Can Mickey Mitchell Lead Texas To Another Crown?Four Remain In Memphis
MEMPHIS, TN – The Texas Titans survived a scare from Georgia’s Worldwide, but advanced to the semi-final round at the AAU National Championships for the second consecutive year. The Titans are the only team to make it back in 2010, as newcomers Memphis War Eagles, Cincinnati Knights, and Philly Aztecs round out the remaining field in contention for the 2010 D-1 AAU 13U National Title. With the matchups set to go down Saturday night, let’s take a look at the contenders…
TEXAS TITANS
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The heavy favorites to repeat as champions, the Titans were nearly exposed in the quarterfinals, but showed tremendous team resiliency to finish off Worldwide. The gyms here in Memphis have been packed each time the Titans take the court, and the crowd is certainly hoping for their demise. Led by one of the nation’s top players in 6’6 Mickey Mitchell, the Titans have gotten tremendous play from Jesse Pistokache, Sontonye “SoSo” Jamabo, and Grant Troutt on their road to the final four. They’ll have yet another tough game, this time against the Philly Aztecs, with the winner advancing to the National Championship game.
WHY THEY’LL WIN: The Titans are a disciplined group that execute sets in the half-court and take advantage of second chance opportunities off the offensive glass. Their post players are physical and their guards move the ball well on the perimeter. Defensively, they are a man-to-man group, but will utilize a zone to rest their guards if their shots aren’t falling on offense. While Mitchell may be the star, this is a very good team, with players who understand their roles and play to their strengths.
WHY THEY’LL LOSE: It’s tough for young players to keep their focus in pressure situations, and the Titans have been a bit rattled by the hostile crowds they’ve faced throughout the week. On the court, limiting their second chances by controlling the defensive boards will be key for any team hoping to beat them. While they prefer to play physical, the Titans are not extremely athletic as a team, and seem to get out of sync when pressured and forced to play at a more up-tempo pace. This team is great at finding appropriate spacing against full-court pressure, but the guards have had difficulty limiting turnovers against half-court and three-quarter-court traps.
PHILLY AZTECS
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Coached by an energetic staff led by Antoinette Bennett, the Philly Aztecs took one on the chin during pool play, suffering an overtime defeat to S.W.A.T. Elite. Earning the second seed from their pool, and developing a chip on their shoulder in the process, the tough and aggressive Philly group is getting better with each game. A potential star is emerging in 6’8 Horace Spencer, whose confidence is beaming entering a matchup with the Titans. While Spencer is more prospect than player at this point, the Aztecs catalyst has been point guard Marcus Floyd, who is without question one of the top floor generals in the tournament. Devin Liggeons, Troy Smith, and Jihad Barnes have been crucial to the Aztecs success as well.
WHY THEY’LL WIN: There may not be a tougher, grittier team in the tournament than Philly. It isn’t always pretty with this group, but they get it done, and their victories are getting wider and wider in margin with each game they play. As a unit, they share the ball well and play in constant attack mode. The relentless pressure their guards put on the ball in combination with Spencer’s presence in the middle have been devastating for opponents thus far. Liggeons and Smith have great size for the perimeter at this level, and have added the needed physical toughness for the Philly squad to emerge as one of the nation’s best.
WHY THEY’LL LOSE: As successful as their up-tempo game has been, the Aztecs have also had numerous turnovers of their own that will prove costly in the semi-final round. Their guards are a bit on the small side when matched up against the other three squads remaining, and particularly against the Titans, who happen to be the Aztecs next opponent. If their gambles on the perimeter aren’t successful, they’ll leave the middle and interior vulnerable, and put Spencer in danger of being in foul trouble. With the big man on the bench, this Aztecs team has a completely different look, and it’s not necessarily a better one.
CINCINNATI KNIGHTS
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Knights have been more dominant on their run to the semi-finals than any other team, and have made it look fairly easy, relying on a ten man rotation with depth at every position. While playing down to competition has been a concern for this squad in the early going, they are breaking games open in the second half. Their only victory less than 20 points came in the quarterfinals, when the Knights defeated the Ascension Jaguars of Louisiana by 19, winning 52-33. There have been whispers that the perceived upsets of S.W.A.T. Elite and Team Texas made the Knights road much easier, but there are no arguments about the talent that awaits them in the semi-final round.
WHY THEY’LL WIN: Glen Galemmo’s group has been here many times before, already owners of two AAU National Championships with the class of 2015. That experience along with the bitter taste of a quarterfinal defeat from last year has the Knights hungry to reclaim what they feel is theirs. It is clear that this squad’s depth is unmatched and they may be the best defensive team in the entire field. Amos “A.J.” Harris anchors the Knights at the point, and he’s surrounded by shooters on the perimeter in 6’3 Luke Kennard and 6’2 Macio Teague. Posts players 6’7 Nathan Fowler and 6’5 Brenden Hardisty have done an excellent job on the interior while Isaiah Jones may be the key to the Knights defensive scheme.
WHY THEY’LL LOSE: The Knights have proved they can score into the 60 point range while limiting chances for other teams. However, while their bench depth is certainly a positive, the Knights have struggled to contain transition opportunities for opponents. Varying tempos should help teams keep games close, and up-tempo paces should exploit the Knights defense to serious scoring and momentum swings. Also, while they have size on the interior, the post players have not asserted themselves as much as the guards have, and the Knights are more susceptible to giving up baskets on inside the paint.
MEMPHIS WAR EAGLES
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The inspired play of the hometown team has certainly been one of the headline stories of the tournament. Featuring a group of players who had little reputation inside Memphis, much less the national stage, several of the War Eagles prospects are set to explode in a big way in terms of recognition in the hoops world. Wings Khalil Spencer and Rodney Webb have taken over much of the scoring load while guards Dillon Mitchell and Naba Echols have handled the lead guard responsibilities. Malik Smith, Chris Hale, and Darrick Ellis provide the War Eagles with good size and played solid minutes in wins against the Illinois Flash and Gulf Coast Blue Chips.
WHY THEY’LL WIN: Bench depth is certainly a key to advancing in week-long national championship tournaments, and the War Eagles have that, along with the advantage of sleeping in their own beds each night. Seemingly more rested, and with more energy than any team in the tournament, the War Eagles have a loud and excited hometown crowd behind them each game. This team gets plenty of opportunities from the free throw line and takes advantage of their trips. They have a very balanced offense and feature six players capable of scoring 20+ on any given night. They’ll only need three of four of them to stay hot and challenge for an AAU National Championship over the next 48 hours.
WHY THEY’LL LOSE: The War Eagle guards are a bit undersized and have struggled somewhat with pressure, both in the full and half-court. With the inability to throw over traps, the wing players will have to handle the ball more, and create more opportunities for themselves and the post players in the semi-final round. With bigger perimeter players on the other three teams remaining in the field, the War Eagles may also struggle to keep opponents out of the lane, meaning scoring opportunities and fouls may add up in favor of their opponents.
BASKETBALL SPOTLIGHT EXPERT PICKS:
SEMI-FINALS:
Cincinnati Knights (55) over Memphis War Eagles (47)
Texas Titans (51) over Philly Aztecs (38)
CHAMPIONSHIP:
Texas Titans (45) over Cincinnati Knights (42)
