The SIP HEADLINES AND EVENTS
April 12th, 2008 CHECK OUT THE REPORT ON THE CAMP FROM COACH TED HUTCHINS. VIDEO WILL BE POSTED SOON! REPORT
The AAU season is officially underway! The first major tournament in the Southern region is the "Battle of the South", held in Jackson MS. Over 95 teams from Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Tennessee and California participated this year! Congratulations go out to the following champions:
17U Division Winner - Birmingham Storm - Led by Top 10 ranked DeMarcus Cousins from Alabama, this team dominated the 17U division, defeating powerhouse Jackson Panthers 70-66 in the finals. They also defeated the MBA Hoops and a senior laden Griffin Warriors on their way to a 6-0 record this weekend. BEST GAME: Jackson Tigers vs Spirit Playmakers from Cali. The Tigers gutted out a close victory with sophomores Andre Stringer and Rashard Perkins playing strong and Dan Hicks playing like a beast.
16U Division Winner - Mississippi Ballers - Formerly known as the Madison County Ballers, they are now two time champions as they won the 15U division last year. DeMarcus Lewis from Canton High, Trey Felder from Murrah, and Montel Walters from Pearl led the Ballers to 6 victories against teams such as the BlueChip Ballers, Team Alabama, Gwinnet Freedom and Team Louisiana in the championship game. BEST GAME: Tie between BlueChip Ballers/Team Louisiana and MS Ballers/Team LA. Both games went down to the wire and both games were won by one point.
15U Division Winner - Louisiana Bayou Flames - Clearly the dominant team in this division, defeating the powerful New Orleans Lightning for the championship. On a side note, my hats off to the New Orleans Lightning Head Coach for sitting THREE of his starters the entire semi final game due to misconduct. THAT'S what teaching is all about, not kissing the kid's butts, and they STILL defeated the MBA Hoops team to go to the final! The New Orleans Panthers made a good showing, finishing 4-1 losing to the Bayou Flames.
14U Division Winner - MBA Hoops - finished 5-0 defeating the Louisiana Magic in the championship game.
13U Division Winner - Louisiana Bayou Flames - After losing one game in pool play, they came all the way back with a 4 game winning streak, defeating the Gulf Coast BlueChips by one point, avenging the lone defeat suffered in the tournament.
12U Division Winner - New Orleans Panthers Select - Probably the dominant team in the entire tournament, finishing 5-0 and literally beat the brakes off each team they played, including a 82-9 beatdown on the Birmingham Express!
11U Division Winner - Louisiana Bayou Flames - defeated the Gulf Coast Blue Chips in this championship game as well.
NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE TOURNAMENT:
Congratulations are in order for the Louisiana Bayou Flames, capturing 3 out of the 7 Division championships. This is what you would call a very strong and solid organization.
This was one of the most competitive tournaments in recent history, in regards to the level of talent, elite teams, etc.. In fact, some powerhouses were eliminated much earlier than expected, like the host team Jackson Panthers 16U. They were defeated by the BlueChip Ballers from LA, a team who came back from heavy odds to make it all the way to the semis. The strongest division had to be the 17U, with traditional powers Jackson Tigers, Jackson Panthers, Birmingham Storm, Griffin Warriors and more. Out of 18 teams, 14 were considered solid, capable of beating any team in the tournament. A very close second would go to the 16U division.
Some of the talent who proved worthy of checking out this summer; DeMarcus Cousins, the marquee name in the entire tournament, and he did not disappoint! A definite D1 player. Don't know about top 10 though, until he shows more motivation on the floor. Reshard Perkins from the Jackson Tigers had a monster tournament, probably finishing with at least 15 dunks, no exaggeration. As unprofessional as this may be, I'm pubbing a kid whose name I don't know. He played on Team Louisiana's 16U team who wore #5. This FRESHMAN was one of the top players in the tournament, period. He has quicks, goes to the hole with no problem, and was totally unfazed by the trash talking thrown at him. If he keeps his head level, he will be special.
Carl Blair from the Jackson Panthers had a pretty decent tournament, but was torn up after the championship loss. That's a good thing. The young man hates losing. DeMarcus Lewis from the Mississippi Ballers had a phenomenal tournament, averaging 16 pts and 12 boards in 6 games, including the game winning layup with no time left in the 16U championship game. Ice water in his veins.
Standing room only during Friday and Saturday games. This was a hotbed for hoops this past weekend. Hats off to Lemond Roy who coordinated the entire tournament. As usual, he runs a first class tournament and he made Mississippi proud.
The next big tournament will be the Kingwood Classic in Houston TX, where the Mississippi Ballers and the Jackson Tigers will participate in the 16U and 17U divisions, respectfully, and the Real Deal on the Hill in Little Rock, AK, in which the Jackson Panthers and MBA Hoops are scheduled to appear. Both tournaments are on April 18th - 20th. I will have reports on both tournaments in the near future.
