Texas AAU Team breakdown

[globecode]

This is a UTexas focused blog but I thought it was a good breakdown of the Texas AAU teams this summer.

Original Article: http://www.barkingcarnival.com/2012/5/2/2992055/texas-high-school-basketball-state-of-the-aau-nation

HOUSTON HOOPS

Head Coach: Byron Gibson
Shoe: Nike
Recent Alumni: Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke), L.J. Rose (Baylor), J-Mychal Reese (Texas A&M), Damyean Dotson (Oregon), Julien Lewis (Texas), TaShawn Thomas (Houston)

Keith Frazier [SG | 2013 | Dallas Kimball | 5*]
Derrick Griffin [PF | 2013 | Richmond Terry | 4* | Texas A&M]
Brian Bridgewater [SF | 2013 | Baton Rouge Episcopal | 3*]
Ken Williams [PG | 2013 | Houston Episcopal | 3*]
Justise Winslow [SF | 2014 | Houston St. John’s | 5*]
Justin Jackson [SG | 2014 | Houston HCYA | 5*]
Melvin Swift [PF | 2014 | Houston Yates | 4*]
Kelly Oubre [SF | 2014 | Fort Bend Bush | 4*]
Khadeem Lattin [C | 2014 | Canarias Basketball Academy | 4*]
J.C. Washington [PF | 2014 | Houston Yates | 3*]
Jeff Roberson [SF | 2014 | Houston Kinkaid | 3*]
Brandon Etienne [PG | 2014 | Houston North Shore | 3*]
Tony Upchurch [SF | 2014 | Pearland Dawson | 3*]

Houston Hoops is arguably the most well-known AAU program in Texas, and has produced notable Texas alumni like T.J. Ford, Daniel Gibson, and Damion James. Also, kudos to their administrative staff for having the best website of any Texas program. As far as AAU programs go, Houston Hoops has an unreal amount of depth over the next two years; their 16-U program is basically a Triple-A farm system chock full of promising 2014 talent.

Texas is very high on Keith Frazier, who switched back to Houston Hoops this summer. Both Frazier and Plano’s Julius Randle are the Longhorns’ top two targets in the 2013 class, and landing either (or both!) is key to any Championship hopes next year. Texas has also offered Justise Winslow and Justin Jackson, both top 20 players in the 2014 class. In fact, Texas was the first school to offer Winslow. Big man Khadeem Lattin has a really interesting backstory that SB Nation covered last fall.

Along with Texas PRO and Texas Titans, Houston Hoops has been competing in the Nike EYBL sessions.

HOUSTON DEFENDERS
Head Coach: Aaron Harrison, Sr
Shoe: UnderArmour
Recent Alumni: Shaq Cleare (Maryland), Christian Sanders (Stanford), Fred Richardson (Oregon)

Andrew Harrison [PG | 2013 | Fort Bend Travis | 5*]
Aaron Harrison [SG | 2013 | Fort Bend Travis | 5*]
Wesley Iwundi [SF | 2013 | Houston Westfield | 3*]

The Defenders revolve entirely around the Harrisons, two top 10 guards in the 2013 class. Their backstory is well-known to Texas fans, primarily because the twins have had little to no interest in the Longhorns. Maryland and Kentucky are currently the two favorites for the Harrisons. The Terrapins hold multiple tangential connections (hometown, shoe brand, assistant coaching relationships, and close friend Shaq Cleare), whereas the Wildcats can sell a winning reputation and NBA riches.

I haven’t been able to find any information about any Defenders players other than the Harrisons, but the Defenders recently participated in the Pittsburgh Jam Fest and the Real Deal in Little Rock.

TEXAS PRO (Houston)
Head Coach: Marland Lowe
Shoe: Nike
Recent Alumni: Isaiah Austin (Baylor), Danuel House (Houston), Chicken Knowles (Houston), Joe Young (Houston)

Kavin Gilder-Tilbury [SF | 2013 | Houston Cypress Falls | 3*]
ShawnDre’ Jones [PG | 2013 | Fort Bend Bush | 3*]
Emmanuel Mudiay [PG | 2014 | Arlington Grace Prep | 5*]

Texas PRO is an AAU team that has made a lot of noise since being founded in 2010 by former Houston Hoops coach Marland Lowe. In the Houston area, Danuel House and Chicken Knowles are the two most well-known names; both spurned notable scholarship offers to play for James Dickey’s Houston Cougars. Baylor-bound Isaiah Austin split time with Texas PRO and Compton Magic (Austin is originally from Los Angeles).

The name to know for Texas fans is Emmanuel Mudiay, a top-flight point guard in the 2014 class. Myck Kabongo's cousin has a Texas offer, but is getting interest from all over the country, including point guard guru John Calipari. For believers in the "Rick Barnes needs a point guard to succeed" meme, Mudiay is a must-get, but it won’t be easy.

