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Belated congratulations to San Antonio Churchill P 6'9" Mike Byron who committed to Gardner-Webb College in North Carolina. Byron will compete next year in the Big South Conference. This brings the number of Austin-San Antonio Division One signees in the early period to 14.

Byron is a project, with lots of work ahead of him. He's a bright, conscientious young man (reportedly with M.I.T type grades) who like most young bigs will have his best days ahead of him as he grows into his body and gets professional instruction on the many nuances of post play.

Congratulations to the Byron Family.

***************************** GARNICA METER 517*******************************

San Antonio Churchill 49 San Antonio Taft 48

2011 W Deondre Logan led the Taft Raiders with 23 points, including a running hook over Churchill big man, Mike Byron with 12 seconds left. Dylan Elias had 9. Scott Mammel had 11 for Churchill and Ben Byron had 5 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks.

2012 PG 5'11" Scott Mammel already with a couple of 30 point games in the bag in this young season. Not afraid to shoot it from deep. Handles the ball with confidence in traffic. Knows when to pull up for the mid range.

2010 P 6'9" Mike Byron (Gardner-Webb) Byron seems to favor a shot that's a cross between a shot put layup and a baby hook. Likely the product of still getting his footwork in order. You can't teach 6'9" though. He's getting stronger since the last time I saw him and is slowly growing into his body. He's effective near the goal, but lacks the agility to guard smaller/quicker players in the high post.

2011 G Marshall Harris shows nice athleticism. Lefty, attacks the rim with confidence.

2011 G Dylan Elias. Taft guard already has one early D-1 offer in the bag. Shows a nice change of pace off the dribble and can pull up to hit the mid range.

In what has to be one of the greatest turn arounds in recent Austin history, Austin Reagan has gone from an also ran to a champion. The once proud Austin Reagan Raiders won the Jack Frost Championship over host Georgetown 52-48 for the title. Coach Davis has instilled discipline and pride in these kids. They could be a tough playoff matchup for people come February.

2011 G Brandon Golden had 17, while Junior P 6'4" Jaquarius Daniels a big time football prospect had 8 to ground the Eagles.

Texas Jamboree All Showcase Teams By Class

2010



Perry Jones 6'11" Duncanville Baylor

Brian Williams 6'6" Baton Rouge Glen Oaks Oklahoma State

Anthony Horton 6'7" Houston Clear Springs Campbell

Phil Pressey 5'9" Dallas Episcopal Missouri

John Bohannon 6'9" Dallas Lancaster UT-El Paso

Tony Mitchell 6'2" Dallas Pinkston Missouri

Toby Oyedeji 6'8" Houston Bellaire Western Kentucky

2011

Jarion Henry 6'8" Dallas Kimball

Anthony Collins 6'1" Westbury Christian

Robert Lee 6'0" Austin LBJ

Anthony Norris 6'7" Houston Sam Houston

Sheldon McClellan 6'5" Houston Bellaire Texas

2012

Trey Guidry 6'5" Houston St. Pius

LJ Rose 6'2" Houston Second Baptist

Christian Sanders 6'3" Houston St. Thomas

Jeremy King 6'9" Houston St. Thomas

Aaron Turley 6'8" Houston St. Thomas

Rick Nelson's Texas Jamboree has been another great success this 2009 Thanksgiving. There were some great matchups, both of teams as well as intriguing individual who went head to head. It culminates tonight with two big time programs with big time players. Duncanville features 2010 6'11" Perry Jones (Baylor). Look for him to be the #1 pick in the NBA draft in 2011 after a courtesy year with the Bears.

Bellaire, as reported last week in winning the McDonald's Invitational is loaded. P 6'8" Toby Oyedeji (Texas A&M), 2011 WG 6'5" Sheldon McClellan (Texas), 2010 G 6'3" Jamel Outler (Texas Tech) gives Coach Bruce Glover a Murderer's Row of talent.

Former Texas Assistant Ken McDonald is the prime beneficiary of his Lone Star connections as he's landed Houston Yates WG Brandon "Snap" Peters, one of the most explosive athletes Clutch City has ever seen. Then for good measure, throw in 2010 P Kene Anyigbo of Bellaire who has also commited to Western Kentucky and McDonald has to be sitting in front of his Thanksgiving turkey with a huge grin on his face.

At the half Duncanville holds the edge 28-16. 2011 P 6'7" Luke Mergerson shows signs of being a nice prospect for The Ville. The story thus far though is just the PRESENCE of Perry Jones. He's not filling up the stat sheet but no matter. It's the consensus at the press table that Jones will be an increedible pro. He's so skilled, long, athletic and agile that it's scary. He can guard the 2 through 5 positions on the court and reminds me of Tracy Mcgrady but a better ball handler with superior court vision than a younger McGrady had. In the intangible category, Jones seems like a grounded young man who is unselfish and a good team mate. It's a heck of a recipe for future success.

