This Saturday      February 25th    Austin Area       10AM-Noon

The first round of the playoffs have ended, and by Saturday morning another chunk of Texas’ high school basketball players will shift gears to their new focus on spring and summer club basketball.  For those of you in the playoffs we wish you and your high school coach the very best. 

Don’t lose focus on the high school season.  Coach Ivany and the D1 Nation media will be following all the team’s playoff and individual performances like nobody else does.  For the rest of you, we’ll see you this Saturday for our final open tryout.  Any inquiry after this Saturday will have to be by invitation only.  Contact me if you fit in the latter category.  512-791-5455  Coach Ivany

Come to the workout ready to go hard.  Bring $10 for the tryout and your checkbook for the program deposit should you be selected to be part of the D1 Ambassadors organization.

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AUSTIN:                  Saturday,  February 25th                     

Location:                Liberty Hill Intermediate School                       10-Noon

                                   301 Forrest Street  Liberty Hill, TX

                                  Click here to get map——–>           http://mapq.st/AF24hz

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The D1 Ambassadors are home to over 100 Division One players.  It’s where NBA General Managers, College Athletic Director’s & Coaches, High School Coaches and NBA Players and professional athletes send their sons to play club basketball.  The pursuit of a college scholarship is not a process to be leave to chance to folks involved in “their first rodeo”.  Coach Ivany is as well connected as anyone in the business.  Be part of the inner circle and put your son on the fast track to fulfilling his dreams.

Alamo Heights 52  Boerne Champion 39

Champion had no answer for 2014 F 6’9″ Ben Lammers as he put 23 on the Chargers, and received nice support from 2012 Jeffrey Rodewald who added 15.

Austin LBJ  68   Cedar Park Vandegrift  40

2014 Joseph Britton led the Jags with 18 and 2013 W Ethan Gilbert added 14 in the rout.

2014 Joseph Britton

Austin Bowie  58  Round Rock 50

2012 Mareik Isom (Arkansas-Little Rock) and 2012 Paul Baxter had 23 and 18 respectively as the Bulldogs slayed the Dragons.

Georgetown 52  Westlake 46

It was all Michael “Marquis” Hardge, the Austin area’s leading scorer who put up 20 in the win over Westlake.  The unsigned senior went to work.  2013 G Jacob Vick and 2012 F Casey Heller also played well for the Eagles. 2012 P Drew Wikelius ended his high school career with 12 points and 10 boards for Westlake and fellow Senior R.J. Rowan had 11.

2012 Michael Hardge

San Antonio Clark  65  Corpus Christi Carroll 53

2012 Adam “Big Game” Clark had 26 points and was money down the stretch for the Cougars.

San Antonio Edison 56  Victoria West 47

Senior G Arty Vela, the coach’s son had 23 in the win.

Converse Judson 61  San Antonio Johnson 44

2014 David Wacker led Judson with 13 points.

Round Rock McNeil 65  Austin High 55

2012 G Robert Waters poured in 24 points to lead the Mavs to the bi-district win.

San Antonio O’Connor  68  San Antonio East Central 61

Jordan Kouremetis had 20 and 2013 G Dapo Ogunfeitimi added 16. as O’Connor slowed down East Central.  That made it a clean sweep in the first round for Northside ISD as the went 4-0.

Killeen Shoemaker  53   Mesquite  51

It was 9 years between playoff wins for Shoemaker but that drought ended as Senior Chris Runnels finished with 10 points and 11 boards, while 2013 Jose Roman went to work and collected 15 and 10 boards.

2012 F Chris Runnels

Buda Hays 47  Kerrville Tivy  33

2014 F 6’7″ Hayden Cagel led Hays to a big playoff win, as he had 10 points.  2013 F Zach overby had 13 for the Antlers in the loss.

Mansfield Summit  59  Killeen 58   (2 OT)

A young Killeen squad held a 42-33 lead in the 4th quarter but Summit came back.  They tied the score and then won in double OT.  Senior Jamison Hicks had 20 in his final high school game for the Roos.

