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SoCalHoops All-Star Tournament News

Belmont Shore & Gibbons Tourney:
Dinos Trigonis Reports & Replies--(June 8, 1999)

Last week someone on the SoCalHoops Message Foard wrote a simple inquiry, asking us for more coverage of the Bob Gibbons' Tournament of Champions which was played in North Carolina, and the Nike Bluegrass, which was played in Kentucky. Obviously, we didn't attend either event, instead choosing the less expensive alternative of attending the adidas EBO/EA Hoop Summit III in Fresno. But Dinos Trigonis, Edo Utop-Ema and Mike Lewis opted for the more expensive version of a Memorial Day tournament, and took a team from SoCal to North Carolina, a team that played under the Belmont Shore banner, coached by Dinos Trigonis, Etop Udo-Ema and Mike Lewis, and which featured players from the Belmont Shore program (Travon Bryant, Michael Ahmad, A.J. Diggs, Ellis Myles, Tito Maddox) and several from Mike Lewis' ABC Hoops program (Tommy Johnson, Jamaal Williams and Larry Johnson). Belmont Shore went 4-1.

The actual question posted on the Message Forum which we attempted (perhaps feebly) to respond to was ". . Why the lack of coverage of these 2 events [Gibbons and Bluegrass]? I know you were covering the EBO Hoop Summitt, but can you at least let us know how the local teams that went back east fared???"

Here's what we wrote concerning what we then knew about the Bob Gibbons Tournament: and Belmont Shore:

There's really not too much to talk about from what I have been able to discover. Belmont Shore went 4-1, losing in pool play to the New Orleans Jazz which featured a number of very talented players including UCLA recruiting target Chris Duhon. The Belmont Shore team was a "combo" team of guys who normally play for Mike Lewis' ABC Hoops team (e.g., Tommy Johnson) and some regular Belmont guys (Ellis Myles, Travon Bryant, etc). They didn't have Wesley Stokes for the trip. The team was coached by Etop Udo-Ema, Mike Lewis, and principally by Dinos Trigonis. Tommy had a great tournament, and was named to the all-tourney team. Apparently lots of scouts were out and saw Travon play very well, averaging something like 17/10 per game, and he's now a major target for many of the east coast schools as well as the schools that he mentions in the west from time to time (Arizona, UCLA, USC, etc).

On the negative side, well, everyone has read the article which was posted by one of the folks here on the Message Forum, concerning the New Orleans Jazz game in which Belmont was assessed three technicals. I wasn't there, so I can't really comment on it. I do know that Belmont forfeited a game at the end of the tournament, which I am told was a semifinal game in the consolation bracket because they had to leave to catch their flight home, but I'm also told that the Gibbons folks were pretty upset about that, and I wouldn't be surprised if they have some difficulty getting back into that tournament next year as a result. All in all, I'd say the Gibbons Tournament for the Belmont Shore team was a mixed bag.

Our comments were probably the most "neutral" of any of the comments on the Message Board. We searched the internet and local North Carolina papers for any other news and at the time we couldn't find anything; we spoke with Dinos Trigonis, albeit briefly, on Monday night following his return from North Carolina and our return from Fresno, and spoke briefly with Mike Lewis during the week following. We also posted what we had heard, (and it was just hearsay, as noted) that the Gibbons' Tournament folks weren't happy about Belmont missing its final game.

But it seems many other posters on the Message Forum weren't nearly as bland about expressing their opinions, and most of them had to do not with how the team or the players actually played. Instead most focused on an internet-based newspaper article, written by Pete Simpkinson of NandoNet, the same "negative" article which we referred to in our own post (Nandonet is the internet version of the Charlotte, North Carolina N&O, a major daily newspaper in the region.) If you want to read the article written by Simpkinson which started all the fuss, here's the link (we're not going to reprint it here, because it's been quoted ad nauseum on the Message Forum and elsewhere. . . we're linking to it just for reference only).

The Simpkinson article started a rash of messages about the "ugly" Southern California players, about poor coaching, and worse. In fact many were so bad that we had to pull them off the Forum. Nevertheless, the least offensive, (well, I guess that's still a matter of opinion) are still posted. We can fully appreciate, after all the talk and nastiness, why Dinos Trigonis, who coached the Belmont Shore team and was in North Carolina, might want to reply to some of the posts, including our own.