With the help of a couple of home cooked calls Perry Jones is resigned to the bench for most of the 3rd quarter. This, coupled with a couple of turnovers off of pressure Bellaire has narrowed the gap to 34-29 after 3 quarters. A slashing bucket by 2010 G Sebastian Douglass followed by an Anyigbo dunk and it's now a one point D'ville lead. Jones quickly returns to the game with a little over 6 minutes left. He has 4 fouls. Duncanville's fate rests in his ability to finish the game. With 3:25 left Bellaire leads by one. The interesting matchup is 6'11" Perry Jones guarding a 6'5" elite level wing in Sheldon McClellan (Texas) on the perimeter. Jones is doing something that few have been able to accomplish. He's able to keep McClellan from getting to the rim by keeping him dribbling laterally.

The last couple of minutes have been McClellan's. A 15 foot jumper, and a tip in has given Bellaire a 40-39 lead with less than a minute to play. He has a chance to put it away at the FT line with 8 seconds left, shooting the one and one. McClellan hits them both. Bellaire 42 Duncanville 39

St. Thomas has three incredibly intriguing sophomores; 6'3" Christian Sanders who can bomb it from deep, 6'7" P Aaron Turley and 6'9" Jeremy King. Glen Oaks is undermanned with only 8 players but you can't underestimate the senior leadership which they'll get from G Brandon Thompson, G Andre Scott and W 6'6" Brian Williams (Oklahoma State). Of course a legendary Coach in Head Man Harvey Adger who has a couple of Louisiana State Championships under his belt, doesn't hurt Glen Oaks chances either.

The first half has been low scoring. Glen Oaks holds a 17-15 edge. This one may come down to the wire as they're deadlocked at 27-27 at the end of 3 quarters. 2011 P 6'6" Erron Chesterfield is emerging for Glen Oaks and could be pretty good when all is said and done if he works at it. 35-35 with 3 seconds...as close as it gets.

In OT a big steal and subsequent layup gave Glen Oaks a 2 point lead. Andre Scott knocks down two free throws and it's in the books. Glen Oaks returns to Baton Rouge with 2 road wins under their belts against Houston competition despite being shorthanded.

Austin LBJ led most of the way, but couldn't quite hold on in the 4th quarter as they lost a close one to Houston St. John 60-57. It wasn't over until 2010 G Donald Dallas' desperation three point attempt drew iron. Missed close in shots, and late clutch three point shooting for St. John combined to make the Jags fall just short.

LBJ's 2011 G 6'0" Robert Lee continued to show his outstanding athleticism in scoring 17. He defends hard on the perimeter and on the offensive end gets to the rim with authority. Senior Elijah Cash, a Big XII football talent added 15 for LBJ.

Glen Oaks comes to Houston with a high major commit in 2010 W 6'6" Brian Williams (Texas D-1 Ambassadors) an explosive athlete who is still growing and crafting his perimeter game. 2011 P 6'7" Trevante Drye did not make the trip due to a knee sprain. Despite this, Glen oaks comes out with a quick Senior Guard Andre Scott of Glen Oaks also impresses as they get out to a 23-17 lead after the 1st. Half Time score is 36-31 Glen Oaks. Clear Springs is keeping it close with their perimeter game, but have no answer for Williams or 2011 P 6'6" Erron Chesterfield on the boards and from close range at the moment.

2010 W Anthony Horton of Clear Springs (Campbell commit) impressed with a solid game and a beautiful perimeter stroke. 2010 Glen Oaks Guard Andre Scott really stepped his game up and became a scoring force this year as well as energetic on the ball D. He finished with 24 to lead the Panthers. Brian Williams added 23 and double digit boards for Glen Oaks.

70-65 Final

With the exception of the first few minutes, this one was all LBJ. Perhaps the only thing that slowed them down was the three hour bus ride from Austin because once they found their legs they just simply ran a young St. Pius team into the ground.

LBJ has three guards as good as any in the Austin-San Antonio area, in the 2010 G 6'2" Donald Dallas, 2010 G 6'0" Darryl Roberts and 2011 G 6'0" Robert Lee. Dallas is an unsigned senior who undoubtesly will get to ink a scholarship in the April period and Roberts-Lee bring lots of athleticism to the party. I love the energy those guys have. Lee tends to get to the rim more regularly while Roberts will bomb it from deep as confirned by his 6 three pointers and team leading 23 points.

Lee added 18 for the Jags, and Dallas chipped in with 11 (almost all of them coming from the charity stripe. 2012 Wing Trey Guidry was the leader of a young St. Pius team. He's 6'5", looks like he'll grow more and has above average athleticism. He displayed it particular with a rim rattling dunk.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving with Family and Friends. Safe travels to everyone. I shared a wonderful mid afternoon dinner with my girl, and my business partner, T.J. Garza of Speed Killz at his new digs in Liberty Hill, TX. Wow. Camp Garza will be the place to be this spring break and summer for those who are looking to become bigger, faster and stronger in their sport specific training. It's complete with a bunkhouse. Congrats Coach Garza and Family.

