Session #1 Random Thoughts & Observations

Although I was only able to attend the final day of session one in Maryland, I was impressed with a number of things I saw.  First of all, as expected, the competition was fierce. In fact, a few of the games I watched reminded me of the final day of an AAU Nationals; where the top 3-4 teams  battle it out for a championship or to simply medal. The buzz in the gym you get when elite teams face off is what makes events special, and it’s in those games where you can see players getting better right before your eyes.

From what I witnessed the short time I was in DC, players, coaches and parents alike were all excited about being part of the NYBL! There is nothing like being surrounded by the top talent in the country and watching competition in its purest form. Although updated team rankings will be released by the end of the week, it’s clear that the top 10 teams may include Ohio Select, Carolina Preps, Deron Williams Elite, Arizona Monsoon, Metrolina Havoc, SC Hornets, Southern Stampede, 6^th Man Warriors and ETU Select.

SC Hornets Finished 4-1

In terms of the regional break downs, the big question is this; is the South really that strong, or is the North just weak. I think the question may be answered during session # 2 in North Augusta, GA when the South will hook up with the East teams and the North will try their hand at the West teams. I would have to think that the North teams realize they will have to bring it in May to gain back some of the respect they lost last weekend.

Although all of the teams in the NYBL are talented, and had somewhat of a reputation heading in to DC, I think most people were surprised at how tough Deron Williams Elite played. Clearly, they have upgraded their roster from since year, and may now be one of the top 3-4 teams in the country. Another surprise was the play of Arizona Monsoon.  They may not scare anybody getting off the bus, but when the ball is tipped up you know you have a game on your hands! Very skilled and team-oriented is how I would describe Monsoon’s play.

Carolina Chaos-Big Surprise in Maryland

Maybe the biggest surprise of the weekend was to 5-0 finish of the Carolina Chaos. I hadn't heard a lot of buzz about this team going into prior to Maryland, but their play over the weekend has people talking! Also, I have to give a shootout to the 6^th Man Warriors who logged in a very solid 4-1 resume in DC.  Although they have good all around talent, their bigs was the difference. Everybody expected teams like Ohio Select, Carolina Preps, SC Hornets, Southern Stampede and Metrolina Havoc to handle their business, but it was nice to see some new names emerge.

I’m already hearing from coaches about joining the league next year. Although some coaches decided to take a “wait and see” approach to joining the league this year, and in fact, many of them had doubts that we could pull it off [the league], they now know the potential of the NYBL and regret being on the sidelines! We are already hearing from coaches from the west coast about next year, and we plan to add a 4^th session further west to pick up more of those teams.

Terrance Williams-ETU Select

I had a chance to look through some of the score books and noticed a few players who had big games over the weekend. Levar Allen Jr. from 6^th man Warriors dropped 30 points against the Arkansas Soldierz, and then hit Enplay Elite for another 22. Rumor has it that he may have had a second 30 point game over the weekend. The Hornets’ Thomas Brunner went for 25 points against the Metro Flyers, and he followed that up later with 17 against the Gauchos. Terrance Williams from ETU Select had a big game against Future Phenoms to the tune of 24 points. Gerard Reynolds from Ohio Select gave Deron Williams Elite 23 points from the post, and before that he went for 18 markers. Metrolina Havoc’s Myles Pierre busted Team Izod for 20 points in a win. The Hornets’ Naseem Khalid had 20 points against Team Rio Elite. New Height’s Ed Sanchez scored 19 points against Carolina Preps followed by 17 versus Southern Stampede.  Look for the All-Session Teams to highlight a more complete list of the standout performers for the weekend.

West Coast Elite Article

South Division Dominates NYBL Session #1

Ohio Select versus Deron Williams Elite

In terms of the competition, the first session of the NYBL was a smashing success! As envisioned, the best 6^th grade teams in the country converged on southern Maryland intent on competing against the best the class has to offer. Of the 4 divisions that make up the NYBL, the South dominated the North, with two teams finishing 5-0, and no team finishing worse than 4-1. Carolina Preps and Carolina Chaos both went undefeated, while the South Carolina Hornets, Southern Stampede and Metrolina Havoc only sustained 1 loss. Of the 6 teams in the North Division (i.e., Team Izod/Sports U, Metro Flyers, Team Rio Elite, New Heights, MJ Mavericks and New York Gauchos), only the Mid-Jersey Mavericks won more than 1 game. In total, the South teams won 22 games while the North teams won only 4 games.