Mesquite Horn  68  Killeen Harker Heights  60

The Knights had a poor shooting night with their jumpers abandoning them in the pivotal 4th quarter.  2012 G C.J. Rodriguez had 17 in his final high school game for HH.

New Braunfels Canyon 51  San Antonio McCollum 34

2012 P 6’10″ Andrew Poulter (Arkansas-Little Rock) had his way with the smaller Cowboys, as he put up 18 points.

San Antonio Brennan 81  Smithson Valley 53

2014 G A.C. Reid put up 26 points for SV, but so did 2013 G Johnny Azzinaro of Brennan.  Brennan gave him more help however as 2013 W George King added 14 in the win.

2013 G Johnny Azzinaro

A&M Consolidated 65  Longview  40

Alex Caruso (Texas A&M) led the way with 22 points.

Fort Bend Hightower 57  HoustonClear Brook 51

Hightower bumps the top seed behind Houston commit Danuel House’s 12 points.

Fort Bend Bush  71  Clear Springs 43

Fort Bend Travis 78   Pearland   55

2013 G Aaron Harrsion went off for 44 points.

Rosenberg Lamar Consol 65  Friendswood  45

Wannah Bail (Texas Tech) led all scorers with 22 points.

Houston Cy Falls  78  Aldine Nimitz 61

Kingwood 36  Klein Forest 35

Kingwood pulls the shocker, but never underestimate a Royce Huseman coached team!

Houston Strake Jesuit 78   Houston Westbury 59

Spring Dekaney 63  The Woodlands  62

San Antonio Warren  75  San Antonio Highlands 61

2012 Taurean Prince Waller had 30 and 2013 G Marcus Keene added 21. Now it’s on to the Friday showdown vs Churchill!

2012 Taurean Prince Waller

Houston Sterling 80  Houston Worthing  76

Katy Seven Lakes 67  Houston Madison 50

For Pflugerville, 2013 G Napoleon Onyeje finished with 19 points and 2013 back court mate T.J. Williams added 20 despite playing with a broken thumb on his shooting hand.

2013 G Rasmus Bach

All that being said the best player on the floor tonight was 2013 G 6’4″ Ras Bach.  He defended hard and scored 22 points while being nearly flawless in his mid range shooting.  I said a month or so back that the Aussie was an emerging player.  He’s positioning himself to be seen as a lead guard with his improved handles and court vision.

George Gervin Wellness Center       Late Registration/Check In  10AM-11AM    Camp 11-7pm

3944 Sunbelt Drive South             San Antonio, TX

REGISTER HERE—->   https://www.sportspilot.com/Register/RegBegin.asp?ASOID=105774

All American Prodigy Camp Sunday, March 11th San Antonio, TX

Coming to San Antonio, TX for the first time.  The camp where players likeMcDonald’s All American John Henson (North Carolina), Cory Jefferson (Baylor), Daniel Alexander (Texas A&M), Alex Caruso (Texas A&M), J. Mychal Reese (Texas A&M), L.J. Rose (Balyor), Winston Sheppard (San Diego State),  Deon Mitchell (Northern Iowa), Paul Garnica (Northern Colorado), Cody Doolin (San Francisco), McDonald’s All American Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke), Devon Turk (Loyola -IL), Jordan Green (Texas A&M), Eric McClellan (Tulsa), Jake Kocher (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi), Mark Nwakamma (Hartford), Jaleel Williams (San Jose State), Gus Leeper (Arkansas-Little Rock), Osas Ebomwonyi (Lamar), Travon Landry (Tennessee), Joel Smith (Northeastern), D.J. Stephens (Memphis) and countless others made a statement for national attention.

