Basketball Spotlight AAU 11U Regional Region

King Street Kings

The time has come where we rank the Top 10 teams in our region. Our ranking criterion includes state and regional finishes, top tournaments attended, head to head competition and AAU national play. All facets of this criterion will be looked at when ranking the teams. We also will be listing the MVP of the summer and other awards. Here’s a look at 11U Division. This age division was one of the toughest to rank.

Basketball Spotlight Tri-State Top 10

1. Kings Street Kings- The Kings of NJ won the State crown for 11 and Under Division 1 and 12 and Under Division 2. They also won the Kobe Dream Classic, AAU Super Regional, Riverside Hawks Tourney and Game Over Classic. They also finished runner up at the MDC and advanced out of pool play at the Nationals.

2. Harvest Knights- From the mid season to after the MDC the Knights pounded the competition on the hardwood. The MDC Champs had mean guard play and the inside scoring to handle just about anyone. The run got cut short at the nationals were they were disqualified for adding an ineligible player to their roster.

3. Riverside Hawks- Riverside won the Metropolitan title in blow out fashion and competed in some other top tourneys throughout the country. This was the flagship group of the resurging program that ruled years ago. They won their pool at the nationals and advanced deep into the 1st round consolation bracket.

4. Gauchos- The Gauchos won the Metropolitan D2 crown and the Show Me Invitational which had a decent field. They went to the AAU D2 Nationals and advanced to the Final Four. They have a very exciting team to watch and should continue to put a dent in region next year.

5. Long Island Lightning- The Lightning finished runner up at the Metropolitan Regionals and at the Game Over Classic to name a few. They’ve been a house hold name for a couple of years and should continue that success in the future.

6. Delaware Elite- The Delaware Elite won the Mid Atlantic Regional which was not as strong this year. They also went to the D1 nationals and made it to the Final Four of the Classic bracket. They probably would have been ranked a little higher if they strength of schedule was a little better.

7. Hollis Biddies (ILOY)- The Hollis Biddies had an impressive run at the MDC coming within 2 points of making the championship. They went down to the nationals and were placed in the classic bracket but went to work making it to the Elite 8 round.

8. F.A.C.E.S- The Newark squad played with a lot of energy this year and made it to the semifinals of the MDC. They had some good inside play but lacked the experienced guards to make the move to the elite level. Some key additions helped them perform better towards the end of the season.

9. Team MVP- The Trenton based squad begun the season with a championship at the MLK Classic when they were the Trenton Hurricanes. They went on to have a decent season and finished runner up in NJ State Tournament.

10. Linden Ballers- The Baller’s strength of scheduled helped them crack the Top 10. They brought their game to just about every top tournament in the Northeast. When teams faced them they were in a slugfest.

Players Of The Year

New Jersey

Temple Gibbs (King Street Kings)- The KSK organization doesn’t like individual accolades but we couldn’t deny that Gibbs got the job done when we were in the building. The lead guard used his strength and mean streak along with skill set to do just about anything on the floor. His play was something serious throughout the state tournament and the MDC. NJ get ready for Gibbs 3.

Middle Atlantic Region

Malik Ellison (Harvest Knights)- Mr. Memorial Day is something special once he hits the hardwood. His moves a very precise and you can see the maturity in his game. He lives for the moment and is willing to make big plays when his team needs it. New Jersey might be looking at their next mega star of the future. The game is there, the genes are there and the exposure will definitely be there. Ready or not here he comes.

Metropolitan Region

Jaquan McKennon (Gauchos)- The kid Shake and Bake does have some flash to his game but you can’t get made because he kills you with substance. His ability to score from the guard position is something no team can take for granted. He literally can take a game over offensively once he gets in a groove. He’s worth the price of admission.

Basketball Spotlight ALL Summer Team

ALL New Jersey

Temple Gibbs (KSK)
Byrce Aiken (KSK)
Otis Livingston (KSK)
Justin Salem (KSK)
Trey Lowe (Team MVP)
James Wright (Team MVP)
Herbie Ellis (Team MVP)
Jason Peoples (Linden Ballers)
Isiah Stills (Linden Ballers)
Kyle Phipps (Linden Ballers)
RJ Cole (FACES)
Brian Brown (FACES)
Austin Goodluck (FACES)
Nyrique Smith (Asbury Park)
Pat Sheenan (JSL Hoops)
Miles Powell (CJ Future Stars)
Tyler Jones (CJ Future Stars)
Jack Laffy (Bayshore Bulldogs)
Jack Byrnes (Bayshore Bulldogs)
Nick Lubisher (Bayshore Bulldogs)

All Metropolitan Region

Josh Wallace (Hollis Biddies)
Elijah McNeely-Davy (Hollis Biddies)
Justin Roberts (LI Lightning)
Gianni Ford (LI Lightning)
Cheyenne Nettleton (LI Lightning)
Jaquan McKennon (NYC Gauchos)
Desure Buie (NYC Gauchos)
Boz Bernstein (NYC Gauchos)
Kai Mitchell (NYC Gauchos)
Mike Williams (Riverside Hawks)
Ty Jerome (Riverside Hawks)
Thomas Capuano (Riverside Hawks)
Eric Paschal (Riverside Hawks)

All Middle Atlantic

Malik Ellison (Harvest Knights)
Trevaughn Wilkerson (Harvest Knights)
Ray Lawry (Harvest Knights)
Isiah Baylor (Harvest Knights)
Steven Jordan (Philly Aztecs)
Jahmil Harris (Philly Aztecs)

Note: I didn’t get a chance to see many Mid Atlantic teams play in this age group.