Recruiting Tidbits

I don't have a lot of info to pass on from the NBA Players Camp YET, but I do know that Houston Strake Jesuit's Rasheed Sulaimon did his thing to the tune of 17 points in one game, Danuel House (Fort Bend Hightower-15) and Danrad Knowles (HCYA-15) in another.  Alex Caruso is also playing well, showing that he's a facilitator at almost 6'6".

Two Texas D1 Ambassadors: 2013 Johnathan Motley (Houston Northshore), and 2013 Parker Callender of Clear Springs  (and one from Mississippi D1 Ambassadors: 2012 Avery Woodson of 6A State Champion Wayne County) were on hand at Colorado State's elite camp.  All impressed the staff but only one walked away with a scholarship offer.  That would be the 6'7" Callendar who picked up the first of what should be many 'ships.  Colorado State Assistant Craig Smith told me all the current players on the roster loved his physical play and ability to shoot the three.

Speaking of Motley, didn't someone else's site claim he was on another roster?  WRONG.  No retraction of the misinformation either. Come to think of it, it was eerily quiet in Houston on the "tweeting" front after the GASO Championship was decided.  Anyway, count the Texas Longhorns for those in the hunt for the ultra long Motley as Coach Chris Ogden is on his trail.  Expect Motley to be one of Houston's hottest commodities next year as he combines academics, length, agility and a pretty shot from 15 feet and in.

2013 Johnathan Motley on a leadership conference in Washington, DC

2012 G Avery Woodson of Wayne County, MS may not be a household name in the country (or for that matter anywhere outside the Deep South) but make no mistake he'll be a catch for someone as he can shoot it with the best of them.  He went head to head against all of Mississippi's great guards last year and when they raised the 6A State Championship trophy it was Woodson who held it high for Wayne County.

Mississippi D1 Ambassadors' lights out shooter, Avery Woodson

NBA Players Association Camp

High level ballers are catching flights to Charlottesville, VA today for the 2011 edition of the NBA Player's Association Camp.  Camp Director, Dave Telep has a bumper crop assembled in the Class of 2012.  It has a heavy flavor of Texans and also a number of players with associations (past and present) with the D1 Ambassadors.
2012 Alex Caruso of College Station A&M Consolidated shown below at the Pangos All American Camp (Photo from ESPN Rise)

Caruso's recruiting action is en fuego, where I've received calls from UCLA, Marquette, Gonzaga & Georgetown yesterday alone. Look for him to continue to build his rep at the NBA Players Camp.  He'll play on a team with man-child Andre Drummond & crosstown rival J.Mychal Reese of Bryan High. What are the odds that two youngsters from the Brazos Valley would be in the Top 100?  Sweet!

Players to watch that have been part of the D1 Ambassadors at one time or another are:

 J-Mychal Reese 6-2 175 PG/SG Bryan TX Bryan 2012 (shown below at Max Ivany's D1 Nation Sweet 16 in Austin, TX : October 2010)

 L.J. Rose 6-4 185 PG Houston TX Second Baptist 2012
 Winston Shepard 6-8 215 SF Henderson NV Findlay Prep 2012
 Rasheed Sulaimon 6-4 190 SG Houston TX Strake Jesuit 2012
These 4 players are all childhood friends and had a great two year run in the AAU Nationals Final Four with the Texas D1 Ambassadors.  While in Bryan this past weekend at the Great American Shootout I was reminiscing with old friend, Coach John Reese of Bryan (J.Mychal's dad) about those days and how time flies by.  Almost 5 years ago to the day, Coach Reese and I drove a group of players to the Five Star Florida State Camp in Tallahassee, FL.  J. Mychal Reese became the first 7th grader in the storied history of Five Star to play in the "NBA Division" of that camp.


