West Coast All-Stars Take NYBL Championship

West Coast All-Stars-2020 NYBL National Champions

As season two of the National Youth Basketball League (NYBL) unfolded, it was clear that 2 teams were on a collision course toward the championship game.  One of those teams has a collection of talent that would rival any national all-star team, while the other team had talent, but was more cohesive, and reliant on role players and a team concept. The much anticipated west coast match-up was projected for the championship game, but actually went down in the semi-finals.  After the West Coast All-Stars got by the Oakland Soldiers with a 1 point victory (56-55) in the NYBL semi-finals, thoughts quickly turned towards the championship rings. Leesburg’s ticket to the big dance was hard fought as well, as the Virginia based team needed overtime to get a 68-63 victory and advance.

In the championship game, West Coast faced off against the Leesburg Basketball Club. We wish we could describe the contest as an instant classic that was decided by a thrilling half court buzzer beater in overtime, but that was not the case, as West Coast grabbed the lead early and never really was threatened. By the time the clock showed zeros, the West Coast All-Stars were up 30-79 and were NYBL National Championships.

West Coast’s march to the title game included wins over Team Nation (forfeit), Brampton Warriors (65-40), CBC Elite (64-53) and the Oakland Soldiers (56-55). Leesburg’s path went through the Mississauga Knights (52-23), Mansfield Cavs (55-49), Worldwide Wildcats (62-56), and the Banneker Kings (68-63).

Jason Harris-Championship Game MVP

In the 3^rd/4^th place game, the Oakland Soldiers finished on a winning note after collecting a 64-55 win over the Banneker Kings. The Worldwide Wildcats defeated CBC Elite in the 5^th/6^th place game (51-41), while the Carolina Kings took down the God First Crusaders 45-38 in the 7^th/8^th place game. Team Glory’s 48-37 win over the Mansfield Cavs rounded out the top 10 finishers. The final order of finish was: (1) West Coast All-Stars; (2) Leesburg Basketball Club; (3) Oakland Soldiers; (4) Banneker Kings; (5) Worldwide Wildcats (6) CBC Elite; (7) Carolina Kings; (8) God First Crusaders; (9) Team Glory; (10) Mansfield Cavs; (11) Enplay Elite; (12) Brampton Warriors; (13) Flints Finest; (14) Go Hard in the Paint; (15) Mississauga Knights; and (16) Team Nation.

Z. Harmon, S.Marrow, J. Toles, K. Walker, J. Ross, J. Harris, C. Elliott, L. Gonzales & C. Mott

 The NYBL Finals provided a stage for some of the class of 2020’s most elite players to log in some pretty impressive scoring performances. No one lit it up more than Team Glory’s Zion Harmon, who put up consistent gaudy numbers the entire weekend. In fact, in a span of 4 games, Harmon, only a 5^th grader, scored 45, 39, 36 and 35 points, for a total of 155 points and an average of 38.75 points per game. Also putting up big numbers were: Shemar Morrow (Oakland Soldiers), Jordan Toles (Banneker Kings), Hobby Ross (Carolina Kings), Kyree Walker (Oakland Soldiers), Letrelle Gonzales (Brampton Warriors), Chase Elliott (Worldwide Wildcats), Jason Harris (West Coast All-Stars), Paris Dawson (West Coast All-Stars), Isaiah LeBlanc (God First Crusaders), Chance Mott (Mansfield Cavs) and Isaiah Folkes (Leesburg Bball Club).

The numbers were smaller in the 2020 division, but the intensity and the competition was comparable to that of the 7^th graders.  Congratulations to all of the teams that participated in the NYBL this season. Look for the number and quality of teams to double for 2015.

NYBL Session #4 Leading Scorers