DEAR 2008-2011 DYNASTY,

I THOUGHT I WOULD TAKE A MOMENT AND SHARE MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PAST FEW YEARS. THERE ARE TIMES IN LIFE WHERE YOU COME INTO A PERSON'S LIFE AND YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT OR NOT. COACHING THE LAST 9 YEARS,(5 YEARS AAU),THE CLASSE(S) OF 2008-2011 HAVE ALL HAD AN IMPACT ON ME. GRADUATING THIS YEAR, THE 2011 CLASS, IN 4 YEARS, THE JOURNEY TOGETHER HAS BEEN PRICELESS. ALL I WANTED WAS A CHANCE TO TEACH AND EARN YOUR TRUST AND RESPECT. THRU THAT, YOU ALL HAVE GROWN AND TURNED INTO FINE YOUNG MEN. IN A SENSE, YOU ALL HAVE MADE ME A BETTER PERSON TOO. FROM THE TIME WE STARTED THIS JOURNEY, ITS BEEN A ROLLER COASTER OF SORTS... TIMES WE HAVE LAUGHED, CRIED, ARGUED, BUT ONE THING THAT ALL THE TEAMS HAVE HAD IS NEVER LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE GOAL AT HAND, WHICH WAS STAYING TOGETHER, WINNING TOURNAMENTS, AND LOVING LIFE.
WITH OVER 300+ WINS IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, YOU ALL HAVE EXCEEDED ALL OF MY EXPECTATIONS. SAN ANTONIO, DALLAS, ATLANTA, LOUISIANA, FLORIDA, OKLAHOMA ETC., HAVE ALL SEEN WHAT HOOP CITY IS ABOUT AND THRU THIS THERE HAS BEEN A LEGACY FOR THE UP AND COMING TEAMS FOR THE FUTURE.
OUR GRADUATION RATE IS EXCELLENT WITH 100% ACCOUNTABILITY. THAT IS THE GOAL FOR ANY PLAYER IS GRADUATION. I'M PROUD OF YOU ALL FOR THIS ACCOMPLISHMENT.
HOOP CITY PLAYERS ARE SPREAD OUT IN DIVISION I,II, AND JUCOS ALL OVER THE SOUTH. AS WE ARE GETTING READY TO GO OUR SEPERATE WAYS,CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR THE HIGHEST AND NEVER LET ANYONE TELL YOU, "YOU CAN'T." CLASS OF 2012, 2013 AND PLAYERS TO COME, FOLLOW YOUR PREDECESSORS AND STUDY HARD, PLAY HARD, AND LOVE LIFE.
I LOVE YOU ALL AND REMEMBER, I'M A PHONE CALL AWAY. HOOP CITY NOW, HOOP CITY FOR LIFE.

ALWAYS,

RON JONES

FOUNDER/COACH/MENTOR

THE MONTH OF JUNE COMES AROUND EVERY YEAR AND IT BRINGS THE HOT WEATHER, FAMILY REUNIONS, AAU SUMMER BALL, END OF THE SCHOOL AND GRADUATION. WITH ALL THE ADVERSITY THIS SCHOOL YEAR, I MUST CONGRATULATE THE HOOP CITY CLASS OF 2011. ALL THESE YOUNG MEN FROM HOOP CITY GRADUATED ON TIME AND WILL BE ATTENDING COLLEGE THIS FALL.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HOOP CITY CLASS OF 2011: LEXUS PERRODIN, BOBBY GRAY, JAMAR WILLIAMS, EJ SIDNEY, KERRY McCLAHAN, DARIUS PAYNE, SAM SEGURA AND LADARREN LOVE.
REMEMBER NO ONE CAN TAKE AWAY WHAT YOU HAVE EARNED. NO ONE TRAINS TO FINISH IN SECOND, BUT FEW TRAIN IN FIRST.
ONCE AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2011!!!

THERE IS A BULLSEYE ON THIS TEAM. FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS, HOOP CITY HAS PUT THERE STAMP ON THE AAU CIRCUIT RUNNING THRU TEAMS AND BEATING THEM CONVINCELY. THEY NOW ARE BEING CHALLENGED EVERYTIME THEY TOUCH THE FLOOR.
FACING THE NORTHSIDE SHAKAZ, HOOP CITY WAS OVER SIZED IN THE FRONT COURT. FACING THIS LINEUP WITH SHOOTERS AND SIZE, HOOP CITY HAD THERE WORK CUT OUT FOR THEM. HOOP CITY INVITED THE MATCHUP AND STAYED STEADY IN THERE SYSTEM OF "BROTHERHOOD" ON THE FLOOR. ONLY GRABBING 28 REBOUNDS, THEY WERE ABLE TO STAY IN THE GAME AND BE OVER COMPETITIVE TO THE SHAKAZ. SHOOTING 6 FOR 17 FROM THE 3 POINT LINE WASN'T THE GAMEPLAN BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO EXCEL AND GET 13 STEALS. LEADING THE WAY WAS BOBBY GRAY WITH 18 PTS/4 REB/5 AST/2 STEALS. DARIUS PAYNE BROUGHT HIS GAME AND CHIPPED IN WITH 15 PTS/3 REB/3 STEALS. JARED MCDOUGLE AND LEXUS PERRODIN HAD 14.
BRACKET PLAY BEGAN WITH HOOP CITY BEING THE TOP SEED. THE FASTBREAKERS WERE THE FIRST TEAM AND IT DIDNT LAST LONG. HOOP CITY DOMINATED 78-33.LEADING THE WAY WAS LEXUS PERRODIN WITH 17 PTS/3 REB. BOBBY GRAY AND DARIUS PAYNE CHIPPED IN WITH 15 PTS EACH.
THERE ARE RIVALRIES MADE IN SPORTS AND IT SEEMS LIKE HOOP CITY HAS ONE IN THE HOUSTON OUTLAWS. HOOP CITY HAS MATCHED UP WITH THE OUTLAWS ON A FEW OCCASSIONS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. THIS WOULD BE A COMBATIVE GAME WHERE THIS WOULD PROVE WHO WOULD GO TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. A CHESS MATCH GAME IT WAS AND WITH A THIN LINEUP LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS NO WAY TO WIN THIS GAME. THERE IS TO MUCH EXPERIENCE ON THIS TEAM TO EVER COUNT THEM OUT. 0/6 FROM BEHIND THE ARC, AND 21 DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS DIDN'T SEEM LIKE IT WOULD BE ENOUGH. AT HALFTIME IT WAS 33 ALL AND GOING INTO OVERTIME, IT WAS TIME FOR HOOP CITY TO MAKE ONE LAST RUN AND IT PAID OFF. HOOP CITY LEFT IT ON THE FLOOR AND BOBBY GRAY LED ALL SCORERS WITH 30 PTS/5 REB/ 10 AST/2 STEALS. HOOP CITY ALSO HAD FOUR OTHER SCORES IN DOUBLE FIGURES.
IN THE SHIP GAME, HOOP CITY WOULD FACE TEAM TEXAS. THIS TEAM WOULD JUMP ON HOOP CITY EARLY AND WOULD BE UP AT HALFTIME 46-37. HOOP CITY MADE SOME STRONG RUNS IN THE SECOND HALF AND BOTH TEAMS SWITCHED LEADS. EVENTUALLY, IT WOULD COME DOWN TO 1 SHOT AND DUE TO A MENTAL BREAKDOWN, THIS ONE WAS NOT IN HOOP CITY'S FAVOR. HOOP CITY LOSES 78-76. BOBBY GRAY HAD 30 PTS/4 REB/5 AST. DARIUS PAYNE CHIPPED IN WITH 14 PTS/5 REB/3 AST. LEXUS PERRODIN HAD 12 PTS AND JACOY NIXON DROPPED 10.