The other side of the session pitted East versus West. On that side, the final results were more even, with a win total of 18-12 in favor of the East. The East teams included: Ohio Select, 6^th Man Warriors, ETU Select, Each 1 Teach 1, Murphy AC and the West Virginia Xplosion. The West teams included: Arizona Monsoon, Deron Williams Elite, Arkansas Soldierz, Future Phenoms, Enplay Elite & St. Louis Wildcats (DNP). The only undefeated team in the East was Ohio Select (5-0), followed by 3 teams with 4-1 records (6th Man Warriors, Arizona Monsoon & Deron Williams Elite).

Of the 3 undefeated teams, by most accounts, DeMarko Bradley’s Ohio Select team was the most talented. Despite early challenges from Arizona Monsoon and Deron Williams Elite, Ohio Select coasted to easy victories most of the weekend. Speaking of those 2 games, Ohio Select new they were in a battle with both squads! I caught only some of the game between them and Monsoon, but it was clear early on that Monsoon had enough talent and was coached well enough to hang with Ohio.

Gerard Reynolds Was a Beast on Sunday

One of the best games I saw on Sunday was Ohio Select versus Deron Williams Elite (DW). In that game, in front of a packed crowd, DW opened the game on a 4-0 run, and was up 9-8 by the end of the quarter. As is the case when Ohio plays teams, DW used full court pressure to get easy buckets. Both teams took turns sharing the lead in the second quarter and by halftime, Ohio was on top 19-17. Halftime leading scorers were Ohio’s Gerard Reynolds (10pts) and DW’s Tyrese Maxey (8pts). Ohio scored first to start the third quarter with a Jordan Mitchell jumper, but DW would retake the lead at the 3:38 mark (24-23). The lead would see saw midway through the third quarter, but Ohio would remain up 33-26 to start the 4^th quarter. With about 3 minutes left in the game, Ohio’s size in the post would start to take a toll on DW. Ohio’s size coupled with DW foul trouble contributed to a 48-38 win for Ohio. Although Ohio won by double digits, the game was much closer than that. Big props go out to Ohio’s Gerard Reynolds who was simply a monster in the post the entire game. Reynolds finished with a game-high 23 points, followed by Chris Payne with 9 points and Jerome Francis with 8 markers. Deron William’s Tyrese Maxey finished with a team-high 15 points, followed by Chris Harris with 8 points. Great game!

Jason Harris-Arizona Monsoon

Possibly the most exciting game of the day involved an overtime thriller between ETU Select and Arizona Monsoon. Although ETU Select raced out to an early lead, Monsoon fought back and tied the game at 14 with 6.1 seconds left in the first quarter, and was ahead 18-14 to start the second quarter. Monsoon was awake by the start of the 2^nd quarter, and actually extended the lead until ETU Select made a run to cut the lead 27-28 to end the first half. ETU scored on the first couple of possessions to start the 3^rd quarter, but Monsoon retook the lead (42-41) to close the third period. The lead would change hands several times in the final period before regulation ended in a 59-59 tie. Monsoon had a chance to win the game at the free throw line but failed to convert the front end of a 1 and 1. In over time, Monsoon dominated as ETU would not score in overtime as Monsoon claimed the 67-59 victory. Arizona’s Jason Harris led all scorers with 14 points followed by 10 points from Lucas Hobbs and 6 points from Nico Mannion. ETU’s Josh Watts and Che Evans paced their team with 14 points apiece, followed by  Jahmir Young with 12 points.

Another very competitive game I saw included a matchup between the Hornets and Team Izod that went into overtime. The Hornets would go onto to get the win.  Also, the Mid-Jersey Magic gave Carolina Preps all they could handle early in the contest. Carolina would eventually take control and get the win.

Session #2 will tip of in North Augusta, SC in early May and will feature match ups between the top 2 divisions in the league, as the East will battle the South for regional bragging rights. In addition, the updated league rankings will be updated to reflect the results of session #1. Finally, we will soon be publishing our lists of the standout performers for session #1. The list was compiled based on feedback from the opposing coaches.

All-Session Teams

Session #1 Photo Gallery 

Updated Standings

Inaugural Season of NYBL Tipped Off on Friday

In the opening session of the NYBL, a couple of West Division teams flexed their muscles early. On Friday, Mark Brown’s 4^th ranked Arizona Monsoon got off to a good start with a 67-52 win over 8^th ranked Each 1 Teach One (E1T1).  According to Brown, the game was “very competitive,” and despite E1T1’s length, they were able to defend well, and to hold on to a second half lead.  Masoon’s next game is at 12:00 against Ohio’s Murphy AC. Standouts of Masoon included Dylan Dipena and Trent Brown.

