Grind Region Preview: D1 Houston
As we are moving towards the end of the high school basketball season in Texas, we are looking ahead to the travel team circuit this spring. We continue to preview the teams participating in the Prep Hoops Circuit: Grind Region over the next…
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Continue ReadingAs we are moving towards the end of the high school basketball season in Texas, we are looking ahead to the travel team circuit this spring. We continue to preview the teams participating in the Prep Hoops Circuit: Grind Region over the next two months.
Today we look at D1 Houston who will have three teams competing on the 17U circuit. This squad will be at the #GrindSzn Kickoff, Mayhem in the Plex, and the Grind Region Finals.
Below is our chat with program director Frank Watson previewing this upcoming season:
Why did you start your program? How long have you been around?
Glory to God. I started D1 Houston to build basketball prospects and men of character. This will be our third season. We have 85% of our players getting an opportunity to play college basketball. I have been around for seventeen years and started coaching as an 18-year old freshman in college. I have playing and coaching experience at the college, high school, and AAU levels. Additionally, I have coached nine AAU seasons, have overseen the recruiting process of over 50 players who received college scholarships, and have relationships with several college coaches and scouting services.
What is the goal of your program for 2019?
Our goal for 2019 is to create a culture of comradeship and family, while playing hard and having fun. We look to instill work ethic, accountability, and unselfishness within each player. Through these things, we will win games and provide college opportunities for each player.
What is your program’s mission each year?
The mission of Defense First Basketball Organization (D1 Houston) is to provide opportunities for student athletes to obtain college basketball scholarships. This will be done using position-focused player skill development, college style practices, intense national tournament competition, and enthusiastic player promotion to scouting/recruiting services and college coaches.
Do you know of any players that will be back in your program this year? Who should we have our eye on?
So much overhype and entitlement in the game now especially among ranked players. I would rather wait until after our first two weeks of practice to say who our best players are and who to keep an eye on. D1 Houston promotes heavily via social media and our website Currently we have seven players locked in and four spots to fill. All of our guys will be heavily promoted. I carry on a lot of correspondence with college coaches via email of which video and statistical recaps are sent after each tournament. The college coaches will determine each of my players level and all who buy into the program will see the fruits of their labor via a college scholarships at the appropriate level.
Why did your program choose the Prep Hoops Circuit?
With the change in NCAA rules in place, getting quality exposure at every event is vital to getting on the recruiting board of college coaches during the two evaluation periods. College coaches I communicated with prior to joining spoke highly of Prep Hoops content and events. I noticed last year the volume of quality articles written by the staff and wanted to give my players the opportunity to play in front of Prep Hoops writers as another avenue of exposure. Thanks for the interview. It’s a great sign of enthusiasm and future exposure for all players on a Prep Hoops team. For a writer such as yourself (Brandon Jenkins) within Prep Hoops to even do a segment like this is unique and innovative. Looking forward to the season and the exposure the young men will receive playing on this platform!