What a difference a year makes. This time last season, San Antonio Madison was Cinderella at the McDonald's Invitational in Pasadena, TX. They stole the glass slipper right off the foot of the Duncanville Powerhouse. Fast forward to 2009 and Madison had all they could handle in eking out a 4 point win over a mediocre Kingwood Park team in it's second year of varsity basketball. Of course, you lose a couple of D-1 guys in Cameron Catlett (UT-Arlington) and athletic W Jonathan Landry (Coppin State) and it's a lot to make up. Having seen Madison last week, the Magic is gone. This will be a tough year as their athleticism is down. Of course, tough for them could still mean 20 plus wins. Their best two prospects are youngsters, 2013 PG Travon Landry is a gem. He handled himself real well v San Antonio Wagner in the opener, but today had a so so outing. That went for all the starters. Coach Valenzuela put his bench in for the latter part of the 3rd quarter and part of the 4th and it was them that clawed their way back into the game. Point proven to the starters. I really respect Valenzuela's demeanor and integrity that he has to his coaching style. (I don't know him personally but everyone says it's how he conducts his personal life as well).
Finally in the last few minutes, 2012 W 6'6' Christopher Campbell started to take up the scoring slack finishing with a team leading 14 points, including 4-4 from the charity stripe when it really counted. Jamaal Johnson (Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo finished with 10. He had an 0-8 shooting day before he finally got to the hole for a layup in the 3rd quarter. UT-San Antonio commit Tyler Woods could not get in synch today. He was in foul trouble from the get go and was held scoreless.
This is a well run event, but I've been shackled by the overlap of start times and have not been able to see San Antonio Taft, and barely cuaght 5 minutes of San Antonio Warren's 12 point loss to Houston Chavez. Chris Freeman a 2011 W who stands 6'4" and is athletic as they come continues to impress me as a prospect for Warren.
