Baton Rouge Madison Prep (LA) Heads To Houston For Thanksgiving

Basketball fans. Where will you be on Friday night @ 6pm November 25th? What about on Saturday night, November 26th at 6pm? The inaugural D1 Nation Thanksgiving Jamboree will be under way and it's at those times you can catch Baton Rouge Madison Prep in action. They will take on Houston Episcopal on Friday and then Houston Westside on Saturday.

Veteran Coach Jeff Jones a long time Assistant at Baton Rouge Glen Oaks under the legendary Harvey Adger is no stranger to winning as Glen Oaks has multiple state titles in Louisiana. In his first year as head coach you can expect his team will play tough defense and uptempo. Although still a young group, they'll be led by 2012 G 6'1" Ralston Morris who leads the team in scoring and dunks. Off to a 6-1 start Madison prep has an early signature win over Family Christian Academy, last year's State Semi Finalist.

2013 F 6'9" Jarell Martin

Make no mistake about it though that the basketball junkies will be out in full force to see Louisiana and the South's latest basketball prodigy and big time prospect, 2013 F 6'9" Jarell Martin. Snakes, alligators, great Cajun cooking and big time hoopers come out of The Bayou! He's ultra long and fluid, with many favorable early comparisons to Kevin Durant. Wow! Check the video below, compliments of Yay Areas Finest as Martin goes between the legs and windmills in this past summer's Las Vegas Fab 48 event playing for the Louisiana Elite. With about 200 college coaches in the house and Coach Max Ivany sitting on the endline in the bleachers Martin exploded on the You Tube map.

See you at Houston St. Thomas High School after you digest your turkey for the D1 Nation Thanksgiving Jamboree!

Coach Max Ivany In Arizona Promoting The D1 Nation

It's no secret I love Arizona and it doesn't take a whole lot of an excuse to visit and get a little golf in or in the summer time, sunning by the pool. The last 10 days though have been strictly business as I continue to cultivate relationships that can help players in the states I serve; Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Oregon and Arizona. It's been a whirlwind tour of the Grand Canyon State.

Stop 1. Grand Canyon University. Phoenix, AZ. Currently a D2 program, but with old friend and former Arizona Wildcats Head Coach Russ Pennell at the helm and the recent grand opening of a beautiful new arena it's only a short while before GCU is D1. Their facilities and organizational structure are already superior to half the Southland Conference. I was on hand pregame to well wish and shake hands with Coach Pennell and Arizona State Head Coach Herb Sendek. I can't tell you how much pride I have in the players who have represented the D1 Ambassadors over the years as both coaches were gracious and professed that they "love recruiting the D1 Nation both because of the quality of the players but their character as well."

Stop 2. University of Arizona. Tucson, AZ. Chilled for a couple of hours with the U of A coaches prior to the game that evening discussing prospects in general and Assistant Coach Emmanuel Booker in particular vow that he has to recruit talent rich Texas harder. I am his eyes and ears in the Lone Star State. As an added bonus, I met the coaches from that night's opponent, Duquesne University who upon hearing I was the Founder of the D1 Ambassadors asked me for their help with a late signee in April.

Stop 3 Arizona State University. Tempe, AZ. Arizona State seems to be hurting for a Pac-12 team. It may be a long year as they barely handled Montana State and zoned them. I touched base with Montana State as well who had a couple of Texas kids on their roster.

Stop 4. Keith Perrin of www.azgamecast.com got wind that I was in town and contacted me to be on his webcast. AzGamecast does a great job of hyping high school sports and providing streaming video og games in Arizona. They are evaluating as to whether they take it nation wide. Based on their studio and technical expertise coupled with love of high school sports it looks like a no brainer to me. I will provide a link to the interview in the next day or so. I'm still nervous in front of the camera despite having done national tv interviews with ESPN's Outside The Lines, among other programs but anytime I can talk basketball prospects and share recruiting knowledge I am down with it!

Keith Perrin of www.AzGamecast.com and Coach Ivany in the green room for a sound check.

Stop 5. At Arizona State University again to see my guys from Pepperdine; Head Coach Marty Wilson and Assistants Damon Lopez and Mark Ameril. We spent half the day at Pepperdine's campus back in early June of this past summer on an unofficial visit with Alex Caruso and 2012 G Chase Brogna (Houston St. Thomas). They Wave loves the D1 Nation, having offered Texas D1 Ambassador Alex Caruso last summer. He decided on Texas A&M. Now for any of you folks who have not been on Pepperdine's campus...just close your eyes and think about what heaven might look like. It has to be comparable, as it's perched high on the cliffs of Malibu overloooking the beautiful California beaches. They already have a verbal commitment from Houston player Dylan Jones, son of former Houston football player Sean Jones.

