Texas D1 Ambassadors @ Las Vegas Easter Classic

In keeping with our tradition of heading to Las Vegas & Dinos Trigonis' "Easter Classic" (which is not held on Easter this year), the Texas D1 Ambassadors have two squads competing in Glitter Gulch this weekend.  This is where the program first came to natioanal prominence 6 years ago when we spanked the Portland Legends with then future pros, Kevin Love & Kyle Singler at Hal Pastner's event.  Coach Mike Hardge (Austin) & Paul Josephs (San Antonio) combined some of their rosters for one group, while the Texas D1 Ambassadors-Houston edition are coached by former South Alabama star Richard Law & Orin Bailey.  Bishop Gorman HS is crawling with scouts & media.  Nobody does this part of the tournament game as well as event organizer, Dinos Trigonis.
Old hand, Van Coleman of http://www.hot100hoops.com/ & Dinos Trigonis (right) of http://www.fullctpress.net/ 

Rosters:

Texas D1 Ambassadors Austin/San Antonio
2012    5'11" G    Carter Josephs       San Antonio Clark
2012    5'11" G    Mike Hardge          Georgetown
2012    6'5"   G    Uche Ofoegbu         San Antonio Stevens
2011    6'7"   W    Austin Jenkins       Austin Hyde Park
2012    6'7"   P     Shelby Lane           San Antonio Alamo Heights
2011    6'5"  W    Allante Faust          Killeen Harker Heights
2012    6'6"  W    Jeffrey Rodewald   San Antonio Alamo Heights
2012    6'6"   P    Drew Wikelius         Austin Westlake
2012    6'9"   P    Connor Lammert     San Antonio Churchill

Texas D1 Ambassadors Houston
2012   6'0"   G     Chase Brogna                  Houston St. Thomas
2012   5'10" G     Joshua Hagins                 Bossier Airline (Louisiana)
2012   6'6"   G     Alex Caruso                     College Station A&M Consolidated
2012   6'7"   F      Maurice Letcher-Ellis     Houston Yates
2013   6'8"   F      Kendrick Morris              Houston Second Baptist
2013   6'8"   F      Johnathan Motley           Galena Park Northshore
2011   6'9"   F      Keynon Willis                  Crosby
2013   6'7"   F      Parker Callendar            Clear Lake Clear Springs 
2012   6'4"   G     Devon Turk                     Houston St. Pius

Friday Night Games

Southern Nevada All Stars 81  Texas D1 Ambassadors Austin/San Antonio  60
As I watched this game I scratched my head and thought our kids played with little energy and lost to a much less talented team.  The Southern Nevada team hit 15 three pointers & I thought they'll never do that again in a million years.  I was wrong though as they dropped 13 more in their next game and easily won their pool to advance to bracket play. 

2011 F Austin Jenkins had 10 points and 8 rebounds.  The unsigned senior from Austin Hyde Park shows increased athleticism, a nice perimeter shot & a newfound intertest in battling on the boards and blocking/altering shots.  He has excellent academics and will be a nice spring signing for a new Division One staff looking for a wing.
Austin Jenkins (left) & Connor Lammert (right) impressed on Friday at the Easter Classic

2012 F Connnor Lammert (who won't turn 17 until August) is easily the top post prospect in San Antonio's 2012 class.  He can step out to hit the three, rebounds hard & is a nice passer. He led the way with 12 points & 14 rebounds in the loss.

Texas D1 Ambassadors-Houston 77 Las Vegas Prospects 64
We've had many a battle with the Prospects program over the years, including a come from behind win where we overcame a 22 point deficit at haltime of Hal Pastner's old Main Event tournament when the Las Vegas squad boasted current San Diego State star Billy White. A close game was broken open with a 12-0 run towards the end of the first half which catapulted Texas D1 to the win.

2012 G  Devon Turk is a lights out shooter.  He has great size at 6'4" and with a quick trigger release is a premiere shooter in the Class of 2012.  He rained 4 three pointers and had an assortment of mid range shots in his bag of tricks while scoring 22 points.
Devon Turk (left) & Alex Caruso (right) played so well in Game One that Rivals.com gave them great props and publicity on Day 1 (Friday).

