Pflugerville vs Bowie

With several choices available I just could not keep away from this match up but maybe I should have.  This game had as many story lines as your best daily soap.  Bowie with two Division 1 prospects in the line up and a 20 year well respected coaching veteran. Pflugerville several players with dreams of playing at the college level and a coach in his first year at the varsity level. On paper there was no question who had the leg up on who. But that's why they play the game baby and it started with a bang. The panthers were not threatened by Bowie's D1 prospects and came out to show that they were a team to be recon with.  

At the end of the first quarter Pflugerville lead 17 to 8 and had proven that they were there to win and that Christmas was coming early for them. The panthers defense against Bowie's Paul Baxter was intense forcing Baxter to his left side and doubling him every chance they had in an attempt to get the ball out of his hands. They were not going to allow Baxter to beat them on this night and the strategy was successful. 

In the second quarter the Bulldogs were able to make a run out scoring the panthers 24 to 15 and tying up the game just before the break 32 to 32. What was most apparent to me on this night was Bowie's lack of effort on the defensive end allowing the panthers to score in double figures in both the first and second quarter.  Additionally, the panthers were out rebounding the bulldogs even though Bowie had the taller player on the court with 6'6" Isom who towered over most of the panthers line up. 

In the second half it was much of the same Bowie allowing the panthers guards to penetrate uncontested and scoring when the chance presented itself or passing the ball to the open man who scored from under the basket.  The panthers continued to pressure Baxter throughout the game and forcing him to put the ball in the hands of his teammates who were just not looking to score.  Isom the only other scoring threat on the bulldogs roster just could not get the defense off of him long enough to find the ball and when he did he was pressured and forced to give the ball up.

In the end the panthers team was just to much, while Baxter was able to put up more than half of the bulldogs points scoring 28.  The rest of the team just did not contribute enough to help the bulldogs pull out a win on this night.  Since this conference puts 4 teams into the playoffs the bulldogs may still get through as a third or fourth seed.  But if they want to contend for the district championship they will need to do two things rebound and commit to playing defense.  Allowing eight opposing players to put up scoring numbers and three of them scoring in double figures tells it all.  There are very few stat lines for good defensive play but as a recruiter or a college coach all you need to look at are the opposing teams stats to tell you what the loosing team did defensively. On this night the bulldogs did't do enough, they were outscored, out hustled and out rebounded on both ends of the court.  

Pflugerville 68, Bowie 50

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
Bowie	8	24	8	10	—	50
Pflugerville	17	15	12	24	—	68

BHS: Huerta 5, Baxter 28, Isom 9, Mayes 2, Smith 2, Walton 4
PHS: Brooks 13, Onyeje 16, Williams 8, Bostic 10, Bierbower 7, Henderson 8, Moss 4, Ochsner 2
Records: P: 10-6, B: 11-4.

Hays High School Rebel Classic

I spent this week attending the Hays High School's Varsity Boys and Girls Rebel Classic and I have to say it was a great week.  The tournament was well organized and had an exciting group of teams participating in the event.  

In the Boys division schools like St. Michael's Academy which will be a strong contender in the TAPPS 5A division. From the UIL 4A division there was the host Hays, Crockett, Lanier, Hutto, Del Valle, Dripping Springs, and Vista Ridge.  The big schools present from the 5A division were McNeil, Leander, San Marcos, Harker Heights, and Steele High School all teams that will be contenders in their individual districts and you may be looking at a State Champion in this list of teams.  

In the Girls division small schools present were 2A Poth and Leon, 3A Lovejoy, Wimberley and Palestine High School. 4A Lehman, Hendrickson, Vista Ridge, and host Hays High School and from the big school category were 5A SA Churchill, New Braunfels, Steele, SA Madison, San Marcos, and the Highlands High Schools. 

With such a diverse group of schools participating in this tournament it made for some great competition and some surprising upsets.  I look forward to this tournament again next season and would recommend it to any coach looking to get out of their district and play some strong competition.

Great job Rebels and good luck this season.       

Hays vs St. Michael's (Hays Tournament)

As a fan of St. Michael's athletics its difficult to watch a team with so many offensive threats just not get down and dirty and play defense.  On several occasions there were players that just laid back after a missed shot and in no hurry to get back to defend. The only area on a basketball court that doesn't requires much skill but a lot of heart is defense and I just didn't see much of that from the Crusaders.  