The other two youngsters in camp to make noise with the New Orleans D1 Ambassadors are:
00 Javan Felix 6-0 195 PG New Orleans LA St. Augustine H.S. 2012 Lakers
55 Ricardo Gathers 6-8 250 PF LaPlace LA Riverside Academy 2012 Heat
Felix (near bottom) is one of the nation's smoothest point guard prospects, while Gathers (far bottom) is a monster.  Both are shown with new Orleans D1 Ambassadors at the Las Vegas Fab 48, 2010

Below are the additional Texans in the house for the NBA Player's Camp.  Good luck to all and congratulations to their families.-Coach Max Ivany


42 Danuel House 6-7 195 SF Hightower TX Hightower 2012 Thunder
106 Shaquille Cleare 6-9 280 C Houston TX The Village School 2012 Bulls
06 Darrin Minnifield 6-1 160 PG Houston TX Bellaire 2013 Lakers
82 Cameron Ridley 6-10 250 SG Fort Bend TX Ft. Bend Bush 2012 Spurs

D1 Nation Going Viral: Oregon/Washington

It's been a wonderful journey over the last 11 seasons.  The D1 Nation originally was nothing more than one team of players in Austin, TX chasing their summer basketball dreams being led (as best we knew how at the time) by Coach Max Ivany and Mark Beasley.  Time flies by and now both of our son's have not only lived their college basketball dreams, but they've graduated with their bachelor's degree.  My son, Chip from South Alabama/Texas-San Antonio and Mark's son, Bryan from Rice.

I never could quite rid myself of the basketball bug, and now along with Chip Ivany the D1 Nation has grown into so much more. In addition to having scores of players that we assist on the summer circuit, we have honed our system to enhance most any player's chances of living out their basketball dreams regardless of where they live, North America wide.

We'd like to welcome our newest friends as part of the program.  A couple of years ago I met and ended up brainstorming with a high school coach from Oregon, Coach Cameron Turner.  Like us, he had a different vision for club basketball. He offered an alternative to much of the club basketball scene. It was one where he gave players a wholesome surrounding to develop and be showcased.  We've become friends and have a lot of respect for each other so it was only natural that we'd come together in a positive way for the youth of Oregon and Washington.

His club, Williamette Regin is chock full of quality players (and even more importantly quality people). They have now officially become the Oregon D1 Ambassadors. In addition to Coach Turner's discipline and coaching skills these kids now have the full benefit of all the relationships built by the D1 Nation.  You'll soon be reading a stand alone, Oregon D1 Nation Oregon Prep Report as well as seeing his always tough and potent teams out on the circuit, flying the D1 Flag.  Welcome Oregon!

Beautiful downtown Portland, Oregon with Mt. Hood in the background

GASO Champions Crowned: "Houston We Have A Problem"

Typical of most times a team from San Antonio plays a Houston or Dallas squad they're cast as the underdog.  The lone exception to that year in and year out are the Texas D1 Ambassadors.  This weekend at GASO was no different as they took on the best the DFW Metroplex had to offer as well as Houston.  The road to the championship went through the Houston Lynx in the semi finals and eventually the Houston Hoopstars for the title.

Texas D1 Ambassadors:  GASO Champs......Again!

left to right: Coach Max Ivany, Cole Martinez, Carter Josephs, Jeffrey Rodewald, Uche Ofoegbu, Niko Maxwell, Adam Perez, Connor Lammert and Coach Paul Josephs

Texas D1 Ambassadors 68  Houston Lynx   61
Texas D1 jumped out to an early double digit lead but the Houston Lynx just wouldn't go away.  The score was tied with 7 minutes to play before one decisive, final run put it away. Balanced scoring has been the order of the tournament for Texas D1. 2011 Cole Martinez (Air Force)18, 2012 Connor Lammert 14, 2012 Adam Perez 13 and 2012 Uche Ofoegbu 11.

Texas D1 Ambassadors 63  Houston Hoopstars  60
Anytime we strap it on with the Houston Hoopstars it's a battle.  They beat the Houston D1 squad back in the spring, and back to last summer the Austin D1 squad bumped them from this same GASO event.  A pool play victory Saturday morning over the Hoopstars (minus Cameron Ridley who was at Adidas Nation) would not be easy to replicate.  It's hard to beat a good team twice, and especially so as they brought their McDonald's All American candidate in for the final game.