2012 G Alex Caruso continues to prolong his coming out party as one of 2012's top combo guards.  He had 16 points, 6 assists & 5 rebounds in a well rounded effort.  It's his athleticism that when thrown into the mix makes him have such a high ceiling.

Texas D1 Ambassador's Jaleel Williams Commits to San Jose State

2011 W 6'6" Jaleel Williams called me this evening from San Jose, CA where he's on his official visit to San Jose State. He was excited, and told me he'd committed to the San Jose State staff and will sign his National Letter of Intent on April 13th. Congratulations to Jaleel and his Family.

Jaleel Williams shown below with the Texas D1 Ambassadors

Williams has an extremely long wingspan. He's an athletic wing who has improved his perimeter shot in the past 8 months. He's also a shot blocker on the defensive side of the ball. His length and above the rim play make him a steal. Williams recruiting had picked up significantly in the last couple of weeks where he garnered interest from several schools, including Oregon State who were ready to offer pending a scholarship opening up in the near future. He had an outstanding senior year playing for Killeen Ellison and Coach Alberto Jones.

Jaleel Williams shows his length with Killeen Ellison

I met the entire SJSU staff at last week's Final Four in Houston and they made it clear that they expected him to be a huge part of their plans immediately as a freshman. Jaleel has always made it clear that he wanted to attend a West Coast school and he jumped on this opportunity.


Congratulations from The Texas D1 Ambassadors Family-Coach Max Ivany

Five Star Basketball @ The Final Four: Houston, TX

Long before adidas & Nike, there was Five Star.  Below, Coach Max with the legend himself, Mr. Howard Garfinkel or "Garf" as he's affectionately known at camp in Pittsburgh, PA circa 2006

Boyz To Men would have been a perfect description of the Houston Final Four version of the famed Five Star Clinic held in the Space City on Saturday. With about 100 talented players in the two sessions, the morning was devoted to the youngsters 8th grade & below, while the afternoon session catered to the high school players. "Catered" might be the wrong word to use, as Five Star is a working man's camp where the energy is high and the pace is break neck. Their motto, "Where the Teaching Never Stops" is on the money.

Kerrville Tivy's Rowdy Winters navigates the "chair" ballhandling drills

National basketball writer Vince Baldwin of Prep Spotlight, Mr. Code, Director of Nike Basketball's Grassroots division, Five Star's Recruiting Coordinator, Shay Berry (former coach at Ivy League's Dartmouth), & Max Ivany, of D1 Nation Prep Report were on hand to evaluate the talent.  Both myself & Mr. Berry came up with a consensus group of top performers at the camp.

Co-Players of the Camp
2012 W 6'8" Wannah Bail of Rosenberg Lamar Consolidated has all the tools for next level play, and then the level after that.  He's fluid, can shoot it from the perimeter and runs the floor like a gazelle.  When he gets to the rim (especially in transition) he dunks everything with authority. 

2012 PG 6'5" Alex Caruso of College Station A&M Consolidated is getting better every time out.  He's got sneaky athleticism, plays the passing lanes as well as anyone, has great court vision and really understands the game.

Alex Caruso is making a habit of dunking on people in this young 2011 grassroots season.

Cream of the Crop
2011 W 6'7" Anthony Norris (Prep) is athletic, gets to the rim and when he goes hard is extremely tough.  He was formerly committed to memphis but has reopened his recruitment as he's deciding on which prep school to doa 5th year at.

2011 W 6'7" Austin Jenkins of Austin Hyde Park is unsigned.  He's ready to go academically, so D1's beware.  He's getting stronger, can shoot the three, rebounds & blocks shots.

2012 W 6'5" Michael Carey of Rosenberg Lamar Consolidated.  Along with Bail he fellow Bahamain, Carey can really run the floor and get to the rim. 

2012 PG 5'11" D.J. Griggs of Brazosport.  Looked for his own shot early and often.  Has great body control when he goes to the cup.

2013 W 6'8" Johnathan Motley of Galena Park Northshore was the longest player at camp.  There's a huge upside with this youngster as he's super bouncy and also has a nice shot out to 15 feet.

Left: 2013 PG 5'10" T.J. Williams of Pflugerville is smooth. He's never in a rush, has an improved shot and always looks to drop a dime to his team mates.