In stead what I saw were players taking their time down court, standing straight up and letting the offensive players drive past them and get to the basket. Even after the coach pointed the mistake out they continued to play weak on the defensive end.  On the offensive end however, they were as different as day and night.  Once they got the ball in their hands they were a different player, driving the lane putting up shots and in one instance one shot almost from half court that didn't go end.  If there was as much effort on the defensive end as on offense this would be a different team, one that would be hard to recon with.  Crusader's remember offense wins games but defense wins championships and you will need to get that area taken care of before conference play if you want to contend in the TAPPS division. 


As for the Hays Rebels, they were a very different team than I am used to seeing. They have some height that they have been lacking in the past few years and a group of scoring guards that will posse a threat against many of their opponents this season. With Cagle (14), Kimbro (13), and Johnson (10) all scoring in double figures and seven other players adding some scoring of their own this was a great team win. The rebels moved the ball around well and were able to find open looks from all areas of the court.  They did a great job on the defensive end shutting down long range shooter Jack Kiser after he was able to put up three 3 pointers after coming in off the bench. After that the defense did a great job of getting out on Kiser and keeping him off the line forcing him to take longer shots most of which fell short.


In the end it was a good win for the Rebels pulling off a 30 point win after holding the Crusaders to only 6 points in the second and 7 points in the third.     


Hays 71, St. Michael's 41

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
St. Michael's	18	6	7	10	—	41
Hays	14	14	19	24	—	71

SM: Garza 2, Ginet 3, Reech 3, Carlton 4, Guerrero 8, Blauke 5, Vandrak 3, Alvarez 3, Kiser 10
HHS: Williams 8, McSpaddan 6, Johnson 10, Normand 6, Jass 4, Kimbro 13, Agnew 2, J. Rodriguez 4, Cagle 14, Miller 4.
Records: H: 7-4.

McNeil High School Basketball

By: D. Maldonado

Central Texas Recruiting

centexrecruits@yahoo.com 

McNeil High School's Boy's Basketball is our Highlight team of this preseason.  With five games under their belt Coach Darrell Hagemann has his team running on all cylinders with wins over Del Valle, Cedar Park, Bowie and most recently Belton.  

In their season opener against Anderson the Mavs defense looked sluggish and at times confused, allowing four players to score in double figures two of which scored over twenty points.  Since then Coach Hagemann must have gotten to the root of the problem the defense is looking much improved and it shows in their early record. 

With a lot of basketball left to be played the McNeil Boys have made an early stateman letting the competition know that this season they will be a team to recon with.  With early wins over Del Valle who put up 93 points against a strong Hendrickson team, and Bowie High School who has two Division 1 commitments on their roster Coach Hagemann has made McNeil a team to look out for this season and our early favorite to win the 5A Region 2 championship.  Hoping to spoil their goal will be a regular into the playoffs Pflugerville High and Round Rock.  Both teams have playoff experience and an excellent team, but if Coach Hagemann can keep his team focused on the prize I just can't see anyone getting in the Mavs way.

Players on the Mavs team to keep a close eye on will be Seniors Robert Waters averaging 17.2 ppg, Jocob Jiongo 12.6 ppg and sophomore standout Trey Dilworth averages 14.6 ppg.  Along with these three players you can add five additional seniors, three juniors and a sophomore all players who are finding ways to contribute to the Mavs early success.  Below you will find a list of McNeil's preseason games, we wish the Mavs and Coach Hagemann a lot of success this season and look forward to seeing you in the playoffs.           

• Nov 28, 2011 - McNeil 65, Belton 40
• Nov 22, 2011 - McNeil 84, Bowie 80
• Nov 21, 2011 - McNeil 64, Cedar Park 48
• Nov 18, 2011 - McNeil 77, Del Valle 70
• Nov 15, 2011 - Anderson 86, McNeil 77

Pflugerville vs Westlake

With the loss of Senior Point Guard Deon Mitchell and his 25 points per game Pflugerville will have to find other players to step up and take that scoring out put between them.  While Westlake struggled last season this year looks to be a good chance at making the playoffs once again. With eight seniors on the roster and all with varsity experience they should have enough leaders on board to get them back on track this season. 