Just prior to the beginning of the Texas UIL State Playoffs, 2012 F 6’5″ Aaron Ramirez of 2A Santa Rosa has committed to NCAA Division II Lindenwood (MO).  He was also recruited by Texas-Pan American. He then went out a few hours later and hung 45 points on Hebronville. Ramirez is a superior athlete and is an outstanding football player too.  He’ll concentrate on basketball as a freshman but has been promised an opportunity to play football in his sophomore season.

Ramirez is clearly the top athlete in the Rio Grande Valley and was known on the summer basketball circuit for his thunderous dunks and perimeter shooting as he was a member of the Las Vegas Live 17U Champion,  Texas D1 Ambassadors-San Antonio. He joins Connor Lammert (Texas), Uche Ofoegbu (Southern Methodist), Matt Gramling (Army), Shelby Lane (Claremont-McKenna CA) as college commits off that squad which was coached by Paul Josephs.

Aaron went through a little more than most, as he would catch a bus 6-8 hours one wa to and from San Antonio-South Texas just for practice.  Lindenwood has moved from NAIA to D-2 and Ramirez will be on full scholarship. -Congratultations to Aaron and his Family.-Coach Max Ivany

One of the State’s most heated and storied rivalries was reduced to a beatdown last night as Houston Yates drilled Wheatley.  2012 W Ckyde Santee scored 34 in the rout. The unsigned senior is one of Texas’ top uncommitted players. Wheatley was 11-1 in disctrict play until forfeiting 5 games for playing an ineligbile freshman.  This caused the Head Coach, Marcus Elder his job. Hence, the date with Yates…ouch!

San Antonio Churchill 84  Cibolo Steele  53

There were no last second miracle shots tonight for Steele as they got a heavy dose of Churchill’s depth.  The Chargers were in control from the get go and got 20 points from 2012 G Nathan Woods, 15 from Texas commit, Connor Lammert, 14 from Scott Mammel (Army Prep) and 12 from 2013 G Taylor Sutlive as they cruised to the W.  Assuming San Antonio Warren takes care of business tomorrow evening I’ll be looking forward to that match up come Friday night.

2012 Connor Lammert

San Antonio Brandeis  51  San Antonio Southwest  27

2013 G Justin Graham had 19 to lead the Broncos to their first ever playoff win.

Laredo United 61  McAllen Rowe  58

Crowley 61   Waco Midway 53

Brenham 67  Huntsville 60

El Paso Andress  52   San Elizario 20

El Paso Bowie  65  El Paso Parkland  51

Humble 57  Stratford  38

San Marcos                     19-10-18-12

San Antonio Reagan    10-26-19-20

It’s the time of year we’ve all been waiting for. There’s a full house, and both schools bands are battlin’ in the pregame. Let the Texas UIL Public School playoffs begin! I’ll be reporting  ”almost live” from Canyon Lake High School tonight for a 1st round game.  Both of these teams are dangerous, a “Tale of Two Snakes” if you will as both teams’ mascot is the Rattler.  We’ll see who has the lethal bite.

  San Antonio Reagan has nice pieces and depth on their front line.  Combine that with the fact that they’ve survived a great portion of the year with their starting point guard Mike Williams on the shelf with a strained back. It’s caused others to pick up the slack and now with Williams back he’ll push the ball and make it tough on San Marcos.

Senior Wing Allex Austin

For San Marcos, the focus is on the Senior duo of Collin Hart who can fill it up from deep and Skywalking Wing, 6’6″ Allex Austin who’s able to hurt you on the boards and from the outside. San Marcos could be susceptible to pressure as they don’t have a lot of guard depth, depending on how Reagan Coach John Hirst chooses to attack them defensively. On the other hand, it won’t be their first time seeing it as district foe Converse Wagner can bring the heat with the best of them.

1st Quarter

The game started with a tech against San Marcos for a dunk in warm ups. Once the whistle actually blew San Marcos came out on fire behind 10 points, including a pair of three point bombs from Collin Hart.  It’s 6 fouls to zero against San Marcos.  Both of their bigs, Allex Austin and Alex Frye are saddled with 2 a piece.

