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HUSTLAZ MISSIONThe "Round Rock Hustlaz Organization" is a Non-profit 501(c)3 organization and an AAU Affiliated Level 3 Club Member dedicated to the youths of Central Texas and is in its third year of operation. We accept all basketball players that have the desire to improve and work hard to maximize their athletic potential. All players will be treated equally and we will work with each player to help give them the confidence and skill to help them play competitively. As a Hustlaz player, we stress teamwork, discipline, camaraderie, and unselfishness. No one player is bigger than the team, and the team is only as strong as its weakest player. If you think your child is a star and deserves star treatment, then maybe this is not the team for your child. If our "Mission" meets your goals and aspirations, please contact us.
END OF THE HUSTLAZ ERA
June 29, 2009
The Hustlaz ended their season this past weekend at the Austin Ice Tournament held at St. Stephens School. All teams played well and enjoyed the tournament. It is a bittersweet end to a tumultuous year and for the most part a great five-year run of the Hustlaz organization.
The 8th grade boys played with so much heart in this tournament and even though they were playing stiff competition they never gave up. They say in basketball that you can’t coach Height and you can’t coach Heart. If these young men keep their heart and continue to play hard they will be an asset to any organization that they play for in the future. The players on this team deserve a standing ovation: Dominique, Markel, Travis, Marquan, Alex and Derrick.
The Hustlaz Varsity team has amazing basketball skills and they play well together. The issue with them as with most teenagers is for them to recognize that they do not know it all. Attitude goes a long way in being successful. If you learn to just be quiet and listen even when you do not agree, you will get so much more out of life. Uriah, Delranaldo, Jhordan, Stephen, Terres, Lindsey and Stacy could have won this tournament but mistakes were made throughout (on the court and off) and in basketball as well as life you will pay for them eventually.
The Hustlaz organization served a vital role in the community and we wish everyone connected to it much success in all future endeavors.
8th grade team. Dominique dribbing ball.
Austin Ice Tournament 6-28-2009
The Hustlaz Varsity Team placed 2nd in the AAU Super Regionals held in Frisco, Texas on May 23-24, 2009. Kudos go to the entire team. GOOD JOB!!
Juice does the Hustlaz Good!!
May 20, 2009
Who needs Milk when you've got Mango Juice?
At the USSSA Austin Qualifier School’s Out Tournament held this past weekend May 16-17, 2009 the Hustlaz Varsity played 5 games at Wallace Middle School in Kyle, Texas. We encountered good competition all weekend long. Even the one team we played that wasn’t very competitive played with a lot of heart. One referee was so bad, it was comical. Overall, it was a very good tournament.
The STAR of the weekend was Stephen Manago "The Juice", who had breakout games all weekend long. Stephen’s play was OUTSTANDING. He blocked shots, grabbed rebounds, hit threes, was on the floor hustling for the loose ball, made good passes to his team mates, took charges and hard fouls (he gave a few too) and made his free throws. It seemed like the Super-Powered Green Shorts he wore were everywhere at once. Even when the Juice knocked an opponent down, he helped them up. During one of the games someone in the crowd yelled “The Juice is Loose.” WOW!!! It just goes to show how GREAT our Varsity team is in that anyone of the talented players will step up at any given time.
They say in basketball you live by the three, you die by the three. Well, we were LIVING quite LARGE this weekend. It rained threes for our team. Stephen, Jhordan, Uriah and Riliegh all hit multiple threes throughout the weekend. The teamwork was so impressive as the Hustlaz helped each other. Delranaldo was the clean-up MAN this weekend. He rejected balls in all games and out jumped everyone consistently for rebounds and scored a lot on put backs.
Despite the loss of Andre due to a nasty wrist injury during the first game, the Hustlaz were able to regroup and continue to slay their opponents. We won four of the five games we played. GO HUSTLAZ!
