 | The high-flying Kemba Walker has come together with his Rice teammates to lead the N.Y. Gauchos through a summer of winning. Greg Nelson/SI |
By Ryan Canner-O'Mealy, Special to SI.com, RISE
LAS VEGAS -- Things really started to heat up on Tuesday, and it wasn't just because of the triple-digit temperatures outside. All three AAU tournaments -- The Main Event, the Adidas Super 64 and the Reebok Summer Championships -- began their bracket-style showdowns that culminate with title games on Thursday.
There was the usual array of standout individual performances, dazzling dunks and even a few early exits from the playoffs.
Gauchos and Playaz making points
Two teams that showed no signs of making an early exit were the New York Gauchos at The Main Event and the Playaz Basketball Club Gold at the Super 64.
The Gauchos, who won the Nike Peach Jam title earlier this month, rolled to a 90-61 win early on Tuesday morning in a playoff tuneup against Nuff Sedd. Dan Jennings, a forward/center at Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) paced a balanced attack with 18 points.
The Playaz, meanwhile, were equally impressive in their 70-59 opening-round playoff win over the Colorado Select. In that contest, St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) guard Mike Rosario was a man among boys. He finished with a game-high 27 points while scoring in every conceivable manner. He scored from the paint, the perimeter, the foul line and even banked in a three-pointer from the corner. At that point, he knew it was his day. "That was a great feeling," he said. "I didn't think that one was going in. I didn't call glass on that one."
The play of the Gauchos and the Playaz must give two men a great feeling as well. Rice (Harlem, N.Y.) coach Moe Hicks and St. Anthony head man Bob Hurley have to love what their players are doing this week. The Gauchos feature three of Rice's top four players in guards Kemba Walker, Chris Fouch and Durand Scott. Only Louisville-bound rising junior guard Lamont Jones is missing. But with the UConn-bound Walker leading the way, this Rice trio has the Gauchos looking for another crown.
With future coach Jim Calhoun watching from the front row, Walker scored only seven points but showed some of the explosiveness that made him one of the most sought-after players in the country. Fouch led the group with 10 points while Scott added nine.
Like the Rice group on the Gauchos, there are three St. Anthony Friars on the Playaz squad. The Rutgers-bound Rosario is the leader, but fellow Division I recruits Travon Woodall (Pitt) and Jio Fontan (Fordham) play crucial roles.
Rosario can't wait for his senior year at St. Anthony. "We're very excited," Rosario said. "We can't wait. Playing AAU ball is about having fun and showing what you can do, but in high school it's about working as a team to win a championship."
Sidney's dream ends
Superstar forward Renardo Sidney of Artesia (Lakewood, Calif) took a little while to heat up, but once he did he showed why he's rated as RISE's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2009.
But while Sidney got it going, his team did not. Despite his 14 points and 13 boards, the Sidney-led LA Dream Team lost its opening playoff game, 80-77 to the Northwest Panthers in Reebok Summer Championships action. Sidney's 14 and 13 came on the heels of his best game of the week, a 30-point, 8-rebound effort against the D1 Greyhounds.
Maybe Sidney's just not a morning person. His first two games, played at 10:30 a.m. and 8 a.m., respectively, were less than impressive. In the opener, he shot 4-for-13 for 12 points and followed that up with a 3-for-10 showing for only seven points. It was surprising to see the L.A. Dream Team go 0-4 this week. In addition to Sidney, the team featured Dashan Harris, a speedy point guard from Montverde (Fla.) Academy and Martez Walker, a forward also from Montverde. Both are high-Division I players.
Roadrunners slip by L.A.'s Story
One of the best games of the day came in the Reebok tournament between the So Cal All-Stars Elite and the N.J. Roadrunners. So Cal might have had the biggest name, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) guard Malik Story, but the Roadrunners used pressure at both ends of the court to come away with a 62-58 win.
So Cal had the ball, trailing by 1, with 26 seconds left, but the Roadrunners were able to get another critical stop. After the Roadrunners increased their lead to three with a pair of free throws, Story almost tied the game with a three-pointer, but he was correctly whistled for traveling and N.J. scored a mild upset.
For the Roadrunners, Keon Williams was the hero, leading the way with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
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