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Tournament Wrap-Up/ Star Watch
Cardinal Classic
USSSA Holiday Shootout
Dec. 14-16, 2012
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I received an email from a coach after the tournaments this weekend that I would like to share with everyone:
It was an outstanding experience for our team. Excellent venue, officials, and competition for our team in the 6th grade D1-12U.
Any number of teams in our 2 pools could beat the other on any given day. The level of competition was very strong, you had to give great team effort. Also, the level of collaboration and respect among coaches and players was equally strong. As a coach of many different age levels in the past, you can see rivalries and friendships emerge within this age group of boys and the coaches……..with the intensity and great effort between the lines and respect after the games are complete.
These are the kinds of things that we value most when running our tournaments and this past weekend’s games demonstrated these values to the utmost. Thank you to all coaches, parents and players alike.
Congratulations to all of this past week’s champions:
Cardinal Classic
USSSA Holiday Shootout
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Northwest Extreme-ly Tough to Beat
Two tournament entries; two tournament championships. Nine games played; nine games victorious. This has become the trend for the Northwest Extreme 6th grade Division II basketball team. Coach Matt Stoecklein has this team out to a red-hot start with his boys playing flawlessley in all phases of the game. Northwest Extreme outscored their opponents 210-128 at the Cardinal Classic last weekend including a 46-41 victory over the Kansas Cagers in the championship game. Eli Dowis, Drake Simmons, Creid Stoecklein, Cade Gustafson, Collin Breckenridge, Jacob Lewis and Tyler Houchin have formed a chemistry with one another that has this team looking untouchable within the division.
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Kansas Hoopsters Impress in their First Tournament Together
Macy Smith, Kendall Michalski Rylee Ray, Macy Decker, Hallie Hay, Makayla Akin, Joelle Shurtz, Elease Stafford and Megan Lucas make up the roster for the 7th grade Kansas Hoopsters. Based on their performance at the USSSA Holdiay Classic this past weekend, you’d think they had been together for years. In fact, this was the first tournament the girls had ever played together. Two practices prior to the tournament was the only familiarity the girls had with one another, but when they took the court together for the first time last weekend, everything seemed to click. The Hoopsters went 4-0 on their way to the 7th grade title, and although they were involved in some close games, their confidence in each other never waivered. There is something special to be said about a group of girls who can come together the way the Hoopsters did this past weekend. With some more time under their belt, the Kansas Hoopsters are going to be a very scary team to cross paths with.
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***The Stars Came Out to Shine ***
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 Vince Ray (Runnin Gunners White, 3B D1)
They say offense wins games but defense wins championships. Well if that’s the case, Vince Ray is exactly the type of player you want on your team. Ray was called on to shut down the opposing team’s best player each game, and that’s exactly what he did. Ray collected an average of six steals per game over the course of the tournament. In fact, it was a rarity for opposing teams to even get the ball across half court. His defensive pressure helped lead his team to a 4-0 record and the 3rd grade championship at the Cardinal Classic this past weekend. Coach Michael Sansone firmly believes that three out of those four wins could have had different outcomes if it weren’t for Vince Ray’s lockdown defense. I guess what they say is true; defense does win championships.
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 Allen Coy (B3C Runnin Gunners, 4B D2)
When you think of “pure shooters” there are a few names that come to mind: Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki and Stephen Curry to name a few. Well, we can add one more name to that list: Allen Coy. Behind the stroke of Coy this past weekend, the B3C Runnin Gunners swept the 4th grade Division I at the Cardinal Classic. Behind some great screens from Jackson Corf, Jacob Fox and Bo Kelso, and the quick ball movement and precise passes from Dawson Goe, Ryan Williams and Harrison Day, Coy absolutely lit up the scoreboard. He averaged 15 points a contest with a game high 18 points in the championship game. This kid can heat up in a hurry!
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Megan Lucas (KS Hoopsters, 7G)
Megan was the face of consistency for the Kansas Hoopsters at the USSSA Holiday Classic, averaging just under 10 points for the tournament. Megan helped lead a group of girls playing with each other for the first time to the 7th grade girls title. The sky is the limit for what Megan and the rest of the Kansas Hoopsters can accomplish together.
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If you would like to see your team or a player featured in the Star Watch column, fill out the Star Watch Nomination Sheet located on our website and send it back to me at zach@agapehoops.com. I appreciate any feedback I receive from you guys and hope to see more nominations sent my way in the future.
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