Grassroots First Person: HIT
In this article:
In our “First Person Grassroots Recap” series we take a look at how the travel team season went for one our state’s programs.
Today Bill Baldridge goes in-depth about Hoops Intensity Training’s 16U and 15U groups!
16U
Record
25-12
Championships/Accomplishments
5-3 in NY2LA League play / Lost in the quarterfinals of the NY2LA Playoffs by 4 to 3D Empire with Sammy Schultz injured / Lost in the top division of the Big Foot Tourney to eventual Champion Oakland Soldiers EYBL….4 point game with 3 minutes to go
Key Wins
Marcus Denmon Elite, Iowa Mavericks
Overall Thoughts on Season
Our philosophy at HIT is to try and not put more than 8 players on a team so everyone plays. With that being said it makes our margin of error that much smaller especially taking injuries in account. Overall we had a great season. We almost always played in the Platinum division of every tournament we played in. Our guys share the ball and play the right way. I’m very lucky to coach this group!!!
Standout Performers
Sammy Schultz 6”8 Oswego East HS. Sammy came off a monster HS season which he earned many accolades only as a sophomore. He was our leading rebounder and our second leading scorer and the only reason he didn’t lead us in scoring is because of his high IQ. Sammy really has great feel for the game and played point guard for us sometimes at 6”8. Many D1 schools interested
Marcus Skeete 6”4 Waubonsie Valley HS. Marcus was our leading scorer all season and played big in the big games. He scored 29 points 2 different times against 2 of the best teams we played all season. He put 29 points on the Oakland Soldiers EYBL team and the Wisconsin Shooters. Marcus is a very high level scorer who can score from anywhere on the floor. Many D1 schools interested
Taaj Davis 6”1 Aurora Christian HS. By far our best defender. Taaj played the 1 and the 2 for us. Taaj has a unbelievable motor and we have to beg him to come out of the games. Taaj will have a much bigger role in HS this year with Jake Wolfe graduating. Many D2 and D3 interested.
Jack Baldridge 6”0 Timothy Christian HS. Best 3 pointer shooter on the team. Jack plays the 1 and the 2. Jack is really able to stretch the floor for the team with his outside shooting. Played really well in July and was our leading scorer in many games coming down the stretch. Jack transferred to Timothy Christian from York last year and had to sit out…..one of the few high profile players who had to sit out. He will be a force to be reckon with this year as a junior. Many D2 and D3 interested.
15U
Recap
The inaugural season of our 15 u season started with a strong start going 4 – 2 at the NY2LA swish n dish. The 15 u, 7 man roster advanced far in the Silver bracket to only fall short in the Championship game. Through the Spring and Summer campaign the 7 man roster saw guys get plenty of game time minutes! However due to injury we didn’t see a strong rhythm grow from the great spring start. Through the NY2LA circuit stops in Dallas, Minneapolis, Along with events in Indianapolis and Chicago we competed and grew through the injuries. Closing out July, we had a strong showing at the Prep Hoops Chicago Challenge, with a competitive win, over a tough 15 u Kessel Heat squad, advancing us to the Final 4 of Championship Bracket. We are excited about returning players! All should gain varsity basketball experience this winter. We are also planning to invite 1 or 2 players to our roster for 2019.
Standouts
Wings- 6’ 4” Odin Lium (Oswego East) constantly produced for our hampered squad in scoring and rebounding at wing positions, he averaged double digits through the season. His consistent production stood out to coaches and scouts from the stands.
Guards- Guard play was lead by strong leadership of 5’10” Tommy Craven ( St Charles). Unfortunately Tommy did not get to play in Summer Challenge due to a back injury. Stepping up was 5’9” Max Rivera a speedy combo guard from (Nequa Valley) that really advances the ball, shoots the 3, and attacks the paint.
Bigs- Inside presence from long and athletic 6’5” Grant Johnson (Naperville North) and big body Calvin Hartley, 6’7” (Aurora Christian). Both hampered with injuries in July…. should have nice High School Varsity contributions this season. Cash Rebarcik 6’5” (Yorkville) played major minutes as a great energy guy, being a dual threat inside and out.