Of course it didn't end there (why stop with eating once?..lol) as we trekked back to San Antonio to share the Texas-Aggie game with my son Chip and his Friend. He'd spent the last 5 days in Kentucky as UT-San Antonio went 2-1 in the O'Reilly Auto parts Classic. The beat UC-Irvine and Fairleigh-Dickinson, then dropped a heartbreaker by 2 to Eastern Kentucky after leading by 15 with about 6 minutes left in the game. The Roadrunners are 4-1 in the young season including a 62-50 win over Big ten opponent, Iowa Hawkeyes.

Go Texas, and Colt for Heisman!

After digesting Thanksgiving Dinner I checked my notes from the prior day's triple header. Enjoy your basketball dessert!

Converse Judson 53 Laredo United 50

You can no longer assume you're chalking one up in the win column when you play McAllen or Laredo United. United gave Judson all they could handle and had a one point lead over the host Rockets with 40 seconds to go. A superior effort by 2010 P 6'5" Cameron McNeil carried Judson as he had 16 points and double digit rebounds which was the slight difference.

For Laredo United, sharpshooting 2010 G Daniel Rosas had 16 points including several buckets from DEEP while handling Judson pressure all game long. The Longhorns got 17 from sharp shooting 2010 G Mike Elizondo. When he fouled out with a couple of minutes left you knew it was going to be tough for United to hang onto the lead. Just a few days ago, defending Regional 5A representative Converse Wagner went to Laredo and fell behind by 22 before a late surge allowed them to escape with the win by 3. Look for Laredo and McAllen ( lead by 2010 W 6'7" J.J. Avila) to knock heads prior to the Regional Finals.

Pflugerville 66 San Antonio Madison 59

Coach Mike Murphy and The Ville went on the road to San Antonio and handled San Antonio Madison. From beginning to end Pflugerville had the lead in a game with no real ebbs or flows. The exception was the end game where Pflugerville almost stumbled, but because of lights out free throw shooting they took a meager one point lead and exapnded it once again to seven in the final analysis.

Senior G Jamal Johnson (Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo) had a much better game than I saw him have in the entire McDonald's Invitational several days prior. He finished with 20 for the Mavs. 2012 W 6'6" Christopher Campbell added 14 and frosh Trayvon Landry had 7 for the hosts. Senior W 6'5" Demetris "Cleveland" Smith had 17 as well as bringing his usual energy to the Panthers while high major G 2011 Deon Mitchell was his usual calm, cool and collected self in leading Pflugerville with 19. 2010 P Tyler Wood (UT-San Antonio) was M.I.A. for Madison as he was nursing a bone bruise. We wish him a speedy recovery.

San Antonio Reagan 58 San Antonio Clark 55

It was "deja vu all over again" as the Yankee's Yogi Berra used to say as Reagan won a nail biter over Clark. A tip at the buzzer gave Coach Jimmy Littleton's Rattlers the NEISD championship. Tournament MVP 2011 W 6'5" Max Yon, continued his fast pace with 18 to lead Reagan in the Thanksgiving Eve rematch. They also notched 16 from 2011 G Trey Demps. Clark is a good team and are well coached. However, they lack in heighth but 2010 G Jason Brickman (Long Island) provides great floor generalship to go with 11 points while undersized 2010 P 6'3 Ehland Emerlahu led all game scorers with 20 in the close loss.

Thanks to all our current and former D-1 Ambassadors players for the thoughtful texts to me on Thanksgving Day. I love ya'll! Coach Max

Coming off a cracked vertebrae, 2010 W 6'9" Daniel Alexander (Texas A&M) ,(shown this summer with LeBron James at the Nike Academy) had 12 points for Dripping Springs. 2010 G Jordan Clarkson of San Antonio Wagner (Tulsa) had 38 for the T-Birds

2010 G Cody Doolin (San Francisco) fresh off leading Austin Westlake to the Finals of the McDonald's Invitational had 28 in limited duty as Westlake thumped Cedar Park.

Antonian 76 San Antonio Memorial 72

2011 W 6'8" Jonathan Holmes led Antonian with 22 points.

San Antonio Wagner 107 San Antonio Stevens 73

2010 G Jordan Clarkson (Tulsa) dropped 38 in the win, while 2012 G 6'4" Uche Ofoegbu had 22 in the loss.

Dripping Springs 69 Marble Falls 59

Daniel Alexander (Texas A&M) had 12 for Drip.

Austin Westlake 72 Cedar Park 40

Cody Doolin who was All Tournament at the McDonald's Invitational had 28 for the Chaps.

Austin Bowie 58 Round Rock McNeil 50

2012 G Paul Baxter led Bowie with 20.

Liberty Hill 81 Hutto 48

2010 G Michael Farace had 20 to lead the Hill.

Pflugerville Hendrickson 80 Austin Travis 74

2011 W Jalen Washington had 18 for the Hawks.

Lake Travis 73 Austin 60

2010 G David Eads (M.I.T) had 17 for Lake Travis.

Austin LBJ 77 Pflugerville Connally 68

2011 G Robert Lee had 27 and 2010 G Donald Dallas 21 to lead the Jags

Garnica Meter to Devin Brown's San Antonio Career Scoring Record

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I Dropped by Littleton Gym in San Antonio last night to catch a birds eye view of San Antonio's leading scorer, Paul Garnica (Northern Colorado) in action. Marshall is notorious for playing the game at the slowest pace possible. Prior to the game I caught up with Steve Sylestine who is in his first year as the Head Coach at San Antonio Clark.