Right: 2013 G 6'0" Rasmus Bach of Austin Anderson caught everyone's eye with his hardnosed all around effort.  The Aussie is making great strides in his game.

2013 PG 5'11" Will Morse of Austin Westlake has a season as a varsity starter under his belt.  He likes to shoot it, but he also makes good decisions & distributes the ball well when he has quality team mates that know how to finish.

2014 W 6'5" Mavin Saunders of Houston Kinkaid is a physical specimen who goes hard to the hole and shows skill as well.  We'll see how much he grows.

Left: 2014 G 6'0" Trey Dilworth of Round Rock McNeil showed a tough, explosive game.  He goes hard to the rim and was extremely tough in transition.

Right: 2014 PG Chase Carlton of Austin Westlake battled older players all day, not giving an inch. Along with Will Morse, Westlake's young backcourt has a chance to be really good next year.



2014 F 6'7" Kendrick Bradford of Spring Westfield is a big frosh, with athleticsm & toughness on the boards.

2014 6'5" F Joe Burton of Houston Christian Life is strong, skilled and despite odd rotation on his shot, also shot the ball extremely well from the perimeter.

Coach Max of D1 Nation Prep Report, comparing notes with Five Star's Shay Berry

Spring Classic Recap

 The D1 Nation  held their Spring Classic in Austin this weekend and there was loads of talent in the gym. I had a chance to catch up with the San Antonio Bearcats for this group photo. This is a very talented group with loads of athleticism. the Bearcats took 2nd place in the Varsity Division.

(L) 6'5 Christopher Stephens of Roosevelt high school played very well this weekend. Stephens has adequate size with a nice skill set.

(R) 6'1 Nigele Robertson of Brennan High School showed good range on his shot. Very athletic player that doesn't mind shooting the ball.

(Far Right) 6'5" Royce O'Neale of Harker Heights was very impressive. Nice size & frame with great moves off the bounce. Played at a very high level throughout the tournament.

I also had a chance to catch up with The Lady Dream Team for this group photo. A very talented group of girls with great athleticism. Dream Team competed down to the last second during the entire tournament. They executed well and should do good things over the summer months.   

(L) 2011 W 6'7" Austin Jenkins of Austin Hyde Park did a great job working the paint. The big fellow stayed on the boards and helped Texas D1 Ambassadors-Hardge to a 1st place finish.

(R) 2013 PG 5'11 TJ Williams of Pflugerville is a high quality player with loads of next level potential. Smooth PG with the ability to score or hit the open man for the dime.

Australian Institute of Sport 60 Texas D1 Ambassadors 57

D1 Nation Live-Houston Tournament Recap:



Feature Game: Australian Institute of Sport 60 Texas D1 Ambassadors 57


The Australian team has spent the last two weeks in Houston & Dallas on a goodwill/competitive basketball tour. As always when we are requested to represent our country in international competition, the Texas D1 Ambassadors feel honored. As with most international teams, the Aussies are disciplined and fundamentally sound. Overall they lack the foot speed and athleticism of kids here in the United States but their focus on the team game and their maturity (17-21 year olds) make them a difficult opponent.

Texas D1 Ambassadors Coach Richard Law sharing pregame fellowship with his Aussie counterpart

Both teams spent the first half feeling each other out and not much scoring occured in transition. It didn’t take long to figure out that the University of New Mexico Lobos have gotten a good one in The Kangaroos G/W Hugh Greenwood. He had a nice stroke, was a competent ball handler & was extremely cagey in taking advantage of what the defense gave him.

Aussie Hugh Greenwood will soon be a New Mexico Lobo

On the flip side, this Texas D1 Ambassadors squad out of the Houston area has played only 4 games together and are still defining their roles. They are very talented, but also very young with a freshman (6’6” B.J. Jones), and four sophomores. They are 6’8” Kendrick Morris (Houston Second Baptist), 6’8” Jonathan Motley (Galena Park Northshore), 6’7” Kalvin Singleterry (Van Vleck), and 6’11” Anthony Morris (Van Vleck). They get their leadership from their junior trio of 6’5” Combo Guard Alex Caruso (A&M Consolidated), 6’0” Combo Chase Brogna (Houston St. Thomas) & 6’7” Maurice Letcher-Ellis a high flyer from Houston Yates. D1 rounds out its roster with one unsigned senior in 6’9” Kenyon Willis of Crosby.

