Team Highlights
June 18-20
After a roller coaster year, the 13U Boys HEAT (Coach Steve Beale) played their last tournament together at the Battle of the Beach in Wilmington, NC. The boys won on a free-throw with 1.2 seconds remaining to beat a nationaly ranked AAU team to advance to the semi-final round of the tournament. After a side-lining injury to one of our players, they were left with only 6 players to face a tough team in the semis. We are so proud of the boys that remained to the end of the season with us and KNOW they walked away feeling very good about their accomplishments. Way to go HEAT-BEALE!!
The 12U Hoops City Elite Team (Coach David Fryar and Assistant Coach Bryan Umstead) headed off to play the National Prep Tournament this past weekend. They played hard on Saturday, winning all three scheduled games, and came out as the number one seed heading into the bracket play on Sunday. They came out strong Sunday and won the first bracketed game, and headed to the Championship game . The Championship game was back and forth between HCU Elite and the NC Force until Hoops City pulled out a three point win over the Force. For the weekend, this HCU Elite team went 5-0 and took first place at an extremely competetive Garner Road tournament. Way to go guys!
June 11-13
Congratulations to Coach Brayman's 14U Boys Team who came in second place in the King of Court Tournament held in Durham.
June 4-6
Hoops City Hosted the Summer Slam this past weekend and two of our teams landed in the Championship games...
The 12u Hoops City Elite (Coach David Fryar and Bryan Umstead) took 2nd place.
They fought hard to take the number one seed in their pool after pulling out a win over the Cleveland Pride in an overtime rally on Saturday, sending them to the Championship game Sunday. They hung tough against the Maryland Mavericks,second place was quite an accomplishment with all the skilled teams competing in this tournament.
Also placing 2nd were our 10U Hoops City Heat (Coach Todd Pope).
The team went 2-1 in pool play to advance to the Championship Game on Sunday against the State Champion Lady Royals of Asheville. This team played exceptional basketball against a very strong team, keeping the game close all the way!
The girls will be working hard all summer and plan to attend
AAU Nationals in Orlando August 1-6.
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May 21-23rd
The Hoops City Heat Finest 13U Boys (Coach Bill Thompson) traveled to Greensboro and placed third in the North Carolina AAU Division 3 championships. In the quarterfinals, the Finest shot over 40% and set a season low in turnovers on their way to dominating the High Point Stars, 53-21. In the semifinals, the Finest had a sub-par offensive night against a very athletic SSFA Hoyas team and dropped a 45-26 decision. However, the Finest rebounded in the third place game, breaking open a tight game at the half and making a season-high seven 3-pointers on their way to a convincing 49-30 victory over the DWBA Rising Heels.
It was a Hoops City dominated 11U field at the Hoops for Hope Tournament here at NetSports. Our Finest (Coach Jorden Davis) and Elite (Coach Mark Frederksen) Teams dominated which led them both to the Championship game.
The Elite Team won the Championship game and we are proud of both teams for playing with great passion and energy!
Hoops City Elite
Hoops City Finest
May 14- 16th
Congratulations to our the 14U Heat Boys (Coach John Brayman) who placed 2nd in the Beach Ballers Tournament in Myrtle Beach!
May 7- 9th
Congratulations to our 16U Finest Boys Team (Coach Brian Petty) who participated in D1 States this weekend and qualified for Nationals!
Congratulations to the 12U Hoops City Elite with Coaches David Fryar, Bryan Umstead, and Wes Moore for taking second place at the first Annual Runnin' Rebels Roundball Invitational. In the past five tournaments they have walked away with two Championships, two second place finishes, and one third place finish. This HCU Elite team is currently ranked 15th in the North Carolina USSSA standings. Keep up the hard work!
This weekend the 11u Hoops City Finest Team (Coach Jorden Davis) took 2nd in Greensboro USSSA May Madness tournament. Over all it was a great weekend of play but prior to the championship game, the 11u Finest team was in a semi-final dog fight. Trailing the ENTIRE game, the boy’s Hoops City training and mental toughness kicked in. Down by 4 with less than a minute left in the game the boys surged with key defensive stops which lead to an ice cold three pointer that cut the lead to 1. With less than 30 seconds left, a solid press led to a steal and a pass to the wing with 20 seconds on the clock. A perfect ball fake caused the defender to leave his feet and at that our player took one dribble, stepped just inside the 3 point line and knocked down a long go-ahead jumper that sent them to the championship game with a 39-38 win. That game took a lot of energy out of the team to say the least but the boys carried a lot of their team training into that game and it made a huge difference!
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April 30 - May 2nd
The Hoops City 8U team (Coach Hartsfield) participated in the Greensboro "Unsigned Free Agents" tournament which fielded the top three teams in the state as well as two out of state teams including DC Assault. The team started off with a commanding 31-11 victory over Fairfax (VA). The second game against Metrolina (#1 8U team in the state) was closer than the score indicated (38-15) but it served as a good barometer of where we are and what it takes to get to the next level. The third game of the day against the Black Nights (Lexington, NC) was a nail biter! The majority 9 year old team made their winning basket with 7 seconds remaining and the game ended 30-29. Our last game of the tournament pitted us against NC Swarm for the fourth time this year. This was an ESPN Classic with the Heat trailing by 7 points with 1:30 left to play. The game went down to the very last second with the Heat scoring the winning bucket with one second remaining and the score ended 28-27. The team finished a respectable 2-2 and everyone knows when we travel to the Maryland Invitation Tournament we will bring the HEAT!!!
Congratulations to our 10U Boys (Coach Mike Wozniak) they had two hard fought battels this weekend in the AAU States bracket games in Raleigh, although they lost both games they finished in 4th place which qualifies them for Nationals!
