Louisianna Select Wins The National ChampionshipSince 1993, Memphis, Tennessee has played host to the 13U AAU National Championships. This year, nearly 180 teams gathered in the city to celebrate the Division I and II events and compete for the right to be considered among the country’s top youth teams. HYPEBasketball is proud to present to Basketball Spotlight’s loyal visitors our views from inside the tournament after spending the week along the Mississippi River. Also, before we start we would like to send a big thank you to Mike Melton and staff for allowing our report to be posted and seen on the Basketball Spotlight website.
2011 13U Division I AAU National Championship Game: Louisiana Select 50, Georgia Stars 41
The Louisiana Select squad had a big chip on their shoulder after falling to the Carolina Ravens in last year’s national championship game. The group came out focused from the tip and got a huge performance from 6-foot-9 Khalea Turner. Arguably the nation’s top prospect in the 2016 class, Turner finished with a stat line that read 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Select guard Malik Crowfield also had one of his better performances of the week in the championship game, contributing 12 points along with 4 assists and 4 steals. For the Stars, it was guard Aaron Augustin who almost brought his team back late in the game with a 19 point performance. Despite his size, Augustin proved all week that he is without question one of the lead guards in the 2016 class right now. The Stars also got major contributions from James Walker (12 points in the championship game) and forward Davion Thomas throughout the week.
2011 13U Division I AAU 3RD / 4TH Place Game: Indy Hoosiers 66, E1T1 Dynasty (FL) 59
Florida’s Each One Teach One organization is a well-known grassroots power on the high school circuit within Nike’s powerful Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL). However, head coach Ed ‘Boobie’ Francis’ 13U squad was definitely the surprise team of the week after advancing to the national semifinals. If there are ten better youth basketball coaches in the country than Francis, I’d like to meet them. The demanding coach got the best out of his underdog group behind several standout performances from guard Malik Foy. One of the fastest rising youth programs in the country, the Indy Hoosiers were led by 6-foot-2 guard Eron Gordon, who averaged just over 16 points per contest and was near the top of AAU National Championships leading scorers list. The Hoosiers’ three-headed backcourt monster was completed by two future standout point guards in ViJay Blackmon and C.J. Hedgepath.
2011 13U Division I AAU 5TH / 6TH Place Game: Memphis War Eagles 70, Defenders Select (TX) 65
The hometown Memphis War Eagles represented their city well during the week-long tournament, finishing as one of the top five teams in the country. The War Eagles were led by 6-foot-6 Dedric Lawson, who is certainly a name to remember as a potential headliner in the class of 2016. St. Louis-native Jayson Tatum, a 6-foot-3 perimeter prospect, also returned to the War Eagles this season and continues to earn his spot as one of the nation’s top young scoring guards. The biggest surprise for the Memphis squad was the emergence of 6-foot-2 guard Rodney Herenton, who is a potential regional name to keep a serious eye on as this class gets older. The final game was one of Herenton’s best of the week, as his inspiring 15 point, 12 rebound performance was especially memorable. For the Houston Defenders, DeAaron Fox continued his dominance in this age/grade level. Fox could easily be considered the top point guards in the 2016 class and received great backcourt support from Courtney Lark and Joshua Hall.
2011 13U Division I AAU 7TH / 8TH Place Game: F.A.C.E.S (NJ) 80, Sports Academy (LA) 71
The northeast United States was represented well by the F.A.C.E.S. organization from New Jersey. The group made their presence known to a national audience in pool play, claiming the #1 seed in Pool E, beating a favorite Athlete’s First squad from Oklahoma. Head coach Rob Cole and his program continued their run into the national bracket, advancing to the quarterfinals, and ultimately finishing as a top ten team in the country. An extremely balanced squad, forward Idris Joyner was a major presence for F.A.C.E.S. and received consistent contributions from Christian Ford, Raymond Montilus, and Jagan Mosely. One of the week’s biggest revelations was point guard R.J. Cole, who was playing a year ahead of his age/grade level. The 2017 floor general led a double-digit comeback in the medal game against Sports Academy, hitting a buzzer-beater as time expired to send the game into overtime, which F.A.C.E.S. eventually won. For Sports Academy, 6-foot-6 forward Wayde Sims and 6-foot-4 wing Donovan White were the team’s top performers. The Academy also received a number of impressive performers from forward Jayln Jones, who looks like he’ll develop into a nice perimeter prospect in the near future.
Stay tuned for Part II of our 2011 13U AAU National Championships recap as we’ll review the ninth through fourteenth place finishers in the Division I tournament, highlight top performers, and more!