Tomorrow evening I meet with New Mexico Head Coach Steve Alford and Assistant Craig Neal. I'll be sure to catch up with Del Valle(TX) and Texas D1 Ambassadors alumni Senior 6'8" Post A.J. Hardeman who stars for the Lobos. Both Coach Alford and Coach Sendek will be grumpy as they are both coming off losses. Then on Monday I'll be back home in Texas to enjoy some San Antonio high school hoops/Thanksgiving Day and on to Houston to run my D1 Nation Thanksgiving Jamboree which has a great line up of high school teams from Houston and Louisiana. I hope to see you there!-Coach Max Ivany

Texas Public School Season Openers

Fort Beend Travis 77 Houston Yates 69
In one of the country's most anticipated public school matchups the Harrison Twins led Fort Bend Travis over Yates in a game decided by free throws in the last minute.

"In the grand scheme of things it really doesn't mean much," Andrew Harrison said. "This is a great confidence builder. Yates is one of the best teams in the country."

Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/216569/Harrison_Brothers_Lead_Travis_To_Upset_Of_Houston_Yates#ixzz1doEY6Tek

San Antonio Churchill 98 San Antonio East Central 75
The Chargers came out of the gate at a gallop and gored the Hornets. They had balanced scoring including 20 by 2012 G Scott Mammel and 16 points, 5 dunks and 5 blocks by Texas signee Connor Lammert

Lammert is intent on leading the Chargers to Austin next March

Converse Judson 60 San Antonio Stevens 58
Judosn eked out the win in the 4th quarter despite good performances from Stevens Senior duo of Uche Ofoegbu-19 (Southern Methodist signee) and Marcus Roper-13. Senior E.J. Hubbard had 17 and 2014 P David Wacker added 15 for the Rockets in the win.

Austin Bowie 50 San Antonio O'Connor 37
Senior Guard Paul Baxter controlled the game and scored 20 points. Verbally committed to Sam Houston State, Baxter made a decision not to sign early and to play out his senior year instead. He will be a great get for some college program as his athleticism is top shelf.

2012 Paul Baxter is one of the State's top available unsigned seniors.

Austin Akins 65 Copperas Cove 62
Cove let the game slip away in the 4th quarter but 2015 W 6'3" Rashard Odomes had 12 points in the loss and shows a huge upside for the Bulldogs.

San Antonio Clark 66 San Antonio Roosevelt 52
Clark coasted to the win behind balanced scoring from newcomer 2013 G Justin Brickman and 2012 G Niko Maxwell as they emptied their bench. Best wishes go out to Clark Coach Steve Sylestine who is addressing health issues. Get well soon coach!

Brickman adds depth to an already potent Clark backcourt.

Freshman Rashard Odomes of Copperas Cove is one to watch

D1 Nation Makes Noise On NCAA Opening Night

The 2011-2012 NCAA College Basketball season is underway. Best of luck to all competitors, especially those who have worn the uniforms of the D1 Ambassadors and have the D1 Nation bloodlines flowing through their veins. The D1 Ambassadors, a National club team with a legacy like no other!

Look no further than the Carrier Classic as Round Rock (TX) 6'10" Junior, John Henson of North Carolina led the Tar Heels to an opening win with a dominant 12 point, 7 rebounds and 9 blocked shot performance. It's this kind of defensive presence that will have Henson go in the 1st round of the NBA Draft next June.

Henson, circa May 2007 as Texas D1 rocked the throwback UTEP jerseys

Henson's summer team mate with the Texas D1 Ambassadors in 2007 was 6'10" Cory Jefferson of Killeen (TX). The twin towers burst on the scene solidifying their national reputation at the now defunct Arizona Cactus Classic on the campus of the University of Arizona. It was there that they both earned their invite to both the Nike and Reebok camps. Since that time Jefferson RS-Soph has been patiently biding his time working on both his skills and body. He is now ripped and considerably more skilled. Last night in 19 minutes Jefferson registered the first of what should be many double doubles. He had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

Jefferson's turn is coming with the Baylor Bears. He's a defensive difference maker.