A YEAR AGO, HOOP CITY DOMINATED THIS TOURNAMENT IN ALL PHASES OF THE GAME. LOSING TALENT FROM LAST YEAR'S TEAM DIDN'T STOP THEM FROM WANTING TO REPEAT AS CHAMPIONS AGAIN THIS YEAR. IT WAS A BATTLE ALL WEEKEND SO LET'S SEE HOW THINGS WENT.
ANY TEAM THAT FACES HOOP CITY SOMETIMES HAS A HARD TIME ADJUSTING TO THE STYLE THAT THEY PLAY AND UNFORTUNATELY THAT WAS THE CASE FOR THE PEARLAND PANTHERS AS THEY LOST 85-33. HOOP CITY DROPPED A SEASON HIGH 85 POINTS IN THIS GAME. THE GAME WAS PRETTY MUCH OVER AT HALFTIME WITH HOOP CITY UP BY 27. THE BENCH WAS HEAVILY INVOLVED SCORING 50 POINTS. BETWEEN JUSTIN BENNET AND KERRY McCLAHAN, THEY WERE BANGING HARD ON THE GLASS AS THEY GOT 17 DEF. REBOUNDS BETWEEN THEM. EVEN THOUGH THEY SHOT 3/12 FOR THE 3-POINT LINE THEY MANHANDLED THE PANTHERS. BOBBY GRAY LED THE TEAM WITH 13 PTS/7 REB/7 AST. KERRY McCLAHAN HAD 10 PTS/12 REB/7 STEALS AND MARQUEISE LATTIMORE 10 PTS/6 REB/4 BLOCKS/4 STEALS.
THE HOUSTON REBELS GAVE HOOP CITY A GOOD GAME IN THIS MATCHUP. THE REBELS WERE BIGGER ON THE FRONT LINE BUT THE GUARD PLAY WAS IN HOOP CITY'S FAVOR. LUCKILY FOR HOOP CITY, THEY WERE ABLE TO CRASH THE BOARDS RECKLESSLY WITH 12 REBOUNDS BY KERRY McCLAHAN. DEFENSE ONCE AGAIN HELPED HOOP CITY WITH 20 STEALS. HOOP CITY CONQUERED AND WON 65-62 WHICH TOOK THEM TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. KERRY McCLAHAN LED HOOP CITY WITH 20 POINTS/12 REB/6 STEALS. BOBBY GRAY HAD 12 PTS/3 REB/7 AST/3 STEALS.
THE HOUSTON REBELS WON OUT TO FACE HOOP CITY IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. THIS GAME WAS DIFFERENT THE SECOND TIME AROUND. THE REBELS CAME OUT TO WIN AND GET THE JOB DONE. THE REBELS WON 71-69 IN OVERTIME. JARED McDOUGLE LED HOOP CITY WITH 20 PTS/3 STEALS AND BOBBY GRAY HAD 19 PTS/7 AST.

The defending champion Hoop City(17U) came into the March Madness tournament wanting to do two things: (1) to get back on track with the chemistry they had last year, and (2) to win the tournament they won last year, March Madness. Here is how it played out:
Mo City-Chosen Ones: This team has played Hoop City pretty hard the past few years, and Hoop City always finds a way to finish the job. With just 7 players to work with for this particular game, Hoop City didn't let the small roster get in the way of playing hard and winning this game. As a team, Hoop City had 9 steals lead by Lexus Perrodin with 5.5 out of the 7 players were in double figures for Hoop City. Leading the way was Jared McDougle with 17 pts/9 reb/3 block. Jamar Williams had 13 pts/4 reb/4 ast/1 block.
Houston Eclipse: This team really wanted to be a challenging one for Hoop City but the Eclipse had another thing coming. With 48 defensive rebounds(15 offensive rebounds), Hoop City controlled the boards with recklessness. 26 team assists and 13 steals, Hoop City also controlled how the game was gonna be played. Hoop City would not let anything come thru air with 12 blocks as a team; just a total team effort. Lexus Perrodin led the way with 13 pts and Darius Payne had 11.
D-1 All Stars: A pivotal game for both teams and the winner goes to the championship game, so let's go. Hoop City hit the boards with 42 team rebounds(13 offensive rebounds). They had a blast playing defense with 15 steals. Hoop City went 6/14 from the 3 point line. Some pretty productive stats...Bobby Gray led the way with 15 pts./4 rebs/7 ast/4 steals/2 blocks. Jared McDougle also had 12 pts/10 reb(4 offensive)/3 ast.
Championship Game: Hoop City pulled the Houston Eclipse once again. I guess once isn't enough. Hoop City controlled the boards(36 def/13 off.), and assists (24). The defense they played was so strong they picked up 16 steals. 5 players scored in double figures led by Lexus Perrodin 22 pts/3 reb/ 2 ast.
For the 2nd year in a row, Hoop City dominated and conquered each game and the tournament. This is the beginning of a strong run for the summer so congrats...!!!

BOBBY GRAY WAS AWARDED ALL STATE HONORS THIS BASKETALL SEASON. THE SR. PG HELPED TAKE THE NIMITZ COUGARS TO THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR. THE COUGARS BEAT LANGHAM CREEK IN THE FIRST ROUND BEFORE LOSING TO MADISON HS IN THE SECOND ROUND. HE AVERAGED 20.0+ PPG. HE HAS BEEN PLAYING ON THE VARSITY TEAM SINCE HE WAS A SOPHOMORE. HE ALSO RECEIVED ALL-DISTRICT MVP, ALL-DISTRICT 1ST TEAM, AND ALL REGION HONORS. SO CONGRATULATIONS IS IN ORDER TO BOBBY GRAY.

TO START THE SEASON, HOOP CITY WAS EXCITED TO BE BACK TOGETHER AND WERE READY TO GO BUT THEY WERE A LITTLE SLUGGISH COMING OUT THE GATE. THEY DOMINATED THEIR FIRST POOL GAME 77-28 FORCING 23 TURNOVERS. THEY CONTROLLED THE GLASS WITH 32 DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS AND 12 OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS. BOBBY GRAY LED THE TEAM WITH 17 PTS/3 REB/7 AST/4 STEALS. NEWCOMER JORDAN CELESTINE CHIPPED IN WITH 10 PTS/4 REB/3 AST/3 STEALS.
NEXT UP WAS THE MO CITY BALLERS. A GAME OF UPS AND DOWN BUT HOOP CITY PULLED IT OUT 73-68. JARED MCDOUGLE HAD A BREAK OUT PERFORMANCE SCORING 36 PTS(BREAKING THE MARK OF 33 BY BOBBY GRAY IN 2010) /14 REB/4 BLOCKS/3 STEALS. JORDAN CELESTINE SCORED 14 PTS/3 REB/2 AST/4 STEALS AND BOBBY GRAY SCORED 13.
THE D-1 ALL STARS FACED A SHORT HANDED TEAM WITH 6 PLAYERS MISSING, BUT HOOP CITY LIKE ALWAYS FOUND A WAY. LED BY LEXUS PERRODIN'S 26 PTS AND 21 PTS FROM JORDAN CELESTINE HOOP CITY PREVAILED 82-72. JARED MCDOUGLE ALSO CHIPPED IN WITH 13 PTS.
IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, HOOP CITY FELL SHORT 85-78 TO THE HOUSTON PRIDE. JARED MCDOUGLE LED HOOP CITY WITH 24 PTS/11 REB 3 STEALS AND JORDAN CELESTINE HELPED OUT WITH 16 PTS.

HOOP CITY ENTERED INTO LAKE CHARLES, LA TO FINISH SOMETHING THAT THEY LEFT BEHIND LAST YEAR AND THAT WAS THE CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE JR. STARS CLASSIC-FINAL RUN ON THE LAKE. IT WAS A VERY COMPETITIVE TOURNAMENT WITH TEAM FROM ARKANSAS, LOUISIANA AND TEXAS. THIS WAS THE FINAL TOURNAMENT OF THE SEASON FOR HOOP CITY WHO IS LOSING 4 QUALITY PLAYERS WHO ARE GOING ON THERE SEPERATE WAYS TO COLLEGES THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF TEXAS.
AFTER LOSING THERE FIRST GAME OF POOL PLAY TO RL09, HOOP CITY(17U) DOMINATED AND LEFT NO PRISONERS. DROPPING A 8-TICKET ON RL09, UCF CAUGHT A 9-TICKET AND IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME THE TEXAS SLAM CAUGHT A 9-TICKET.
BOBBY GRAY TOOK MVP HONORS.
UP NEXT: HOOP CITY BANQUET ON AUG 28 @ BEJING CHINESE RESTAURANT.