Along with Houston Hoops and Texas Titans, Texas PRO has been competing in the Nike EYBL sessions.

TEXAS TITANS (Dallas)
Head Coach: Scott Pospichal
Shoe: Nike
Recent Alumni: Zach Peters (Kansas)

Julius Randle [PF | 2013 | Plano PCA | 5*]
Matt Jones [SG | 2013 | DeSoto | 5* | Duke]
Damian Jones [PF | 2013 | Baton Rouge Scotlandville Magnet | 3*]
Marquan Botley [PG | 2013 | Plano PCA | 3*]
Greg Wesley [SF | 2013 | Arlington Juan Seguin | 3*]
Jackson Forbes [SF | 2014 | Plano West | 3*]

Texas Titans are ridiculously top-heavy, but man, is it one heck of a summit. Julius Randle and Matt Jones are two of the best players in the 2013 class, and they form a devastating inside-out combination. As previously mentioned, Texas desperately wants Randle (currently ranked #2 in the 2013 class), but so does everyone else. Jones was another player who had a Texas offer, but he will be attending Duke.

One name to keep an eye on is Mickey Mitchell, one of the top freshmen in the country (that’s the class of 2015 for the math-averse). Mitchell, who attends PCA along with Randle, plays for one of the Titans' younger teams. He also happens to be the younger brother of PCA linebacker Mike Mitchell, a player that Texas has (so far) chosen not to offer in the 2013 class.

Along with Houston Hoops and Texas PRO, Texas Titans have been competing in the Nike EYBL sessions.

URBAN DFW ELITE
Head Coach: Jazzy Hartwell
Shoe: Adidas
Recent Alumni: Antwan Space (Florida St)

Jordan Mickey [SF | 2013 | Arlington Grace Prep | 4*]
Karviar Shepherd [C | 2013 | Arlington Grace Prep | 4*]
Kendal Harris [PG | 2013 | Richardson Berkner | 3*]
Brandon Parrish [SF | 2013 | Arlington Juan Seguin | 3*]

I can’t hardly find anything on the Internet about Urban DFW, which appears to be far better known as a powerhouse girl’s AAU program. But the U-17 boys team is very buzzy team right now, with two Top 100 big men from Arlington Grace Prep (Isaiah Austin’s alma mater) in Jordan Mickey and Karviar Shepherd.

Texas fans should probably be more concerned with guard Kendal Harris, who has received a lot of praise and new offers after a good start to AAU play. Harris has received preliminary interest from the Longhorns, and could be in line for a scholarship offer if the staff feels like Myck Kabongo will leave after his sophomore season. Watch out for Harris, as he could sneak into the Top 100 with a strong senior season, a la Texas signee Connor Lammert.

Urban DFW recently participated in the Las Vegas Adidas V.I.P. Exclusive Run and the Real Deal in Little Rock.

DALLAS MUSTANGS
Head Coach: Tony Johnson
Shoe: Adidas
Recent Alumni: DeMarcus Holland (Texas), LeBryan Nash (Oklahoma St), Jordan Williams (North Texas)

Soma Edo [PF | 2013 | Richardson Berkner | 3*]
Zach Coleman [PF | 2013 | Dallas Woodrow Wilson | 3* | Missouri]
Marcus Foster [SG | 2013 | Wichita Falls Hirschi | 3*]
Shirmane Thomas [PG | 2013 | Dallas Lincoln | 3*]

FRANCHIZE ALL-STARS (Houston)
Shoe: Adidas
Recent Alumni: Wannah Bail (Texas Tech), D’Angelo Harrison (St. John’s)


DJ Griggs [PG | 2013 | Freeport Brazosport | 3*]

Dallas Mustangs and Franchize All-Stars are two traditional AAU powerhouses that typically have nothing to do with the Longhorns. Both appear to be in down cycles, though that could change in a hurry. Both programs recently participated in the Las Vegas Adidas V.I.P. Exclusive Run.

OTHER SCHOOLS TO KNOW
The following schools have had recent top 100 prospects but don’t appear to be relevant in this year’s AAU circuit.

HOUSTON HOOPSTARS

Head Coach: Keith White
Shoe: Adidas
Recent Alumni: Cameron Ridley (Texas), Aaron Durley (TCU)

HOUSTON SWOOSH

Shoe: Adidas
Recent Alumni: Sheldon McClellan (Texas), Jamal Branch (Texas A&M)

TEXAS ASSAULT (Dallas)

Shoe: Adidas
Recent Alumni: Marcus Smart (Oklahoma St), Phil Forte (Oklahoma St), Johnathan Gray (Texas football)

TOP ACHIEVERS PISTONS (Dallas)

Head Coach: Lawrence Mann
Recent Alumni: Prince Ibeh (Texas), DeMarcus Holland (Texas)