Daniel Alexander RS-Freshman F 6'9" Dripping Springs (TX) Texas A&M
Alexander scored his first bucket of his college career for the Aggies in 6 minutes.

Mark Nwakamma Freshman F 6'6" Leander (TX) Hartford
Nwakamma got his feet wet with 9 minutes, 4 rebounds in his college debut.

Joel Smith Junior G 6'4" Leander (TX) Northeastern
Smith who is expected to earn all league honors this year led Northeastern to an OT victory with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists.

Justin Brickman Sophomore G 5'11" San Antonio Clark (TX) Long Island
Now the starter at PG for the Blackbirds, Brickman had 11 points, 5 assists and 3 steals

Brandon Thompson Junior G 6'1" San Antonio Stevens (TX) Long Island
Welcome Brandon back to the D1 ranks. After transferring from Arizona State and spending a year at South Plains JC he should make the Blackbirds a better club.

Jordan Brickman Junior G 5'10" San Antonio Clark (TX) Navy
Welcome Jordan back to basketball. After signing with the Naval Academy he made a decision to stop playing basketball the past two seasons. Once the new staff was hired Mrs. Brickman asked if I could put a word in for Jordan to resume his career. He's obviously taking care of business and after his two year hiatus he played 9 minutes last night scoring 2 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds.

J.J. Avila Sophomore F 6'7" McAllen (TX) Navy
Last year Freshman Avila was the Newcomer of the Year in the Patriot League. He started his soph campaign where he left off by scoring 11 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in the opener.

Jake Kocher Freshman G 6'2" Austin St. Michael's (TX) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Kocher logged 21 minutes scoring 4 points and getting 4 rebounds. He and summer team mate Brian Williams of Oklahoma State briefly guarded each other until Williams encountered early foul trouble.

How about that Austin/San Antonio backcourt Converse Judson's Soph G 6'5" Jordan Clarkson and Freshman G 6'4" Eric McClellan of Austin Stephen F Austin (TX)? Tulsa Head Coach Doug Wojcik knows tha the area has excellent talent supported by a good public school system in the communities and makes Austin/San Antonio a staple of his recruiting strategy.

Jordan Clarkson Sophomore G 6'5" Converse Judson (TX) Tulsa
Clarkson had 15 points and 4 rebounds in the opening win.

Eric McClellan Freshman G 6'4" Austin (TX) Tulsa
True freshman McClellan had 5 points and 2 assists in his first college game.

Osas Ebomwonyi Sophomore P 6'9" Pflugerville (TX) Lamar
In only 7 minutes, Ebomwonti had 4 rebounds. Hopefully this will provide a springboard for new Coach Pat Knight to recognize the impact he can have on a game defensively.

Travis Jones Senior G 6'6" Georgetown (TX) Texas State
Sharpshooting Jones had 13 points to begin his senior year in San Marcos.

A.J. Hardeman Senior F 6'8" Del Valle (TX) New Mexico
Hardeman begins his senior year with a nice effort, with 13 points and 7 rebounds in only 18 minutes of their blowout win. I'll look forward to seeing him when I attend the New Mexico-Arizona State gaem in Tempe. AZ next Friday.

Trevante Drye Freshman F 6'7" Baton Rouge Glen Oaks (LA) Tulane
Drye made a cameo appearance and notched his first college bucket for the Green Wave.

Cody Doolin Sophomore G 6'2" Austin Westlake (TX) San Francisco
Doolin had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in the opener a shocking home upset for his Dons dampers the stat line but Doolin who averaged over 30 mpg as a freshman played 34 minutes.

Jalen Harris Freshman G 5'10" Pflugerville Hendrickson (TX) Army
Harris scored a bucket and logged 19 minutes in his college debut.

Royce O'Neale Freshman G 6'3" Harker Heights (TX) Denver
O'Neale came out of the gate with 6 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. He'll have a great career in the Mile High City.

Andre Roberson Sophomore F 6'7" Converse Judson (TX) Colorado
Roberson came out with guns blazing dropping 13 points and adding 15 rebounds for the Buffs. He is anticipated to be the #5 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Mock Draft.

Big Props also go out to former Cen Tex stars Freshman G Marshall Harris of San Antonio Taft who had 11 points and 9 assists for the Citadel and Freshman G Yolonzo Moore of Hartford who had 12 points in his opener.

