Gilroy’s Jr. High AAU team takes third at nationals
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Gilroy Basketball Association, a team made up of local junior high boys from South Valley and Brownell, just returned from Las Vegas, Nevada where they took third place in the recent AAU National Invitational Basketball Tournament.
There were over 200 teams in attendance for the national event. Gilroy was placed in a bracket with some of the other top AAU teams from throughout the country. It was based on GBA’s overall AAU record of 21 wins with only five losses while playing top teams from California and other states as well.
GBA’s only two losses at Nationals came against the two teams that reached the finals. The Desperados, a team made up of players from all over the United States, put a team on the floor with a 6’11”, 280-pound center who was recently featured on ESPN as the next Shaq. They had other players who stood taller than 6’5″. Although undersized, GBA put up a great fight before losing.
The game voted as the best game of the tournament came when Gilroy beat an undefeated team from Portland, Oregon. GBA got out early and held on for a 72-68 victory.
“Portland is very tough,” Head Coach Ed Jensen said. “They have been together for close to seven years. They are big, talented and basketball smart.”
GBA has been invited to travel to Portland and play in the prestigious Portland Panther Shootout along with other top AAU teams.
Last month, Gilroy played in the Porterville California ‘War On The Floor’. GBA had the chance to play against some of the best teams out of central and southern California. GBA beat the Porterville Heat by 11 points. Porterville has only one AAU loss so far this year. GBA also beat a very strong team from Fresno to take first place in the tournament.
Gilroy is not finished playing this season. The youngsters have additional tournaments planned for Reno, Sacramento, and Portland.
“We have seen our players really have fun, learn the game and develop some great skills. This is a great group of young men. They are fun to be with and represent Gilroy extremely well,” Jensen said. “There are a number of other very skilled players in Gilroy that we did not have on our roster this season. We hope to have them next season.”
Players for this season include:
1) Kameron Handy 6’1″ 150 lbs. Kameron is a wonderful player. He is very skilled and can play all five positions on the floor. Kameron has been our top scorer this season.
2) Jacob Dexter 5’9″ 140 lbs. Jacob is our floor general. He was tops in steals and assists. His ability to really see the floor lead to much of our success.
3) David Navarrez 6’2″ 230 lbs. David was “the man” he really provided a presence in the middle for us. He made us a very physical team. Can score and rebound.
4) David Alejo 6’1″ 165 lbs. David was our top rebounder this year. David had a number of games where he scored over 20 points and had over 12 rebounds this season.
5) Derek Jensen 5’8″ 135 lbs. Derek was one of our top shooters this season. His 2 free throws against Portland helped to seal the victory.
6) Kenderick Azcuetta 5’7″ 130 lbs. Kenderick is a scoring threat. He proved to be a top defender too. This is a player to really watch for in the future.
7) Ryan Costa 5’2″ 110 lbs. Ryan is our spark plug. He controlls the point guard position for us. A very skilled player and quick defender.
8) Frank Tomasetti 5’10” 150 lbs. Frank is a great athlete. He is very close to being able to dunk the basketball. A wonderful rebounder.
9) Jamie Jensen 5’7″ 135 lbs. Jamie is only going into the 7th grade yet he played a key role on this team. Jamie played both the inside and outside positions.
10) Adrian Rodriquez 5’9″ 140 lbs. Adrian is another wonderful athlete. He played the wing positions and proved to be a good scorer and defender.
11) Marshad Johnson 6’1″ 145 lbs. Marshad is a very good defender. He had a number of games where he lead our team in blocked shots.
12) Manley Hines 6’4″ 165 lbs. Manley is a very good low post scorer and defender. He can change a game with his size and ability.
13) Orlando Johnson 6’1″ 150 lbs. Orlando is a very skilled, athletic player. He is a great ball handler and scorer. He can really jump out of the gym.
14) Christian Lam 5’11” 160 lbs. Christian is another multi talented player. He can score inside or outside. Christian is a very good rebounder and defender too.
15) Tyler West 5’6″ 125lbs. Tyler is new to the game, but is learning quickly. He has good instinsts as a wing player.
16) Stephen Galtman 5’10” 145 lbs. Stephen is a very good post player. He can score and rebound inside.
