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HoopsReport’s End of Season Top 25, 17U National Team Rankings

By: Jeff Meadows

NIKE EYBL (Boo Williams): Team Takeover

Double Pump Spring Classic Champions: Arizona Magic Pump N Run

Full Court Press Easter Classic Champions: Dream Vision

NIKE EYBL (Dallas) Team Takeover

Jay Hawk Invitational Champions: Dream Vision

NIKE EYBL (Los Angles) Team Takeover

HOOPSREPORT’S TOP TOURNAMENTS OF THE SUMMER AND THE TEAMS THAT WON THEM

Adidas Invitational Champions: Florida Rams (BLACK)

Nike Peach Jam Champions: BABC

Great American Shoot-Out Champions: Houston Defenders

Adidas Super 64 Champions: Texas Assault

Las Vegas Fab 48 Champions: KC 76ers

Super Showcase Champions: Houston Defenders

Las Vegas Live Champions: Houston Hoops

Desert Duel Memorial Champions: New Jersey Playaz Basketball Club

Double Pump Best of Summer Champions: KC 76ers

17U AAU Nationals Champions: All-Ohio RED

WHY THE TOP 10 IS THE TOP 10

The "Spring and Summer" is to Grassroots Basketball what the "Regular Season and the NCCA Tournament/NIT" is to College Basketball, which is what "Regular Season and Play-Offs" is to the NBA translation; "It’s not how you start, It’s how you finish" and we here at HoopsReport.com used that method when it came down to our"End of Season Rankings". If you went by how good teams started, the San Antonio Spurs would’ve been the World Champs or Duke would’ve been National Champs or in this case, Team Takeover would’ve been the #1 team in HoopsReport’s "End of Season" National Top 25, 17U AAU Team Rankings. The Houston Defenders and BABC met in a "Winner Take All" Championship Game at the AAU Super Showcase where the Houston Defenders came away victorious which all but sealed the deal, crowning the Defenders as HoopsReport’s 17U National Champs. The New Jersey Playaz earned their #3 spot by (like the Houston Defenders) winning two (2) big National Tournaments (Desert Duel Memorial & End of Summer Classic) which all but secured their spot. The KC 76ers, who came out of nowhere and shocked everyone by winning "Back to Back" Top National Tournaments (Las Vegas Fab 48 & Double Pump Best of Summer) which catapulted them from being UNRANKED to the #4 spot. Team Takeover (one of four teams that are ranked in HoopsReport’s Top 10 that didn’t win a major tournament in the month of July) earned their #5 ranking from their TOTAL DOMINATION for just about the entire AAU regular season (April-June) where they didn’t lose a game until the NIKE Peach Jam which is held in early July. At #6 is another team that has shown top 10 potential by getting to the Jay Hawk Invitational Championship Game but fell short to the HIGH POWERED "Dream Vision" but Texas Assault’s potential materialized when it mattered most, at what was ARGUABLY the TOP TOURNAMENT OF THE SUMMER, the "Adidas Super 64" where the Texas Assault went on a TEAR, running through every team including a rematch with "Dream Vision", a team that stood in the way of Texas Assault’s first major Championship at the Jay Hawk Invitational. Needless to say the Texas Assault went on to defeate "Dream Vision" in convincing fashion which took Texas Assault from being UNRANKED to #6. All-Ohio RED finished the season winning a major championship, the AAU 17U National Championship and in doing so, All-Ohio RED defeated such top teams as Georgia Stars, Memphis YOMCA and the Houston Hoops in the Championship Game which sealed things for All-Ohio RED’s #7 spot. The #8 team "Dream Vision" never dipped below #12 all season and was ranked as high as #2. While coming up short in their quest to win a major championship in July, Dream Vision’s OVERALL BODY OF WORK is what earned them their #8 spot. The #9 team, Mac Irvin Fire also came up just short of a major championship in July, losing to New Jersey Playaz in the Championship Game of the Desert Duel Memorial but the their OVERALL BODY OF WORK (as they never dipped below #10 in the rankings throughout the season) is what earned them their #9 spot. At the #10 spot the Oakland Soldiers, a team who was my early season pick to be crowned National Champs as they DOMINATED the competition throughout the spring on into the summer only losing to Team Takeover but in July, the Soldiers took a nose dive losing in the semi’s of the Nike Peach Jam and took an early exit at the Las Vegas Fab 48. Just like Team Takeover, Dream Vision and Mac Irvin Fire, the Soldiers earned their #10 spot from their OVERAL BODY OF WORK.

HOW THE HOUSTON DEFENDERS, BABC AND TEAM TAKEOVER LANDED IN THEIR POSITIONS IN HOOPSREPORT’S TOP 25 "END OF SEASON RANKINGS"

Going in to what I called "The most important 3 weeks of Grassroots basketball" (the final 3 weeks in July) it looked as if there would be a few changes like Team Takeover (who was perfect from March thru June), lost their first game of the season along with their #1 spot after being upset at the Nike Peach Jam by BABC and with the Houston Defenders winning the "Great American Shoot-Out" set up a "Winner Take All" match in the Championship of the "Super Showcase" between the Houston Defenders and BABC, THE OUTCOME: Houston Defenders Champs of the Super Showcase.

THE THREE THAT EARNED IT

The three teams that I am about to mention all won their way into HoopsReport’s National Top 25 17U, AAU Team Rankings. None of the following three teams were ranked in our rankings at any point during the season until now, starting with The KC 76ers, who like the Houston Defenders, won "Back to Back" major tournaments in July which easily solidified their #5 spot in our end of season rankings. The Texas Assault, led by Phillip Forte and Marcus Smart did the UNTHINKABLE by coming out of nowhere and winning what was arguably the top tournament of July, the ADIDAS 64 (which was extremely loaded from top to bottom), that was enough to earn Texas Assault the #5 spot in our end of the season rankings. Another MILD winner was Team Breakdown, led by their DYNAMIC BACKCOURT of 5'11 (PG) Stefan Moody and 6'3 (CG) Richard Lee and their YOUNG BUT DOMINANT BIG, class of 2013 6'10 (C) Tony Jekiri, Team Breakdown had some very impressive wins at the Las Vegas Fab 48 which landed them into the Championship game. All three of the teams that I just mentioned handled their business the OLD FASHION WAY, NO HYPE, NO THRILLS, NO FRILLS, THEY EARNED IT!

TOP 25 BUBBLE TEAMS

Below is a list of 25 teams that performed well but just missed the cut of HoopsReport’s Top 25, enjoy. (In no particular order).

Eric Gordan All-Stars (Indianapolis, IND)

Branch West Elite (Orange County, CA)

Team Philly (Philadelphia, PA)

Albany City Rocks (Albany, NY)

DC Assault (Washington, DC)

Southern Kings (Georgia)

Team Jennings (Los Angeles, CA)

Belmont Shore (Long Beach, CA)

Colorado Hawks (Denver, CO)

Double Pump 2013 (Los Angeles, CA)

Michigan Mustangs (Detroit, MI)

Texas Pro (Dallas, TX)

SYF Players (Gary, IND)

Houston Hoopstars (Houston, TX)

Terry Porter Elite (Madison, WI)

CP3 All-Stars (Charlotte, NC)

KC Prey N Play (Kansas City, MO)

Compton Magic Elite (Compton, CA)

New Orleans Elite (New Orleans, LA)

Prime Tyme (Rockford, Ill)

Mo Kan Spiece (IND)

Grassroots CANADA (Ontario, Canada)

Long Island Lightening (Long Island, NY)

Nike Baltimore Elite (Baltimore, MD)

Wisconsin Playground Warriors (Madison, WI)

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