led to back to back Pflugerville layups. Lamar signee Cleveland Smith calmly hit both ends of a crucial one and one with 40 seconds left and then 1-2 with 28 seconds left. Young Baxter raced the length og the floor unfazed for a deuce and then Bowie held their first lead of the game with 14 seconds left as 2011 P Connor Robinson got the offensive rebound and the putback. One more time, Mitchell gets fouled hits 1-2 for the tie. With 4 seconds left The Ville stole the ball and Mitchell missed the layup. Overtime!

Who wants it?? Well, it wont be Mitchell because he drew two quick fouls to head to the showers. Bowie Sophomore Paul Baxter does! And Junior Connor Robinson does! They wrapped up the win for Bowie at the free throw line. Big road win for the Bulldogs, 70-67! Not a bad birthday present for veteran Bowie Coach "C.C." Collier. Happy Birthday Coach!

Pflugerville 19-15-13-15-5-67

Austin Bowie 11-7-18-26-10-72

Bowie was led by 2011 P Connor Robinson with 20 points, and 10 boards doing the dirty work underneath. Baxter chipped in with 21. Turner finished with 20 for Pflugerville.

2010 P 6'3" Deandre Perry is a workhorse. He'll play football for the University of Houston next fall. 2010 SG 6'6" Tre Lindsey of Austin Bowie will attend Army Prep this coming fall.

2012 PG Paul Baxter of Austin Bowie shows tremendous explosiveness. He's got the pedigree, as Pops Ron Baxter played for the Texas Longhorns back in the day.

In the undercard, Super frosh T.J. Williams scored 23 and dropped double digit assists as well as the Pflugerville JV beat Bowie convincingly, 68-47.

Austin's McDonald's All American Nominees

The list is paring down for the McDonald's All American Game for boys and girls being held next month. This year the Cen Tex area boasts 5 finalists. First off we'd like to acknowledge the lone lady in this year's group, Lindsay Ansley of Marble Falls.

Once again the Texas D-1 Ambassadors are the standard bearer for the boys as all four Cen Tex nominees are our alumni:

Congratulations to 6'2" SG Donald Dallas of Austin LBJ. After two years with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors and a prestigious Kingwood Classic title Dallas finished out his summer career with Doug Burditt. As of yet he has not signed, although he has excellent grades and has offers from several different D-1 schools.

Pflugerville WG, 6'5" Demetris "Cleveland" Smith has signed with Lamar University of the Southland Conference. With deep range, a high motor and as a tireless rebounder Smith is a joy to coach. He helped lead the Texas D-1 Ambassadors to the Rivals.com Memorial Day Championship in Birmingham, Alabama and then in the last weekend of the NCAA recruiting period last July he beat a Dallas Mustangs team featuring future NBA star LeBryan Nash to capture the Dallas Tourny.

Austin Westlake PG Cody Doolin is my pick for Cen Tex Player of the year. Hands down! He has signed to play with San Francisco and former Kansas PG Rex Walters. Doolin is as tough as they come both mentally and physically.

And last, but not least Dripping Springs W 6'8" Daniel Alexander has signed with Texas A&M. He became the Texas D-1 Ambassadors 6th player to attend Nike Camp; both at Vince Carter's and then LeBron James' Skills Academy. Alexander is a smoothie with deep, deep range and court vision rivalling many point guards.

Both Doolin and Alexander's individual as well as club team accolades are lengthy. This past year they were cogs in our championships in Birmingham AL, The Atlantic Slam in Myrtle Beach SC, University of Texas Team Camp as well as lighting the City of Houston up in the RCS Ice Breaker.

Below: Pflugerville Head Coach Mike Murphy gets in on the presentation act.

Austin LBJ Head Coach Freddie Roland shakes hands with Doolin.

Congratulations all around for these kids, their families and the high school coaches who have played a part in their success!

Marquis Hall Lehigh University

Basketball fans, I have an unusual post today. Below is a link to show support for Lehigh University's Senior Guard Marquis Hall. It's a testament to the friendships which can be fostered through sport, and specifically through our wonderful game of basketball.