Westlake did a great job of matching Pflugerville point for point through the third quarter.  In the first Westlake dropped 10 points to Pflugerville's 9 and things didn't change much in the second.  Westlake put up 17 points to Pflugerville's 19 and at the end of the third both teams were tied at 44.  Going into the fourth you could see that Westlake's players were running out of gas. They spent so much energy during the first three quarters they just didn't have much left to finish the game.  This is where Pflugerville stepped up and took advantage scoring 21 points to Westlake's 13, and with that the Chaps dropped their season opener to the Panthers.


If Westlake can find a way to stay consistent for four quarters their going to make it difficult for many teams this season and might even find themselves back in the playoff run this year. 


Pflugerville did a great job of staying in the game and making a run at the right time. Moss lead the Panthers in scoring with 21 points, Onyewe, and Williams both scored in double figures helping push the Panthers past the Chaps in their first outing. 


Pflugerville 65, Westlake 57

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
Westlake	10	17	17	13	—	57
Pflugerville	9	19	16	21	—	65

WHS: DeBlasio 4, Morse 24, Rowan 8, Carlton 3, Upton 2, Pazeral 2, Severt 1, Wikelius 13
PHS: Brooks 9, Onyewe 13, Williams 10, Bostic 6, Bierbower 6, Moss 21
Records: P: 1-0, W: 0-1.

Cedar Park vs Leander

This game looked to be a exciting game from the start.  With Cedar Park and Leander being next door neighbors this has become a local rivalry which separates neighbors and families.  While both schools have traditionally been football schools, in the past few years their basketball rivalry has become just as exciting.  The first quarter started like most area games it was slow offensively with Cedar Park scoring 14 to Leander's 7 points.  While both defenses worked hard to stop the other, it was the inconsistency of the offensive shooters that keep the scoring down.  At the end of the second quarter Cedar Park was leading 24 to 18 and Leander was left looking for a way to get points on the board.

At the start of the third Leander was still struggling offensively.  Coach Bradley managed to find opportunities for his team to get open looks but the shot just were not dropping for them, at the end of three Cedar Park extended their lead to 11 points.  In the fourth Leander's offense found its grove and were able to put up 16 points, unfortunately Cedar Park was able to match them point for point scoring 15 of their own.  In the end Cedar Park held off Leander and pulled off a 10 point victory.

Both teams have a lot to work on on both sides of the court.  Consistency seems to be the biggest problem on the offensive side of the court.  This is something that both teams will have taken care of once conference play starts up so I expect some really good games throughout the season. 

Cedar Park 53, Leander 43

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
Cedar Park	14	10	14	15	—	53
Leander	7	11	9	16	—	43

CPHS: Lachowsky 8, Terrell 6, Xia 9, Guebert 12, Price 14, Spyker 4
LHS: Mahoney 2, McClatcher 14, Harper 10, Dodd 2, Obe 2, Berry 8, Wilson 5
Records: L: 0-1, CP: 1-0.

St. Michael's Academy vs Stony Point

Stony Point was a tough draw for St. Michael's Academy's second game of the season.  With some players still playing football  holding off Stony Point was going to be a tough task.  The first quarter was pretty even both teams finished the quarter with 15 points.  The second quarter is where Stony Point made their run scoring 20 points and holding St. Michael's to 13, at the end of the first half Stony Point lead 35 to 28. 

The action slowed down in the third quarter with Stony Point putting up 17 points to St Michael's 10 and extending their lead to 14 points.  But St. Michael's was not rolling over, at the start of the fourth quarter St. Michael's defense began doing a great job against Stony Point's offense holding them to only 13 points.  With such a huge defense effort St Michael's offense suffered.  It looked like the defensive effort just took to much out of the Crusader's who were only able to put up 15 points of their own and not enough to over come the Stony Point lead.

St. Michael's defense did a great job holding 6'9" Sr. John Cornett to only 11 points and 6'10" Sr. Nate Anderson to only 2. The Crusader's Garza lead the scoring with 15 points, not far behind Sr. Seth Blanke had 13 and Sr. Jack Kiser 11. Its good to see St. Michael's team scoring so evenly divided this year. If the Crusader's can work on keeping their scoring to 12 to 15 points per quarter. I can see them defeating a lot of their opponents especially in their TAPPS Conference. 

Stony Point's defense needs to go back to the drawing board and find out what they need to correct prior to conference play.  With two seven footers on the court there's no reason why a team like St. Michael's Academy should put up 53 points.  With eight Seniors and two Juniors this Stony Point team should be clicking on all cylinders right now.  A two point outing for 6'10" Nate Anderson should be unacceptable for coach Route. Anderson should be looking at a 12 to 15 point average this season, and I think before the season is over he will be in that area.