For most of the first half the lead changed hands several times in a bruising, physical matchup.  Then near the end of the half the Hoopstars went on a run, leading31-23 at the break. Midway through the second half the lead was 9 before Texas D1 started chipping away.  The last three minutes, the lead swung back and forth by a point, eventually being tied at 60 with 1:30 left to play.  With Texas D1 running a weave and holding the ball for the final shot they finally got the look they wanted.  With 15 seconds left, San Antonio Catholic's Cole Martinez did what he does better than anyone.  The San Antonio Player of the Year let the three ball fly and snapped the twines.  Bingo!  The last 15 seconds were frantic and when all was said and done, the Hoopstars squad never did get off a shot attempt.

The game featured 3 campers from the recently completed Pangos All American Camp in Los Angeles. Cameron Ridley (Hoopstars), Uche Ofoegbu and Connor Lammert (Texas D1).

Cameron Ridley is everything they say he is, maybe even better.  He's made great strides under Coach Keith White and his upside is huge.  As a Texas alum, I am excited to see him wearing burnt orange in the next year.  Lammert does not have the notoriety or the overall game that Ridley has, but at 16 years old is developing rapidly.  He has a special skill set too with his passing ability and being able to step out to the three point line.  Even though Ridley dunked on him several times the youngster stayed composed and got a couple of his own including an impressive tomahawk off a loose ball on the rim. 

Texas D1 received balanced scoring including 14 from Lammert, 14 from Alamo Heights Jeffrey Rodewald and 14 from Martinez.  Ridley did his thing and had 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead all scorers.

This is the Texas D1 Ambassadors 4th GASO Championship in the last 3 years. The credit always rests with the players but Coach Paul Josephs deserves a pat on the back for steering the ship.  His calm demeanor and balance between calling sets at the right time, mixed in with giving the players some freedom to improvise makes this a dangerous team.  SAT and ACT priorities kept us down to 6 and 7 players for the entire tournament, so the players really bonded together despite missing 6'7" Shelby Lane and 6'5" Aaron Ramirez. Both of them bring depth, size and toughness to the team as they head into July.

I'd like to give a shout out to my son, Chip who was 24 years old on Saturday.  Without him this program would never have existed.  Coach Chip Ivany's squad won the Father's Day tournament in 2009 behind Cody Doolin (San Francisco), Dylan Elias (Northern Colorado), Paul Garnica (Northern Colorado) and Deon Mitchell (Northern Iowa).  Interestingly enough, all 4 of these guys are playing PG at the next level.  Last year Coach Paul Josephs San Antonio squad behind the Lammert Brothers Connor and (Clark-TexasTech) won the GASO Spring Opener followed by Coach Mike Hardge's Austin squad taking the 2010 title at the GASO College Station behind Eric McClellan (Tulsa), Jaleel Williams (San Jose State), Deon Mitchell (Northern Iowa) among others.

Texas D1 Ambassadors 2014 Unveiled @ GASO

It's time to introduce the 2014 D1 Ambassadors "Fab Five" freshmen to the rest of the basketball world.  I've been meaning to do this article for awhile but last night I saw my old friend, Ray Jackson of Michigan and Fab Five fame at Bryan High School.  After chatting with him I resolved to quit procrastinating and get this done.

The Great American Shootout's are an excellent way to evaluate where you're at as a player and a team.  The young frosh were entered into the NCAA (mid division) of the event which typically consists of high school teams or of select teams who are made up of sophomores and juniors. Someone forgot to tell these guys to walk softly.  They came out carrying a big stick, blowing out two opponents while also beating a talented Houston Lynx Yellow squad.

From left to Right: 

2014 6'4" W Garret Gray of Marble Falls
Add Gray to our long list of track men who were also outstanding hoopers too.  He's a blazing 100 meter man with a nice mid range game and a bounce in his step.
2014 6'1" WG Matt Perry of Kerrville Tivy
Perry, whose brother Jonathan is a D1 alum, competes hard every time out and already shows the trademark Perry perimeter game and basketball savvy.
2014 6'0" PG Chase Carlton of Austin Westlake
Carlton is a floor general and a tough competitor who will find the open man as well as knock down shots. He looks to get his team mates the ball first, but leave him open and he goes off.
2014 6'1" CG Trey Dilworth of Round Rock McNeil
One of Texas' purest, powerful and skilled athletes.  Dilworth can shoot the three but is devastating when going to the rack, where he wants to flush everything.
2014 6'5" CG Aubrie King of Mumford
Son of legendary shooter, Alvie King.  The Mumford Musket was one of the State's top scorers and three point shooters as a frosh.  He sports the old school Chris Mullin 'do and shoots like him too.