We're glad that we can offer the opportunity to Dinos Trigonis to give us his version of what really happened at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. Dinos has posted his own message on the Forum in new thread today. Ordinarily, we'd leave it there, and eventually it would scroll off into the sunset as newer messages replaced the old ones, and eventually it would fade into oblivion, only to be erased when the Forum got too full. But because we think that Dinos' response is important, and deserves special attention, we're posting it here, in the Daily Articles, so that it will be archived for posterity (or at least for so long as we continue to archive these articles).

Caution: This is an extremely long post, but we think it's well-worth the read. While Dinos is obviously a bit angry about some of what has been said, including some of what we wrote, we don't blame him a bit for expressing some emotion. We'd probably feel the same way if we had invested all of our time, money, not to mention flying all the way across country, to spend the weekend coaching some young men, only to get slammed for it. And really, on balance, the question that needs to be asked every single time someone posts to an open forum like ours on the internet, is this "Whose interests are being benefitted by the post? Does it help a young player get better? Does it help that young man or woman become a better player, a better person, does it help them succeed in life, or does it just tear them down?" We've been saying it for a long time on SoCalHoops: Most people who post on the message board here (and on other internet sites elsewhere) would do well to consider at least some of what Dinos has to say: Be kind, don't slam the kids, and leave the trash talk outside, and at least get the facts straight. Of course, that's not Dinos' only message, and even SoCalHoops comes in for a bit of criticism from Dinos concerning our speculation about them being invited back after forfeiting a game, but hey, that's okay with us, because criticism comes with the territory, and when we're wrong, or engaging in speculation which might be detrimental, well, we don't mind being called to task for it.

In any event, here's Dinos' own post

Posted by Dinos Trigonis on June 08, 1999 at 03:58:37:

As a person who "surfs" the web only periodically and rarely reviews the cesspool of free speech now known as "message boards," I normally ignore most of the worthless comments made by those lonely souls who have never played or coached a minute in their lives, but (with very limited basketball credentials) are self-annointed gurus of the game of basketball!

After returning from what was overall a very successful trip to the 1999 Bob Gibbons Tourney where my team finished 4-1 (and is now a combined 8-2 there the past two years), something "really ugly" was brought to my attention: arm chair "recruiting experts" directing personal attacks on minors who they have never met and based on just 1 game that they watched those young men play.

First let me address Mr. "Appalled North Carolina" who appears to have a "trailor trash" complex and feels it is necessary to make him and his fellow Waffle House buddies feel better about themselves by slamming urban HS kids from California! Too bad he did not get out of his Dean Smith booster seats and venture down the street to Cameron Indoor Stadium and Chapel Hill HS where 4 of our 5 games were played so that he could get a more balanced perspective on the kids and team that he feels so strongly about debasing on the internet.

Mr. Tar Heel, it is too bad that instead of taking the time to congratulate and praise a very talented New Orleans Jazz team (which reached the Final 4), you deem it imperative to trash us!!! Give credit where credit is due!! New Orleans deserved to win that game and they did so in convincing fashion!! My hat is off to Thad Foucher and his group of talented kids. New Orleans may have been the quickest team that I have coached against!!! They were as hot shooting the basketball as I have seen a team in quite sometime. And for those that want the whole truth: it did not hurt that New Orleans enjoyed a 22-5 foul ratio (including having just 1 foul called on them in the 2nd half while my team was whistled for 10 fouls). Due to the quickness advantage, extremely hot shooting and obvious officiating bias (which is often the case when non-Southern teams play Southern teams in Southern tourneys), my team lost its poise, composure and handled the adversity of the moment very poorly. Nobody is debating that point! But too bad Mr. Tar Heel that you were not equally appalled at the state of officiating in your great state as you were with the response of young "foreigners" to adverse conditions that most adults (and yes, most Tar Heels) would also not handle well. But to single us out when the officiating was HORRIBLE all weekend is unfair!!!! But don't believe me!! Ask Andre Barrett and the New York Ravens how much they enjoyed the officiating when they played a "Southern" team (the Raleigh Razorbacks)? Ask the Ravens if the three technical fouls they were assessed (most of which were questions desiring clarification of calls) were justified for a May tourney? How many technicals were assessed that weekend by all teams at that tourney? How many other teams got frustrated when faced with similar adverse conditions? But yet we are the only ones singled out as "ugly" , "vulgar" and "classless." I wonder how polite and quiet Dean Smith would be if he ever experienced a game which his team was being blown out and subjected to 22-5 foul disadvantage?? Are you sure that he would just sit there and be quiet as refs with Dean Dome-sized egos screwed him time and time again!!! I think not!! He probably would be tossed by half-time!