Til next time,
Peace
Coach
17U Division Winner - Birmingham Storm - Led by Top 10 ranked DeMarcus Cousins from Alabama, this team dominated the 17U division, defeating powerhouse Jackson Panthers 70-66 in the finals. They also defeated the MBA Hoops and a senior laden Griffin Warriors on their way to a 6-0 record this weekend. BEST GAME: Jackson Tigers vs Spirit Playmakers from Cali. The Tigers gutted out a close victory with sophomores Andre Stringer and Rashard Perkins playing strong and Dan Hicks playing like a beast.
16U Division Winner - Mississippi Ballers - Formerly known as the Madison County Ballers, they are now two time champions as they won the 15U division last year. DeMarcus Lewis from Canton High, Trey Felder from Murrah, and Montel Walters from Pearl led the Ballers to 6 victories against teams such as the BlueChip Ballers, Team Alabama, Gwinnet Freedom and Team Louisiana in the championship game. BEST GAME: Tie between BlueChip Ballers/Team Louisiana and MS Ballers/Team LA. Both games went down to the wire and both games were won by one point.
15U Division Winner - Louisiana Bayou Flames - Clearly the dominant team in this division, defeating the powerful New Orleans Lightning for the championship. On a side note, my hats off to the New Orleans Lightning Head Coach for sitting THREE of his starters the entire semi final game due to misconduct. THAT'S what teaching is all about, not kissing the kid's butts, and they STILL defeated the MBA Hoops team to go to the final! The New Orleans Panthers made a good showing, finishing 4-1 losing to the Bayou Flames.
14U Division Winner - MBA Hoops - finished 5-0 defeating the Louisiana Magic in the championship game.
13U Division Winner - Louisiana Bayou Flames - After losing one game in pool play, they came all the way back with a 4 game winning streak, defeating the Gulf Coast BlueChips by one point, avenging the lone defeat suffered in the tournament.
12U Division Winner - New Orleans Panthers Select - Probably the dominant team in the entire tournament, finishing 5-0 and literally beat the brakes off each team they played, including a 82-9 beatdown on the Birmingham Express!
11U Division Winner - Louisiana Bayou Flames - defeated the Gulf Coast Blue Chips in this championship game as well.
NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE TOURNAMENT:
Congratulations are in order for the Louisiana Bayou Flames, capturing 3 out of the 7 Division championships. This is what you would call a very strong and solid organization.
This was one of the most competitive tournaments in recent history, in regards to the level of talent, elite teams, etc.. In fact, some powerhouses were eliminated much earlier than expected, like the host team Jackson Panthers 16U. They were defeated by the BlueChip Ballers from LA, a team who came back from heavy odds to make it all the way to the semis. The strongest division had to be the 17U, with traditional powers Jackson Tigers, Jackson Panthers, Birmingham Storm, Griffin Warriors and more. Out of 18 teams, 14 were considered solid, capable of beating any team in the tournament. A very close second would go to the 16U division.
Some of the talent who proved worthy of checking out this summer; DeMarcus Cousins, the marquee name in the entire tournament, and he did not disappoint! A definite D1 player. Don't know about top 10 though, until he shows more motivation on the floor. Reshard Perkins from the Jackson Tigers had a monster tournament, probably finishing with at least 15 dunks, no exaggeration. As unprofessional as this may be, I'm pubbing a kid whose name I don't know. He played on Team Louisiana's 16U team who wore #5. This FRESHMAN was one of the top players in the tournament, period. He has quicks, goes to the hole with no problem, and was totally unfazed by the trash talking thrown at him. If he keeps his head level, he will be special.
Carl Blair from the Jackson Panthers had a pretty decent tournament, but was torn up after the championship loss. That's a good thing. The young man hates losing. DeMarcus Lewis from the Mississippi Ballers had a phenomenal tournament, averaging 16 pts and 12 boards in 6 games, including the game winning layup with no time left in the 16U championship game. Ice water in his veins.
Standing room only during Friday and Saturday games. This was a hotbed for hoops this past weekend. Hats off to Lemond Roy who coordinated the entire tournament. As usual, he runs a first class tournament and he made Mississippi proud.
The next big tournament will be the Kingwood Classic in Houston TX, where the Mississippi Ballers and the Jackson Tigers will participate in the 16U and 17U divisions, respectfully, and the Real Deal on the Hill in Little Rock, AK, in which the Jackson Panthers and MBA Hoops are scheduled to appear. Both tournaments are on April 18th - 20th. I will have reports on both tournaments in the near future.
Til next time,
Peace
Coach
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