The rest of the country will get to know these youngster quite well in the near future.

Player Spotlight: 2011 G Jalen Washington

WANTED

Attention D1 college coaches.  For those of you with a scholarship available in the Class of 2011 here's your mid summer steal. 2011 G Jalen Washington at 6'41/2" is your man.  He has just qualified academically with his combo of SAT/GPA. The Pflugerville Hendrickson star is a versatile player who can play the one, two or three position.

2012 G Jalen Washington of Pflugerville Hendrickson

Washington originally committed to Mount St. Mary's (MD) as a PG prospect after an official visit there last fall but after mulling it over, opted not to sign in the early period.  He reopened his recruitment and decided to play his senior year. Lack of passing through the NCAA Clearinghouse kept recruiting to a minimm although South Alabama, Colorado State and others kept flirting with him in the spring.  And well they should as the talented player had a monster senior year, with multiple games over 40 points as well as a 50 point effort. 

He is not a one trick pony though as many times the ultra long athlete had double digit rebounds and was on the free throw line more than anyone in the State of Texas, averaging 13 attempts per game.  All this while running the point at his high school!  The Super Cen Tex selection is one of the country's hidden, unsigned gems who is available NOW.  If Washington does not receive an offer in the next couple of weeks he will suit up with the Texas D1 Ambassadors for his second campaign. He'll make stops on the circuit at Myrtle Beach (SC), Duncanville (TX), Minneapolis (MN), Las Vegas (NV) and Phoenix (AZ).

D1 college coaches may contact me at 512-791-5455 for further info.  You're getting a quality person as well as a quality player.-Coach Max Ivany

Complete List of Pangos Award Winners

The recognition keeps pouring in for the Texans who attended the Pangos All American Camp in Los Angeles last weekend.  2012 Alex Caruso's achievements have been well documented on every national site in the country.  2012 Chase Brogna of Houston St. Thomas also made a name for himself.  In addition to http://www.areacodes.com/ giving him props, the combo guard with the sweet perimeter shot snagged the "Best Three Point Shooter Award" as named by Ronnie Flores of  http://www.espnrise.com/

2011 PANGOS ALL-AMERICAN CAMP AWARDS

(Selected by Ronnie Flores of ESPNRISE.com)

Rafer Alston award (Best handle in open court): Daquan Walker, Constitution (Philadelphia, Pa.)
John Stockton award (Best handle in half court): Tyler Lewis, Forsyth Country Day (Lewisville, N.C)
Stacey Augmon award (Best on-the-ball defender): Jahmel Taylor, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
Trent Tucker award (Best three-point shooter): Chase Brogna, St. Thomas (Houston, Texas)

Bill Russell award (Best shot blocker): Jordan Bell, Poly (Long Beach, Calif.)
Kevin Love award (Post interior passer): Grant Jerrett, La Verne Lutheran (La Verne, Calif.)
Scott Skiles award (Best perimeter passer): Marcus Paige, Linn Mar (Marion, Iowa)
Ronnie Fields award (Best dunker): Anthony Bennett, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)
Kurt Rambis award (Hardest worker in the paint): Charles Mitchell, Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.)
Mario Elie award (pleasant surprise): Alex Caruso, A & M Consolidated (College Station, Texas)

Lamar Odom award (not playing up to potential): Isaiah Austin, Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas)
Ralph Sampson award (not using god given talents): Aaron Gordon, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)
Schea Cotton Award (player who looks good in camp environment): Dominic Artis, Salesian (Richmond, Calif.)
Phil Ford award (player who would shine in more structured setting): Paige
Player who deserved to be in Top 50 game: Travon Landry, Bryan (Bryan, Texas)

Best Top 50 who deserved to be in Top 25 game: Jordan Bell
Top 25 player better suited for the Top 50 game: Jabari Bird, Salesian (Richmond, Calif.)
Biggest sleeper that emerged: Stefon Jankovich, Huntington Prep (Huntington, W. Va.)
Best Overall Prospect: Andre Drummond, St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Ct.)
Camp MVP (highest consistent level of play in every game): Shabazz Muhammad, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)