The score was 28-23 in favor of the Aussies at the half. A combination of poor execution and excellent team D by the Aussies held Texas D1 scoreless for the first 6 minutes of the second half causing them to run out to a 17 point lead. In danger of getting blown out the D1 backcourt came alive. Two key three pointers by Brogna (the second tied the game at 57-57 with 20 seconds left) & two dunks by Caruso (one was a poster job) keyed the rally. With the clock running down the Aussies slipped a screen and they finished at the bucket with an “and 1” layup to seal the win. Great ball game!

Australian G Hugh Greenwood smiles the thrill of vicory as he's flanked by Texas D1 Ambassadors guards 2012 Devon Turk (left) & 2012 Alex Carso (right) who bite their lips through the agony of defeat.

The Texas D1 Ambassadors are proud to have represented their community, Texas & their country in international competition and fellowship.  Over the years we have gone 11-1 including a tour of France where they were undefeated, as well as domestic wins over teams from Japan, Chile & Mexico (3 times). The Aussies broke that streak and were a worthy opponent. We wish them well-Coach Max Ivany

San Antonio's Paul Garnica Key To Northern Colorado's Success

Follow the link below to read a great story on San Antonio Lee & Texas D1 Ambassadors alumni Paul Garnica.  The Greeley, Co dtory focuses on the quality of Paul's character and what a great team mate he has been as Northern Colorado has punched it's ticket to The Dance.

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20110314/SPORTS/703149972/1051&ParentProfile=1001
Jake Kocher (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) & Paul Garnica (Northern Colorado) shown below with the Texas D1 Ambassadors

Not too many things in the basketball world bother me, but one thing that stuck in my craw a year ago was hearing some talk that Paul Garnica was a "hot dog", a ball hog, only cared about his scoring stats, etc.  His role at Lee was to score and he did everything Coach Tommy Hines asked of him.  Sure Garnica played with a chip on his shoulder.  He had to. He wanted to get out of San Antonio and build a better life using basketball as his vehicle.

Garnica played two seasons with the Texas D1 Ambassadors top team.  The first year, he never complained as both he and Cody Doolin (San Francisco) apprenticed and understudied behind Garland Judkins (Arizona/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) & Brandon Thompson (Arizona State).  The following season when he & Doolin took over the leadership role, Paul sacrificed his own scoring to get other players involved and he served as a mentor for the younger players (Kocher & Tre Demps (Northwestern).  Paul encouraged and when appropriate got on his team mates to do bigger and better things.  You could see his leadership qualities blossoming.

When Colorado Coach Tad Boyle & Northern Colorado Coach B.J. Hill asked me Paul's best quality I told them in no uncertain terms that it wasn't his shooting , ballhandling & scoring.  It was his leadership.  It should make all of San Antonio & the Hispanic Community proud to see him have this early success.  Congratulations Paul-Coach Max & the D1 Ambassadors Family

NCAA Bracketology

Who doesn't have an interest in the NCAA Tournament & the bracketology that comes with it?  Below is Coach Max's (aka Big Snappy) bracket.  I'm picking the Louisville Cardinals.

Of course it's even more fun when you have a personal relationship with some of the players.  Here's a brief rundown of the players who have worn the uniform of the D1 Ambassadors during their club basketball careers that are playing in this year's NCAA Tournament.

East Regional

2009 6'10" John Henson               Round Rock                        North Carolina

2010 5'11" Jason Brickman          San Antonio Clark              Long Island

2008 6'9"   Cameron Moore         San Antonio Roosevelt       Alabama-Birmingham 

2010 6'0"   Chris Clement            Round Rock Stony Point     Princeton 

West Regional

2009 6'5"  D.J. Stephens               Killeen Harker Heights     Memphis

2010 6'0"  Paul Garnica                 San Antonio Lee                Northern Colorado

Southwest Reginal

2010 6'8"  Daniel Alexander         Dripping Springs                 Texas A&M (redshirt)