In one of the early signature games when the Texas D-1 Ambassadors were a fledgling group, we had the opportunity to play the Portland Legends on the Main Court in Las Vegas, NV. With a roster filled with future D-1 players and NBA guys too (Kevin Love & Kyle Singler) it looked like we were going to get smashed on paper. Well, that's why they play the games. At halftime the D-1 Ambassadors led by 23 and we coasted to a 14 point win.

Marquis Hall was a member of that Portland team. A very good player to say the least, but he caught my eye as a guy with class and character too. A week or two after that game 5 years ago I received a phone call from his uncle, Andre Walker who resides here in Austin, TX. Long story short, he and I have become good friends. The link below tells of Marquis' accomplishments. You'll enjoy reading about his achievements, not to mention the big time degree he'll have in his pocket from Lehigh.

There's an opportunity for YOU to vote for the NCAA Senior CLASS Award. Hall is one of 10 nominees nationwide. I ask you to cast an online vote for him if after reading this you deem him worthy. I assure you he is. (And yes, I know that Longhorn Damion James is nominated too, but hey he's going to be counting his NBA money soon so he'll be fine...lol) All kidding aside though, these 10 young men are what college basketball should really be all about.

Congratulations to all.

Coach Max

Men's Basketball Release - Lehigh

UT-San Antonio 74 Sam Houston State 55

Below: Miss Judy "The Future" Jones, the extrordinary freshman from Monroe, Louisiana. Excuse the mediocre picture quality as it was taken with my camera phone. It's rare for me to catch a ladies game in my crazy schedule of evaluating boys. It's hard to be everywhere, but last night I zipped over to UTSA in a rainstorm to catch the Lady Roadrunners take on Sam Houston State. Make no mistake about it, the girl's game is getting more exciting and the skill set is increasing at an amazing rate.

UTSA Coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair is building something special in the Alamo City as most of the girls are underclassmen, sometimes having three freshmen on the court. Most prominent amongst this group of youngsters is Judy Jones of Monroe, LA. Judy has become close to me as she dates my son. Such a sweet, humble, funny young lady. I just had to go by to watch her play. It can be tough on the kids without families in town and they appreciate the support they receive.

Jones caused a buzz when she arrived on campus as the skinny freshman can jump flat footed and grab the rim with two hands. Seen as the future of the program, based on last night's performance the future may be NOW. With springs in her legs and a super quick first step which would put many boys to shame she's really gaining confidence and coming into her own with the Roadrunners. Last night she dropped a career high 26, coupled with 4 rebounds. However, the loudest cheer came when she skyed to block a shot bringing the crowd to it's feet. (She also had 3 blocks). She rebounds hard, and is long and bouncy enough to guard the post or out to the wing.

Folks, if you get a chance go watch these girls play. The Lady Runners are shooting for their 3rd straight Southland Conference Championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament. P.S...great to see my buddies from Austin, Wild William Anderson and Speedy Gregg (Pops of UTSA's Downtown Amber Gregg). Never a dull moment with my man William in the house..lol

Austin Akins 63 Pflugerville 59

I hate to say, (lol..maybe, I love to say) "I told you so". Just last night in my post of the San Antonio Madison-Smithson Valley game I discussed the possibility of a rematch from last year's first round game between the Mavs and Austin Akins. I stated that Akins is not to be taken lightly.

Akins Head Coach David Peavey has quickly turned around a culture of kids leaving to attend other Austin ISD schools, has instilled a work ethic and belief that they can play with anyone and quite simply he's a pretty good "X and O" guy as well. Peavey came from a year in the Southland Conference with Stephen F. Austin. Sure enough, last night Akins has notched a signature win for his program.

