SoCalHoops Tournament News
SoCalHoops Tournament News
Last Memorial Day Weekend Report:
No Limits Team
At High Five San Diego Tourney--(June 6, 2000)
We keep getting stuff about various tournaments which took place over the Memorial Day weekend, and really this is probably the last one that we'll be posting (although Dinos is still threatening to send us his version of what really happened back at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. . and yes, he couldn't let a tournament go by without getting a technical in the last game. . . really . . .But Belmont Shore acquitted themselves well in the tournament, winning their first game in pool play, then losing to perhaps one of the best teams in the country, the Michigan Mustangs, and then beating another team to finish second in their pool, which put them in the Select Championship bracket, where they made it to the semis. . . but that's another story). . .
This one is a report we received from a friend who happened to catch all of the No Limits team's games at the High Five Memorial Day tournament down at US International University down in San Diego (actually it's really Poway, but let's not get technical). . . Here's the report:
No Limits loses in the Semi-Finals 16 and Under Division
No Limits Basketball Team participated in the High Five America Memorial Day Weekend Tourney losing to eventual tournament champion Portland Elite 72-58. No Limits fell behind early in the first half, and they went through a shooting slump, taking a lot of good shots, but failing to score for almost 8 minutes. No Limits managed to regroup in the second half, but Portland Elite had too many weapons and No Limits had dug themselves too deep a hole to crawl out of. Portland Elite's roster was not available [Note: see below for some additional commentary on Portland Elite], but their front line was estimated at 6'11", 6'9", and 6'7", and they had really athletic guards as well. No Limits lost two games over the weekend, and both losses came at the hands of Portland Elite. (Once in pool play and the other in the semifinals)
The most exciting game of the weekend for us though was No Limits' come- from-behind win over the Total Impact squad, Sam Alipio's team made up mostly of players from Crenshaw. This team was also very athletic, and until the last 10 minutes of the game, was soundly beating No Limits. Total Impact had built a 25 point lead with 10 minutes left to play when the momentum began to shift. Using some creative fouling combined with poor free-throw shooting, including some clutch three-point shooting from freshman Kevin Dillon, No Limits cut the lead to 15 points with 5 minutes remaining. Kevin's brother, soph point guard Jeff Dillon then hit an amazing 5 consecutive three-pointers, as No Limits went on a 15-3 scoring run, and with 54 seconds to play, No Limits trailed by just three points. No Limits again continued to foul, and Total Impact continued to miss their free throws, and fortunately No Limits didn't run out of players. Jason Collins hit a jumper from the baseline to cut it to 2, Josh Dillon drove the lane and put in a very tough lay up to tie the game, and then No Limits Freshmen Aja Ajawanchuku hit a pair of free throws, and sophomore Jonathan Akermann hit a pair of free throw to ice the game. A tremendous comeback win, and overall a very succesful tournament for the No Limits 16's. Here's the roster:
Aja Ajawanchuku 5'-9" Fr. PG Victor Valley Christian
Brian Tocts 6'-0" Fr. PG/SG Granite Hills
Kevin Dillon 6'-1" Fr. G Victor Valley
Josh Dillon 5'-11" So. PG Victor Valley
Jason Collins 6'-0" So. G Victor Valley
Jonathan Akermann 6'-3" So. F Victor Valley
DeJesus Brown 6'-2" So. F Victor Valley
Joe Holly 6'-2" So. F Victor Valley
Daniel Robinson 6'-5" So. F Barstow
And while our friend didn't have the Portland Elite Roster, we did manage to get some info on them from our friends at the Oregon Preps site, who have complete Portland Elite travel team rosters. . . . our only confusion is that there appears to be several Portland Elite squads which might fit the bill, although we didn't see a roster which had anyone 6'-11". . .so we're guessing that our reporter just needs some adjusting on the height, especially since in comparison to most of the No Limits guys, virtually any of the Portland teams probably looked like giants. Here are the two Portland Elite Legend rosters who are listed as the Portland 16-U squads, although it very well could have even been one of the Portland Elite Legends 15-U teams (these rosters and the narratives are from Oregon Preps
| Portland
Elite (Howard Avery, Dwayne Tyner, Canaan Chatman) JR Moore 6-8 So. C Benson Tech Adam Avery 6-8 So. C Central Catholic Ben Sullivan 6-8 So. SF/PF Beaverton Ryan Thorson 6-6 So. PF Sandy Scott Dougherty 6-6 So. PF Jesuit Tom Magnuson 6-6 So. PF Tigard Justin Glover 6-6 So. SF/PF Grant Brandon Lincoln 6-5 So. SF Jefferson JD Hill 6-5 So. SF East Linn Christian Jordan Kent 6-4 So. SG Churchill Doug Dietz 6-2 So. SG Longview Chris Stevens 6-0 So. PG/SG Madison Curtis Lincoln 5-11 So. PG Jefferson Evan Kirkpatrick 5-10 So. PG Longview Kevin Tyner 5-10 So. PG Central Catholic After running roughshod over the competition at the 16-U state championships, this squad could do major damage at the AAU national tournament in Detroit. In fact, this team could very well be the best junior-to-be team on the west coast. The players on this squad played for different teams last year, as members of last year's Marquis Ramone, Inner City Playaz, and Trotters teams are represented. The first five is flat out dangerous, as super-athletic Curtis Lincoln directs an offense that features Jordan Kent at the shooting guard, Justin Glover and Brandon Lincoln at the forwards, and JR Moore at center. Each starter has a repertoire of dunks, and can throw down with authority. Key reserves include steady point guard Kevin Tyner, all-purpose forward JD Hill, slick big man Ben Sullivan, and rapidly-improving center Adam Avery. |