2007 6'8"  Carlton Scott                San Antonio Madison         Notre Dame

Southeast Regional

2010 6'9" Gus Leeper                   Austin Westlake                  Arkansas-Little Rock

The best of luck to all these players whose dreams are coming true!-Coach Max Ivany

D1 Nation Mixer @ Houston's Big Dance Thursday, March 31st, 2011

The D1 Nation & Full Court Press hosts the Big Dance Mixer in Houston, TX

Location: Little Woodrow's  2019 Walker St.  Houston, TX

Date: March 31st

Time: 6pm-9pm

An open invitation to college coaches at all levels as well as Texas High School Coaches. (Not open to the general public. Sorry, no parents of recruitable athletes may attend).



We're excited to announce a new experience surrounding college basketball's biggest event. Max Ivany of D1 Nation Prep Report & the D1 Ambassadors has partnered up with longtime associate Dinos Trigonis of Full Court Press & the Belmont Shore to host a mixer for Texas' High School Coaches & all college coaches who will be in Houston for the NCAA Final Four.

The event will be hosted at one of Texas' most recognized names in the "Sports Bar" business by Little Woodrow's.  With 7 locations in Austin & Houston it's a classy place to unwind and talk hoops, and to catch the latest buzz on who's interviewing for job openings as we lead up to the games on April 2nd & 4th.

This private mixer will be held on March 31st on the patio at Little Woodrow's newest location, 2019 Walker in Houston, TX just a stone's throw (less than 5 minute walk) from the George R Brown Convention Center where most of the NCAA's coaches clinics, meetings etc will be held.

Click on the link below to head to Little Woodrow's

http://www.mapquest.com/?__aolrel=1300157928263

Dinos Trigonis Recognized as an expert on the West Coast prep recruiting scene. Editor of the Full Court Press Report,  Director of the Pangos All American Camp & architect of the Belmont Shore Basketball Club.

        Dinos Trigonis                              Max Ivany

Max Ivany Recognized as an expert on the Texas, Louisiana & Mississippi prep basketball recruiting scene, Director of the All American Prodigy Camp & architect of the Texas, Louisiana & Mississippi D1 Ambassadors.

From High School To Summer Basketball

Saturday evening officially ended the Texas High School Season.  Dallas Kimball walked away with the 4A hardware, defeating La Marque.  Meanwhile the 5A contest saw Flower Mound Marcus edging Garland Lakeview Centennial to nab their first ever 5A championship. Congratulations to all!

Less than 12 hours later 200 players converged on Buda, TX on 4 courts for the 4th All American Prodigy Camp held in the spring during State Tournament Weekend. An additional 50 pre-registered players had conflicts with family Spring Break plans to keep the numbers from hitting 250.  There was plenty of action & instruction on 4 floors including a separate camp for the ladies, 8th/9th grade boys & two floors of varsity level players and top notch prospects.  We'll have a detailed recap of camp award winners & highlights over the next several days.

Texas State Championship Day

5A Garland Lakeview Centennial 87  San Antonio Taft 77
Senior Chris Jones led the way with 24 points as Taft trailed early, down by almost 20 points for much of the game.  The final score was respectable as their three seniors left with next level play on their minds.  Deondre Logan led with 24 points & Dylan Elias (Northern CVolorado chipped in with 17 in the loss.

Elias had a great senior year for Taft and now heads to Northern Colorado where he'll join fellow San Antonio native, Paul Garnica.

5A  Flower Mound Marcus 53  Fort Bend Hightower 41
Marcus led throughout, and advanced to the Championship unlike last year when they lost in the semifinals to Fort Bend Bush. Their matchup with Lakeview Centennial assures that one of the two go home happy this year.

4A La Marque vs Dallas Kimball
Kimball brings a storied history to the State Tournament, while La Marque is making it's first appearance.  Kimball also brings 3 big time D1 players with them (Jalen Jones (SMU), Jordan Williams (North Texas) & 6'9" Jarion Henry while La Marque brings only one (Julien Lewis-Texas).

5A  Flower Mound Marcus vs Garland Lakeview Centennial
This one should be a dandy.  Look for Lakeview Centennial's pressure to be the deciding factor as they bring wave after wave of pressure. Centennial is also motivated to be the bridesmaid, which is how it went down last year.