Maybe you should come out to California and teach us something about "adult supervision," "class," "respect," "discipline" and other principles that North Carolina is famous for. Better yet, email me at DeanTrig@aol.com and I will fly you out to LA to give us personal etiquette lessons!! I am looking forward to your infinite wisdom!

As far as you and other bandwagon message posters blasting me and those coaching this team like Mike Lewis and Etop Udo-Ema........it might be wise to find out who we are and what we do for the young men we are involved with. If you only knew the kind of hours and personal resources we spend helping kids develop, get showcased and assisting them with free academic and SAT tutoring you might be not so quick to to criticize. As to the question on why we spend all that money to come to this tourney......ask Travon Bryant what it means to go from an unranked California sophomore to a Top 30 member in his class in 1998.......or Casey Jacobsen who went from a Top 50-75 prospect to a McDonald's All-American candidate in just one weekend. That is why we come to Tobacco Road......to show that Southern California kids can play with anyone in the country. Our 8-2 record over the past two years (including a Final 4 finish in 1998 and wins over Team Wisconsin DTA, Houston Superstars, Memphis Sounds, Charlotte Royals, Illinois Elite, Maine Hoops, Pittsburgh Jots and adidas Pepsi Challenge) testifies to that fact.

AS TO NANDO MEDIA'S PETE SIMPKINSON:

Too bad you turned what was starting to be a great story on a great young player into a journalist's expedition attacking a young man from Compton that you have never interviewed or even know! Chris Duhon played an excellent game, displayed great poise and provided excellent leadership for his squad. Prior to our game with New Orleans, he had scored over 30 points against Illinois, but against Tito Maddox he had only 14 points (9 on freethrows). Why?

Part of the reason was the fact that Justin Reed, Jumichael Young, Maurice Williams and Brando Mounton all happened to get red hot at the same time!!! Duhon did an excellent job distributing the basketball to them. But another reason was that he could not easily score on Tito! Tito was too big and too strong for him one-on-one (the box score is the proof - 2 field goals). Where was Duhon's "wicked crossover" when Tito was guarding him? Why did he wait until 5'8" A,J, Diggs got in the game in order to display it? But Tito could not guard the whole team and the quickness advantage was too great us! Why slam Tito and my team? Why not credit Duhon and the Jazz with being the better team that day? 9 freethrows made by Duhon - that was twice the number my whole team attempted all game!!!

As for the vulgar comment attributed to Tito which you felt that was so vital to your story on Duhon, I ask you the simple queston? What relevance did that have to a story about another player and that player's future college decision? Why do feel it is necessary to publicly embarrass a player by quoting a vulgarity (which Tito now claims that he did not say and which I did not hear or see)? It is ironic that I was sitting courtside but did not hear what you attribute to Tito, but you (sitting with other spectators in the 2nd deck of a massive 24,000 seat arena) managed to hear (you must have Superman-type hearing) or see (you must be one hell of a lip reader) a comment made during the course of the game at the same time two other games are going on in the same building (along with all the accompanying ball bouncing and horn noise)? You must be one hell of an observer!!!