A big WAY TO GO to our 10U Girls Heat Team (Coach Tracy Proctor) who competed at Division II States this past weekend in Fayetteville. They went 2-4 to bring home 5th place in the State! What a fantastic finish for this first year team!
Congratulations also goes to the 10U Girls Heat Team (Coach Todd Pope) who competed in Division I States. They faced some fierce competition and 5 hard fought games. Going 3 for 2 with some very impressive play and determination earned them a 4th place finish for the second year in a row. Amazing!
It is also important to note that we were contacted by a tournament official to compliment our organization on the outstanding sportsmanship and play of both our 10U Girls teams' players, coaches and families - You make Hoops City proud!
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April 23-25, 2010
This past Hoops City Rawlings tournament provided an excellent opportunity for the 8U Boys (Coach Robert Hartsfield) to continue their winning trend and impress onlookers. For the first time in three games the Heat beat 8U NC Swarm 27-12 to start Saturday off with a bang and capped the evening with a 30-1 victory over the 8U Charlotte Nets. While both wins earned the Heat a spot in the championship game we still had to play the 9U Wake County Basketball Association and lost graciously 36-17. But the day was not finished and the Heat played WCBA again in the championship game. The team came out more determined than ever and started off the game with a 9-0 run and trailed at the half by three points. After a hard fought battle the Heat lost 36-27 but secured a second place finish. Valuable lessons were learned which can be applied to our next big tournaments in Greensboro and Maryland.
Congratulations to the girls 11U Heat (Coach Emmett Gill) & 10U Heat (Coach Tracy Proctor)
it was a Heat on Heat Championship at the Rawlings Showcase!
11U came up on top winning 1st place -- a well played game by both teams.
Our 10U Finest and Heat Boys also had great showings at the Rawlings Showcase. Coach Wozniak's team went 2-1 and Coach Federico's team had an exciting win against the Mid State Magic as well.
Congratulations to our 12U Hoops City Finest - they are YBOA Eastern Qualifier CHAMPIONS!
The Finest Team played their best basketball of the season in going 3-0 and defeating their opponents by an average of 25 points per game. In the Championship game, the Finest jumped on the Chapel Hill Kings, holding them to just 2 points in the first half en route to a 44-15 win. Ford Easley led the way this weekend with 12 points per game, Ben Zemonek averaged 8 ppg, Morgan Jones and Isaiah Laster each scored 7 points per game.April 16-18, 2010
Great job to our 12U Hoops City Elite team as well - taking the honors at our own Rawlings Tournament. Going 3-1 overall they took home 1st Place with a decisive 20+ point win over their opponent.
12U Heat - Coach Stylski - also played in a Championship Game at the Rawlings Showcase - came up short but this loss was to a team that had previously beaten them by 20 by only 4pts. They are on their way!
It was a great weekend for the girls U12 team. The team played hard against Mid State team for a win and for the first time this year, a chance to play in a champsionship game!! The girls fought hard but were unable to beat the Garner Flames and took second place. Everyone worked hard and it was very exciting for the team to get to a Championship Game! Next time they plan on bringing home 1st!
The 13U Heat Finest Boys (Thompson) won the USBA Court is in Session Tournament this weekend in Raleigh. By splitting their two pool games the Finest earned the #3 seed in bracket play. They won a tight semi-final game 49-43, and then overcame an 11-point second half deficit to beat a very good WCBA team 49-47 in the championship game to capture their first title of the season.
The HoopsCity Finest 16u boys team qualified for Division I championship play with a victory over EA Prep Stars of Charlotte. They also battled the #2 ranked 16u team in the entire country (Garner Road - West) for a full 32 minutes, but came up short, losing by just five in an incredibly hard fought game. All this was done with the team's leading scorer on the bench with an ankle injury. We will be at full strength when we travel to Charlotte to compete in the Division I AAU State Championships!
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April 16-18th
The Girls 16U Micah Lancaster Allstars (Coach Rik Seymour) won the 17U Signature Division of the Deep South NCAA Exposure Tournament. The ladies won five games in a row to take the title, defeating the Dayton Lady Hoopstars 17U, Georgia Shooters 17U, Virginia Hawks 17U, Carolina Allstars 16U, and Pennsylvania Bruins 17U. Their play was so strong that three of the five games went into the mercy rule. Congratulations Ladies!!!!
The Girls, 10-U Hoops City Heat (Coach Todd Pope) team won the YBOA NC East Regionals this past weekend. The team went 2-0 in pool play, earned a bye to the semifinals and played two tough bracket games to win the region. It was truly a team effort! This came two weeks after these young ladies finished second in the AAU NC East Regionals. If you happen to be at the same tournament as these guys, check them out and cheer them on if you can.
The Boys HoopsCity Finest 16U team (Coach Brian Petty), won the championship of the Showtime Jamboree Tournament at the Greensboro Sportsplex Sam Murray's outstanding defense in the first game shut down the post play of Kingdom Athlete's 6'8" center. In the semi-final game a breakout offensive performance by Denzel Shivers led the Finest back from an early 19 point deficit to a 9 point victory over Durham SAVE. In the championship game Evan Collins penetration, followed by 6 for 6 free throw shooting, led the Finest to a championship, won over the reigning USSSA state champions!
Congratulations to all our Boys Teams who participated at Sates in Charlotte this weekend!
The Boys 11U Hoops City Elite (Coach Mark Frederiksen) went 2-1 and placed 2nd in their Pool setting themselves up nicely for Bracket Play next month.
The Boys Hoop City Heat 14U team (Coach John Brayman) won the Championship this week end at Garner Road's B-Ballers Shower Tournament - Great Job!