Houston Thanksgiving Jamboree Spotlight: Houston St. Thomas

St. Thomas, the TAPPS 5A State Champions are looking to defend their title with the responsibility falling on “The Big 3”. They are Stanford signee, 6’4 guard Christian Sanders, 6’9 senior post Jeremy King whose is still undecided and 6’ senior guard Chase Brogna, a sharpshooter with lots of ball skills. Brogna is still looking for that perfect fit for his skills and quality grades. On any given night any one of these can score 20 plus but it’s the team concept of “We” that has made St. Thomas so successful. “We don’t care who gets the credit because were just about winning and doing it the right way” said head coach Danny Evans.

Stanford Commit Christian Sanders

St. Thomas has a very tough schedule again this year with mostly tough 5A competition including marquee events at South Padre Island December 3^rd and 4^th and the big national event Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego (CA) December 27^th thru 30^th. This is a great event particularly for Brogna and King who can display their talents to the many colleges that will be viewing the event.. King is also looking for the right fit for his game and like Brogna would prefer an excellent academic school.

2012 G Chase Brogna Is A Sharpshooter

St. Thomas is off to a 4-0 start while winning the Charlie Thomas Classic and defeating HCYA which feature Donrad "Chicken" Knowles (6’10 Houston signee) and 2013 W 6'6" Justin Jackson who's a top  national prospect. Brogna had 26 points in one game, King dominated the championship game of the Thomas Classic over Knowles with 17 points (including 2 monster dunks) and 17 rebounds and 3 blocks, while Sanders led the way with 35 in another early season game. St. Thomas is a team to look out for with the two high level guards and the big man inside.  They'll be defending home court and looking to sweep the two games they play in the D1 Nation Thanksgiving Jamboree on November 25-26th

Signing Day At The D1 Nation

Nothing trumps family, but signing day in the early November period is always the most satusfying moment of my professional life. Todays is that day for 2011. The D1 Nation reaches far and wide, from Mississippi to the Pacific Coast now. It seems like a hundred years ago since the first signee to ever come out of our program inked his National Letter of Intent to play Division 1 basketball. That signee was Jeremy Buttell of Colleyville Heritage (TX) who signed with Texas Tech. Jeremy eventually transferred to and graduated from the University of Illinois-Chicago where he is now an Assistant Coach.

In between that day and now the D1 Ambassadors has churned out over 100 Division 1 players, a McDonald's All American, NBA and overseas pros as well as guys who have represented their countries in international events. Today, I am proud to announce the guys who have worn our jerseys and represented the D1 Nation with class and top level performances as they reach their goals of playing in college. In Alphabetical order:

McDarion Abrom C 6'10" Canton (MS) Alcorn State

The 6'10" Abrom burst onto the scene with Mississippi D1 as a sophomore alongside Top 100 player Leantwan Luckett and put his name on the map. He's still raw, having only played basketball for three years but he's got a great body and eats space in the paint. Played some of this season with Jackson Tigers and has committed to former Jackson Provine Coach Luther Riley who is getting it done. (His third Mississippi D1 alumni in two years.)

Alex Caruso G 6'5" College Station A&M Consol (TX) Texas A&M

Appearing out of nowhere to finish in the Top 100, Alex Caruso spent his final two seasons with Texas D1. He shot onto the scene like he was fired out of a cannon with scintillating performances on the spring circuit in Las Vegas and Denver and then he followed it up with an outstanding Pangos All American Camp and then a strong performance at the NBA Players Camp in Virginia. Caruso can play the one, two or three position and is an extremely high riser. Alex' dad Mike Caruso played for Eddie Sutton at Creghton and is the Associate AD at Texas A&M.

Javan Felix PG 5'11" New Orleans St. Augustine (LA) Texas

The Texas Longhorns get a winner in Felix. He's a physically strong guard who is pass first. Led St. Augustine to a Louisiana State Championship as a junior last season. Did his thing at the Las Vegas Fab 48 with the New Orleans D1 Ambassadors Elite. Just what the doctor order for Texas Coach Rick Barnes. Felix will be a steady influence in Austin for 4 years.

Matt Gramling G 6'2" San Antonio MacArthur (TX) Army

Gramling turned down 10 offers to play with his brother Chris at West Point and to serve his country. Coached all the way through the AAU ranks by his father, Jon Gramling who brought him to the D1 Ambassadors "because Coach Max doesnt' screw around with his top teams, he gets it done" in his father/son's words. I take that as a huge compliment and take the rsponsibility of positioning these kids for their opportunities very seriously. Gramling, a hard nosed guard who runs a team and scores when needed is a recruiting coup for Army.

