Frank Burlison

THE WOODLANDS, TX – The bracket in the 17-under division of the Under Armour Association Invitational was whittled to eight Saturday night in the Legends Sports Complex.

And it will take only something approaching six-plus hours Sunday to determine the event’s champion.

The four quarterfinal contests are each scheduled to tip off at about 8:30 Sunday morning in the building (which has four courts), with the semifinals to follow at 10:50 and the championship set for about 1:15 in the afternoon.

Each of the seven games should be nothing if not entertaining.

[Click to continue reading]

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Day I – actually, Night I – of the Under Armour Association Invitational was highlighted by a bevy of showcase game in the 17-under division.

OK, so which players made the most of their opportunity to put their skills, effort and attitude – not necessarily in that pecking order, of course – on the figurative stage Friday in the Legends Complex in this suburb of Houston?

I’m glad you asked:

*Six-foot-five Rayjon Tucker (Class of 2015/Northside Christian Academy in Charlotte) scored a night’s best 32 points to help Team Charlotte topple the Team Superstar (based in Fresno, CA), 83-67.

[Click to continue reading]

FRISCO, TX – If you had the opportunity to be courtside for each of Each 1 Teach 1’s Elite Youth Basketball League games on Mother’s Day in the Fieldhouse USA, you might have come away with the same conclusion as I did by late Sunday afternoon:

Anyone aspiring to the title of No. 1 high school basketball prospect in the Class of 2015 is going to have to make a compelling on-court argument as to why he is more deserving than Ben Simmons.

The six-foot-nine left hander from Melbourne, Australia by way of Montverde Academy in Florida and the Nike-fronted E1T1 program, played on a level well beyond just terrific while helping his team to victories over The Family (101-85) and Athletes First (84-82).

[Click to continue reading]

FRISCO, TX – After one and one-half sessions of Nike Elite Youth Basketball League – 2014-style – it’s apparent there is no one dominant team.

Five teams left Saturday’s competition in the spacious and spiffy Field House USA in this Dallas suburb with 5-1 records after BABC, Athletes First and Spiece Indianapolis Heat suffered their first losses of the season.

The Boston Area Basketball Club (63-46 to Team Final of Pennsylvania), Oklahoma-based Athletes First (79-78 to The Family of Michigan) and Spiece (65-62 by way of MOKAN and its Missouri and Kansas players) fell in the second game each played Saturday afternoon.

[Click to continue reading]

SACRAMENTO – Forty teams combined to play 79 (give or take) games during the first weekend of the 2014 season of the Nike-fronted Elite Youth Basketball League.

Anyone who suggests that they can offer a concise rundown on the bulk of the players who showed up in the Jackson Sports Academy is either prone to considerable exaggeration or is a bald-faced liar (as opposed to a “full-bearded fibber”, I suppose).

I feel comfortable is suggesting that I don’t fall into either category.

So there will be no pretense of a complete rundown for the time being.

[Click to continue reading]