AAU Nationals

[trottercoach]

I'm going to do my best to answer this question.

 

9U

 

The Tennessee Team Pride is a better team then the Tennessee Top Guns, but the Top Guns got the way better pool.  I think a higher seed coming out of pool play will be essential to determine how this tournament goes.  It is really hard to pick this age group because anything, and I mean anything, can happen at this age.  Good luck to both of these teams.

 

10U

 

From the looks of the pools, I believe 2, maybe 3, teams will advance to the Championship Bracket.  I think the FCA Lady Eagles will win their pool outright and could possibly go pretty deep into the tournament if things fall their way.  The Tennessee Xtreme is another team that I think will come out of their pool.  The Northwest Rockers from the Middle Atlantic Association could give them some trouble and the Acadina Stars from Louisiana and the Central Jersey Hawks won't be pushovers either.  However, I liked what I saw from them and they are definitely capable of playing with just about anyone.

 

My maybe team is the Tennessee Express.  I think Indiana's Finest will probably destroy them, but if they can get those other two wins against the Lady Royals of North Carolina and the Maryland Sure Shots, then they will advance.  However, the Express are not a team that is going to blow anybody away so those games should be close.  If they can get the ball inside and stay out of foul trouble then they have a shot.  If they have to go to their bench or settle for outside shots, then it's going to be a long tournament for the girls from Lawrenceburg.

 

The other two teams, the Tennessee Raiders and the Tennessee Team Pride, I just don't see them advancing out of their pools.  They are in tough pools mainly because of their finish at the Tennessee State Tournament.  I think the Team Pride will go on to do fairly decent in the Shootout Bracket, while I think the Raiders will be 2 and done in the Shootout.

 

11U

 

In this tournament, I think 1 team will most definitely qualify for the Championship bracket, with 3 others hovering on the fence.  The first team to advance will be the West Tennessee Lady Tigers.  They are in the only 5 team pool, which I expect them to win.  They are big, strong, and fully capable of playing with alot of the top teams if they play to their potential.  They could potentially do very well if they bring their "A" game.

 

My 3 maybes are the Tennessee Lady Trotters, Tennessee Team Pride, and the Lady Shox.  All 3 teams are in pools where there are 4 really solid teams.  Most of these pools will have an outright winner, but picking which team will take that 2nd spot is very tough.  If any of these teams make it through pool play, I don't know that they have all the necessary components to play with the top tier teams.

 

The 2 teams that I feel are probably heading towards the Shootout bracket are the Memphis Lady Elite and the Memphis Glory.  It really pains me to say that the Lady Elite are probably not going to make it into the Championship bracket.  I love watching that team play, especially that little point guard (I think her number is either #00 or #3), because she is something else.  Unfortuanately for them, they ended up in a pool with the overall #9 seed in the tournament, Monteray Park Heat, and the Pacific Association Champions, Mission Rec. Center.  Now they should beat the Winston-Salem Steelers from North Carolina, but taking down either of those other two teams will be no easy task.  They would possibly have to have their best game all year to even be in either of those games down the stretch.  Regardless, if they don't make it into the Championship Bracket, I think they will do pretty well in the Shootout Bracket.  As for the other Memphis team, the Glory.  I don't really see them winning a game at Nationals.  They got in because of a Super Regional that they hosted in which the only other decent teams in it already had a bid to Nationals.  I just don't think that they have the guard power to play with teams at the National level. 

 

12U

 

I think 3, maybe 4, teams will advance out of pool play into the Championship Bracket.  I think the KGC Lady Pride, Tennessee Lady Trotters, and Tennessee Lady Tigers will all advance into the Championship Bracket.  From what I saw at the State Tournament and from how their pools look, I believe these 3 teams stand the best chance of advancing through to the "Big Show."