Stony Point 65, St. Michael's 53

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
Stony Point	15	20	17	13	—	65
St. Michael's	15	13	10	15	—	53

SPHS: Arnold 6, Moore 3, White 15, Kampe 9, Allen 8, Cornett 11, Russell 11, Anderson 2
SM: Garza 15, Allen 6, Kiser 11, Blanke 13, Sexton 8
Records: SM: 0-2, SP: 1-0.

Del Valle vs Hendrickson

The Austin area 5A Conference needs to keep their scheduled game against Del Valle highlighted this season. Del Valle started their season with an 18 point win against a tough Hendrickson team putting up 93 points and scoring over 20 points per quarter.  With an average of 23.25 points per quarter in their outing they lead all Austin area teams in scoring in the first week.


Hendrickson didn't roll over against the Cardinals, the first quarter ended with Hendrickson leading 21 to 20 and it looked to be an exciting game.  The second quarter was just as exciting, Del Valle was able to outscore Hendrickson 23 to 19 and took the lead into half time 43 to 40.


The third quarter is where Del Valle did most of their damage.  Their defense was able to hold Hendrickson to only 15 points while their offense put up 24 of their own extending their lead 12 points 67 to 55.  In the fourth quarter Hendrickson's offense began to make a run but, Del Valle's offense matched them basket for basket.  Del Valle was able to make another late run out scoring Hendrickson 26 to 20 in the fourth and winning their opening game 93 to 75.


Del Valle's Wright lead all scoring with 25 points two other players Owens and Griffin both scored in double figures.  Del Valle had nine players contributing to the offensive scoring which will make it difficult for any team to stop them from getting into the playoffs this season.


Hendrickson's Griffin lead his team with 19 points, Gonzales, King and McDaniel all scored in double figures with seven players contributing to Hendrickson 75 points.


This game was a good highlight of what central Texas basketball has to offer, I can see both these teams going far into the playoffs and don't be surprised if Del Valle is the only team standing at the end of this basketball season.    


Del Valle 93, Hendrickson 75

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
Del Valle	20	23	24	26	—	93
Hendrickson	21	19	15	20	—	75

DVHS: Wright 25, Owens 17, Griffin 15, Ar. Smith 8, Alforo 8, Washington 6, Campbell 4, An. Smith 2, McElveen 3
HHS: Griffin 19, Gonzales 17, King 15, McDaniel 10, Howard 6, Wullard 6, Warren 2
Records: H: 0-1, DV: 1-0.

Anderson vs McNeil

Anderson is looking good at the start of the 2011 basketball season putting up 86 points in their first game against McNeil.  With four players putting up double figures it was a difficult task for McNeil's defense to hold them down.  The first quarter was pretty even with Anderson putting up 18 points to McNeil's 16.  Both defenses looked strong and were doing a good job keeping the shooter at bay.  The second quarter ended with McNeil taking the lead into the half 33 to 31 and momentum on their side.  It was obvious to Anderson if they were going to make a run they were going to have to stop Sr. Robert Waters from finding the basket in the second half. 

In the third quarter both teams exchanged baskets but McNeil was able to hold off Anderson's run and kept the lead 51 to 48.  At the start of the fourth quarter it appeared that Anderson found their offensive grove and were able to keep McNeil's Waters from scoring.  Anderson's offense managed to put up 38 points to McNeil's 26 and were able to come out with a win 86 to 77. 

McNeil's Sr. Robert Waters lead the game with 25 points, Sr. Hayden Worrell 13, and 6'3" So. Trey Dilworth 13.  For Anderson's 6'6" Jr. Alex Frame lead with 25, 6'2" Jr. Ras Bach 11, 5'9" Jr. John Gramlich 21 and 6'4" Sr. Hayden Graham 19.  Anderson will be a team to recon with this season, their team play this early into shows that they are ready to take on anyone as a team.