Garnica came out smoking hot by hitting a pair of deep triples almost out to the volleyball line. He finished the quarter with 13 points. Despite picking up two fouls in the first 1:30 of the game, he did not miss a second of play. However, Marshall was able to exploit this and get easy buckets as he had to lay off his man most of the evening.

2010 P Robert McPherson picked up the slack on the boards for Lee and also added 14 points to complement Garnica's game high 21. He also added 6 steals, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks and went 6-6 from the free throw line to complete a nice stat line. His shooting went cold in the second half as he finished 6-21 from the floor. Lee now goes to 7-1 and can eat Thanksgiving turkey feeling pretty good about the first quarter of their season.

Baton Rouge Glen Oaks rolled to the Championship at the Woodlawn Tournament held in Baton Rouge. Texas D-1 Ambassadors player 2010 W 6'6" Brian Williams who is committed to Okalhoma State was the MVP. He is pictured 2nd from left. 2011 P 6'6" Tre Drye, who also played on the D-1 Ambassadors top team this past summer is pictured in back with his finger in the air. He was named to the All Tournament Team. Congratulations! Coach Max

San Antonio Lee's Paul Garnica (Northern Colorado) pictured here with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors in Memphis giving G Joe Jackson (Memphis) the business.

Just got back from the Houston McDonald's Invitational where Austin basketball fans have a lot to be proud of. Your Westlake Chaps came within a hair of beating hometown Bellaire in an exciting Championship game.

While I was gone, here are the following highlights from Austin (according to recaps from the Statesman.)

Austin Bowie 71 Austin Crockett 27
2011 G Paul Baxter (son of Texas ex player Ron Baxter) dropped 22 to lead Coach C.C. Collier's Bulldogs.

Pflugerville 92 Killeen 83
2011 G Deon Mitchell and 2010 W Demetris Smith (Lamar) each had 20 for The Ville.

Lake Travis edged Vista Ridge 50-45 behind Davd David Eads (M.I.T.) 13 points.

Del Valle 50 Round Rock McNeil 38. 2011 W Karim York had 16 for the Cardinals.

Hyde Park's 2011 W Brooks Pawsat continues to average 20 plus per game in the early going for the resurgent private school program.

Austin LBJ 75 Round Rock 61
2010 G Donald Dallas had 26 and 2011 G Rodney Lee had 21 for the Jags.

Akins 53 Georgetown 38 2011 PG Yolonzo Moore has turned it up for Akins and leads them in scoring as well as running the team. He had 23.

2011 G Jake Kocher is my bet to lead the City of Austin in scoring this year. He's had games of 29, 24, 3 (suffered a concussion early), 32, 23, 31, and 35. This kid's a scorer from all areas of the floor, as well as an outstanding perimeter shooter.

Rick Barnes had gotten himself ANOTHER good one. 2011 G Sheldon McClellan, a Texas commit was the difference as he scored 23 to lead Bellaire to the Championship. He was my Championship Game MVP. McClellan slashed to the goal any time he wanted. If not for 2010 P 6'9" Gus Leeper guarding the goal, he would have dropped 35. Once Leeper was in foul trouble, McClellan really hurt Westlake. One final timeout and a chance at a game tieing 3 pointer. (#33 Conner Kemper) listens to Coach Ellis during the TO.

Below: Bellaire's 6'8" Toby Oyedeji (Texas A&M) was the Tournament MVP at the McDonald's Invitational

It's been a long 3 days and lots of basketball and now we're down to two teams in the Gold Division One Championship of the McDOnald's Invitational Tournament being held in Pasadena, TX. If the game were played on paper, then the championship would be handed to Bellaire in advance. But...it's not! Austin Westlake has talent of their own, and a couple of Division One signees. Here comes the tip off.



After 3 minutes of play it's tied at 2-2. Both teams have had a few ragged possessions and the Big Uns: Bellaire's Toby Oyedeji (Texas A&M) and Westlake's Gus Leeper (Arkansas-Little Rock) have a couple of blocks a piece. The first "ooo-ahhh" of the game was garnered by Westlake's Cody Doolin who split three defenders and laid it up in traffic for the deuce. Doolin follows with a LONG triple and the Chaps are up 9-7 with 2:18 to play in the first. Big three pointer by Conner Kemper forces a Bellaire timeout. Westlake 12-7. Gus Leeper has 5 blocks in the quarter.



At the beginning of the 2nd, Carl Meyertons picks up his 2nd foul, and 2012 Drew Wikelius gets thrown into the fire. The score is tied at 15. Leeper has also picked up his 2nd foul for Westlake. Sheldon McClellan (Texas) has scored several transition buckets to lead Bellaire with 9. Bellaire has called 3 TO's already! With 4:25 left in the half Bellaire leads 18-17 on a Jamel Outler (Texas Tech) layup. Big dunk by Kene Anyigbo (Western Kentucky). He gets a tech for swinging on the rim. Bellaire is really making Doolin work, double teaming him on every possession, the length of the court. Doolin makes a great And 1 with a player draped all over him. Westlake 24-22 with 2:00 left. Doolin adds two more FT's. It's a heck of a HS game, folks!