Information For AAU Super Regional In Frisco, TX
The AAU qualifying tournament on May 23-24 in Frisco, TX is less than two weeks away. The 8th grade, JV and Varsity teams will attend. If you need a room contact Bobbi Thomas 512-203-9951. As of right now we have 15 rooms reserved and the price of the rooms are $79.00 per room. We will be staying at the Dallas / Plano Marriott @ Legacy Town Center. The address is:
7120 Dallas Parkway
Plano, TX 75024
Phone# 972-473-6444
Coaches Comments May 2009
This month will be one of the busiest I've ever experienced in my five years of coaching. First of all, I'll begin coaching a 9th grade JV team out of Thrall, TX, in addition to the one I am coaching here. Last season I coached four players from Thrall that played on my 8th grade team. The parents asked me if I would like to coach a team of their players and I gladly accepted. They are really some hard working young men that I know will give me a 110% everytime they step on the court. We will practice on Mondays and Wednesdays in Thrall starting on the 4th of May. They will play in about 5 tournaments now through June. We also have a fundraiser going on in addition to a tournament this weekend. The 8th graders are playing in the "Nothin But Net" inaugural tournament at Regents School of Austin. Coach Arthur Thomas is heading the fundraiser as well as his team playing in the tournament. We will be needing help from the JV team as well as the Varsity team parents and coaches with the fundraiser.
Because some issues came up during the out of town trip, we will be making some changes. From now on players will need to bring money with them on out of town trips. We will have breakfast for the players each morning because the hotels we will stay in will have continental breakfast. We will provide team pizza at least one night (Saturday of all road trips. Players will be expected to have money with them to by themselves food. Players may be left home if they do not bring money for out of town trips. If players stay with a parent in a room, they will give the money to the parent whom they're staying with, not the organization. We will have at least four players in a room for all tournaments. If players do not want to share their bed, then they will be expected to pay double. We will always stay in quality hotels when we travel and I don't care if anyone objects to that in order to save a couple of dollars. we tried that in the past, and believe me it was not pretty.
Beat the Heat 2009
April 29, 2009
Hustlaz 8th graders first out of town trip was very successful. We learned a lot about ourselves this weekend. We played in the Beat the Heat Tournament in my home town, Port Arthur TX. The tournament was what we expected. The teams like to press, but our boys were ready. The boys broke the press and played with high energy. I was most impressed with the way the boys ran their own press. They got many fast breaks, but were not able to finish on the other end. We had a lot of good looks at the goal, but with so many inexperienced players on the floor the boys were a little nervous.
To say we only took eight player and were only able to play six, I am very proud of how well the boys played as a new team with only one tournament behind them. Our defense was outstanding, holding all the teams to 30 or less points. We still have a lot of work to get our offense going. With the boys help we have gained more offense player that will give us a boost. Devon Wofford (Point Guard), Derrick Orji (Shooting Guard), Micheal Egwuagu (Point Guard), Travis Jenkins (Shooting Guard), Dominick Johnson (Power Forward), Melick Turner (Power Foward), Marquel Taylor (Shooting Guard), Tavin Holmes (Shooting Guard), John Vincent (Small Foward), Samuel and Marqquen (Frowards). We were missing three important players this weekend that would have made the difference in the tournament for the Hustlaz. We will be seeing these teams again and the results will be different and we will be fully staffed.
With no bench we lost our games at the end each time, our last by only three points. The boys now see how important conditioning is for our team seeing how we are a small team size wise. With the performance these 8th graders put on this weekend I expect this team only to go up from here. This team has so much heart so I expect nothing less from them. To be continued...... Go Hustlaz!!!!!!
Fundraiser Set For All Teams
April 26, 2009
The Hustlaz organization will be holding a fundraiser for all teams with a supper on the 9th of May. Coach Thomas will be heading the event and we will need the parents and players to help us with the event. The suppers will sell for $8.00 a plate. Plates will include brisket, sausage, potato salad, dirty rice, and baked beans. Plates can be picked up from 5800 East Martin Luther King Blvd., 78724. Time is noon to 4:00p.m. The money will be used for the players hotel stay on out of town tournaments and travel. All the money that each team raises will go to that team. A team mom will be put in charge of that money for their team. You can call Coach Arthur Thomas at 318-491-9075 for more information. We will need parents from each team to help us out with making the food and fixing the plates.
Varsity, JV Play In Georgetown This Coming Weekend
April 26, 2009
The Varsity and JV teams will play this weekend in the Georgetown tournament. MAYB is hosting the tournament. I'm expecting both teams to show improvement and play more to their capabilities. This tournament is a tuneup for the big AAU tournament in Frisco, TX that all teams will be attending. The schedule for this tournament is already posted at the bottom of this page. Any questions, call Coach Anthony @ 512-436-5554.
JV Team Play The Blues In New Orleans
The JV team went down to New Orleans last week and learned some valuable lessons on focusing and preparing to play basketball at this level. The team is still learning to get tougher mentally and to play with more consistency. Some players still haven't completely bought into the program and they will either shape up or ship out. I want players that are really serious about playing the game and they're starting to realize that. Only the mentally strong players will survive.
