SoCalHoops High School News
SoCalHoops High School News
Nike Grassroots Teams To Play
In Douai, France At Junior Worlds--(March 18, 1999)
Today's edition of the LA Daily News reminded us to spread the word about the 13th Annual Nike World Juniors Basketball Tournament, which is played each year (that's why this is the 13th annual one) in Douai, France. The Daily News also reminded us that Scott Borchart (6'-9" So. F) from West Hills Chaminade Preparatory will be one of the members of the team. But what we didn't know, at least not until we checked the event's website this morning is that you can see at least three members of this team this weekend also playing for two of the Pump-N-Run teams at the Pump Discovery Shootout in Dominguez Hills this weekend. The Douai team from the West Coast will be the Nike Sports Express USA team, which will be coached by Miles Gonzales for Nike USA. Here's who's on the team which will be traveling to France to compete on May 22, 23 & 24, 1999:
| Nike West Coast Sports Express | Nike Georgia Select Team |
| Luke Whitehead (6'-7"
Jr. SF) Andrew Zahn (6'-9" Jr. PF) Marvin Stone (6'-10" Sr. PF) Brian Taylor (6'-0" Jr. PG) Branduinn Fullove (6'-5" Jr. SG) Lou Wright (6'-6" Jr. SG) Scott Borchardt (6'-9" So. F) Jarnell Pugh (6'-4" Jr. SG) Isaiah Fox (6'-9" So. PF/C) Wesley Wilson (7'-0" Sr. C) |
DeJuan Wagner (6'0
So. PG) Rashaad Carruth (6'4 So. SG) Arthur Barkley (6'-8" Jr. PF) Jason Williams (6'-3" Sr. PG) Casey Sanders (6'11 Sr. C) Travis Watson (6'-9" Sr. PF) Ronald Slay (6'-8" Sr. PF) Rodney Tucker (6'-9" Sr. PF) Josh Pace (6'-6" So. SF) Clark Williams (6'-9" So. C) Josh Powell (6'-9" So. C) Karl Hillingworth (6'-5" So. SG) |
In addition to these guys, the official tournament website says that the team will also have another two other players who have not yet been selected. The team will play internationl competition from all over, including teams from Croatia, Latvia, Nigeria, Holland, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Nigke Georgia Elite (East Coast Select Team USA), Mali West African Team, and a French Select Team. Each team will be placed into a "conference" and there will be four conference games, a playoff round with semifinals and a final championship game.
The Georgia Select team will be coached by Linzy Davis, who last year was with the Sports Express team as an assistant. The website explains in somewhat broken English that the reason Davis was an assistant last year was because one of his players, Carruth, went with the Sports Express team. We checked out the "Official Website" of the tournament, and while we don't read French (at least not fluently), we have to say that whoever did the French-to-English translation doesn't read or write English very well either. Here's how they described the Nike Sports Express team. Just keep in mind that we haven't mistyped any of this, and this is exactly, word-for-word what is posted on the tournament website:
"This team is made by AAU coach from California Miles GONZALES. Sports Express is ranked as one of the top NIKE program around the USA. Coach GONZALES will come in Douai for the third time. Coach DAVIS came in Douai in 1998 as an assistant coach of the Sports Express Team because one of his player (Rashaad). In 1997, he brought with him vey goog players such as Ferron MORGAN, Matt BARNES and Luke WHITEHEAD. Last year? he put a very strong team together with All American players. After beating Turkey in a friendly game before the tournament (Turkey won the championship!!),
they had too much confidence and get killed by Czech Republic and his super star Lubos BARTON (Valparaiso University ). This year, Miles promised the organization that his team will be a real team and not an All Star team. He is going to prepare it during the Boo Williams Tournament in Virginia during easter. Miles will add on the team two national recruits which will help him on the inside with 7'0 Wesley WILSON and 6'10 Marvin STONE (MVP of the 1998 Tournament)."
Huh? Vey goog players. Come in Douai? Yikes. .
Oh well. You get the idea. Congratulations to the Sports Express players who made the team. And as a sort of sidebar to the main topic of this article, if you want to get a preview of some of the Nike Sports Express guys playing against and with each other this weekend (Fullove and Wright on one team and Borchart on another team) check out the Double Pump Discovery Shootout this weekend. We don't have the finalized schedule of games, but we do have the rosters for both of the Pump N Run teams playing this weekend and here's who's coming:
| Pump N Run I | Pump N Run II |
| Branduinn Fullove
(6'-5" Jr. SG) Simi Valley Trayvon Bryant (6'-7" Jr. PF) L.B. Jordan Lou Wright (6'-6" Jr. SG/SF) Westchester Doyle Cole (6'-5" Jr. F) Gardena Serra Joe Travis (6'-8" Jr. F/C) L.B. Poly Terrance Lawson (6'-4" Jr. SF) Westchester Aerick Sanders (6'-8" Jr. F/C) Gardena Serra Jason Brelin (6'-3" Jr. SG) Westchester Jonathan Sanders (6'-7" Jr. PG) Belleview Christian |
Torin Beeler (6'-5"
So. SG/SF) Oceanview Scott Borchart (6'-8" So. PF) Chaminade Prep Evan Burns (6'-5" Fr. F) Fairfax Errick Craven (6'-3" So. SG/PG) Bishop Montgomery Derrick Craven (6'-3" So.PG/SG) Bishop Montgomery Baker Dunleavy (6'-1" So. PG) Portland Jesuit David Gale (5'-10" Fr. PG/SG) Buckley Jonathan Harper (6'-5" So. F) L.B. Poly Mike McCrain (6'-1" So. SG) Portland Jesuit Craig Smith (6'-7" So. PF) Fairfax Dustin Villapigue (6'-9" So. PF/C) Simi Valley |
The Pump I team will be coached by Dave Goosen and Howard Avery and the Pump II team will be coached by John Polin. We'll have the schedule for the Double Pump Shootout up shortly.
Again, congratulations to all the guys from
SoCal who made the Nike Select teams for the Douai Junior World Championship Tournament.
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1999 All rights reserved
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E-mail: jegesq@socalhoops.com
