Adidas: Texas program recap

Duncanville, TX - Dallas was the first stop on the Adidas Uprising Tournament Series this past weekend. Adidas Gauntlet Dallas brought teams from across the nation to battle it out at Bob Knight Field House. With many big names from across the nation in attendance, it was a Houston area 8th grade that caught the eyes of recruiters. . Jaedon Ledee (RL9 Elite) pictured.

Some of the country's top players were on hand including 2016 No.1 Player in the Nation 7-foot Thon Maker (Team Loaded Virginia). It was the first and only live recruiting period for the Spring Season. For this reason, college coaches scrambled to get their look on recruits. Mike Kryszewski, John Calipari, Rick Pitino, & Larry Brown were just a few of the top coaches in the country to make their appearance at Bob Knight Field House

The State of Texas was represented by 4 teams participating in the 17u division:

Texas Select (2-3)

Texas Select 60 RL9 55

Texas Select 46 Milwaukee Rebels 51

Texas Select 73 Game Elite 84

Texas Select 64 Team Fast 55

Texas Select competed well and found themselves in many close games this weekend, and Jalon Miller really asserted himself as a presence all over the court averaging 17pts & 9 rebounds, including a 15 point 13 board performance in a great match up against No.11 Ranked player nationally Jaylen Brown of Game Elite. Auston Evans was a great complement to Miller with his smooth lefty stroke & his ability to get to the basket with his length. Evans averaged 14 points for the tournament.

RL9 Elite (2-2)

RL9 55 Texas Select 60

RL9 56 Kansas Pray and Play 48

RL9 73 Garner Road 69

RL9 49 Gateway 65

RL9 got great play from their 6-foot-7 PG Josh Hall (2016 Genesis Academy). Hall was able to create and make plays all over the floor. His size gave opposing guards nightmares as he was able to see over his defender to score or find teammates in the open court. Hall averaged 17 points & an impressive 7 rebounds a game from the PG position. An intriguing prospect for RL9 was 8th (2018) Grader Jaedon Ledee. At 6-foot-5, Ledee proved that he wasn't intimidated by the moment at the adidas Gauntlet. His long and lanky frame allowed him to elevate for tough mid-range jumpers in traffic and was very active on defense causing a lot of deflections. The 2018 prospect averaged 14 points in the 2 games he played substantial minutes. When asked about the competition he has faced this weekend Ledee laughed and responded, "It's lot harder than 8th grade." Ledee will be a fun player to watch grow and develop. Emmanuel Olojakpoke out of Cy-Springs had 17 rebounds, 6 of which offensive against Texas Select. He is very active in the paint and would be a good get for a school looking for an active body who can run the floor and is work hard inside.

Urban DFW Elite (2-3)

Urban DFW 49 Team Rose 50

Urban DFW 43 OBC 59

Urban DFW 64 N.O. Elite 54

Urban DFW 48 Michigan Mustangs 67

Urban DFW 67 Oakland Rebels 53

Lacking size inside, Urban DFW was 1 possession away from leaving the adidas Gauntlet with a winning record. Fueled by the consistent play of Josh Parrish (14ppg) and Cameron McGriff who recorded a 9pt 13rb game and a 13 point game. Urban competed tough, even without the size needed inside. DFW relied on their fast break offense to really give opposing teams fits. Point Guard Julian Miranda and guard rising sophomore Leon Sneed really excelled with their playmaking in transition this weekend.

TX D1 Ambassadors-Carlton (1-4)

Ambassadors 71 Team Loaded NC 79

Ambassadors 61 Indy Elite 70

Ambassadors 45 Team Loaded VA 72

Ambassadors 71 Southern Elite 73

Ambassadors 58 N.O. Elite 52

With arguably one of the most talented duos in the field in Jordan Murphy and Rashard Odomes, the Ambassadors just couldn't seem to get it going this weekend. They had a lot of winnable games that just didn't go their way. Murphy really battled inside & consistently took his man off the dribble and finished in traffic. Averaging a double-double for the tournament with 11 points and 10 boards, Murphy played solid as usual. A pleasant surprise for the Ambassadors was the sharp shooting display from guard Tony Allen, who went 9/15 (60%) from behind the arc this weekend. Allen also assumed a big portion of the ball handling along with Chase Carlton and looked very comfortable. As for Carlton, the unsigned senior out of Austin found himself near the top of the field with double digit steals for the weekend. Carlton is a strong guard with active hands who takes pride in moving his feet and really challenging the offensive player. All in all, the Ambassadors didn't have a strong weekend record wise, but look for them to regroup and really compete in Indianapolis, during the next stop in the adidas Uprising Tour May 24-26.