2009 Maryland State AAU Division III Championship Highlights

by Donald Thomas

On Saturday May 9th 2009, for the first time in the history of AAU Basketball; a State Division III Championship Tournament was played. It was held on the campus of the Baltimore Catholic League powerhouse St. Frances Academy Panthers, the first game of the day would be a 10 and under match-up between the Maryland Regulators and the Maryland Tigers. These young men were not only playing basketball on this day, they were actually becoming a part of history.

In the first quarter, the Tigers would attack the basket and make lay-ups while the Regulators would have their opportunities, but were not able to finish with the basketball. The first quarter would end with the Tigers leading by a score of 8 to 1. The second period would belong to the Regulators, they would fight back and get some big buckets of their own and take a 1 point lead at the half by a score of 12 to 11. The quickness of the Regulators would be the difference in the third quarter and they would take an 18 to 14 lead into the final period. The last six minutes would very exciting with the Tigers playing some tough defense, hitting their free-throws and out rebounding the Regulators. Final score in the opening game of the Division III Championships would be 28 to22, Maryland Tigers.

The 11 and under championship would be decided between the Harford County Dream Team and Team Future. Neither one of these young teams never saw a shot that they didn’t like! Both of these teams were letting the ball fly! I truly believe that this game had the most shot attempts that I have seen in along time, these youngsters had no problem shooting the basketball. These two teams were evenly matched, it would be several lead changes and with 49.3 seconds left on the clock; the score would be tied at 37 to 37. In the last 49.3, Team Future would gain possession of the basketball and a foul would be committed and Team Future would go to the foul line. They would convert on one of the free-throws and with just a few seconds on the clock, the Harford County Dream Team would a last chance attempt to get the win that would fail. Team Future would get the 1 point win, 38 to 37. This was an outstanding game, both of these coaches should be proud of their teams! Team Future is the 11 and under Division III Champions.

In the 12 and under game we would have the Liberty Road Ballers would play yet another Team Future team. Team would dominant this game from the start by pounding the ball inside and attacking the basket. The Liberty Road team would play hard, but they just didn’t have the size to match-up well with Team Future. The final score would be 55 to 38 and Team Future would claim their second Division III Championship of the day. Good job gentlemen!

The 13 and under championship game would be a match-up between Sons 4 Life and the Baltimore Panthers. Both teams would struggle shooting the basketball in the first half of this game and just appeared to have problems executing their offense. Sons 4 Life would take a slight lead by a score of 15 to 11 with two more quarters to go. In the second half, Sons 4 Life size would be a bit much for the younger Panthers. The final score would be 35 to 28, Sons 4 Life.

The 14 and under Division III Championship would be decided between two teams that I was seeing for the first time, the South River Shooters and the Meade Youth Basketball Team. This would clearly be the wildest and most physical game of the tournament. We had both first aid kits on standby in this one! These two teams ran up and down the floor like they were at a track meet and had no problem what so ever getting on the floor for the ball. The score at half time would be South River Shooters 29, Meade Youth Basketball Team 23. The final period of this game would be something to watch, both of these teams play so hard and both coaching staffs are extremely active on the sidelines, but even with the sometimes wild and very physical play; it was clean and both teams showed good sportsmanship. The South River Shooters would outlast the Meade Youth Team in this wild and crazy game and become the Maryland State Division III Champions. (Score would be Shooters 55, Meade 52).

The final game of the tournament would be the 15 and under Division III championship game between the Sons 4 Life Team and the Tri-County Warriors. Sons 4 Life would dominate this game from start to finish. Regardless of the division, players, coaches and parents have to understand that AAU Basketball is serious business. It is extremely competitive! The Sons 4 Life team would be just a little too much for the Warriors and win this game by a score of 75 to 28.

Congratulations to all the winners in all three divisions, now it’s time for each and every one of these teams to get ready for the nationals; your work has just started! Hope to see you all next year!
 

On Saturday May 2nd 2009, on the campus of the MEAC Regular Season and MEAC Tournament Champion Morgan State University Bears, the Division II Maryland State Championship games were off and running and I mean running! The morning would begin with a game that would be full of energy with the Banneker Kings taking on Walter P. Carter Elite in the 8 and under age group.