In our first game we played the Acadiana Heat and the team was ready to play. They came out aggressive and set the tempo for the game. They made a run late in the game but we were able to win 42-40. After that game we seemed to lose focus and the team reverted back to being inconsistent, forgetting the plays and not hustling on defense. The only player that was consistent throughout the tournament was Eric Berry, who really played great. Other players had their moments, but not consistently. It was a great experience for the team though, and we had a memorable time visiting downtown New Orleans. Looking forward to going back again, but we need to take care of business first.
Hustlaz Mix It Up in Port Arthur!
April 22, 2009
The Hustlaz Varsity traveled to the Port Arthur Beat the Heat Spring Jam this past weekend. However, there was no HEAT to beat just TORRENTIAL RAIN.
We played three games over the weekend. The first game at 8am on Saturday, April 18th was a CAKEWALK and our last game at 10:00am on Sunday, April 19th for many reasons was a HEARTBREAKER. As in other tournaments we have played this year the schedule was changed by the tournament organizers and we didn’t know when or who we were playing until practically the last minute.
At 2:00pm on Saturday, April 18th we played our best game against real competition the Port Arthur Flight. Rileigh Linville was the high scorer this game with 22 points. His teammates kept feeding him the ball since he had the HOT hand and was in the right place at the right time. Jhordan Mason, Riliegh Linville and Uriah Hall all started the game with three point shots. Delranaldo Hall and Uriah Hall (no relation) took their game up another level against these opponents. Both of these players stood out this game because they hustled the entire time and caused serious problems for the other team.
The Port Arthur Flight had the lead for most of the first half, however by halftime the score was 18 to 24 Hustlaz. Stacy Johnson joined the line up and played solid basketball. Terres Wilson and Lindsey Wilson (no relation) overcame CHOKING defense trying to get the ball in on several plays. Stephen Manago just took the ball out of the opponents hand on one play for the steal. Jhordan Mason and Uriah Hall both had amazing put back plays at different times in the second half after grabbing the rebound.
Turnovers were an issue for us this game as we overthrew a couple of passes in the first half and lazy passes toward the end of the game. The Flight played hard till the end and WE DID TOO! We won the game 35 to 42 Hustlaz.
Statistics:
Game #1: Uriah 16, Terres 10, Delranaldo 8, Lindsey 7, Jhordan 6, Stephen 6, Stacy 3, Rileigh 2 (Everyone scored this game). Final Score: Hustlaz 58, Cobras 17.
Game #2: Rileigh 22, Uriah 9, Jhordan 5, Delranaldo 4, Stacy 2, Stephen 2. Final Score: Hustlaz 42, Port Arthur Flight 35.
Game #3: Uriah 9, Terres 9, Delranaldo 3, Jhordan 2, Stacy 2, Lindsey 2. Final Score: Houston Elite 44, Hustlaz 27.
Coaches Comments April 2009
April 12, 2009
I have a few topics that I'd like to talk about this month. The first is about players and parents of players that play in AAU and on our Hustlaz teams. When I started this organization five seasons ago, I had only 4 players that had played any organized basketball in school. None had AAU experience. The team really struggled the first couple of months because they were inexperienced. The team I had assembled were 9th graders and we were playing 10th graders. It was tough the first couple of months because they made alot of mistakes mentally. The only way they were going to get better was to play and get that experience.
Just like in the real world, no matter how much education you have, somebody will still have to train you for the job. To me, this is what AAU basketball is about. It is my job to teach these players how to play the game the right way. When they get to school, the coaches are going to expect them to know how to play. Some people get into this and expect to have a team of All Stars on the team. They're not happy because the team struggles and don't win as much as they think they should. Well, if they think like that, maybe they should have tried out for the Ambassadors or another program where your child already know the game and doesn't need much coaching. Here I feel our job is to teach the game. I love teaching the game to my players and watching them get better and get to the level they need to have success on the court. As I said in the mission statement; "If you think your child is a star and deserve star treatment, maybe this isn't the team for your child." I treat all players on the team the same and I expect them to do what I say on the court, not the parent. If they do not listen to what I expect them to do, they will be sitting on the bench. We as coaches also forget sometimes what we really are here to do. We sometimes get so obsessed with winning that we forget about the kids on the team with lesser experience and don't coach them as hard as the players with more skills. Remember that we are only as strong as our weakest player and we have to do our best to coach that player up as best we can. Parents are paying good money for their child to learn to play the game and they expect their child to show improvement. I feel that is my #1 objective as coach. I want to win as bad as anyone else, but that is not what this is all about. I want to teach them to play with confidence, discipline, and team work first. The winning will follow.