THE ATLANTA INVITATIONAL IN ATLANTA, GA IS ONE TOURNAMENT ON THE SCHEDULE THAT HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT FOR THE LAST YEAR FOR A COUPLE REASONS. ONE MAJOR REASON IS BECAUSE ATLANTA, GA IS THE HOME FOR COACH RON JONES. (2) IS BECAUSE CORNERSTONE SOLUTIONS(WHICH IS BASED IN ATLANTA, GA)IS ONE OF THE MAJOR SPONSORS THAT HELPS OUT WITH HOOP CITY ELITE. (3) THIS IS A SUPER REGIONAL THAT CAN QUALIFY THE FINAL FOUR TEAMS IN EACH DIVISION FOR THE NATIONAL TOURNAMENT IN ORLANDO, FL OR SAN ANTONIO, TX. SO THIS IS A BIG TOURNAMENT. TEAMS FROM NORTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA, FLORIDA, TEXAS, LOUISIANA WERE READY TO MAKE THERE CLAIM FOR THAT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SLOT. IHIGH.COM WAS ON THE SCENE FOR THE WEEKEND AND ADDED A LITTLE EXTRA FOR THE FANS WATCHING THE GAME ONLINE.
HOOP CITY VS. GEORGIA THUNDER: HOOP CITY TOOK THIS TEAM FOR GRANTED AND DIDN'T FINISH STRONG, BUT FINISHED WITH A THE "W". HOOP CITY HAD A STRONG PERFORMANCE BY TRACY DONES.HE HAD A STRONG SECOND HALF WITH 17 POINTS AND FINISHED WITH 26 PTS/2 REB/2 AST. RAKIM STEVENSON ALSO HAD 10 PTS/3 REB.
HOOP CITY VS. GEORGIA BALLERS: HOOP CITY PROVED THAT THEY CAN PLAY CLOSE GAMES AND PULL OUT THE WIN. WITH 22 TEAM REBOUNDS, 9 ASSISTS, 5 STEALS, AND 3 BLOCKS, HOOP CITY PUT ON A SHOW FOR THE PEOPLE. HOOP CITY ALSO HAD 13 TURNOVERS. THAT RIGH THERE COULD HAVE WELL LOST THEM THE GAME. WITH TIME WINDING DOWN, BOBBY GRAY HIT A FLOATER IN THE LANE TO SEAL THE VICTORY FOR HOOP CITY, 51-50. BOBBY GRAY LED HOOP CITY WITH 13 PTS/6 REB/4 ASSISTS/1 STEAL.
HOOP CITY VS. GEORGIA TARHEELS: WITH INJURIES COMING TO HOOP CITY LIKE BEES TO HONEY, IT WAS EVIDENT THAT THE COMPETITION LEVEL WAS GETTING STRONGER. WITH 28 TEAM REBOUNDS( 6 FROM DARIUS GRAVES, XAVIER CHANDLER, AND RAKIM STEVENSON), AND ONLY 5 TURNOVERS, HOOP CITY WASN'T ABLE TO PULL OUT THE WIN. GEORGIA TARHEELS: 71-64. TRACY DONES LEADING THE TEAM WITH 16 PTS/4 REB/5 AST AND XAVIER CHANDLER WITH 10 PTS/6 REB.
GOING INTO THE BRACKET, THE COMPETITION INCREASED TO ANOTHER LEVEL AND ADDED FOR MORE EXCITEMENT. LUTHER HEAD'S ILLINOIS WILDCATS VS. HOOP CITY: WITH 8 TURNOVERS, HOOP CITY PLAYED A PRETTY FLAWLESS GAME DISMANTLING THE WILDCATS 71-55. WITH MAJOR TEAM CONTRIBUTIONS ON THE BOARDS WITH 27 TOTAL REBOUNDS, IT WASN'T HARD TO SEE WHO WAS THE MORE ACTIVE TEAM. 4 PLAYERS FOR HOOP CITY WAS IN DOUBLE FIGURES. LEADING THE WAY WAS TRACY DONES WITH 21 POINTS(3/7 FROM THE 3-POINT LINE)/4 REB, BOBBY GRAY WITH 13 PTS/4 REB/3 AST/1 STEAL, DARIUS GRAVES WITH 12 PTS AND RAKIM STEVENSON WITH 10 PTS/7 REB/2 BLOCKS.
BUFORD BOBCATS VS. HOOP CITY: BUFORD BOBCATS OUT OF FLA IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST ATHLETIC, PRECISIONED AND DISCIPLINED TEAMS THEY FACED ALL SEASON. AT HALFTIME, HOOP CITY WAS UP AT HALFTIME 29-22. BUFORD MADE A STRONG RUN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SECOND HALF AND STAYED ON TOP. NEVER BACKING DOWN AND EVEN WITH A LATE RUN, IT WASN'T ENOUGH. BUFORD BOBCATS, 64-60. TRACY DONES LED ALL SCORERS WITH 20 PTS/5 REB. JAMAR WILLIAMS AND XAVIER CHANDLER ALSO CHIPPED IN WITH 10 PTS EACH.
A GOOD WEEKEND FOR HOOP CITY. THIS TOURNAMENT MADE THEM ONE OF THE 4 TEAMS TO QUALIFY FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SAN ANTONIO, TX OR ORLANDO, FL.

THROWDOWN IN H-TOWN IS A HOUSTON TOURNAMENT THAT HAS BEEN GROWING IN HOUSTON FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS GROWING MORE WITH EACH YEAR. A LOT OF GOOD TEAMS HAVE COME AND GONE BUT TONLHY THE ELITE TEAMS PULL IT OUT IN THE END.
HOOP CITY VS. HOUSTON CLIPPERS: A SLOW PERFORMANCE IN THE BEGINNING BECOMES A DOMINANT WIN IN THE END FOR HOOP CITY, 56-50. BOBBY GRAY HAD 17 PTS/4 REB/2 AST/1 STEAL/1 BLOCK, TRACY DONES ADDED 15 PTS/2 REB/2 AST/1 BLOCK. NEWCOMER DARRIUS GRAVES HAD 10 PTS/4 REB.
HOOP CITY VS. D-GIB HOOPS: 1ST TIME MATCHING UP AGAINST D-GIB HOOPS. A MATCHUP THAT HAS INTRIGUED HOOP CITY FOR A WHILE. JUST THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY D-GIBS....WHAT A GAME. A LAST SECOND 3-POINT SHOT KILLED ANY CHANCES OF HOOP CITY BEATING ONE OF THE GREAT TEAMS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, D-GIBS HOOPS 64-61. 4 PLAYERS WERE IN DOUBLE FIGURES FOR HOOP CITY. LEADING THE WAY FOR HOOP CITY WAS KERRY McCLAHAN WITH 16 PTS/5 REB, TRACY DONES HAD 12 PTS/2 REB/3 STEALS/2 BLOCKS. BOBBY GRAY AND JARED McDOUGLE HAD 11 PTS EACH.

ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, THE GREAT AMERICAN SHOOTOUT PRODUCED A NUMBER OF GOOD TEAMS ALL VOWING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR EACH BRACKET. TEAMS SHOWED RESILENCE, DEDICATION, AND A LOT OF PASSION. THIS TOURNAMENT HAD MORE THAN 125 TEAMS FROM ALL OVER THE STATE OF TEXAS. GREAT COMPETITION, GREAT GAMES, GREAT WEEKEND.
HOOP CITY VS. LEWISVILLE HS: THIS WAS A GAME OVER BEFORE IT STARTED. IN ALL PHASES OF THE GAME, LEWISVILLE WAS OUTMATCHED AND HOOP CITY DEVELOPED A BIG LEAD VERY QUICKLY. BY HALFTIME, THE GAME WAS OVER. A TOTAL TEAM EFFORT OF 27 TEAM REBOUNDS (LED BY KERRY McCLAHAN WITH 9 REBOUNDS), 11 ASSISTS, 14 STEALS AND 8 BLOCKS HOOP CITY DROPPED A 30 TICKET ON LEWISVILLE, 74-32. TRACY DONES LED ALL SCORERS WITH 17 PTS/3 STLS/3 BLKS. JARED MCDOUGLE CONTRIBUTED WITH 9 PTS/4 REB/2 BLOCKS AND A COLLECTIVE EFFORT FROM EVERYONE SET THE TONE FOR HOW HOOP CITY WOULD PUNISH TEAMS THIS WEEKEND.
HOOP CITY VS. FT.WORTH STARTING SIX: MOST TEAMS THAT PLAY OUT OF DALLAS/FT WORTH AREA HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO BE ABLE TO OUTRUN TEAMS, BUT ON THIS DAY NO TEAM WAS GOING TO OUTRUN HOOP CITY. WITH 40 TOTAL REBOUNDS, 17 ASSISTS, 9 STEALS, AND 6 BLOCKS, HOOP CITY HAD SEASON'S BEST 3 TURNOVES AGAINST THIS TEAM. HOOP CITY WAS 9 FOR 19 FROM THE BEYOND THE ARC. "THE SHOW "DROPPED A 36 TICKET ON FT WORTH. FINAL SCORE: HOOP CITY 85-49. BOBBY GRAY LED HOOP CITY WITH 21 PTS/5 AST/2 STEALS. KERRY McCLAHAN CONTRIBUTED WITH 12 PTS/6 REB, AND TRACY DONES HAD 11 PTS/3 REB/2 AST/2 STEALS. RAKIM STEVENSON HAD 7 PTS/11 REBOUNDS.
HOOP CITY VS. SAN ANTONIO ROHAWKS: IN A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT AND ALL THE ODDS AGAINST HOOP CITY, THIS POSED FOR A GREAT GAME. A GREAT MATCHUP WITH A TEAM THAT DIDNT BACK DOWN FROM THE WORD GO. A HARD COMPETITIVE MATCHUP THAT AT TIMES HAD HOOP CITY GUESSING BUT EVENTUALLY IN THE 2ND HALF HOOP CITY PULLED AWAY. IT WAS STILL A STRONG EFFORT FROM THE BENCH SCORING 20 POINTS. TRACY DONES SCORED 13 PTS/2 REB/2 AST/1 STEAL AND XAVIER CHANDLER HAD 12 PTS/4 REB/4 BLOCKS.
(BRACKET PLAY)- HOOP CITY VS. GATA: WORD MUST HAVE GOTTEN AROUND HOW EXPLOSIVE A TEAM HOOP CITY IS BECAUSE TEAM GATA SLOWED THE GAME ALL THE WAY DOWN IN THE FIRST HALF HOLDING "THE SHOW" TO A SEASON LOW WITH 21 POINTS AND BEING DOWN 10 AT HALFTIME. ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT BASKETBALL IS THAT THERE IS ALWAYS THE 2ND HALF. THE DISPLAY OF "TOGETHERNESS" HOOP CITY SHOWED WAS ONE THAT YOU DREAM UPON. A 50-10 RUN IN THE 2ND HALF REALLY DESCRIBED WHY HOOP CITY IS CALLED "THE SHOW".
28 TOTAL REBOUNDS FROM HOOP CITY( KERRY McCLAHAN GRABBING 10 REBOUNDS)POISED HOOP CITY FOR THIS KIND OF RUN IN THISKIND OF ENVIRONMENT WHERE CALL AFTER CALL WERE CALLED AGAINST THEM. TRACY DONES LED ALL SCORERS WITH 17 PTS/5 REB/1 AST/2 STEALS. BOBBY GRAY HAD 15 PTS/2 REB/3 AST/2 STEALS/1 BLOCK AND KERRY McCLAHAN HAD 10 POINTS/ 10 REB/ 1 STEAL AND 1 BLOCK.

