Great American Shootout Results-Monday

It's always a good sign when you're playing on the third and final day of an event.  Texas D1 Ambassadors-Hardge were down to 6 players on Monday as half the team had to return to Austin for final exams on Memorial Day as the semester was extended by bad weather days. 

Texas D1 Ambassadors-Hardge  62    Top Achievers Pistons  51
2012 Michael Hardge led the way with 17 points, and 2013 T.T. Williams added 15 as D1 cruised to the win in the quarter final game.

Dallas Mustangs  66  Texas D1 Ambassadors-Hardge 55
The Mustangs are always a tough opponent, and the Texas D1 Ambassadors bowed out of the seni final game the same way they began the tournament on Saturday morning, with a close loss to the same Dallas squad.  An 8 point half time lead disappeared as the Mustangs kept coming with their deeper bench and some timely 3 point shooting by Niem Stevenson and the tough inside play of 2012 Zach Leday.
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Thanks to our friends at http://www.texashoops.com/  for recognizing two players from the Texas D1 Ambassadors as part of their Baker's Dozen of the Top 13 Performers at the Memorial Day GASO Tournament. Below is their overview of Michael Hardge and Uche Ofoegbu.

MICHAEL HARDGE


Class: 2012


Height: 6'0"


School/AAU team: Georgetown HS/Texas D-1 Ambassadors-Hardge


Notable: Hardge was one of the best ball-handlers of the entire tournament. When he had the ball, he showed his explosiveness. He also showed how difficult he was to stop. Look for Hardge to be one of the GASO's most consistent players.

2012 Michael Hardge

UCHE OFOEGBU


Class: 2012


Height: 6-foot-5


School/AAU team: San Antonio Stevens HS/Texas D-1 Ambassadors-San Antonio


Notable: Ofoegbu showed that he can put the ball in the hole at the GASO. On a team full of potential scorers, Ofoegbu had one of the better offensive productions throughout the tournament. He also showed his ability to play defense.

2012 Uche Ofoegbu

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The following is also an article from www.texashoops.com where they interview Texas D1 Ambassador Allex Austin.  Texas Hoops Writer Damon Sayles shows his age as he recounted to me that he interviewed Pops Charles Austin back in the day when he was a cub reporter at then Southwest Texas State University.
CARROLLTON, Texas - When it comes to pure athleticism, the expression "like father, like son" couldn't be any more accurate for dual-sport athlete Allex Austin of San Marcos High School.


A couple weeks ago, Austin won the Class 5A high jump title at the UIL state track and field meet. He jumped 6 feet, 10 inches to win - and he did so while battling injuries. He also did so in his very first year of competing in varsity track.


Part of his success stems from genetics. His father is Charles Austin, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1996 and is currently the U.S. record holder in the sport with a jump of 7 feet, 10 ½ inches. Allex, in addition, has a vertical leap well over 40 inches.


Allex admitted that as talented as he was in track and field, he has a passion for basketball. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound, high-flying forward suited up with the Texas D-1 Ambassadors-Hardge over the weekend at the Memorial Day Great American Shoot-Out in Carrollton.


TexasHoops.com Senior Writer Damon Sayles had a chance to sit down with Austin to discuss basketball in the present and the future.
2 MINUTES WITH ALLEX AUSTIN


Congratulations on winning a state gold medal, first of all. How does it feel?


"It feels good, but I don't let it get to my head. I don't talk about it much unless someone else brings it up. I don't let it get the best of me."



How long have you been high jumping?


"Not long. This was my first year doing it. It was something I just started picking up on, just something to do extra."


How long have you been playing basketball?


"I've been playing for as long as I can remember. This is my first year with the Ambassadors. I like the competition a lot."

2012 Allex Austin

Your dad is a world-class athlete. What advice does he give you when you're competing in track and field or basketball?


"He'll tell me to worry about myself and not to let the things I can't control get to me. With hard work, everything is going to pay off."


I'm sure you're getting plenty looks in track. What about looks in basketball?


"Colorado State has called, and TCU has called. I've heard from Stephen F. Austin, too. The rest of the schools just call my dad. He tells me not to worry about it and just focus on working hard."


Do you want to do both sports in college?


"That's what I'm looking for the most. I want to play both."


So what's it like having an Olympic gold medalist for a father?


"Everyone seems to freak out, but to me, it's cool. It helps because I know what he had to do to get where he is. It makes me want to put in the work.