The second game of the night pitted Maryland’s ETU Select against Texas’ Deron Williams Elite. Deron Williams raced out to a 22-2 lead, and despite the fact that ETU would later cut the lead to 8 points by the 3^rd quarter, D. Will. held on to claim a convincing 56-36 win over one of the top teams in the northeast. When asked about his team’s early deficit, ETU Coach Andrew Brelsford indicated that he started the game without 3 starters, 1 of which never showed up for the game. Standouts for ETU Select included Terrance Williams and Josh Wyatts. According to Coach Josh Woodson, the early run as all about pressure and a balanced attack. “We hustled on defense and tried to run,” added Woodson. The standouts for Deron Williams included Reece Maxey, Chris Harris and Bryce Okpoh. Next up for Deron Williams is 6^th Man Warriors at 1:20pm.

Some of Saturday’s key matchups include Team Izod/Sports U vs Carolina PREPS, Arkansas Soldierz vs Ohio Select and 6^th Man Warriors vs Future Phenoms. Stay tuned for Saturday updates.

Updated Standings

Who the Scouts Liked (8th Grade)

Like I always tell kids; “you never know who is watching.” During the Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase last weekend, a scouting friend of mine agreed to check out some of the action, and to provide me with a list of the kids he liked. He concentrated on the 8^th grade class and provided me with the following list of what he describes as “Fresh Faces,” “Surprises,” and “Standouts.”

Fresh Faces  (Very impressive despite being unknown)

Matt King  (Pictured)
Qua Southward (Saginaw, MI)
Jay Joseph
Harrison Riggs

Surprises  (More unknowns who grew on me as day went on. By the end, I was a fan)

Jayden Sayles (Pictured)

Jayvon Graves
Hunter Sieben
Shayne Smith (WVA)
Chase Munro
Jarius Ward

Standouts  (Kids I really liked who dominated)
Jaylen Harris (Pictured)
Tyrell Ajian
Keegan Saben
Tommy Schmock

All-Ohio Dominates In Indiana

All-Ohio Red-Indy Gardens Gold Medal Invitational Champs

DeMarko Bradley’s 6^th grade All-Ohio Red squad ran through the competition at the Indy Gardens Gold Medal Invitational in Fishers, Indiana over the weekend. As a tune up for the NYBL in Maryland this weekend, Bradley’s team finished 6-0, and notched impressive wins over the Hoosier State’s top teams.

Because the tournament had a super pool in the 6^th grade division, All-Ohio jumped right in the heat with pool games against arguably the top 2 teams in the state, in the G3 Hoosiers and Raw Hoops. Right out of the box, and in front of a packed crowd, Red matched up against the Hoosiers and proceeded to handle them easily to the tune of a 78-57 victory.  In game two, Bradley’s team crushed Raw Hoops 70-40. It’s important to note that both teams featured national ranked players, and are widely considered nationally ranked teams.

In the opening round of bracket play All-Ohio drew a forfeit from the Indiana Thunder (they probably knew the deal), before taking down the Illinois Raptors 90-25. The semi-final game featured a showdown with another of Indiana’s top teams, the Jeff Teague All-Stars. As was the case with their previous opponents, Jeff Teague proved to be no match, as they fell to All-Ohio 70-55.

The championship game featured a rematch with the G3 Hoosiers, the defending AAU National Champions. This time around, a sluggish start found Red down 19-7 to the Hoosiers before Bradley turned up the defensive intensity with their patterned full-court press. After erasing the early deficit, and with a little more than 1 minute left in the contest and the game tied at 38, Jerome Frances drained a trey to give All-Ohio a lead they would not relinquish. Red would go onto to win 50-40. Congratulations to the All-Ohio red players, coaches and parents for making Ohio proud!

Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase Features Young Talent

On Sunday, approximately 300 elite players in grades 6^th-12^th participated in the spring session of the Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase held at Central Crossing High School in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to the skills and drill stations in the morning, the players and their parents were treated to an informative presentation by Jeremy McCool, Associate Director of High School Review with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Because many of the region’s top high school guys were still participating in the state tournament with their high school teams, the showcase talent was heavily weighted in the middle school divisions.  With that said, there were a number of quality players in the Varsity division, which featured players in grades 9-12^th.

Below are links to showcase rankings in each of 4 divisions, in addition to the lists of players who played their way into all-star games.

Showcase Rankings:

Varsity Division

8th Grade

7th Grade

6th Grade

All-Star Team Rosters
Photo Gallery