WHAT A CHALLENGING WAY TO GO INTO A BYE WEEK... WITH TEAMS POUNDING ON YOUR DOOR WANTING A PIECE OF YOU. THE HOOP CITY ELITE TEAM(KNOWN AS "THE SHOW") HAS FACED ALL COMERS AND HAS FACED TEAMS WITH PASSION, DESIRE AND DETERMINATION. WITH AN OVERALL RECORD OF 29-4, GOD HAS REALLY PUT HIS HAND AND ANNOINTING ON THIS SPECIAL GROUP OF YOUNG MEN. THE COMPETITION WAS REALLY HEAVY ON THIS WEEKEND WITH ALOT OF GREAT TEAMS; SO LET'S SEE HOW THE "THE SHOW" PERFORMED....
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
HOOP CITY VS. TEAM RAMPAGE: THE GUARD PLAY WOULD HAVE A MAJOR EMPHASIS ON THE OUTCOME OF THIS GAME. WITH QUICK GUARDS ON BOTH TEAMS, IT SEEMED LIKE THIS GAME COULD HAVE WENT EITHER WAY. HOOP CITY HAD JUST A FEW MORE GUARDS ON THIS DAY. HOOP CITY MADE 6 3-POINTERS DURING THE GAME. TRACY DONES LED ALL SCORERS WITH 17 PTS AND LEXUS PERRODIN HAD 13 PTS/3 AST/2 STEALS. EJ SIDNEY CHIPPED IN WITH 9 PTS/1 REB/1 AST. RAKIM STEVENSON AND BOBBY GRAY ALSO MUSTARDED UP 8 PTS A PIECE.
HOOP CITY WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE OVERALL TOP SEED IN THE POOL AND WOULD HAVE A MOUNTAIN OF A MOLE HILL TO CLIMB FOR THE BRACKET IN ORDER TO WIN TOURNAMENT #5.
UP FIRST WAS STARTING FIVE VS. HOOP CITY: A GOOD TEAM TO CHALLENGE HOOP CITY. STARTING FIVE BROUGHT ENERGY, DETERMINATION AND LEFT A WHOLE LOT OF HEART ON THE COURT. MATCHED UP WITH QUICK GUARDS AND A PRETTY TALL ORDER OF AN FRONTCOURT, THIS WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BETTER TEAM THAT HOOP CITY HAS SEEN SO FAR IN THIS YOUNG SEASON. THE GAME WAS CLOSE UNTIL LATE IN THE 2ND HALF WHEN HOOP CITY COMMITTED TO AN AGGRESSIVE WAY OF DEFFENSE GETTING STARTING FIVE TO COMMIT 17 TOTAL TURNOVERS. IN THE END, HOOP CITY CONQUERED THE FIRST TASK OF THE BRACKET BY WINNING 54-50 IN O.T. BOBBY GRAY LED HOOP CITY WITH 18 PTS/5 AST/4 STEALS. RAKIM STEVENSON CONTRIBUTED WITH 12 PTS/7 REB/1 BLOCK/1 STEAL. JARED MCDOUGLE AND XAVIER CHANDLER ALSO CHIPPED IN 8 PTS A PIECE.
TEXAS OUTLAWS VS. HOOP CITY: THE HOST TEAM MATCHED UP WITH "THE SHOW." A GREAT MATCHUP THAT WAS DEFINETELY GIVEN TO THE TEXAS OUTLAWS. THE FRONTCOURT WAS BIGGER AND MORE ACTIVE THAN HOOP CITY. THE BACKCOURT OF THE TEXAS OUTLAWS WAS BIGGER, THE CROWD WAS TEXAS OUTLAWS FANS AND THE TOURNAMENT WAS AN OUTLAWS TOURNAMENT. THE ONLY REASON THIS GAME DIDN'T GO THE OUTLAWS WAY WAS ONE THING..... TOGETHERNESSS. HOOP CITY HAD THIS MAJOR FACTOR FROM START TO FINISH. WHEN IT COUNTED THE MOST, HOOP CITY PUT "TOGETHER" A BOND OF TEAM BALL THAT COULDN'T BE MATCHED. THIS WAS THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE SEMI-FINAL GAME. HOOP CITY SHUT DOWN THERE MAIN PLAYER(TERRY JOHNSON FROM KLEIN OAK) BY GIVING HIM DIFFERENT LOOKS FROM DIFFERENT DEFENDERS EVENTUALLY WEARING HIM DOWN AND CAUSING FRUSTRATION TO SET IN. IT WAS STILL A VERY CLOSE GAME UNTIL LATE IN THE 2ND HALF WHEN HOOP CITY PULLED AWAY. AS A TEAM, HOOP CITY GOT ON THE BOARDS WITH 19 TEAM REBOOUNDS LED BY XAVIER CHANDLER'S 6 REBOUNDS AND 5 REBOUNDS FROM JAMAR WILLIAMS. TRACY DONES LED HOOP CITY WITH 16 PTS/3 AST, JARED MCDOUGLE WITH 13 PTS. THIS GAME PUT HOOP CITY IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME VS. MIDTOWN ALL-STARS.
MIDTOWN ALL-STAARS VS. HOOP CITY: A SMOTHERING DEFENSE ON THE FULL-COURT AND THE HALF-COURT, MID TOWN PRONOUNCED SOME PROBLEMS FOR "THE SHOW" IN THIS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME @ McCOLLOUGH JR. HIGH. THIS AGGRESSIVE PLAY CAUSED TURNOVER AFTER TURNOVER FOR HOOP CITY EARLY IN THE 1ST HALF LEADING TO SOME DISORGANIZATION WITH "THE SHOW". SOME AGGRESSIVE PLAY FROM HOOP CITY ALSO GAVE MID-TOWN PROBLEMS TO. HOOP CITY SEEMED TO FIGHT TO SCORE RATHER THAN LET IT COME NATURAL TO BATTER AND BRUISE MID-TOWN IN THE SECOND HALF. ALL PLAYERS FOR HOOP CITY GOT IN THE SCORING COLUMN IN THIS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. RAKIM STEVENSON LED ALL SCORERS WITH 12 PTS/4 REB AND THREE PLAYERS EACH HAD 8 PTS.
HOOP CITY DOMINATED WHEN IT MATTERED MOST AND WAS TESTED ALL THROUGHOUT THE TOURNAMENT, BUT THE MENTAL APPROACH TO STAY FOCUSED HEPED ENDURE THE CHALLENGE OF NOT COMPLETING WHAT HOOP CITY CAME TO DO WHICH WAS WIN TOURNAMENT #5.THIS WEEKEND SHOWED THE MATURITY LEVEL THAT HOOP CITY IS NOW PLAYING WITH. THE EXPERIENCE OF LAST YEARS PLAYERS WHO PLAYED FOR HOOP CITY AND THE AGGRESSIVE PLAY THAT IS EXHIBITED IN EVERY GAME GIVES HOOP CITY EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO STAY IN GAMES AND PUNISH TEAMS ACCORDINGLY. CONTINUE TO CARRY THAT SWAGGER HOOP CITY BECAUSE IT DOESN'T GET ANY EASIER WITH THESE BIG TOURNEYS ON THE SCHEDULE.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO WALK INTO THE HOUSTON INVITATIONAL WITH SOLID STRUCTURE TO WHAT HOOP CITY IS ALL ABOUT... TOGETHERNESS. GOING INTO THE HOUSTON INVITATIONL, HOOP CITY IS RIDING A 5 GAME WIN STREAK SO THIS TOURNAMENT WOULD CHALLENGE HOOP CITY GOING INTO THE BYE WEEK FOR MOTHER'S DAY.
HOUSTON NETS VS. HOOP CITY ELITE: GOING INTO THIS TOURNAMENT, THE HOUSTON NETS HAD BEAT HOOP CITY ELITE LAST SUMMER AND THAT PAINFUL LOSS HAD HAUNTED HOOP CITY FOR A WHOLE YEAR. SO THIS GAME MEANT ALOT TO THE BOYS OF HOOP CITY TO PROVE LAST YEAR WAS A FLUKE WIN. THE HOUSTON NETS FELL VICTIM TO HOOP CITY NOT ONCE, NOT TWICE, BUT THREE TIMES ON THIS WEEKEND. A FEW OF THE PLAYERS WAITED FOR THIS PARTICULAR TOURNAMENT TO HAVE THEIR COMING OUT PARTY. "EJ" SIDNEY WAITED UNTIL THIS PARTICULAR TOURNAMENT TO EXPLODE FOR 18 PTS/4 REB/3 AST. DARIUS PAYNE SHOT A HIGH PERCENTAGE FROM THE FREE THROW LINE SHOOTING 9 FOR 12 AND PLAYING HARD ON BOTH ENDS OF THE FLOOR. JAMAR WILLIAMS HAD A STELLAR PERFORMANCE ALSO ON THE DEFENSIVE END OF THE FLOOR LOCKING DOWN DEFENDER AFTER DEFENDER. LADARREN LOVE ALSO HAD A BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE MAKIN SHOT AFTER SHOT AND BEING INSTRUMENTAL AT CRUCIAL POINTS OF THE GAME. WITH THE BYE WEEK COMING UP AND RIDING NOW AN 8 GAME WIN STREAK, "THE SHOW" WILL BE OFF AND WILL PREPARE FOR A BUSY WEEK AFTER MOTHER'S DAY HAVING TO COMPETE WITH A FREE THROW FUNDRAISER ON TUESDAY MAY 11 AND THE HOOP EXPLOSION ON THE WEEKEND OF MAY 14.

JOHN COOPER SCHOOL LOCATED IN THE WOODLANDS, TX WAS THE SITE OF THIS GREAT TOURNAMENT IN WHICH SOME GOOD TEAMS SUCH AS THE CYPRESS BALLERS, TEXAS BALLERS, TEXAS INFERNO AND THE MO CITY BALLERS COMPETED AT A HIGH LEVEL... BUT THIS WAS HOOP CITY GROUND TO WIN OR LOSE AND WITH THE BLESSINGS FROM ABOVE IT WAS TOURNAMENT WIN #3.
CYPRESS BALLERS VS. HOOP CITY ELITE: A HUNGRY TEAM THAT WAS READY TO ATTACK THROUGH ALL PHASES OF THE GAME. OFFENSE, DEFENSE, REBOUNDING, ETC., BUT ONE THING THE CYPRESS BALLERS FORGOT ABOUT WAS THAT HOOP CITY WAS THE BETTER TEAM ON THIS DAY. A TOTAL OF 31 TOTAL REBOUNDS, IT'S EASY TO SEE THAT HOOP CITY DOMINATED THE BOARDS. RAKIM STEVENSON LED THE REBOUNDING CATEGORY WITH 8 REBOUNDS. TRACY DONES LED ALL SCORERS WITH 18 PTS, BOBBY GRAY CHIPPED IN WITH 17 PTS/4 REB/6 AST/2 STEALS. KERRY McCLAHAN HAD BREAK OUT GAME WITH 14 PTS/5 REB AND XAVIER CHANDLER FINISHED WITH 11 PTS/5 REB/3 BLKS.
TEXAS INFERNO VS. HOOP CITY ELITE: IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS ALWAYS A TEAM THAT HAS A POLISHED APPROACH ON HOW THEY PLAY THE GAME AND THE TEXAS INFERNO WAS THAT TEAM. PATIENT BALL, BALL SCREENS AND JUST THE CHALLENGE OF MATCHING UP WITH A GOOD TEAM WAS FRUSTRATING AT TIME FOR HOOP CITY BUT WITH A BENCH THAT POURED IN 24 PTS(WITH MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS COMING FROM LEXUS PERRODIN, DARIUS PAYNE AND KERRY McCLAHAN) HOOP CITY CAME OUT VICTORIOUS. RAKIM STEVENSON LED ALL SCORERS WITH 14 PTS/8 REB/1 AST, TRACY DONES WITH 11 PTS/2 REB/1 AST/1 STEAL, AND BOBBY GRAY HAD 10 PTS/5 REB/3 AST.
TEXAS INFERNO VS. HOOP CITY ELITE(SEMI-FINAL GAME): WHAT A GAME TO MATCHUP AGAINST. THE TEAM YOU JUST PLAYED MAKING SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO HOW BEAT YOUR TEAM AND COMPETE HARDER AND STILL FALL SHORT. HOOP CITY RAINED VICTORIOUS TO MAKE IT TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.
TEXAS BALLERS VS. HOOP CITY ELITE(CHAMPIONSHIP GAME): THIS IS A REMATCH OF A POOL GAME THAT HAPPENED IN ALVIN TX @ THE LET 'EM FLY TOURNAMENT IN WHICH HOOP CITY HAD A OUTSTANDING SHOWING TO WIN THE WHOLE TOURNAMENT. ALONG THE WAY, HOOP CITY MATCHED UP WITH THE TEXAS BALLERS IN A POOL GAME THAT REALLY COULD HAVE WENT EITHER WAY. FAST FWD TO THE RUMBLE OF THE WOODS: HOOP CITY WASN'T READY FOR THE BUTT-WHIPPING THAT WAS GIVEN TO THEM IN THE 1ST HALF OF THIS GAME. DOWN BY 14 PTS IN THE 1ST, HOOP CITY FOUND A WAY TO COUNTER WITH A 20-9 RUN IN THE SECOND HALF. RAKIM STEVENSON HAD A SEASON-HIGH WITH 23 PTS/9 REB AND BOBBY GRAY FINISHED WITH 19 PTS/4 REB/10 AST. 25 PTS WAS CONTRIBUTED FROM THE BENCH WITH KERRY McCLAHAN CHIPPING IN WITH 12 PTS/10 REB.