Anderson 86, McNeil 77

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
McNeil	16	17	18	26	—	77
Anderson	18	13	17	38	—	86

MHS: Nielsen 1, Waters 25, Jiongo 8, Worrell 13, Gilworth 13, J. Jones 8, G. Jones 6, Johnson 3
AHS: Henderson 4, Crawford 4, Anthony 2, Granlich 21, Bach 11, Frame 25, Graham 19

Bowie vs SA O'Connor

By: M. Winterchek

centexbasketball@gmail.com

2011 should be a better season for the Bowie Bulldawgs after being knocked out of the playoffs in 2010.  The Bulldawgs have returning starter Paul Baxter who should lead this team in scoring throughout the season, along with Baxter the Bulldawgs have Sr transfer M. Isom who should be able to take some of the pressure off Baxter in the scoring department.  Missing from this years team will be Connor Robinson, and the Dawgs will have to find someone to take his place on this team. Robinson lead the team in rebounding last year giving the Dawgs extra opportunities on the offensive end.

This first week for the Bulldawgs started slow like many others around Central Texas. Scoring in the first quarter of most games this first week was down with most teams averaging around 12 points and the Bowie Bulldawgs and SA O'Connor were no different. At the end of one quarter of play SA O'Connor manged to put up 10 points to Bowie's 9, and the second quarter was no different.  Bowie did manage a small run in the second and lead at half time 20 to 16.

The third and forth quarters were much of the same with individual players on both teams trying to pad their own stats at the end of three Bowie lead by ten 37 to 27.  In the end the Bowie Bulldawgs managed to win convincingly 50 to 37 however, with only two players scoring 74% of the total points scored there just wasn't much effort made to involve the rest of the team.  I feel this strategy if it continues will end up hurting the Bulldawgs again this season and we may see them out of the playoffs early.

With a team like Del Valle who scored 93 points against a strong Hendrickson team in their season opener, Del Valle had three players in double figures and six other players contributing to their overall scoring effort. If the Bulldawgs don't find a way to get other players involved in the offense it may be another short season for the Red and Black.    

Bowie 50, SA O'Connor 37

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
SA O'Connor	10	6	11	10	—	37
Bowie	9	11	17	13	—	50

OHS: Ugunfeitim 15, Forey 5, Cluter 1, Johnson 1, Thomas 5, Hubbard 2, Serdin 2, Woods 6.
BHS: Harris 2, Baxter 20, Isom 17, Smith 5, Nunnery 6.
Records: B: 1-0, O: 0-1.

Akins High vs Copperas Cove

By: D. Maldonado
centexrecruiting@yahoo.com

Central Texas Recruiting

Like most games during this first week of play the Akins Eagles and Copperas Cove Bulldawgs came in not expecting much.  These non-conference games give each coach an opportunity to see any new varsity players as well as what needs to be worked on as the season progresses. The game between the Eagles and Bulldawgs began a little slow offensively.  It appeared there was a lot of rust that needed to be polished off in the first quarter, the Eagles managed only 9 points while the Bull Dawgs put up 12 of their own.  Once some of that rust was worked out the offenses took off with each team trading basket and making for a very exciting second quarter. The Eagles manged to put up 20 points while the Dawgs put up 22 and taking the lead into the end of the first half 29 to 34.

The third quarter started slow with both offenses not really sure who was supposed to be shooting the ball.  The Eagles managed only 15 point to the Dawgs 13 and at the end of three, Copperas Cove lead 47 to 44 and Akins was left looking for answers.  The answers came in the fourth quarter for the Akins Eagles, putting together an offensive run for 22 points and putting up a defensive stance holding Copperas Cove to only 15.  In the end the Akins Eagles were able to hold off the Copperas Cove Bull Dawgs winning the game 66 to 62.

Next for the Eagles they host Georegetown in a non-conference game on Friday, November 18. Georgetown comes into the challenge with a record of 0-1 losing its first game to Austin High 49 to 52.

The Bulldawgs have the Ennis Lions next in another non-conference game, on Thursday, November 17. Copperas Cove will attempt to upgrade on its 0-1 season record. The Lions come into the challenge with a 0-1 record after their 48-45 non-conference loss to University High School in Waco.

Fredd Richardson 6'1" Jr. Guard for the Akins Eagles lead all scoring with 20 points, he also helped on the defensive end with 4 steals. Lionel Hollins 6'3" Jr Forward added 14 points of his own and finished with 23 rebounds 12 of those coming at the offensive end.

Akins 65, Copperas Cove 62

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
Akins	9	20	15	21	—	65
Copperas Cove	12	22	13	15	—	62

AHS: Lowery 4, Rogers 5, Rivera 5, Ross 9, Wasson 9, Hollins 14, Richardson 20.
CCHS: King 3, Guillory 5, Robinson 8, Wilson 9, West 9, Odomes 12, Scott 19.
Records: C: 0-1, A: 1-0.

