It's always difficult to determine where prospects development will be in a couple of years. There are so many determining factors including intangibles that contribute to success (or lack of). Love of the game, work ethic, talent and pedigree also play a part. The five young men from Central Texas who make up the corp of the Texas D1 Ambassadors 2014 have me certan that the factors above will allow all of them above to realize their dreams of playing college basketball three years from now.
From left to right: Garrett Gray (Marble Falls), Matt Perry (Kerrville Tivy), Chase Carlton (Austin Westlake), Trey Dilworth (Round Rock McNeil), and Aubrie King of Mumford.
Two weeks ago, they played in the Great American Shootout and competed in the NCAA Division of the toughest event in Texas. Their two losses were to the eventual Champion, Alexandria Peabodu HS from Louisiana and to the other finalist, Texas Pro. They played the entire event with 6 players (5 vs Texas Pro), leading Peabody by 10 with 5 minutes left. They simply ran out of gas. Matt Perry had two teeth knocked out in the first couple of minutes of the Texas Pro game, forcing the contest to be played with no subs and they still kept the game's outcome in doubt until the end, losing 64-54.
The Class of 2014 begins play on Saturday in the Las Vegas Live event where they are paired immediately with the tournament's #1 seed, California Supreme. For the first time all season they'll play in the 15 division with their peers.
Garrett Gray is one of the State's brightest young track stars and he takes those high flying skills onto the basketball court, along with a high energy motor. At 6'4" he projects in the big picture to a wing position. He is skilled, athletic and will be a four year starter for Coach Bruce Etheridge's Mustangs.
Matt Perry will do it all for Kerrville Tivy HS (as his brothers Keith and Jonathan did before him). He'll be a 4 year starter for Coach Brian Young's Antlers. Perry can already shoot the three from deep and isn't afraid to get his nose dirty rebounding the ball.
Chase Carlton figures to play a huge role this season for Coach Tres Ellis' Austin Westlake powerhouse program. His father, Craig played for the Texas Longhorns. Carlton has a true PG mentaility looking to get others involved first but he can and will score when needed. He was the GASO leading scorer averaging 16 ppg.
Trey Dilworth looks to unleash his game at Round Rock McNeil this coming season. Basketball fans are in for a treat when he does as he's the area's most athletic prospect. He plays above the rim, has a swagger to his game and is a scoring machine. He'll instantly make Coach Hagerman's squad better.
Aubrie King has grown up in a gym. His dad, Alvie is the Coach at Milano where his shooting feats were legendary. Aubrie is already 6'4" and was one of Texas' top three point shooters as a freshman. He sports the old school, Chris Mullin "do" and he plays like him too.
Starting in the fall the D1 Nation will carefully begin evaluating players to integrate with this corp to form the 2014 college prospects from the area. They will need size to go with their skill and leadership. Any family with a 2014 prospect can contact me in the fall of this year for consideration.-Coach Max Ivany