KATY PRONOUNCED THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR ANY TEAM IN THE WAY OF HOOP CITY. WITH AN AGGRESSIVE TYPE OF DEFENSE THAT WON'T LET UP, HOOP CITY LET IT BE KNOWN THAT THEY ARE "THE SHOW".
HOOP CITY VS. ALODIA: ALODIA WAS THE FIRST VICTIM FOR HOOP CITY ELITE. WITH A TOTAL OF 33 TEAM REBOUNDS LED BY LADARIEN LOVE AND XAVIER CHANDLER WITH 7 A PIECE, IT WAS NO QUESTION THAT HOOP CITY WAS THE BEST TEAM ON THE BOARDS IN THIS GAME. HOOP CITY WAS LED BY XAVIER CHANDLER WITH 12 POINTS/7 REB. LEXUS PERRODIN CHIPPED IN WITH 11 POINTS/2 REB/2AST.
HOOP CITY VS. KATY HOOPSTARS: A GOOD MATCHUP FOR HOOP CITY IN TERMS OF BASKETBALL IQ. IT SEEMS AS IF THIS PARTICULAR GAME WAS A BATTLE OF WILLS. VICTORIOUSLY, HOOP CITY DOMINATED WITH DEFENSE WHEN IT MATTERED MOST. WITH A TEAM TOTAL OF 16 ASSISTS AND 13 STEALS IT WAS NO WONDER WHY THE GAME TURNED OUT LIKE IT DID FOR HOOP CITY. HOOP CITY WAS LED BY TRACY DONES WITH 14 POINTS/4 AST.
HOOP CITY VS. HOUSTON HIGHLIGHTERS: THIS MATCHUP WAS A CHESS MATCH AND A GME OF RUN WITH GREAT SCORING PERFORMANCES FOR HOOP CITY. THIS GAME WAS OUT OF REACH EARLY WITH 30 TEAM REBOUNDS LED BY RAKIM STEVENSON'S 13 REBOUNDS. TRYING TO BRING THE BALL IN THE PAINT WAS A NO-NO WITH XAVIER CHANDLER'S 6 BLOCKS. HOOP CITY WAS LED BY RAKIM STEVENSON'S 17 PTS/13 REB. LEXUS PERRODIN HELPED OUT WITH 13 PTS/2 REB/2 STEALS AND TRACY DONES HELPED OUT WITH 12 PTS/3REB/3AST/1 STEAL/2 BLOCKS. BOBBY GRAY CAME THRU WITH 8 PTS/3 REB/3 AST/2 STEALS.
HOOP CITY VS. ALIEF HURRICANES: THIS WAS A GOOD MATCHUP FOR HOOP CITY THAT WENT TO A LAST SECOND SHOT. HOOP CITY WASN'T ABLE TO PULL THIS ONE OUT. ALIEF MATCHED UP WITH HOOP CITY SHOT FOR SHOT. LED BY TRACY DONES WITH 19 PTS, BOBBY GRAY WITH 18 PTS, RAKIM STEVENSON WITH 16 PTS AND 14 FROM JAMAR WILLIAMS.
OVERALL HOOP CITY STANDS AT 17-3. NEXT UP: RUMBLE IN THE WOODS APRIL 18-19.

AFTER A BYE WEEK FOR THE HOOP CITY ELITE TEAM, THE BOYS GOT BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS BY PLAYING IN THE PRIMETIME SPORTS QUALIFIER TOURNAMENT. THIS TOURNAMENT TAKES THE TOP 3 TEAMS THAT PLACE, AND IN TURN THOSE TEAMS WILL QUALIFY FOR THE NATIONAL TOURNAMENT IN DALLAS, TX JULY 21-25.
PRIMETIME SPORTS COMES TO HOUSTON, TX(SPRING, TX TO BE EXACT). FOR HOOP CITY ELITE, THE EVENTS AT LEGENDS SPORTS COMPLEX STARTED SATURDAY 11:50 AM VS. TEXAS SLAM. THIS CHESS MATCH DIDN'T LAST TO LONG. WITHOUT HAVING PLAYED IN A WEEK, HOOP CITY CAME OUT WITH ALOT OF ENERGY, ENTHUSIAM, AND EFFORT TO REALLY PUT THIS GAME OUT OF REACH BY HALFTIME. WITH ONLY HAVING COMMITTED 5 TOTAL TURNOVERS FOR THE GAME, HOOP CITY TOOK CARE OF THE BALL AND DEFENDED VERY WELL THROUGHOUT THE GAME. IN THE END HOOP CITY WAS VICTORIOUS OVER THE TEXAS SLAM 59-23. XAVIER CHANDLER LED ALL SCORERS WITH 16 PTS. TRACY DONES ALSO CONTRIBUTED WITH 14 PTS AND JAMAR WILLIAMS HAD 11 PTS.
NEXT UP WAS THE HOUSTON KNIGHT(BLACK). HOOP CITY GOT OFF TO A SLOW START BUT FINALLY KICKED IT INTO GEAR WITH A COLLECTIVE EFFORT ON DEFENSE FROM EVRYONE. THIS GAME GOT OUT REACH LATE IN THE FIRST HALF WHEN THE DEFENSIVE PRESSURE CAUSED TURNOVER AFTER TURNOVER. HOOP CITY COLLECTED 13 TAKEAWAYS, AND GAVE UP THE BALL 7 TIMES. IN THE END, HOOP CITY UPENDED THE HOUSTON KNIGHTS 67-37. WITH A COLLECTIVE EFFORT DEFENSIVELY, THERE WAS AN COLLECTIVE EFFORT OFFENSIVELY WITH EVERYONE FILLING UP THE STAT BOOK. XAVIER CHANDLER LED ALL SCORERS WITH 15 PTS/3 REB. DARIUS PAYNE AND TRACY DONES EACH HAD 9PTS, JAMAR WILLIAMS AND LADARIEN LOVE HAD 7 PTS, EJ SIDNEY HAD 6 PTS, BOBBY GRAY AND LEXUS PERRODIN HAD 5 PTS, AND RAKIM STEVENSON AND JERED MCDOUGLE CHIPPED IN WITH 2 PTS.
WITH THIS VICTORY, THIS PUT HOOP CITY INTO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME VS. THE LEGENDS THUNDER; A CHALLEGE FOR HOOP CITY TO REALLY PLAY ITS BEST TO GO TO THE GRAND CHAMPION ROUND. LEGENDS THUNDER REALLY GAVE HOOP CITY ALL THAT THE COULD HANDLE AND THEN SOME. THE GAME WAS A SEE-SAW THROUGHOUT THE FIRST HALF AS THE SCORE WAS CLOSE FOR THE FIRST 11 MINUTES OF THE GAME AND THEN LEGENDS WENT ON A 13-2 RUN BEFORE THE HALF GIVING THEM A 13 PT LEAD OVER HOOP CITY AT HALFTIME. HOOP CITY HAD BEEN IN THE SCENARIO BEFORE SO BOUNCING BACK WOULD BE HARD BUT IT COULD BE DONE. BEING DOWN BY AS 16 IN THE 2ND HALF, HOOP CITY WENT ON A 18-5 RUN AT THE 10:02 MINUTE MARK OF THE SECOND HALF WHICH SWUNG THE MOMENTUM BACK TO HOOP CITY. BUT IN THE END WITH MISSED FREE THROWS AND MISSED LAYUPS AND 10 TURNOVERS, HOOP CITY COULDN'T FINISH THE JOB. LEGENDS THUNDER WAS TRIUMPHANT OVER HOOP CITY 69-62. HOOP CITY LEADING SCORERS WERE TRACY DONES WITH 17 PTS(HITTING 5 3-POINTERS)/3 REB/4 AST/2 BLKS, BOBBY GRAY HAD 14 PTS/3REB/6 AST/5 STEALS/1 BLK AND RAKIM STEVENSON HAD 14 PTS/7 REB.
EVEN THOUGH HOOP CITY DIDN'T CAPTURE 1ST PLACE THIS TEAM STILL QUALIFED FOR THE NATIONAL TOURNAMENT IN DALLAS, TX ON JULY 21-25. HOOP CITY COMPETED IN LAST YEAR'S NATIONAL TOURNAMENT AND DID FAIRLY WELL GOING UP AGAINST A BROAD AMOUNT OF COMPETITION BEFORE LOSING IN BRACKET PLAY. OVERALL THIS SEASON, HOOP CITY ELITE HAS A RECORD OF 11-2.