Portland
Elite Legends 16s (Robert Key and Paul Kelly) Chris Botez 6-8 So. C Madison Joe Wells 6-8 So. PF/C North Salem Jelante Martin 6-4 So. SF Jefferson Keith Carroll 6-0 So. SG/SF Wilson Ricky Boyland 6-0 So. SG Southridge Jonathan Epstein 6-0 So. SG Lincoln Jelani Memory 6-0 So. PG/SG Wilson Jaymie Steck 6-0 So. PG/SG Sunset Chris Strachan 6-0 So. PG/SG Lincoln Sean Lake 6-0 So. PG North Salem Paul Forsythe 5-11 So. PG/SG Cleveland Eric Doak 5-10 So. PG Tigard After a third place finish in the state AAU tournament, the Legends must have been disappointed, but still may come together to have a good summer. This squad is small, but does have good talent. Up front, Chris Botez is very raw, but he and Joe Wells are improving each game. Keith Carroll, Jaymie Steck, and Sean Lake are athletic guards, and the rest of the backcourt is very steady. This will be a team to watch. |
Again, it might not have been either of these teams, but one of the Legends' 15-U teams:
| Portland Elite (Pat
Strickland and Erin Cowan) Isaiah Allen Fr. Benson Tech Junior Arrington Fr. Central Catholic Marcus Broussard Fr. Benson Tech Thomas Gardner Fr. Benson Tech Adrian Jackson Fr. Jefferson Khalil Littleton Fr. Jefferson Jeray Mott Fr. Jefferson Jerae Nelson Fr. Jefferson Michael Richmond Fr. Benson Tech Sol Robertson Fr. Jefferson Anthony Simms Fr. Benson Tech Juma Whatley Fr. Wilson The next group of Portland talent can be found on this talented team. The majority of the squad comes from last year's 8th grade Inner City Playaz team. A bevy of point guards lead the squad, with Adrian Jackson, Thomas Gardner, Khalil Littleton featured in the backcourt. Talented scorer Isaiah Allen and big men Jerae Nelson and Marcus Broussard will also standout. Also, look for big man Junior Arrington, who is 6-7, 300 pounds. |
Portland Elite
Legends 9th Grade Coaches: Tony Broadous and Charles McKinney Josh Akwenuke 6-4 - Westview Alan Gabel 6-6 - Beaverton Charles Woodruff 6-7 - Home School Ray Peterson 6-5 - Jefferson Neal Zumwalt 6-2 - Lincoln DeMarcus Carney 6 1- Roosevelt Michael White 6-0 - Lake Oswego Michael Bowder 5-9 - Westview Derek Ravio 5-9 - Mountain View (WA) Robert Beasley 6-0 - Roosevelt Aaron Collins 5-8 - Lake Oswego Ko Yada 6-1 - Newport Johntae Hammond 5-9 - Jefferson This team is loaded with talent. It could challenge to win any national tournament it enters. That said, these kids will need to learn to play as a team. Some kids who may be superstars in their own High School will have to accept a role on this team. Player Breakdowns Akwenuke - One of the most talented Freshman in Oregon in recent memory. He's already 6'4 and plays a wing. So, So versatile. Gable - Big and strong. Should see some decent Varsity minutes as a soph at Beaverton. Hard worker and intesnse competitor. Woodruff - Big, might be 6'8 already. This summer will help him tremendously. Like most young big men needs to keep the ball up and get stronger with it. Has a soft touch. Peterson - Another big body for a freshman. He's a Brian Grant type of player who when he works hard and plays aggressive can really be a force. Zumwalt - Has amazing hops for one. Neal is the type of player that you don't notice that much but at the end of the game he fills the stat sheet. Another versatile wing who is fun to watch. Carney - DeMarcus has a lot of natural ability. He is a natural scorer. Excels in the open floor and can play multiple perimeter positions. White - Michael is loaded with potential. White is athletic and can knock down the mid-range jumper or go to the hoop and finish. Bowder - Bowder is a very strong young guard. He is a fiery competitor who looks to be a future PG reminds me of Mike Mcgrain at times. Ravio - Derek has a great understanding of the game. As he gets stronger his game should really flourish. Excellent shooter when left open. Beasley - Robert is a slasher/scorer who flies around the court at 110 miles an hour. Beasley got some good experience playing varsity for Roosevelt last year and if he continues to work on the fundamentals could really blossom next year. Collins - Is there anyone quicker with the ball in the state? Collins is fun to watch run the floor. Can find people or score the ball himself. Strong and will most likely be the primary ballhandler for any team he's on. Yada - Another strong young player. This summer should help challenge him to play at a higher speed. Hammond - Shows flashes of greatness but, needs to get more consistent. Doesn't have a problem scoring the rock and can dish on the break with flair. As a point Guard he needs to develop more leadership skills and this team should be a great place to do just that. |
Whoever it was, the younger group of Portland Legend players look to be among some of the best on the West Coast, and we'll be watching for them this summer.
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