The next thing I want to address is the tournaments in the area. We will not be playing in many tournaments in the area this year. We will support the Austin Ice, the Texas Extreme, and "Nothin' But Net" tournaments, but other than that we will play in Killeen, Georgetown, Cedar Park, and Temple. That's about as local as I want to get. I was really disgusted with the tournament this past weekend with the way they messed us around with the schedule and the way they changed the bracket to benefit other teams.
We will be having fundraisers for the teams in the coming weeks to try and help out with paying for hotels and travel. The Varsity will need the most help and I'm expecting the players on that team to step up and make a contribution to the cause. We are having a supper fundraiser in a couple of weeks. All teams will participate. Coach Thomas is heading that with some parents on the 8th grade team. I'm hoping for some of the parents on the JV and Varsity teams to step up and help us out.
Hustlaz Varsity has the "RIGHT STUFF" for Success!!
April 7, 2009
The Varsity Team showed up and showed everyone what the RIGHT STUFF looks like at the 12th Annual Central Texas Shootout tournament this weekend. The Varsity schedule and location was changed in a move by the tournament organizers and we ended up playing at Crockett High School as we did the previous weekend. Some players were not able to make all the games, but the Varsity players played some amazing team ball against each opponent.
At the early morning game which started late, we beat the ATX boys who left in a “STATE OF SHOCK”. In fact, the last few seconds of the game they were trying to add more time on the clock, however the Hustlaz prevailed and we won the game by 2. Jhordan Mason had long stretches during the entire tournament where he did what he wanted when he wanted and scored at-will. Terres Wilson and Stephen Manago played aggressive, impressive ball all weekend.
At 11:15 am we played the JB Allstars and another one bites the dust. Justin Lindsey showed his entire range this game as he worked in the paint and made several threes. The leaping ability of the entire Hustlaz Varsity team is amazing. At one point in the game DaShone Coleman out jumped everyone on the floor and pulled down the rebound. The Hustlaz played good defense in all the games and the ball was always passed to the open man. All players scored this game.
At 6:50pm, we played the Austin And1 team and although it looked like they may have had us at for awhile, we pulled out the win. We won all games played on Saturday and it was awesome to watch different players step up at different times. Delranaldo Hall rejected several opponents balls in all games and showed his versatility. Rileigh Linville made some big shots in all the games in this tournament.
On Sunday, we played two games and won the first one against the Alief Hurricanes. The Hustlaz assists in this game were bigger than the shots made. Free throws this tournament were not an issue for our team. Even though we didn’t make them all, it was rare that we missed both of them. Lindsey Wilson had two tear-drop mid-range one-arm shots in a row that was done with so much finesse, it looked easy.
All the games were extremely exciting. In our final 2:30pm game we played the Cen-TX Shooters who have three 8 footers on their team (just kidding) and some really good shooters. The big men were really tall, however we were not fazed. Uriah Hall found his stride this game and hit some big shots against the big men and played excellent defense. The Hustlaz defense in this game was smothering. We lost that game just one short of the Championship round.
Coach Francis did a superb job the entire weekend and his team responded to his leadership. The Varsity Team is a force to be reckoned with. I don’t think anyone will underestimate our Varsity team again and they will be ready for us. I know we are up for the challenge.
Hustlaz MVP’s for this tournament in alphabetical order are:
DaShone, Delranaldo, Jhordan, Justin, Lindsey, Rileigh, Stephen, Terres and Uriah.
Great Team Ball!!
Photos of games in photo album
Bigger, Stronger, Deeper
March 31, 2009
This year's version of the 2009 Hustlaz Varsity will be even better than originally thought. Without a doubt this will be the BEST Varsity team we have ever assembled. We now have a group that can compete with the Ambassador teams of the area. We now have big men that can run and jump with the best players out there. Combine that with the returning players that know the system and with one of the best young coaches in the area, and you will see a team that will make alot of noise this summer. Even though they came in second in this week's tournament with only one week's practice, they will win a quite a few tournaments this season.