 

KGC has an easy pool because they are the #4 overall seed and I don't really see anyone in their pool that could challenge them.  The Tennessee Lady Trotters will probably lose to the Jacksonville Lady Rams (by 10 - 20 points), but should be able to handle the other 2 teams in that pool, who are not all that strong.  The Tennessee Lady Tigers will matchup well with all 3 teams in their pool because of their size and depth.  They could win all 3 games in that pool or lose all 3 games in that pool.  Their pool is a tough one, because all 3 teams are pretty evenly matched, so games in that pool should be close.  As a special note, if both the Lady Trotters and Lady Tigers finish 2nd in their pools, then they would meet up in the first round of the Championship Bracket which could prove to be somewhat of an interesting matchup.

 

The other team that may get though is the Cookeville Crushers, who if they can play like they did at the State Tournament could handle both the Minnesota Lady Suns and Bucks County Wildcats in their pool.  However, I am afraid they will just have to take the 20 - 30 point beating the defending National Champions, Texas Thunder, are going to give them.

 

The remaining two teams, the Memphis Lady Elite and Tennessee Team Pride, just got unlucky in the pools that they were placed in.  The Team Pride drew 2 Association Champions and a team from New York (who I think was that association's runner-up).  I don't see them making the Championship Bracket, but I do see them doing well in the ShootOut Bracket, possibly finishing top 5 or higher.  The Memphis Lady Elite ended up in a pool with 3 perennial National powerhouses.  I don't think that even on their best day could they even come close to beating Beyond The Rim, who is the overall #2 seed and my pick to win the tournament.  Then they have to contend with the Florida State Runner-Up, Clearwater Greenwave, and the always tough East Bay Xplosion from the Pacific Association.  If they don't make it into the Championship Bracket, I see them doing pretty well in the Shootout Tournament as well.

 

13U

 

I will update this as soon as the brackets for this age group become available, but overall I expect Tennessee to do very well in this tournament.

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pt guard,

its always good to hear your input,besides the florida team in our pool, can you shed spme light on the other two?

thanks, Alan

[ptguard12]

PT, you maybe correct in this statement but they have picked up three kids and are not the same team thery were in the state although 4 of the starters remain. Losing to FCA in a really close game.

I'm not sure they will make much noise but if the three girls they picked up mix well they might win a few more games.

 

I heard they picked up some so that makes them a little differant team. But I sure am not disputing you because of the unknown.

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Hopi,

 

I was unaware that the Raiders had picked up 3 players. Those 3 players wouldn't happen to be the three good players from the Cookeville Ladies, would they? I was a little shocked to hear that they would not be attending Nationals, because they were a fairly decent little team. If the Raiders picked up those players from the Ladies then I may have to reevaluate them, becuase those three would help any team.

[ptguard12]

pt guard,

its always good to hear your input,besides the florida team in our pool, can you shed spme light on the other two?

thanks, Alan

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The Michigan Rage finished 5th in the Michigan State Tournament. I suspect that the only reason they qualified for Nationals is because both the 3rd and 4th place teams from that association turned down the third and final bid. Michigan has a system where they seed 16 teams for their Association Qualifying Tournament depending on how they finish in their 4 regional tournaments.. The Rage entered the tournament as the #12 seed, but they pulled off upsets over the #4 and #5 seeded teams (who were from weaker regions) in the first two rounds. Then they met up with the Michigan Shock (who was the #1 seed but finished #2) and got beat by 19. They then fell to the losers bracket where they lost to the Capitol City Express by 11, thus making them 5th. Michigan is not a state that usually sends three really high quality teams to Nationals, so I doubt the Rage are really all the impressive.

 

I know very little about the Mississippi Fire. I believe they attended Nationals when they were 10, but got beat badly in all 3 pools games and then again in their 2 ShootOut Bracket games. They are from Mississippi, which automatically sends up a red flag, because Mississippi teams usually do very poorly at Nationals. They just don't have the players or the coaches to put together a really strong team from that state. Occassionally, it happens, but not often. I really don't think they will give you any trouble either.