HARVEST TIME COMMUNITY CENTER IS WHERE THIS "GREAT SHOW" WAS HELD AND THIS IS WAS ONE FOR HOOP CITY TO ENJOY. THE ATMOSPHERE WAS ELECTRIC AND CONTAGIOUS IN THE GYMNASIUM.
HOUSTON OUTLAWS VS. HOOP CITY ELITE: HOUSTON OUTLAWS WERE THE 1ST TEAM THAT HOOP CITY FACED AND IT WAS ONE TO WATCH. THE TEAMS WERE SO EVENLY MATCHED AND THERE WAS A LOT OF CHATTER FROM BOTH TEAMS LEADING UP TO THE GAME. THE GAME WAS CLOSE BECAUSE THE TEAMS WERE EVELY MATCHED BUT HOOP CITY WAS ABLE TO PUT EXPERIENCE ON THERE SIDE AND USE THAT TO THERE ADVANTAGE. PULLING AWAY LATE IN THE 1ST HALF AND NEVER LOOKED BACK. IT WAS CRUCIAL TO SET THE PACE FOR THE 2ND HALF. THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 5 3-POINTERS MADE IN THE GAME. LEADING SCORERS WERE BOBBY GRAY WITH 14 PTS/5 AST AND LEXUS PERRODIN WITH 13 PTS/1 REB/3 AST.
HOUSTON KNICKS VS. HOOP CITY ELITE: A GAME THAT WAS LOPSIDED FROM THE BEGINNING BECAUSE THE KNICKS STARTED OFF WITH 4 PLAYERS AND UNFORTUNATELY HOOP CITY CAME OUT WITH A NO MERCY GAME PLAN. HOOP CITY WAS UP BY 22 AT HALFTIME AND IT WAS A COLLECTIVE EFFORT FROM EVERYONE DURING THIS GAME. THERE WAS A TOTAL OF 16 REBOUNDS GRABBED COLLECTIVELY AND 10 3-POINTERS MADE DURING THE GAME. THE BENCH HELPED OUT WITH 47 POINTS. LEADING SCORERS WERE EVON SIDNEY WITH 10 PTS/2 REB/1 STEAL, LEXUS PERRODIN WITH 10 PTS/1 REB/2 AST/1 STEAL AND JAMAR WILLIAMS WITH 10 PTS ALSO.
HOUSTON PRIDE VS. HOOP CITY ELITE: WHEN LITTLE BROTHER FACES BIG BROTHER, LITTLE BROTHER WILL ALWAYS PLAY HARDER THAN BIG BROTHER BUT BIG BROTHER ALWAYS BRINGS THE EXPERIENCE. THE PRIDE REALLY MADE HOOP CITY PLAY HARD AND IT PAYED OFF FOR HOOP CITY. HOOP CITY MADE 8 3-POINTERS. TRACY DONES LED THE TEAM IN SCORING WITH 14 PTS/3 REB/2 BLK/1 AST. XAVIER CHANDLER AND JAMAR WILLIAMS EACH HAD 11 PTS. THE BENCH WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE 21 PTS.
HOOP CITY IS NOW 8-1 GOING INTO A BYE WEEK. NEXT TOURNAMENT: PRIMETIME SPORTS(Q) @ LEGENDS COMPLEX IN THE WOODLANDS APRIL 10-11.

HOOP CITY ELITE PARTICIPATED IN THE S.I.B.(SPRING ICE BREAKER) ON MARCH 19-21 2010. THIS PRESEASON TOURNAMENT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST IN TOURNAMENTS IN THE STATE DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH. IT IS CONDUCTED TO OFFICIALLY START OFF THE AAU SEASON AND IS SPONSORED BY RCS SPORTS W JIMMY HICKS.
WITH WELL OVER 125 TEAMS, THE TURNOUT WAS GREAT WITH A LOT OF COMPETITIVE TEAMS FROM ALL OVER HOUSTON, AUSTIN AND LOUISIANA. THERE WERE JUNIOR COLLEGE COACHES THAT WERE IN ATTENDANCE LOOKING FOR THE NEXT BIG PLAYER AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE SOME SPECIAL ONES PLAYING FOR HOOP CITY.
HOOP CITY VS. H-TOWN TAKERS: FRIDAY NIGHT, THE HOOP CITY ELITE SQUAD HAD A GOOD MATCH COMING OUT THE GATE. IT WAS AN INTENSE CHESS MATCH FOR THE FIRST 24 MINUTES OF THE GAME AND THE OUTCOME COULD OF WENT EITHER WAY. WITH 24 REBS AND 16 ASSISTS AS A TEAM, THERE WERE STILL 16 TURNOVERS ON BEHALF OF HOOP CITY BUT EVENTUALLY HOOP CITY PULLED AWAY. BOBBY GRAY LED HOOP CITY WITH 16 PTS/11 AST/1 REB/1 STEAL, XAVIER CHANDLER HAD 12 PTS/6 REB/5 BLKS AND TRACY DONES HAD 11 PTS. THE BENCH CONTRIBUTED ALSO WITH 27 PTS. FINAL SCORE 57-52.
HOOP CITY VS. TEAM ALODIA: A GAME OF RUNS IS WHAT THE GAME OF BASKETBALL IS ALL ABOUT AND THAT'S WHAT THIS GAME WAS. A VERY HIGH SCORING GAME HOOP CITY COULDN'T PULL THIS ONE OUT. TOO MANY CIRCUMSTATNCES PUT THIS TEAM IN A SITUATION THEY COULDN'T GET OUT OF. EVEN WITH 5 PLAYERS IN DOUBLE FIGURES AND A TOTAL OF 42 REBOUNDS, 24 TURNOVERS BEAT THEM ACROSS THE HEAD THIS TIME. LEADING SCORERS WERE BOBBY GRAY WITH 23 PTS/2 REB/8 ASSISTS/3 STEALS TRACY DONES WITH 22 PTS/4 REB/2 ASSISTS/3 STEALS/1 BLK AND JAMAR WILLIAMS WITH 14 PTS/ 2 REB/3 ASSISTS/2 STEALS.
HOOP CITY VS. BAYTOWN COUGARS: THE WAY TO GET A LOSS OFF YOUR BACK IS TO GET A WIN AND THAT IS WHAT HOOP CITY DID AND IN IMPRESSIVE FASHION. IT WAS A GREAT OUTCOME WITH A 14 POINT WIN AND GOT 13 TAKEAWAYS. 26 REBOUNDS AND 6 BLOCKS AS A TEAM WAS OUTSTANDING. THE BENCH CONTRIBUTED WITH 39 POINTS AND THERE WERE 5 PLAYERS IN DOUBLE FIGURES WITH BOBBY GRAY HAVING 21 PTS/2 REB/4 ASSISTS/2 STEALS/1 BLK, TRACY DONES WITH 18 PTS/3 REB/1 ASSIST, AND RAKIM STEVENSON WITH 16 PTS/5 REB/1 ASSIST/1 BLK.
AT THIS STAGE, HOOP CITY SITS AT 5-1 EARLY IN THIS SEASON.