OTHER PLAYERS TO KNOW

2013 SF Ricky Seals-Jones (Sealy) is better known as a 5* Longhorns football commit, but he’s a pretty good basketball player too, for the RYTES Warriors…2013 C Dominic Woodson is a Top 100 prospect from Round Rock, but is playing high school ball at Vermont Academy and AAU ball for Ray Jackson All-Stars…2013 PF Jarrell Martin (Baton Rouge Madison Prep), a 4* who has gotten a lot of buzz this AAU season, is playing for Brandon Bass Elite…2013 PF Dylan Jones (Houston The Village), a high school teammate of Shaq Cleare and Pepperdine commit, plays for the Texas Cagers…2013 SF Kyle Wilson is a Baylor commit and happens to play AAU ball for LBA Seawolves, former AAU program of Perry Jones III …Mysterious 2013 PF Tony Trocha from Colombia appears to be sitting out AAU season and may try to reclassify to 2012…2014 PG Alex Robinson (Kennedale) is playing for DJH5…some other prospects I couldn’t find AAU teams for include 2013 PF Johnathan Motley (Houston North Shore), 2013 PF Blake Danielak (Liberty Hill | Texas Tech), 2014 SF Marvin Saunders (Houston Kincaid), 2014 SF D’Angelo Allen (Dallas Kimball), 2014 PF Myles Turner (Euless Trinity), and 2014 SG Nylan Yancy (Richardson).

 

[WTSooner]

Look at all that Texas talent. Goodness.

 

[AdaSooner]

Great job, globecode! The time you put in on our behalf is much appreciated! :clap

Texas is typically a hotbed for talented basketball players. But seems to me the bar has been raised some in 2013, 2014 and beyond. It would be nice if the Sooners can get their share of the high-profile players you profiled.

 

[geeoh]

I wonder if I'm the only one that thought this would be a story about an AAU team blowing a 40 point lead with 3 minutes left?

 

[Sawyer]

Do you (or anyone) know much about Zach Coleman? OU wasn't recruiting him, but I know there are a lot of people here who tend to keep up with Texas-area recruits. From what I understand, he suffered a knee injury sometime as an 8th grader and didn't play competitive basketball again until this past high school season, but prior to the injury he was on the same AAU team as Randle and Matt Jones (and, according to the guy who coached them, Coleman was right there with those two at the time).

He committed to MU a couple days out of nowhere. No one even knew we were recruiting him.

 

[SoonerDAZE]

Do you (or anyone) know much about Zach Coleman? OU wasn't recruiting him, but I know there are a lot of people here who tend to keep up with Texas-area recruits. From what I understand, he suffered a knee injury sometime as an 8th grader and didn't play competitive basketball again until this past high school season, but prior to the injury he was on the same AAU team as Randle and Matt Jones (and, according to the guy who coached them, Coleman was right there with those two at the time).

He committed to MU a couple days out of nowhere. No one even knew we were recruiting him.

Sawyer, he plays for the Dallas Mustangs. When he was with the Titans, he was a backup wing player with no extraordinary attributes. He was average height for his position, he had good skills, but was an average athlete at best. I don't believe at that point, that anyone watching would have pegged him as a HM D1 kid.

My understanding is he did suffer a number of setbacks over the course of the next year or so, and was absent from the circuit, for the most part, during that time.

Fast forward to last fall. He sort of crops up out of no where to play for one of Dallas' more successful HS programs and, boom, he's grown a ton! He went from an average size wing for his age to a long, lean 6'8". Keep in mind, he always had those wing skills, so imagine a kid who's just recently grown to a much longer length, but still has those skills.

He still looks uncertain how to impact the game on the boards and the defensive end with his new-found length (though he's certainly no liability), but he is an absolute mis-match for defenders on the offensive end.

He can handle it nicely on the perimeter, can get to the hole against bigger guys, and has a nice jump shot. He still looks a little rusty to me from the time off, but every time I see him, he seems more and more comfortable.

BTW, he has one of, if not THE, sweetest turn around fade away I've ever seen from a HS kid. With his length, it's unstoppable anywhere from 15 feet and in. He's also a kid with his head screwed on right. Maybe under the radar to the Mizzou faithful, but a impact player at some point in college, if he can stay healthy.

 

[Sawyer]

Interesting that you pointed out rebounding and defense as possible questions. From the information I've read since he committed, those are two of his strengths (especially rebounding; he averaged like 14 per game as a junior).

Thanks for the info.

 

[SoonerDAZE]

Interesting that you pointed out rebounding and defense as possible questions. From the information I've read since he committed, those are two of his strengths (especially rebounding; he averaged like 14 per game as a junior).

Thanks for the info.

In my experience, HS basketball is a much different animal than AAU ball.

When I mentioned he looked uncertain how to impact the game with his new-found length, I meant to say, I didn't feel he was impacting the game to the extent his length and athleticism should allow him to.

Everything is relative, in my book. Just because he's not reaching what I feel is his potential in these areas, doesn't mean he's not successful to a degree, relative to the competition he plays against.

Sorry for the confusing information.