[1bballmom]

Hopi,

 

I was unaware that the Raiders had picked up 3 players.  Those 3 players wouldn't happen to be the three good players from the Cookeville Ladies, would they?  I was a little shocked to hear that they would not be attending Nationals, because they were a fairly decent little team.  If the Raiders picked up those players from the Ladies then I may have to reevaluate them, becuase those three would help any team.

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the three players are from the 10 u top guns. I am almost sure of it.

[elitebball]

[ The Memphis Lady Elite ended up in a pool with 3 perennial National powerhouses. I don't think that even on their best day could they even come close to beating Beyond The Rim, who is the overall #2 seed and my pick to win the tournament. Then they have to contend with the Florida State Runner-Up, Clearwater Greenwave, and the always tough East Bay Xplosion from the Pacific Association. If they don't make it into the Championship Bracket, I see them doing pretty well in the Shootout Tournament as well.

 

13U

 

I will update this as soon as the brackets for this age group become available, but overall I expect Tennessee to do very well in this tournament.

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I agree, ptguard12 we will have tough competition. That's what nationals is all about. We'll do our best to represent TN proudly. Got any insight on the Clearwater and East Bay 12u teams?

[ptguard12]

I agree, ptguard12 we will have tough competition.  That's what nationals is all about.  We'll do our best to represent TN proudly.  Got any insight on the Clearwater and East Bay 12u teams?

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Well Clearwater Greenwave is the Florida Runner-Ups. They have been a fixture in the YBOA scene (including a handful of YBOA National Championships) for years now and only the past couple of years have they really started making a push for AAU Nationals. I heard they held their own against the Jacksonville Lady Rams (Florida State Champions and overall #12 seed) pretty well so that should speak volumes about the kind of team that they are.

 

The East Bay Xplosion finished 5th in the Pacific Association Championship. I think you should be able to handle them with relative ease. This group did not qualify for Nationals last year or the year before so this will be the first trip for this group. However, this is an organization that has always saved its best basketball for when it gets to Nationals, so I expect them to put up a pretty good fight. If you can keep your two big girls out of foul trouble and not rely so heavily on the outside shot, I think you should do just fine against them.

 

Good luck to your team and try to keep those two moms in the stands under control. I would hate to hear that they got themselves thrown out at Nationals.

[elitebball]

Well Clearwater Greenwave is the Florida Runner-Ups.  They have been a fixture in the YBOA scene (including a handful of YBOA National Championships) for years now and only the past couple of years have they really started making a push for AAU Nationals.  I heard they held their own against the Jacksonville Lady Rams (Florida State Champions and overall #12 seed) pretty well so that should speak volumes about the kind of team that they are. 

 

The East Bay Xplosion finished 5th in the Pacific Association Championship.  I think you should be able to handle them with relative ease.  This group did not qualify for Nationals last year or the year before so this will be the first trip for this group.  However, this is an organization that has always saved its best basketball for when it gets to Nationals, so I expect them to put up a pretty good fight.  If you can keep your two big girls out of foul trouble and not rely so heavily on the outside shot, I think you should do just fine against them.

 

Good luck to your team and try to keep those two moms in the stands under control.  I would hate to hear that they got themselves thrown out at Nationals.

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I haven't seen the results of the Fl state tournament but I saw where the Clearwater team got spanked pretty good by Jacksonville earlier in the year at Spring Fling. Have they played since? We'll try to keep the big girls and moms under control. Haven't heard of them being kicked out of any gyms, but I did hear of a dad from another memphis organization who got kicked out at shelbyville this year in the states. Emotions do tend to run high at these aau events...

[ptguard12]

I haven't seen the results of the Fl state tournament but I saw where the Clearwater team got spanked pretty good by Jacksonville earlier in the year at Spring Fling.  Have they played since?  We'll try to keep the big girls and moms under control.  Haven't heard of them being kicked out of any gyms, but I did hear of a dad from another memphis organization who got kicked out at shelbyville this year in the states.  Emotions do tend to run high at these aau events...