At the half, Cody Doolin (San Francsico has 11 and Sheldon McClellan (Texas) has 12. Bellaire is doing a good job of making Doolin work hard. However, once they got in the bonus he made them pay at the charity stripe. Big Gus Leeper has to stay out of foul trouble. Big Toby was held scoreless in the half. How often does that happen? Westlake is doing a great job of doubling down on him as soon as he touches the ball.



Bellaire's 2010 PG Sebastian Douglass has a nice And 1 to start the half. Right now Sheldon McClellan is killing Westlake. He picked up his 3rd foul and then Leeper picked up his 4th. This makes things tough on Westlake on the boards. Bellaire leads 32-27 with 6:00 left in the 3rd quarter. There's Oyedeji's first points of the game, a rim rattler! Big Kene Anyigbo has picked up his 4th foul for Bellaire. Boom..Sebastian Douglass has picked up his 4th. Depth will decide this game. Who will step up? Conner Kemper who was ice cold hits a big triple and the score is 38-34 Bellaire at the end of 3Q's



Oyedji opens the half with a baby hook, but quickly picks up his 3rd foul. This is a spirited game. Meyertons answers with 2 FT's. McClellan gets another And 1 with Hagen Fell draped all over him. He's been the difference thus far. Kemper hits 1-2 FT's. Bellaire 43-37 with 6:30 left. Hagen Fell for 3! Big hook shot by Leeper. 44-42 Bellaire and Westlake is now shooting the 1 and 1. Big three by Kemper. Westlake 45-44 with 3:12 left. McClellan is on the line. He makes them both. This was worth the ride hone at 2AM from Houston....Wow. Doolin scraps for a loose ball on the floor and get s a TO. Bellaire has the ball off a Westlake miss. They spread the floor and burn about 20 seconds before Coach Bruce Glover calls a TO. 46-45 Bellaire with 1:48 to play. Bellaire had 4 offensive rebounds and couldn't convert. Kemper grabs a big board, and Anyigbo is fouled out. Kemper hits both ends of the one and one. Westlake 47-46 with 1:22 to play. Douglass for Bellaire! Westlake misses and puts Bellaire on the line with 35 seconds to go. McClellan hits them both and he has 23 for the Cardinals. Kemper rims a three in and out, but the ball is OB off Bellaire. Westlake calls TO and looks to get a chance at a three to tie the game with only 20 seconds left. Doolin's long three rattles our, and Westlake gets the offensive board with 8 seconds left. Great D by Bellaire. Westlake could not get a shot off. 50-47. Great game!



1st Quarter Austin Westlake 12 Houston Bellaire 9

Half Austin Westlake 27 Houston Bellaire 24

3rd Bellaire 38 Austin Westlake 34

Final Houston Bellaire 50 Austin Westlake 47

Austin Westlake Coaches; Head Man Tres Ellis, and Assistant Rob Lucero have had lots to grin about in the early going as Austin Westlake is now 5-0, including 4 wins here at the competitive McDonald's Invitational. Bellaire will try and rain on their parade tomorrow evening in the tournament championship

2010 PG Cody Doolin of Austin Westlake was all smiles after Austin Westlake's semi final win over North Crowly at the McDonald's Invitational

Austin Westlake continued it's strong run at the McDonald's Invitational tonight with a hard fought win over a young, but talented North Crowley team. Behind 20-16 after the 1st quarter, its the first game Westlake had to remain composed, and was required to fight through numerous lead changes and tie scores.

2011 G Kyan Anderson of North Crowley showed why he's one of the country's top PG prospects showing nice court vision and got to the rim with ease. Problem was, when he got there especially late in the game he was met by 6'9" Gus Leeper who swatted several shots and altered many others. Anderson is being recruited by Oklahoma, USC and Wake Forest amongs others per the North Crowley coaching staff.

Once again, Cody Doolin came out on top despite being hounded all game by 2011 G Cameron Price, and Kyan Anderson. Doolin had 23 points and several key steals from the North Crowley backcourt players. He's deceptively long in the arms, along with a tremendous nose for the ball.

North Crowley was down by two with under a minute, but clutch 4-4 FT shooting by 2010 W Conner Kemper allowed Westlake to shut the door for the win. Kemper also dropped 23 points and is becoming much tougher on the boards.

Tomorrow evening matches hometown Bellaire against the Chaps in their ultimate test of the season. Bellaire may be the most talented 5A team in the State of Texas. They are chock full of High D-1 prospects, as follows:

2010 P 6'9" Toby Ojediyi (Texas A&M)
2010 P 6'6" Kene Anyigbo (rumored to Western Kentucky)
2010 G 6'4" Jamel Outler (Texas Tech)
2011 G 6'5" Sheldon McClellan (Texas)

The wildcard may be unsigned Senior PG 6'5" Sebastian Douglass who moved back from New York and is another nice prospect. Should be a packed house and a great atmosphere for high school basketball.

