Reprinted from Rivals.com. Thank you, Adam!-Coach Max Ivany
D1 AMBASSADORS HAVE PLAYERS
Alex Caruso from College Station (Texas) A&M Consolidated was the best player on the Texas D-1 Ambassadors Houston squad Friday night that downed the Las Vegas Prospects but there were a bunch of other mid- to high-major players on the team as well.
Caruso, a 6-foot-5 prospect, can play either guard position and was one of the smartest players on the court especially with the ball in his hands.
So far, only Sam Houston State has offered but Caruso said Wichita State, UTEP, Texas-Arlington and Northern Colorado are interested.
Caruso grew up being the Texas A&M ball boy because his father is in the Aggies' athletic department so if they got involved Caruso said he'd definitely be interested.
"I'm going to go through the summer and see what looks I get," Caruso said. "I'm hoping some major programs get interested and we'll see where I am after the summer.
"I might not have the natural talent that some people have but I feel with my defense and my mental game I'm there."
The other player who shined was 2011 shooting guard Devon Turk, a spot-up 3-point shooter who hit jumpers from all over the court. Turk wasn't at his best creating his own shots off the dribble but when he spotted up on the perimeter and got the kick-out pass Turk was pure all game.
Cal Poly, Rice, San Francisco, Weber State, Sam Houston State and Oregon State are some of the programs interested in Turk, who said Sam Houston State and Weber State stand out most at this point but he's going to wait through the spring to see which other schools get involved.
Others on the Texas team that stood out included 2013 prospects Kendrick Morris and Jonathan Motley and 2011 recruit Kenyan Willis, a lanky 6-foot-9 forward who impressed with his passing.
San Diego Magic 87 Texas D1 Ambassadors-San Antonio/Austin 79
San Antonio Stevens Uche Ofoegbu a 6'5" G showed off his athleticism and aggressiveness around the rim. He led the D1 Ambassadors with 14 points.
2012 G Uche Ofoebu of San Antonio Stevens
2012 F 6'7" Maurice Letcher Ellis of Houston Yates runs the floor like a gazelle. The transfer from Houston Cy Woods had several mega dunks in transition leading the way with 16 points & 4 rebounds. 2011 Keynon Willis a 6'9" forward from Crosby had 13 points including 7 from the charity stripe. The Arizona squad was coached by former Old Dominion & NBA star, Chris Gatling whose son had a double double and is going to be a nice player.
Maurice Letcher-Ellis of Houston Yates
D1 raced out to a near 20 point lead, but the Los Angeles area kids wouldn't quit playing hard. The D1 Ambassadors had to hit a one and one with seconds left to finally cement the win. They were led by 2012 W 6'6" Jeffrey Rodewald of San Antonio Alamo Heights with 20 points. 2011 WG 6'5" Allante Faust of Killeen Harker Heights could also be on the verge of being a late D1 signee. He had 12 points, 5 rebounds & 3 blocks. His form on his shot is sweet & he plays above the rim. 2012 G Michael Hardge of Georgetown also had 11 points for the Texans.
2012 Jeffrey Rodewald (left) of San Antonio Alamo Heights has a great motor. 2011 Allante Faust (right) of Killeen Harker Heights making a late push for a D1 scholarship
Texas D1 Ambassadors-Houston 80 Mark of a Champion (CA) 63
A tight one point halftime lead was broken open by the rebounding and scoring of two of Texas D1's lanky forwards. 6'9" Keynon Willis had 29 points & 7 rebounds while 15 year old Johnathan Motley, a 6'8" sophomore from Galena Park Northshore added 14 points & 7 rebounds. 2012 G Devon Turk tossed in another 13 points, showing his deep range several times.
"You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off the Old Lone Rager, and you don't mess around with Slim- Jim Croce" Make that, Keynon "Slim" Willis who can do it all. The unsigned senior from Crosby was the most productive member of Texas D1-Houston all weekend long. He had a high point game of 29 & 3 contests with double digit rebounds. Slim runs the floor hard & swiftly, loves to finish with authority around the goal and as the stakes rise in a game so does his intensity.