 2009 Maryland AAU Division II Championship Highlights

As always, these young fellows were full of energy and really to go. Walter P. Carter would jump out to 8-2 lead in the first period by taking advantage of the turnovers created by outstanding defense, getting in the passing lane and attacking the basket. After a time out called by the Banneker coaching staff, the Kings would make adjustments and attempt to get back in this game with some tough defense of their own.

At halftime, the Walter P. Carter team would hold a 13 to 8 lead. In the third period of this game, the Walter P. Carter team would put an all out assault on the basket, taking everything to the hole and pushing their lead to 31 to 12 going into the final period of this game. The Banneker Kings would continue to play hard but their shots just would not fall for them. Walter P. Carter Elite would win the 8 and under Division II Championship by a score of 34 to 12. This WPC team can really get up and down the floor and they make lay-ups. That’s real important in this age group; these young fellows should do well in the Nationals.

In the second game of the morning, the 10 and under Division II Championship game would put another Banneker team up against the Liberty Road Ballers. Both teams would start off slow in this match-up and the first quarter would end in a 2 to 2 tie. In the second period, both teams would continue to struggle and the first half would end with the Liberty Road Ballers leading by a score of 10 to 8.

Banneker would wake up in the third quarter and start to score the basketball and take a 15 to 13 lead into the final period. The intensity would pick up in the final quarter and these two teams would go at it in their quest to be the 10 and under Division II Champions. The Liberty Road Ballers would gut this game out and win by a score of 27 to 22.

The 11 and under championship game would be a match-up between Team Melo and Walter P. Carter. Both teams would start this game off with good ball movement and tough hard nose defense. Team Melo would attempt to establish a strong inside game and attack the glass while Walter P. Carter would turn it up on the defensive end of the floor and was able to take an 11 to 9 lead after the first period.

I have said time and time again that free throws and lay-ups win basketball games, and missed opportunities drive coaches crazy. With that being said, the first half would end with Team Melo holding on to a 1 point lead. (18 to 17). In the third quarter, Team Melo would continue to attack the basket, but Walter P. Carter would not go away, they would continue to play hard, get on the floor for loose balls and pick their spots where they could score the ball. The third period would end 29 to 28, Team Melo. These teams would go at it in the fourth quarter!

I enjoyed this game, not only because it was so competitive; I like the way that both coaching staffs handled their players. Even though there was a lot at steak, there was a lot of teaching go on. Final score in this nail biter, 39-35 Team Melo. Both of these two should represent the State of Maryland well in the Nationals. Good job fellows!

In the 12 and under championship game, the Baltimore Panthers would play the Wizards. The game would start out with both teams trying to feel one another out and with neither team gaining an advantage; the first quarter would end in a 6 to 6 tie. In the second quarter, the Wizards would be able to gain a slight advantage and the period would end with the Wizards holding an 18 to 15 lead.

The final two quarters would be full of hard, tough and aggressive play with neither team being able to pull away. The Baltimore Panthers would outlast the Wizards and win this game by a bucket and be crowned the Division II 12 and under champions. Final score in this one, 38 to 36.

The 13 and under championship game would be like a heavyweight fight with Team Future and the Harundale Hornets going toe to toe. Both of these teams would go up and down the floor and have a lot of attempts at the basket, but rim would not be friendly to the Hornets in the first half and Team Future would nurse a 27 to 17 lead midway through this one.

In the third period, the Hornets would hit some shots and cut into Team Futures lead and the third period would end with Team Future leading by 3 points. (41 to 38). In the final period, the Hornets would make a push; but foul shots would decide this game and Team Future would hit theirs. Final score in this heavyweight fight, 58 to 51. Team Future wins the gold!

Good luck to both teams in the Nationals!


In the 14 and under championship game, Loch Raven would face Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite. Both teams would start off slow missing some easy bucket and turning the ball over and the first period would end with Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite leading by a score of 5 to 2. The second period would be a little better for both sides and the score at the half would be 15 to 7, Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite. Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite would make some adjustments on both ends of the floor at halftime and would take control of this game in the second half. The Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite team would win by a score of 44 to 25 and be crowned the Division II Champions and book a ticket to the Nationals later this summer.