2010 P 6'9" Gus Leeper of Austin Westlake has been holding a "Block Party" and is inviting all comers to attend at the McDonald's Invitational. This was Westlake's first test of the year where they were "out-athleted". Playing without 2011 G Hagen Fell who took a hard fall to the hardwood against West Monroe, the Chapparals bench was further tested. Of course they didn't have to go too far down the bench at the lead guard position as 2010 PG Cody Doolin (San Francisco) didn't take a minute's rest.

Doolin dropped 30, including 9-10 from the FT line in the 4th quarter. He also added 5 steals, 5 assists and 7 rebounds to dominate the stat line. Doolin's summer team mate with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors, 2010 W 6'6" Conner Kemper added 16 points and 8 rebounds. M.I.T. bound 2010 Carl Meyertons added 14 and 6 rebounds for Westlake. 2010 Jason Powell added 10, and Big Gus Leeper (Arkansas-Little Rock) had 7, 8 rebounds and several key blocks.

Westlake plays DFW powerhouse, North Crowley at 7:30 tonight.

2010 G Keaton Lancashire has given Austin Westlake some timely buckets and a host of hustle plays. Westlake started off a little slow (perhaps travel legs?) for it's second straight game. West Monroe is an athletic, scrappy bunch, but they really don't have a post presence. They are a collection of guards and slashers who are getting in Westlake's shirts on D. Early foul trouble by Gus Leeper has necessitated Kemper, Meyertons and 2012 Drew Wikelius to step up and give some quality interior defensive minutes. This is a depth check for Westlake.

Successive And 1 buckets by Cody Doolin to end the half gives Westlake a 30-25 lead at the break. At the half. Doolin has 11 and Kemper has 9.

In the 3rd this is becoming a spirited game. West Monroe has scrapped back from 7 down to tie it at 37..but wait Big Gus Leeper has blocked two shots in a row and Westlake is off and running to a 4 point lead to end the quarter. Leeper definitely has become an intimidator in the paint.

Leeper is back on the bench with foul trouble and 2011 G Hagen Fell has hurt his back/tailbone. This is another good test for Westlake. Let's see if the bench guys rise to the occasion. Westlake has gone up by 9 with 3:30 to play. Kemper has stepped up as well as 2010 G Keaton Lancashire. Coach Ellis turned to me and said, "Gosh, I have to coach a little" I like this test, I give Westlake a B-. They won one they should have, but did overcome a little bit of adversity. Good win down the stretch as Westlake went deep into it's bench to take care of business.

1st Quarter West Monroe 12 Austin Westlake 11
Half Austin Westlake 30 West Monroe 25
3rd Austin Westlake 41 West Monroe 37
Final Austin Westlake 54 West Monroe 47

2010 W Conner Kemper is shooting the ball well and competing hard on the boards for Austin Westlake. Austin Westlake rolled over Shcertz Clemens in it's opener on Tuesday, but things get serious starting now with their matchup with Humble in the McDonald's Pasadena (Houston) InvitationalTournament. They're my pre season "Paper Tiger". They have everything it takes to get to the Drum in March out of Region 4.

They've got a shotblocker in 6'9" Gus Leeper (Arkansas-Little Rock), a scoring point guard in Cody Doolin (San Francisco), a 6'6" deadeye shooting wing in 2010 Conner Kemper as well as a host of other rebounders including M.I.T. bound Carl Meyertons who does a lot of the dirty work (and is likely pretty good at Jeopardy too..lol)

The first half was pretty much non descript. Westlake led by 7 (25-18) on the back of a quick 9 points by W Conner Kemper and the stellar play of PG Cody Doolin, who despite a mediocre 1st half shooting the ball still had 8 points. P Gus Leeper is making his presence felt as he has 5 blocks. Humble seems to have limited ballhandling and a thin bench. Westlake is committed to it's press. I think they should take over in the 2nd half as Humble looks ready to wilt.

Westlake started the 3rd quarter on a 13-0 run. Leeper is now close to double digits in blocks, and it's keying the break for easy layups as well as several nice pull up jumpers in the 8-12 foot range by Doolin in transition. Leeper is now sporting a nice looking face up shot out to 17 feet.

Leading Scorers

Cody Doolin 19
Conner Kemper 14

1st Quarter Austin Westlake 12 Humble 9
Half Time Austin Westlake 25 Humble 18
3rd Quarter Austin Westlake 46 Humble 31
Final Austin Westlake 62 Humble 38

McAllen's 2010 W 6'7" J.J. Avila had 19 for to lead McHi. Coach Roy Swift hopes to get McAllen over the hump in the Regional Finals this coming spring. (Don't count out Laredo United though) I'm here in Houston, TX at the McDonald's Invitational, looking forward to seeing two quality 5A teams from Region 4 play in this afternoon's Doubleheader at Pasadean Memorial HS. Both have aspirations of getting to the Drum in early March. Those teams are McAllen High and Austin Westlake who will not play each other due to the seeding format. McHi is in the Silver Division, while a highly regarded Westlake team is taking on the Big Boys in the Gold.