Austin High vs Georgetown

By: D. Maldonado
centexrecruits@yahoo.com
Central Texas Recruiting

The preseason game between Austin High and Georgetown on the 15th was a game full of excitement and a look at what is in store for the 2011/2012 season.  Both teams opened up the first quarter on fire and it seemed as if the game was going to be a high scorer. Georgetown surprised Austin High by leading 17 to 12 at the end of the first quarter.  This may have lit a fire under the Austin High players because the second quarter was a disaster for Georgetown only able to put up 7 points to Austin Highs 18.  At the end of the first Half Austin High had a 30 to 24 lead and the momentum.

The second half began just like the start of the game.  Both teams trading baskets and struggling to score, defense played a pivotal roll in the third quarter Austin High managed only 13 points to Georgetown's 14.  As the fourth quarter started, it seemed like the players on both teams were in need of some serious conditioning with both teams looking a little winded.  Austin High only managed to put up 9 points with Georgetown scoring 11, and it had nothing to do with either teams defensive play.  Many of the players on both teams appeared out of shape bent over gasping for air during a break in play. I hope they get their conditioning up before the start of the regular season because they both need it.

The fans at Tuesday's non-league challenge between both these teams, saw Austin's basketball squad hold off Georgetown by a score of 52-49.

With the victory, Austin improves its record to 1-0 on the season. The Maroons host Lake Travis in a non-league challenge on Tuesday, November 22. Lake Travis comes into the challenge with a record of 0-0.

Next up, Georgetown play the Akins Eagles in a non-league challenge, on Friday, November 18 Georgetown will attempt to improve on its 0-1 season record. Akins comes into the game with a 1-0 record after their 66-62 non-league win over Copperas Cove. 

Georgetown's 5'11" Sr. Guard Michael Hardge will be a player to watch this season putting up 20 points against the Maroons defense. He will however, have to work on protecting the ball better giving up the ball to the Maroons 6 times during the game. 


Austin High 52, Georgetown 49

	1	2	3	4	OT	T
Georgetown	17	7	14	11	—	49
Austin High	12	18	13	9	—	52

GHS: Hardge 20, Parker 5, Bunkley 4, Warren 4, Vick 8, Huntsman 2, Mack 4, Roufey 2
AHS: Stewart 4, Parks 8, Moore 12, Strake 17, Sterling 5, Gutierrez 6
Records: Austin High, 1-0; Georgetown, 0-1

Prayer for Young Athletes

Heavenly Father, be with my young athletes as they test their physical skills.

Let them play well, but fairly.
Let competition make them strong, but never hostile.

Grant them the strength to best their opponent, and lead them to always help the opponent up.
Grant them moments to rejoice, but not in the adversity of others.

Help them stay safe from injury, both physical and emotional.
Help them to learn something that matters once the game is over.
Help them remember that sports are just games.

If they know victory, allow them to be happy.
If they are denied, keep them from envy.
If through athletics, they set an example, let it be a good one.

In the name of Your Son, Jesus

Amen.

Central Texas Recruiting

By David Maldonado
Central Texas Recruiting centexrecruiting@yahoo.com

For the past 10 years I have had the pleasure of coaching kids of all ages during the summer basketball season.  I first got involved because of my own children, two daughters and one son they all loved the game and I did my best to insure they enjoyed their summers. During those 10 years I have had the pleasure of getting to know many college coaches around the country, many of them I call friends.

Five years ago some of these coaches began asking me about potential players in the Central Texas area that they should keep an eye on as prospects for their programs.  As more and more coaches inquired I decided to start looking for and assisting central Texas athletes find a place for them to follow their dreams of playing college sports.  Three years ago we started up Central Texas Recruiting, and since then we have helped over 30 athletes find a college program that they could continue playing sports and get a change at an education.

While we can't promise that every athlete will get a scholarship we can promise that every athlete that we work with will get looked at and evaluated by many different college programs.  Getting a scholarship is up to the athletes personality, grades, and athletic ability.

In addition to helping you get your child's name out to colleges across the country we also provide video services, one on one or team training, and host a two day Showcase each summer.  The Showcase is open to college coaches and recruiters to come out and evaluate players during those two days which is filled with skills, drills, as well as inner squad scrimmages at the end of each day.