In the 15 and under match-up, Team Future would do battle with the Columbia Ravens. In the first half of this match-up both teams would display some good ball movement and some tough defense. Team Future would hold a slight advantage at halftime and lead by a score of 29 to 27. The third period would be a repeat of the first two quarters and Team Future would continue to lead by a score of 40 to 36. In the final period, after trailing the first three quarters, the Columbia Ravens would fight their way back into this game; hitting some big shots and win this game! Final score, 56 to 42. The Columbia Ravens are the 13 and under Division II champions in the State of Maryland.

The 16 and under match-up would be between CTA Disciples and Team Elite. The first half of this game would belong to Team Elite; they would make tough shots, dominate the boards and take an 8 point lead over the Disciples. (32 to 24). Now at halftime the Disciples coaching staff would take their team off to the side and make adjustments, Team Elite would run lay-ups and shoot around at halftime. I have never seen a coaching staff not have anything to say to their team at halftime. This game can not be played on emotions alone; you must prepare your team for any changes or adjustments that your opponent might make. You can’t assume that they are going to continue to do the same thing, especially if they were not having success at what they were doing in the first half. Well that is what the CTA Disciples did, they made adjustments and were able to get it done and win the 16 and under Division II Championship by a score of 68 to 58.

In the final game of day one of the Maryland State AAU Championships, the 17 and under game would be between the Maryland Sure Shots and Maryland Premier. The Maryland Premier team only had six players, but they were very discipline in running their offense and very active on the defensive end of the floor. The first quarter would end quickly and with Maryland Premier leading by a score of 13 to 11. The Maryland Sure Shots would score some buckets in the second period and take a 23 to 21 lead at halftime. In the second half, the Sure Shots would start to wear Maryland Premier down and after a while; the Premier team would just be out manned. They would continue to play hard, but the Sure Shots would pull away and win this game by a score of 55 to 42.

The Division I Championship games will be posted as soon as I finish looking at my game notes. There was a lot of good basketball played this weekend and I hope to see each and every one of you at St. Frances next weekend at the Division III Championship games. You got to love it!
 

Maryland State AAU Division I Championship Games

On Sunday May 3rd 2009, on the campus of Morgan State University eighteen teams would put their best players on the floor and battle for the right to call themselves the best in the State of Maryland in their particular age group, and represent Maryland in the Division I Nationals all open the country.

The first game of the day would be a match-up between the Maryland Sports Scholars and Walter P. Carter for the 9 and under title. Both of these young teams were very well coached and these young players would hang on every word that their coaches would tell them. That’s one of the reason most coaches are going back to coaching the younger age groups; because they listen and are willing to learn. The Maryland Sports Scholars would waste no time in this one, they would attack, attack, attack! These young fellows were taking everything to the basket and they were trapping everything on the defensive end of the floor. Possession of the basketball is important at every level of the game, but at this level and in the younger age groups; it’s everything because it limits your opponent’s attempts at the basket. The Sports Scholars would be just a little too much for Walter P. Carter in this one. Final score would be Maryland Sports Scholars 30, WPC 11.

In the 10 and under match-up, we would have another Walter P. Carter team playing the Baltimore Stars. Once again, we have two teams with coaching staffs that handle their teams extremely well. Both teams would execute their offenses very well and play some tough defense. The first half would end with the Baltimore Stars leading by a score of 17 to 13. Turnovers would hurt the Stars team in the second half and Walter P. would capitalize on those turnovers, but even as the Stars would have their problems in the second half; they would continue to play hard and listen to the coaching staff. One thing that really impressed me was as the young players were being subbed out of the game, they were being explained to as to what they had done wrong and to not worry about it. Walter P. Carter would win this game 38 to 27 and be crowned the 10 and under champions. Good luck to both teams in the Nationals.

The 11 and under title would be decided between the Baltimore Panthers and the Sam Cassell Allstars. Both teams would start off slow and both teams would attempt to impose their well on one another. This game was almost like a chess match and the first half would end with the Sam Cassell Allstars holding a one point lead, 18 to 17. In the third period, this game would become very physical and the refs would let them play. It was very apparent that this game was going to be decided by the players. The third period would end with the Allstars clinging to that same one point lead, 23 to 22. In the final quarter, the Baltimore Panthers would open up the floor and grind this game out and win the 11 and under Division I State Championship by a score of 38 to 34. This was a tough game!