The McDonald's Tourny is loaded with talent. Last year San Antonio Madison captured lightning in a bottle and had a story book tournament and brought home the Gold Championship to the Alamo City with a thrilling victory over a talented Duncanville squad in the final.

If there's a season for McHi to break that glass ceiling of getting to Regionals but not being able to get to State, this is it. There aren't too many times that a team from the Rio Grande Valley or Laredo area sports a 6'7" four year letterman who can shoot it from the perimeter, put it on the floor and isn't afraid to mix it up on the boards.

Quite honestly it's tough to assess how good McHi can be this year, because Pasadena Memorial is not a very good basketball team. With about a 1000 of their own students spurring them on, there's still nothing to rave about. They are undersized and not particularly skilled. Having said that, it looks like PG Nevin Franks is much improved from last year when Wagner intimidated him and most of the other Bulldogs into a turnover machine. We'll see if McHi can handle pressure better this season as the tournament plays out. That's been their Achilles the past two seasons. If Coach Roy Swift can raise the bar on their ballhandling, that will be the key to beating a San Antonio Wagner/Austin Westlake style of team that brings the heat.

2010 Pg Nevin Franks shows and improved perimeter shot and ball handling confidence. McHi is big enough with 2010 6'6" Ryan Evans & 2010 P 6'5" David Atkinson. However, neither is particularly mobile on the perimeter and will be succeptible to mismatches with big D-1 caliber wings who can shoot the ball from beyond the arc, such as Wagner's 6'7" Andre Roberson and Westlake's 6'6" Conner Kemper. Having said that, they are hardworking kids who give 100%.

2010 PG Nevin Franks ball handling seems surer, and his perimeter set shot looks good. He had 11 points and multiple assists.

2010 P 6'7" J.J. Avila J.J. has improved his agility, extended his range, has a soft touch on his mid range and has also incorporated some nice low post footwork and perfected several nifty moves to finish down low in traffic. Continued development sees him become a bonafide college 3 man, although he certainly could also play the four spot and cause some mismatches on the offensive end. Avila finished with 19 points and double digit boards.

1st Quarter McHi 26 Pasadena Memorial 12

Half McHi 40 Pasadena Memorial 22

3rd McHi 55 Pasadena Memorial 28

Final McHi 66 Pasadena Memorial 37

With all the hustle and bustle of the high school season upon us, I neglected to report that several days back that Texas D-1 Ambassador David Hahn has signed with Texas State University. As reported back in my report on August 17th, the 7 footer from Austin, TX by way of Mississippi was headed to Kimball Union Prep in New Hampshire for a year of fine tuning.

I was not able to catch up with Dave, but his Pops, Rick and I chatted about the commitment. They were excited about David being able to play close to home (about 30 minutes from the house). Big Dave liked the Texas State School of Business and of great importance he bonded with the staff. He particularly became comfortable with Assistant Eric Brand who spent part of this past summer as a Texas D-1 Ambassadors coach, prior to accepting the job under Coach Davalos at Texas State.

Congratulations to The Hahn Family.

Coach Max & Chip

P.S. This brings the number of early signeees in the Austin-San Antonio are to a baker's dozen. 13 kids...wow!

Below: 2010 PG Cody Doolin (shown with his MVP Award at the Texas Basketball Inc. Super SHowcase) had 21 in limited action last night as Austin Westlake throttled Scertz Clemens, cruising to a 93-52 win.

Austin Westlake 93 Schertz Clemens 52

The Area's top team, Austin Westlake crushed Clemens behind Cody Doolin's 21 (San Francisco) and Gus Leeper's (Arkansas-Little Rock) 11pts & double digit rebounds. No starter played after midway through the 3rd quarter.

GARNICA COUNTDOWN 981


At the top of my San Antonio posts this year we'll have the "Garnica Countdown". 2010 PG 5'11" Paul Garnica of San Antonio Lee (Texas D-1 Ambassadors) will be watched as he strives to break the San Antonio career scoring record of 2763 set at San Antonio's West Campus from 1995-98. Entering the season Paul needed 816 points to take the crown.

San Antonio Lee 75 Burbank 43
Garnica (Northern Colorado) drops 35 on McCollum
San Antonio Clark 71 San Antonio Highlands 59
A hearty welcome back to the boys high school coaching scene to Clark's Steve Sylestine. Elhad Emerllahu had 24 & Jason Brickman (Long Island) 16 for Clark
Boerne Champion 75 Gonzales 64
Champion Coach Stan Leech keeps piling up the wins.
Antonian 105 San Antonio Edison 68
2010 W 6'7" Jonathan Holmes leads Antonian to the blowout win.
Alamo Heights 75 San Antonio Jefferson 56
Senior G Thomas Villenueva drops 28 for Alamo Heights
San Antonio Taft 72 San Antonio Lanier 40
2011 PG Dylan Elias scored 12 for Taft
Sam Houston 62 Memorial 56
Much travelled Senior, Pierre Gordon had 21 for Sam Houston.
Converse Judson 51 San Antonio McCollum 22
Converse Wagner 58 San Antonio Madison 52
Senior Jordan Clarkson (Tulsa) 20 and 2010 W 6'7" Andre Roberson had 19 boards for the T-Birds.
San Antonio Churchill 74 San Antonio Warren 46
2012 G Scott Mammel scorched Warren with 33 pts

Every now and then I get the privelege of being on hand when a highly touted freshman gets to step on the floor with his varsity team and see his coming out party. That was the case tonight as I was at Wagner's gym to catch what is the City of San Antonio's best rivalry of recent years ( and one of the better 5A rivalries in all of Texas). The home team Thunderbirds beat the visiting Madison Mavericks 58-52 in a game which was surprisingly devoid of the kind of emotion one has come to expect from this game.