THIS SEASONS HOOP CITY ELITE 17U CONSISTS OF:
BOBBY GRAY, LEXUS PERRODIN, KERRY MCCLAHAN, LADARIEN LOVE, DARIUS PAYNE, JARED MCDOUGLE AND RAKIM STEVENSON(ALL OF WHOM ATTEND NIMIZ HIGH SCHOL AND WHO PLAYED WITH HOOP CITY ELITE LAST SUMMER), JAMAR WILLIAMS(ALDINE HIGH SCHOOOL), EVON SIDNEY(WESTFIELD HIGH SCHOOL), TRACY DONES(SPRING HIGH SCHOOL), AND XAVIER CHANDLER(KLEIN FOREST HIGH SCHOOL).
HOOP CITY ELITE IS THE #2 RANKED AAU NATIONAL TEAM FROM THE ALL AMERICAN NATIONALS IN SAN ANTONIO LAST SUMMER ON THE 16U CIRCUIT.

HERE IS THE FIRST UPDATE OF THE SEASON HOOP CITY ELITE PARTICIPATED IN THE LET 'EM FLY TOURNAMENT WHICH WAS HELD IN ALVIN, TX ON MARCH 6. A ONE DAY TOURNAMENT WHICH WOULD QUALIFY TEAM FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SAN ANTONIO, TX IN JULY.
WE WENT INTO THIS TOURNAMENT WITH NOTHING OUT OF THE REGULAR TO BE EXPECTED BUT I KNEW WITH MINIMAL PRACTICE, IT WOULD BE A CHALLENGING DAY. THE BOYS HAVE NOT PARTICIPATED AS HOOP CITY ELITE SINCE AUGUST OF LAST YEAR(WHERE THEY PARTICIPATED IN THE TOURNAMENT OF THE STARS IN LAKE CHARLES, LA WHERE THEY WERE RUNNER-UP IN THE 16U DIVISION). SO I KNOW THEY WERE EXCITED ABOUT GETTING OUT ON THE COURT AND PLAYING.
HOOP CITY ELITE VS. BALLERS: A DECENT TEAM THAT REALLY CHALLENGED HOOP CITY. THIS GAME WAS MADE MORE INTERESTING THAN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. NERVES, RUST AND A FEW OTHER OTHER FACTORS PLAYED PART IN NOT HAVING A STELLAR PERFORMANCE BUT A WIN IS A WIN. THE GAME WAS TIED AT HALFTIME 33-33. THE SECOND HALF WAS A CHESS MATCH OF TRADING BASKETS AND EVENTUALLY THE GAME WENT INTO OVERTIME. HOOP CITY TOOK ADVANTAGE EARLY IN THE OVERTIME PERIOD AND PREVAILED 54-52. XAVIER CHANDLER WAS THE HIGH MAN W/ 18 PTS/8 REB/ 4 BLKS, JAMAR WILLIAMS HAD 15 PTS/2 REB/2 AST/3 STEALS, BOBBY GRAY AND TRACY DONES EACH FINISHED WITH 14 PTS.
HOOP CITY ELITE VS. TEXAS BALLERS: 15-3 IN THE FIRST 4 MINUTES. WHAT??!! NOT EXCEPTABLE. HOOP CITY GOT OFF TO A BAD START. LAZY PLAY PUT THEM IN A SERIOUS DEFICIT. WE HAD TO FIND A WAY TO STOP THE BLLEDING AND SO WE WENT BACK TO OUR BREAD AND BUTTER AND SLOWLY IT WORKED ITSELF OUT. JAMAR WILLIAMS, DARIUS PAYNE, TRACY DONES, AND LEXUS PERRODIN TOOK THERE TIME SHARING DEFENSIVE RESPONSIBLILITES ON THE FLOOR. RAKIM STEVENSON, XAVIER CHANDLER AND LADARIEN LOVE HELPED OUT A LOT WITH PRODUCTION ON THE BOARDS AND BLOCKS. FINAL SCORE 57-52. TRACY DONES LED THE TEAM W/ 20 PTS/ 2 REB/ 3 AST/ 2 STEALS, JAMAR WILLIAMS HAD 19 PTS/2REB/3 AST/ 2 STEALS, BOBBY GRAY HAD 14 PTS/3 REB/3 AST/1 STEAL AND RAKIM STEVENSON FINISHED WITH 10PTS/ 8 REB/ 3 BLKS.
HOOP CITY ELITE VS. KIDS KINGDOM(CHAMPIONSHIP GAME): THIS IS WHAT YOU WORK FOR...TO GET TO THE SHIP GAME. HOOP CITY STARTED OFF REAL HOT AND NEVER COOLED DOWN. TRACY DONES AND LEXUS PERRODIN SET THE PACE EARLY AND IT GOT CONTAGIOUS AFTER THAT. THEY HIT A TOTAL 8 3-POINTERS IN THE GAME AND IT SEEMED LIKE EVERYTHING WE SHOT WENT IN. IT WAS A STRONG COLLECTIVE EFFORT SCORING 51 POINTS IN THE FIRST HALF. BOBBY GRAY HAD A STRONG PERFORMANCE DISHING OUT 10 ASSISTS IN THE GAME. IT BECAME A BLOCK PARTY FOR HOOP CITY HAVING 6 BLOCKS IN THE GAME. LEADING SCORERS WERE TRACY DONES WITH 26 PTS AND LEXUS PERRODIN WITH 14 PTS.
THIS TOURNAMENT HAS LOCKED HOOP CITY ELITE IN FOR AN INVITATION TO NATIONALS IN SAN ANTONIO, TX IN JULY.

WOW!!!!!! WHAT AN AMAZING SUMMER FOR THESE YOUNG ME. NOT KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT OUT OF THEM, THE EXPECTATIONS WERE NOT HIGH BUT THE GOALS WERE NOT OUT OF REACH. TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THESE YOUNG MEN AND MAKE THEM INTO GOOD BASKETBALL PLAYERS ON AND OFF THE COURT AND DEAL WITH LIFE SITUATIONS IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT.
HOOP CITY PLAYED IN 19 TOURNAMENTS ON THE 16U CIRCUIT LAST YEAR AND SUCCESSFULLY WON 11 OF THEM. FACING DIFFERENT KINDS OF COMPETITION AND ADVERSITY HELPED MATURE THEM ON THE COURT. HOOP CITY WENT ON TO WIN 19 STRAIGHT GAMES AT AT ONE TIME AND THAT IN ITSELF WAS MORE THAN I EXPECTED. FROM THE TIME THEY WON THERE 1ST TOURNAMENT THEY PLAYED IN, I WAS TRULY IMPRESSED BUT NOT SURPRISED ONCE I SAW THE POTENTIAL AND WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO DO.
TEAMS WORK ALL SEASON TO PLAY IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENTS AT THE END OF THE SUMMER. HOOP CITY PLAYED IN SAN ANTONIO(ALL AMERICAN NATIONALS) AND DALLAS(PRIMETIME SPORTS NATIONALS). HOOP CITY WAS OUTED IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE PRIMETIME NATIONALS AFTER WORKING SO HARD TO WIN ALL THER POOL GAMES. THAT LOSS REALLY FOCUSED THEM FOR SAN ANTONIO. HOOP CITY LOST BY 7 IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE ALL AMERICAN NATIONALS WHICH CAPPED OFF A GREAT SEASON. EVEN THOUGH THE BOYS LOST IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, THE SUMMER WAS A SUCCESSFUL ON AND THE EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGHER NOW THAN BEFORE.