The 12 and under game would be a match-up of two well-known teams and two well-known coaches, Team Melo who is coached by Coach Wise and the Sam Cassell Allstars who are coached by Coach “Smiley”. This game was extremely physical from the start with bodies all over the place, but Team Melo just could not put the ball in the basket. Team Melo appeared to be a little rattled while the Sam Cassell team was being aggressive with the basketball and attacking the basket. Coach Wise would attempt to make adjustments, but Coach Smiley had his team hitting on all cylinders in this one. The final score would be Sam Cassell Allstars 34, Team Melo 13.

The 13 and under match –up of the day would be against to problems that know one another extremely well and between two coaches that once coached together on a team that made it to the final four in the 15 and under Nationals in 2004, so you know both coaches wanted to win this game; it’s just the competitive nature of the game! Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite would go to war with Team Melo. These two teams would go at it in the first quarter, with very physical play; and it would end in a 13 to 13 tie. With both coaches attempting to counter what the other was doing, Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite would hold on to a 4 point lead at halftime. In the second half, Team Melo would make adjustments and one of the most important things that they did, they made FREE THROWS when they needed to! The final score would be 51 to 39, Team Melo would claim the 13 and under Division I Championship and represent the State of Maryland in the Nationals and be a No. 1 seed in their pool.

The 14 and under Maryland State Division I Championship would be decided between Walter P. Carter and Team Melo-Red. There was no love lost between these two teams and this game would be extremely physical, and I mean PHYSICAL! Both teams pushed it to the limit, there was a lot of jawing between the players and coaches, hard fouls going to the rack, elbows thrown and eventually two ejections from the game. (One player from each team). There are times when the game of basketball is more than a game for some, and this was one of those times. The final score in this wild one would be WPC 75, Team Melo 62.

The 15 and under match-up would be another Walter P. Carter team playing Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite. When you have a tournament of this magnitude with so much at stake, you are bound to have some controversy; and this game was full of it. We are going to leave this in the hands of the man himself, Mr. Ben DuBose. This game would end with Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite winning by a score of 52 to 34.

The 16 and under Division I Championship game would be between two teams that know one another only all too well and have been meeting at the finals in this age group for several years now. Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite and Cecil-Kirk, the team that could execute their offense the best would have the advantage in this one, but you can always guarantee that both of these teams will play hard and give their best effort; that’s just the way it is when these two teams play one another! Cecil-Kirk had some sharp-shooters knocking down some 3-point shots, but Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite would be able to execute their offense, create some turnovers and convert some easy buckets and win this game by a score of 66 to 46 and claim the 16 and under Division I title for 2009.

The final game of the day would be between Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite and the Harundale Hornets for the 17 and under Division I title. This Mt. Royal/Nike Baltimore Elite team is loaded and I mean loaded! There is so much talent on this team, sometimes they can become their own worse enemy. There are times when they lose focus and let teams back in games because of their lack of defense. There are only a handful of coaches in this town that can coach the players in this age group. This is one of the age groups that I feel need the most attention because they must be made to realize the importance of preparing for the next level of their basketball career. What college coaches are looking for in a student-athlete, the things that will be tolerated and what will not be tolerated; the discipline and sacrifice that it takes to be a successful Division I college player.

It’s a world of difference between high school basketball and college basketball no matter what division you play in. College coaches take their jobs seriously, that’s how they feed their family; if they don’t win then they don’t have a job. If you don’t give them your best effort at both ends of the floor, then you don’t play! You never know whose watching; you much give your best effort when you are on the floor. Now back to the game! The Hornets would play hard and give it their best effort, regardless or the score; but Mt. Royal/Baltimore Nike Elite was clearly the more talented team and would win this game by a score of 83 to 57.

There have been several teams from the State of Maryland go away to the Nationals and come home National Champions. It takes a team effort, individuals willing to sacrifice the ME for WE and it takes 10 straight wins! 

Maryland AAU Basketball, I love this game!

For the first time, in the history of AAU Basketball, there will be Division III Championships on Saturday May 9th, 2009. They will be held at the home of the Catholic League powerhouse St. Frances Academy Panthers. See you at the games!