In the end it was a 3 minute span in the middle of the 3rd quarter where Wagner's press came to life, leading to a few easy transition layups. This, coupled by a pair of big 3's from Senior Devante Hill and Wagner turned a 4 point half time deficit into a 42-34 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter. At that point, it was basically game over as no team got on any major runs to either pull away or to narrow the gap.

Below: 2013 PG 5'11" Travon Landry of San Antonio Madison showed signs of being "The Truth of 2013" as he handled the point guard duties for the perennial 5A powerhouse. The young frosh took care of the basketball against the Wagner pressure and scored 11 points. Landry showed he could hit the three and got to the basket going left or right. (Something most high school seniors still can 't do.)
Below: Unsigned W 6'7" senior Andre Roberson didn't score much (although he did hit a big three pointer) but he controlled the boards with 19 by my count for Wagner.

Madison's best basketball is ahead of them this year as along with Landry, 2012 W 6'6" Christopher Campbell were the two best Mavs on the floor. This despite the fact that they have two scholarship seniors in G Jamaal Johnson (Cal Poly-San Luis Obisbo) and P 6'6" Tylers Woods (UT-San Antonio).

Below" Tulsa commit W 6'3" Jordan Clarkson dropped a quiet 20 points. He's the best slasher in the City of San Antonio and was able to give young Landry fits down low as Wagner Coach Cliff Ellis wisely posted him up against the smaller player.

Wagner is talented, and are a tough veteran team. They will not be a pushover but I don't consider them any longer the favorite to come out of the Region. Why? Without 6'2" Senior Guard Jordan Jones, they just aren't nearly as tough and don't have the same swagger. Sadly, Jones tore his ACL near the end of the football season. Despite some folks hopes, he will not be back on the hardwood for his senior year. We wish him a speedy and complete recovery. Someone has to step up for Wagner or collectively they have to rally to prove me wrong.

Madison has also had a wonderful run. The loss of scholarship players Cameron Catlett (UT-Arlington), Jonathan Landry (Coppin State) and 2010 Stephen Baird who just committed to Liberty but chose to be home schooled once again instead of returning for his senior year really hurts. However, as noted above I really like their youngsters. Their depth is in question but they'll have enough to take care of business and at least another 25 win season. They'll face a big test in Houston this coming Thursday at the McDonald's Invitational. Let's see how quickly the young guys mature.

Here we are, folks. The start of the 2009-2010 basketball season is officially underway. With a new year comes new dreams for many players and their families. I look forward to the coming season more than ever before. A record 11 boys players signed early at the Division One level in the Austin-San Antonio area. In my opinion, the talent's always been here, the exposure is finally starting to catch up. I hope to continue to advance that agenda in my new role as ESPNU's Regional Recruiting Analyst. If any of you have info regarding young players I should see and evalkuate please don't hesitate to call or drop me an email at TexasBasketball@aol.com or 512-791-5455....thanks Coach Max

I was on hand last night to see the marquee game of the triple header at San Antonio's Littleton Coliseum. The final score was San Antonio Reagan 56 San Antonio Stevens 48. Congrats to Jimmy Fred Littleton for the opening win over an athletic, but inexperienced Stevens squad in the building named after his Pops who passed away this summer. Our condolences.

Players To Watch

Harker Heights

2011 6'5" Micah Rainey- Undersized, but hard working athletic post with a knack for rebounding the ball

2011 W 6'3" Royce O'Neale-One of 2011's better prospects in the Greater Austin area. Lights out three point shooter who is long enough to get more than his share of rebounds.

2010 G 5'10" Tre'von Williams-Solid rock player who knows how to win

Austin LBJ

2012 W 6'4" Michael Hargis- Fresh off the football field. Brings toughness to the Jags.

2011 G 6' 0" Robert Lee- One of the best pure athletes in the area. Super quick first step, explodes to the rim. Streaky shooter who needs to get more consistent on the perimeter.

2011 P 6'5" David Weathers- May be a project, may contribute a lot. Raw, but can board.

2010 G 6'2" Donald Dallas- Smooth D-1 guard prospect. Nice slasing moves to the rim and a solid perimeter game. Needs to raise level of intensity and provide leadership now that he's a senior.

Pflugerville Connally

2011 G Dadrian Gage- Transfer from Round Rock McNeil has battled injuries. Explodes to the goal, nice perimeter shot.

Austin St. Stephen's

2011 WG 6'2" Sterling Green-Athletic Wing guard, handles the ball well and has a nice stroke.