Joshua Hagins G 5'10" Bossier City Airline (LA) Arkansas-Little Rock

Hagins was easily the best on ball defender that the Texas D1 Ambassadors-Houston squad had this summer. His quickness and perimeter stroke will serve him well as he joins Texas D1 alum Gus Leeper with the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans

Connor Lammert F 6'9" San Antonio Churchill (TX) Texas

The second member of the D1 Nation to commit to the Longhorns in this recruiting class, Lammert has an incredible upside. Having turned 17 in late August it made his performance against some of the country's top big men this year all the more remarkable. led the Texas D1 Ambassadors-San Antonio squad to the Las Vegas Live Championship as they crushed Nike teams Seattle Friends of Hoop, California Supreme and Houston Hoops along the way.

Uche Ofoegbu Southern Methodist (5 years)

R.J. McGhee G 6'6" Baton Rouge Istrouma (LA)/Dodge City JC (KS) Eastern Illinois

Originally signed with North Texas out of high school, McGhee is now finishing his Associates degree at Dodge City. He is a superior shooter who when he gets hot is unstoppable.

Aly Mohamed C 6'9" Houston Trent International (TX) Rice

Mohamed continues the Egyptian connection with Assistant Marco Morcos. Rice steals a high major in Mohamed who was one of the top performers at the Under Armour Camp in Atlanta and also led Egypt to the Under 18 Fiba Africa Cup two summers ago. Great footwork and sleight of hand make the massive Mohamed an intriguing prospect.

William Nelson W 6'7" Louisiana Prep (LA)/Hutchinson JC (KS) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
The ultra athletic Nelson has overcome a tough background to keep his dream alive. One of my favorite players. Played two years at Hutchinson JC but was still short academic credits. Former D1 Ambassadors Coaches Isaac Amedee and Bobby Sibley took him under their wing as a regular student this year at Dodge City (KS) in order that William finish his associates degree. A&M-Corpus Christi Coach Willis Wilson gets a high level player in this young man.

Uche Ofoegbu WG 6'5" San Antonio Stevens Southern Methodist

Ofoegbu follows in older brothers John (Texas Tech) and Ike Southern Methodist as he inks today with SMU as well. Big guard who will likely grow more. Physical player who amps up his game when he's going against someone with a "rep". Ofoegbu's a winner and a great competitor and like his brothers will represent Nigeria and play professionally several years from now.

Avery Woodson G 6'2" Wayne County (MS) Southeastern Louisiana

Woodson is a big time shooter with a hair trigger release. As good a player as he is, he's an even better person. Great snag for Assistant Coach Larry Cordero. he joins Mississippi D1 Ambassadors alum Donovan Ross at SELU.

The following three players: Reese, Rose and Sulaimon were the nucleus (along with Winston Sheppard of those great Texas D1 Ambassadors teams that were the scourge of the AAU ranks for several years, and then finishing with the Houston Hoops. Alll are great kids of character with nice families and strong academics to go along with their superior basketball talent.

J. Mychal Reese Texas A&M

Reese, the lefty carried the weight of being the country's #1 ranked player for several years. He and his family never let him lose focus and he kept his head level and had a great high school and summer career. Reese's father John a respected high school coach at Bryan (TX) is now an Assistant with Texas A&M.

Photo compliments of www.highschoolhoop.com

L.J. Rose Baylor G 6'2" Houston Westbury Christian (TX) Baylor

The consummate point guard/floor general. Rose can hit big shots but he'd prefer to find the open game down. Controls the pace and is a winner.

Rasheed Sulaimon G 6'3" Houston Strake Jesuit (TX) Duke

Offered by everyone on the planet. Sulaimon is a superior shooter who also gets to the rim and rebounds way above average. Photo compliments of Scout.com

Congratulations to all these players and their families as they continue their basketball dreams.-Coach Max Ivany and the D1 Ambassadors Family

Houston Yates Damyeon Dotson To Oregon

It's a big day for Oregon Ducks fans as they landed a talented duo in 2012 F 6'9" Ben Carter of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman and athletic 2012 WG 6'5" Damyeon Dotson of Houston Yates. Oregon bested Colorado for the commitment of the long, athletic, slashing wing player

Photo Compliments of Rivals.com

Dotson will help lead a loaded Houston Yates team in it's pursuit of a Texas State Championship and perhaps another USA Today National Championship under Coach Greg Wise.