If you have a son or daughter that is interested in playing college sports or want to know more about our Showcase contact us at centexrecruits@yahoo.com and some one will contact you as soon as possible.

Good luck and see you on the court

Private School Basketball

By: David Maldonado, Central Texas Recruiting
centexrecruits@yahoo.com

For the past few years I've had the pleasure of getting out and watching many different basketball programs in the Central Texas Area.  One set of schools that seems to fly below the radar when to comes to talent and level of play has always been the private schools.  In Austin schools like St. Michael's Academy, St. Stevens Episcopal School, Regents and St. Andrews all programs that have been developing a level of athlete able to play against any public school program in the area.

Not only are these schools competing and beating some of the local public schools but they are now developing young talent good enough to receive scholarships from Division one and two level programs. Last year alone St. Michael's Academy had three graduates preform well enough to receive basketball scholarships and are now playing at different universities across the country.

In San Antonio you have similar programs Central Catholic High School, Antonian College Prep, two programs that have also developed athletes that have done well enough to receive scholarships to play their individual sports at the college level.

For years these programs have been thought of as the "everyone gets to play" league. Schools where athletics was always put second to academics.  While that may still be the premise to these schools, they have now found a way to make athletics an important part of developing young men and woman into successful adults.  They have changed so much that schools are hiring coaches like Ty Detmar retired NFL quarterback now coaching football at St. Andrew's High School, and Calvin Schiraldi retired MLB pitcher coaching baseball at St. Michael's Academy.

I think its time to start recognizing these programs for what they are, a force to be recon with on and off the playing field.

3 Simple Ways to Attack a Zone Defense

By Joe Haefner, Breakthrough Basketball

Want to score more points against zone defense? Here are three really simple yet effective strategies that every coach should consider.

These strategies work against all types of zone defenses and will help you score more points:

Strategy No. 1: Put Your Best Ball-Handler in the Middle

I picked up this strategy from Danny Miles who is the head coach of Oregon Tech and creator of the Value Point System. Danny has 937 career wins and ranks second in NCAA/NAIA men's basketball history.

It's very common for teams to put their big man at the free throw line in the middle of the zone offense. Instead, he urges you to put your best ball-handler and creator there. It's doesn't matter if they're 5-foot-2.

Big players usually aren't as good at catching and handling a ball in traffic. But if you put one of your best ball handlers in the high post area, they will be able to drive around the bigger defensive players. They can score, dish, and cause lots of problems for the defense. This especially causes matchup problems for the defense because they always put the biggest clumsier players in the middle of the zone defense. They will not be able stop your quick guards.

Coaches should take a real good look at just putting one of their taller kids in the middle, because usually those players don't pass or shoot it very well and you don't attack as well with that kind of player.

Strategy No. 2: Attack from Behind the Zone

One of the best ways to attack from behind the zone it to always have at least one player in the short corner area.

You'll find that on almost every ball reversal the player in the short corner will be open. Then the wing can pass down to the open player in the short corner.

Once the ball is there, this is a very tough place to guard because at the moment none of the defenders are looking at the short corner player (because he or she is "behind" the zone).

Once the ball is caught in the short corner you have several excellent options to get high percentage shots:

1. If wide open, the short corner player can take one step to the basket for a lay up.
2. The short corner player can shot fake and take it to the hole.
3. The player in the middle can dive to the basket and receive the pass from short corner (this seems to be open for a lay up almost 50 percent of the time).
4. If they double down, the short corner can kick it out for a wide open 3-pointer.

The key is to force the defense to guard what is front of them (with ball reversals, cutting, and screening actions) and then attack from behind the zone. It works extremely well!

Strategy No. 3: Put Em Where They Ain't

I can thank Coach Ken Sartini for reminding me about this strategy and catchy phrase.

I heard a college coach say this about attacking zones: "It's not rocket science... put 'em where they ain't!"

Keep things simple, put your kids in the gaps of the zone.

This is a common strategy but I feel it's worth mentioning in this context because it's a good reminder to keep things simple. Attacking a zone doesn't have to be complicated.

Not to mention, wording things so players understand can certainly help. Sometimes when you say "find the gap" players don't really understand what you mean (even when they tell you that they do understand).

Try wording things differently. Simply tell your players to find spots where's there no defense (go where they ain't at).

Do you currently employ all three of these strategies?

If not, use these simple suggestions and you'll get better. These strategies work against all types of zone defenses.