Sure enough, last night they served notice on their home court that they are no punchline to a joke as they notched a solid win over perennial district champ Pflugerville 64-59. Although I was not on hand, one of my staff was and they said it was Akins' defensive intensity which made the difference as they jumped on Pflugerville early. I spoke to Pflugerville Head Man Mike Murphy today. Murph's one of the most affable guys you'll ever meet but he's a tad ticked over the selfishness being shown periodically by his squad. One player has been removed from the team, and also unexpectedly starter Keith Bunton has moved to Indiana for family reasons. (We wish him well.) As those of you who follow me know, I'm very cautious about printing negative comments, but I know most of the Panthers and it's my opinion that they need to cut the baloney and the kids need to accept their roles. There is too much pettiness around guard Deon Mitchell's notoriety. Guys, pick your spots and play hard alongside Mitchell and Cleveland Smith and The Ville will be rewarded with a deep playoff run!

Akins held Mitchell to a manageable 17 points and also held Lamar signee Cleveland Smith to only 11 points. Meanwhile, 2011 WG Malcolm Canada continues to see his stock rise as he scored 20 for the Eagles. 2010 workhorse Kevin McFarlane also had 14 for Akins. Big, big win for Akins!

February 4th. I finally caught up with Austin Akins HS Head Coach David Peavey and asked him what the mood was after the big win over Pflugerville. First off he made it clear that anytime you can get a win over a program with a winning tradition and quality players like The Ville has, that is an important building block in building his program's credibility along with building the kids confidence and making them believe.

Coach explained, "Max, when I arrived here the kids were giddy over ANY win, let alone one over a high level opponent. Now they are to the point where they EXPECT to win."

Confidence is a powerful drug folks. So much can be accomplished when the 1st to the 15 man pull together for a common goal. Even though Austin High and Bastrop are still within striking distance of the final playoff spot that Akins currently holds, it's hard to imagine the Eagles going into a tail spin. At least that's the way I see it.

San Antonio Madison 69 Smithson Valley 68

Frosh Vincent Taylor of San Antonio Madison (below) has an impact right out of the gate for the Mavs. He's a load down low, and is a tireless worker. (Photo compliments of www.gomavs.phanfare.com

I'm firmly convinced that one of the biggest drawbacks of this "modern era" of high school basketball has been the erection of these mini palaces such as San Antonio's Littleton Coliseum and the Austin Delco Center. Sure, they look nice and they are roomier, with more amenities than the average high school gym. BUT...there is almost a total loss of home court advantage and the community spirit which is shown on an individual campus just isn't quite the same. Anyway, that's my rant for the evening. Tonight was a treat because I made a rare trip to San Antonio Madison to see them take on upstart Smithson Valley. It actually smelled like a gym, and there WAS a home team advantage. Madison boasts two D-1 signees; PG Jamaal Johnson (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) and P Tyler Wood (UT-San Antonio), and a winning history, with a veteran coach in Head Man John Valenzuela. It seems like a recipe for a Madison win, perhaps even a blow out. But as Lee Corso says, "Not so fast my friend".

Apparently, SV didn't get the memo as they came out shooting the ball lights out. In fact, they shot the ball extremely well for almost 32 minutes. Senior G Aaron Rios dropped four triples and a total of 14 points while his team mate WG Ty Etheridge tallied 18 and chipped in 5 assists and 5 rebounds. The lanky SV guard was the best unsigned player on the court as he diced and shot his way past the Madison D time and again.

One of the really fun things about what I do is being able to see young guns make their mark early in their careers. Tonight Madison pulled one out of their hat in 2013 P 6'3" Vincent Taylor. I remarked to Coach Val that he had a young Larry Wilkins, referring to the Madison All Stater from a couple of years ago. The frosh, Young Vincent runs the floor nicely, competes with a vengeance, showed nice hops, is solid as a rock and has a motor that just won't quit. Yes, he's a pup but he's definitely one to watch and will immediately be added to my list of prsopects in this area.

Madison was led in the game by Jamaal Johnson with 15 and 6 assists while Wood boarded well (especially in the first half) as he notched 12 points and 15 rebounds. Madison hung on for a 69-68 win, although SV had a chance to win it at the end. By doing so they keep at least a share of first place in the District. If this holds up Madison could be headed for a 1st round play off mathup with Austin Akins. They defeated Akins last year in a hard fought 1st round game. This year the Mavs are not as deep so that potential rematch could be a real doozy.

San Antonio Madison 17-17-21-14-69

Smithson Valley 23-9-24-12-68