Varsity, JV Teams Move Forward Despite Changes
March 14, 2009
It was a tough week for varsity Coach Joe Francis. When he got news that a few of his players from last year were not returning, he kind of took it personally and thought about quitting and starting with a younger team. I told him not to take it like that, but take it as a compliment. To me, it was a credit to the coaching job he did this past season. That's how this business is. These players got alot of notice and recognition from the success they had and other teams and coaches are going to pursue those kids and try and convince them to play for their teams. Players like attention like that, and sometimes they think that the grass will be greener on the other side. Some will leave starting positions on our team to come off the bench on other teams. Just like those kids leave, there are other kids on the outside wanting to come play for the team and coach. Joe Francis is one of the best young coaches out there and he's very passionate and loyal to his players, sometimes to his detriment. We talk about it alot and he's realizing that sometimes players will try and take advantage of the situation. He had a pleasant surprise last night at practice when he had a big turnout of new players show up. Quite a few of them play above the rim. He even got really nice point guard. Young players also know that he's a very good coach. They want to be coached by the best. Joe Francis is a top notch coach and players that leave this program will realize that later. He takes time to work out with his players individually. Players are not going to get that from most other clubs.
We have had such a big turnout, we will have to cut players from the teams, Varsity and JV for the first time ever. I hate cutting players and fortunately I never had to because they usually cut themselves and quit because because it was too intense. Some just cannot to afford to pay the fees. I feel bad about that, but we do not have the sponsors that other teams have so we need everyone to pay their fair share. We are about to sign a contract with a gym so that we can have alot of practice time for our teams and save money too for our program. Once the deal is signed, we will be having three hour practices, twice a week, per team. I don't think anybody out there will be able to compete with that. I hope to have a couple of tournaments for younger teams at our new gym for fund raisers.
Hustlaz Team Up With College Coaches Network
January 26, 2009
***College Coaches Network***
In a move that will enhance our players to be seen and recruited by college scouts, we have become members of the College Coaches Network. Now when we evaluate our players and put them on the website, their profile can be seen from coaches from all over the country. We plan on putting our players from 7th grade to 12th grade on the site. Once we post your child on the site, the players and parents will be able to go on the site. This gives us the ability to evaluate and submit our prospect for college coaches. It's a great site because not only can you put a picture of the player on the profile, but you can also upload game film of each player. Contact of the player's parents and coaches will also be provided. Players grades and SAT's are also on display, so we want players that play for us to also have the ability to qualify to play in college.
College Coaches Network has also teamed up with Jerry Mullen and Mullen's Scouting Service to provide the most comprehensive list of college basketball prospects nationwide. They also have tournaments that are attended by college coaches. If you have any questions, call Coach Anthony at 512-436-5554.
Great Expectations For 8th Grade Team This Season
Last season I felt that the JV1 team was going to be a very good team, probably the most talented team we've ever assembled with the Hustlaz organization. This season, I'm going to go on the record and say that this year's 8th grade team will be even better than last year's JV1 team. Coach Arthur Thomas will be the head coach of the team, and Coach Leonard Allen and myself will be the assistants. We will implement an aggressive scheme defensively and an offense that will take advantage of our size inside and our shooting ability outside. The team will be led by 6"-7" center Leonard Allen. He is the first legitimate big man that we've ever had in the organization that I feel is a naturally gifted player. He's already a natural shot blocker and he's mature for his age and wants to improve as a player. He will have plenty of help with newcomer Devon Wofford. He's a high energy player that is a very good defensive player and a shooter. Andy Schultz will finally get to play his natural position as a three guard, where his shooting ability will be displayed. Cory Calbreath will be expected to be the point guard again this season. Trent Mangold, who came on late last season is probably the most versatile player on the team, will probably start some where. Dominique Lewis will be that power forward on the team. He is a physically strong and fast player whose job is to rebound play defense. Other players that we're hoping come back but have not heard from yet are Austin Jenkins, Jalil Francois, Patrick Floyd, Marcus Curry, Trey Breed, Preston Ray, Jacob Cantu, and Gabriel Russ. Ian Satterwhite and and Markiel Taylor are new players coming to the team also. We will be holding a second tryout in the next couple of weeks and we will be expecting more players to show up so my advice to those players is to show up.
The Hustlaz Join Planet Roundball
In another move that we think will benefit the organization and bring some entertainment to the players on the team, the Hustlaz were invited to join Planetroundball.com, which we did. Planet roundball has connections with both ARC (www.archoops.com) and NJB (www.njbl.org)and they help promote tournaments nationwide. It also gives us more tournaments in which to compete. There's also some nice PC video games that you can download, like Freestyle Street Basketball. There's also other great benefits that can help save us alot of money when we travel out of town.
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