2nd Quarter

Austin picked up his 3rd foul and is sitting. As hot as Hart was early, he’s clanged his last 5 shots from beyond the arc.  Reagan is surging.  Depth is an issue for San Marcos as Frye also has his 3rd foul. D.J. MacLeay has 8 points, all from the free throw line.  He’s added 6 boards as well.  It’s 36-29 Reagan at the half.   Reagan was 14-18 at the FT line, and San Marcos was 5 of 6.

3rd Quarter

Like the 1st half, the 2nd half started with a tech for a book infraction by San Marcos. Another tech! The team trade baskets but Reagan continues to work the ball inside, and the San Marcos defenders have to play soft in the block because of foul trouble. 55-47 Reagan at the end of the 3rd quarter.

4th Quarter

A 10-0 Reagan run to start the 4th quarter, and this one’s a wrap. ” Team”  beats “SELFISH” EVERY time.   Coleman and Frye have both fouled out for San Marcos with 2:39 left. The team that shot about twenty times from inside the paint easily beats the fall away jump shooting group.

2013 PG Mike Williams was the difference.  He got where he wanted to get on the floor and dropped dimes for easy buckets, finishing with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.  2013 P D.J. MacLeay didn’t get much from the field but he earned his living from the charity stripe.  he finished with 21 points and controlled the boards with 10 rebounds.

A Double Double: 21 points and 10 boards for 2013 D.J. MacLeay

San Marcos’ Collin Hart finished his high school career with 20 points and Allex Austin bowed out with 16.

Brennan Rakoz

San Antonio East Central   Converse Judson  San Antonio Churchill   San Antonio Warren

Brownsville Porter       Laredo United       Mission Sharyland         Weslaco

San Antonio Brandeis   San Marcos      San Antonio Wagner    San Antonio Clark

Harlingen                    Laredo Alexander    Laredo Martin        Edinburg North

Much like the early match ups in Houston between the Fort Bend schools and the Clear Lake area it’s a shame to see good teams exit the 1st round while in other “pods” mediocre teams will advance through, sometimes into the 3rd round.    A couple of match ups that fit into that category are Converse Judson-San Antonio Johnson, San Marcos-San Antonio Reagan and Corpus Christi Carroll-San Antonio Clark. 

Bottom line is, that’s how the cookie crumbles.  With that said, I’m going with Judson. If they get the lead Johnson will not be able to match up defensively man to man and the Rockets will eat them up. If Johnson’s 2013 WG duo of Luke Wilshire and Vinay Reddy come out hitting shots then it will be a game.

2013 Luke Wilshire

I like Reagan’s lead guard play with 2013 Mike Williams, but I’m going with the hungry seniors looking to make a statement in San Marcos’ Collin Hart and one of the Area’s most talented players in W 6’6″ Allex Austin who has the potential to put up a 20 point, 15 rebound performance.  I’ll be on hand tonight for that match up which will be played at Canyon Lake HS.

You'd better put a body on San Marcos Wing Allex Austin

I like Clark in a squeaker over Carroll with the edge going to Coach Steve Sylestine, and Clark’s heady guard play of Seniors Carter Josephs and Adam Perez.  Perez is as good a money player as you’ll find.

Clark G Adam Perez is a WINNER

Houston Westside         Houston Cy Falls           Alief Elsik                 Katy Seven Lakes

Friendswood Clear Brook   Channelview          Pasadena Dobie      Fort Bend Bush

Houston Strake Jesuit    Houston Cy Springs  Houston Langham Creek   Houston Bellaire

Fort Bend Travis    Port Arthur Memorial       Galena Park Northshore    Houston Clear Lake

The Bush-Clear Springs and the Elkins-Clear Lake matchups occur way too early.  Somebody very good is going home early and it’s not out of the question that it’s the favorites either.  Some of the State’s best teams, hands down.

McDonald's All American Cameron Ridley. Could another State Championship be in the cards for him and Bush?