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Yeah, they played at the State Tournament. I was told that they hung around for a while and that it wasn't a total blow-out.

 

I wasn't implying that they had been kicked out anywhere, but if I had been a ref at one of the games that I saw them at, I don't know if I would have been able to take it or not. None the less, they are pretty amusing, so long as you're not the one they aren screaming and yelling at. Anyways, good luck to you all. I'll be keeping myself updated on what's going on with your team and all the Tennessee teams in Texas.

[elitebball]

Yeah, they played at the State Tournament.  I was told that they hung around for a while and that it wasn't a total blow-out. 

 

I wasn't implying that they had been kicked out anywhere, but if I had been a ref at one of the games that I saw them at, I don't know if I would have been able to take it or not.  None the less, they are pretty amusing, so long as you're not the one they aren screaming and yelling at.  Anyways, good luck to you all.  I'll be keeping myself updated on what's going on with your team and all the Tennessee teams in Texas.

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I'm sure the refs have heard it all before. We're going to try and update our website memphisladyelite.org with our scores. Best of luck to all of the Tennessee teams at nationals.

[tgbball]

Hopi,

 

I was unaware that the Raiders had picked up 3 players.  Those 3 players wouldn't happen to be the three good players from the Cookeville Ladies, would they?  I was a little shocked to hear that they would not be attending Nationals, because they were a fairly decent little team.  If the Raiders picked up those players from the Ladies then I may have to reevaluate them, becuase those three would help any team.

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ptguard,

bballmom was right the Raiders did pick up 3-kids from the 10U Top Guns, 2 of which are 3-2 vs. the FCA group and those losses were at a time when the team was not playing to their potential. Take nothing from the Eagles, they are good, but the Top Guns underacheived this year for the talent they had. We will have to wait until the tournament to see if they have blended well with the group already there. They have the potential to be very good if a few things fall into place. I would be interested in getting your insight on the other teams in their pool! The Extreme is a very talented team good speed, good shooters, and should make some noise down in Florida! Thanks for your insight into all the age groups and good luck to all of the TN teams.

[Spree1024]

ptguard12,

How do you get all this information, its really some good stuff on teams from TN and across the country. Will you have the same for the 14u - 16u teams? Specifically the 15u and 16u Potomac Valley teams.

[hoopsinstead]

10U

 

From the looks of the pools, I believe 2, maybe 3, teams will advance to the Championship Bracket.  I think the FCA Lady Eagles will win their pool outright and could possibly go pretty deep into the tournament if things fall their way. 

 

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ptguard12, I appreciate the vote of confidence. We (the FCA Lady Eagles) face a very talented, big and athletic Motor City Suns team (#1 seed out of Michigan-yes, that's two #1's in the same pool) in our very first game. Looking past pool play, we will have our work cut out for us as winning our pool gives us a likely match up versus the San Gabriel Valley (SGV) team that finished #1 in the Southern Pacific region while a second place finish out of our pool gives us a likely match up versus the GBL Lady Rebels who finished 3rd in the Southern Pacific region. That region produced three of the top four 10U teams in the nation in 2003 and two of the top six last year. Nonetheless, we welcome the challenge and will do our best to represent the state of TN by playing hard and to play the right way always for an Audience of One. We picked up no players after the state tournament and never will.

 

The information I've gathered so far indicates that these are some of the strongest teams (in no particular order):

 

All 4 of the Southern Pacific teams-history says so (BTR, GBL, SGV, SouthBay)

Top 2 Potomoc Valley teams-again, history says so (MD Flames, Fairfax Stars)

MO Valley Eclipse-great team

IN Finest

OK Select

Motor City Suns

TN Xtreme

 

Any additional info. you might be able to gather on the Motor City Suns or the two Southern Pacific teams (SGV and GBL) would be most helpful. I think you would do a great job on a newsletter that could cover AAU and possibly girls high school, as well.

Edited June 23, 2005 by hoopsinstead