How many other times have you attributed a vulgarity from a minor that had no relevance to your story? Do you really believe (if it is indeed true) that Tito was the only player to utter a vulgarity that weekend? What is the value (1) to your story of attributing such a quote and (2) publicly embarrassing a 17 year old HS senior over the world's internet? Tito, as well as other members of my team handled the adversity of that game poorly, but that gives you no right to jam it down his and his teammates' throats. You should be ashamed......very ashamed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As far as another anonymous message poster wondering "why was Tito even there," the answer is very simple: READ THE RULES STUPID!!!!!!!! This is (and always has been) a 17 and under tourney. That is why 7'0" Brendan Haywood (North Carolina), Adam Harrington (NC State), Tony Robertson (UConn signee), 6'11" B.J. Grove (Cincinnati signee) and 3 members of Atlanta Celtics' 1998 championship team all played as HS SENIORS. THEY ALL met the age requirement!!! If you have a problem with that, then lobby Bob Gibbons to change his own rules!!!!

Finally the FACTS:

The team that I took to this tournament included 3 members of Mike Lewis' ABC program (Tommy Johnson, Jamaal Williams and Larry Johnson). The other members were from my Belmont Shore program (Travon Bryant, Ellis Myles, Tito Maddox, Michael Ahmad, and A.J. Diggs). To give you an idea of how tough the tournament is.......take a look at the following fact: Both finalists of the recent Indiana Spiece tourney (Tim Thomas Playaz and Mass Wildcats) did not even make it out of their pools - they both finished third (and they were both top seeds).

During the last two years, my team has achieved a 8-2 record at this event (including a Final Four finish in 1998), yet Jerry Gale comments that the results were a "mixed bag." Jerry what is "mixed" about going 4-1 in a tourney in which the 1999 Spiece finalists can't survive pool play? What is "mixed" about beating the Illinois Elite and Maine Hoops in pool play despite our best player Top 20 prospect Travon Bryant drawing 4 fouls in the first half each game. What is mixed about soundly beating a Pittsburgh Jots squad that includes 6'11" Cincinnati signee B.J. Grove and the1999 Alabama AAU 17 & under champ adidas Pepsi Challenge (which beat Spiece champ Tim Thomas Playaz at Gibbons)?? What Southern California team has beaten better quality opponents the past TWO years such as Wisconsin DTA (with Marshall Williams and Reece Gaines), Houston Superstars (with George Williams), Memphis Sounds, Charlotte Royals (with Jason Parker), Sports Express, Southern California All-Stars(with Tyson Chandler) and Alabama Lasers (with 4 SEC signees)?

As far as the New Orleans game being called off early by the refs according to Simpkinson, it is too bad that Simpkinless did not know tournament rules. It is a Gibbons tourney rule that if a team trails by 20 or more with less than 4 minutes to go the game is automically called. The famous Gibbons TKO rule. I guess that the concept of research was not important in Simpkinless' journalism classes. The rule dictated that game was over - not any ref's unilateral decision!!!!

As far as Gale's sources that Gibbons was unhappy and is "unlikely" to invite my team back next year for the 5th year in a row. Let me say this for the record. We had a 5:45 p.m. flight scheduled from Greensboro on that Sunday which we originally thought would not conflict with the tourney. Upon arriving at the event, we discovered that we might only have a conflict if we were to reach the final. The coaches decided to deal with that potential problem as it arose. Upon losing to New Orleans we thought that this conflict would not materialize. After the conclusion of our "Select Division" (2nd Place teams) semi-final win over Pepsi Challenge we decided not to stay for what was essentially the consolation final after the following occurred:

1. I was aware that the weather for Houston (our connecting city) was forecasted to be horrible (severe thunderstorms forecast) so if we delayed our original 5:45 p.m. flight (the last flight of the day) until the next day we could be potentially jeopardizing the safety of our kids and risk not getting them back in time for school on Tuesday; (note what happened in Little Rock recently)

2. I had approached the Pepsi Challenge coach and told him our situation and he had initially agreed to take our place at the consolation final

3. Since our last game was played at Cameron Indoor, we had approached the site manage and told him our situation and asked him to relay that information to Gibbons at the Dean Dome

After the tournament, I spoke personally with Gibbons and clarified the situation which he was not thrilled with but understood the situation that we faced.

Who Gibbons invites and continues to invite to his tourney is his perogative. But the facts are indisputable. No team has brought more talent from West Coast to the Gibbons tourney than Belmont Shore? During the last four years (despite great expense) Belmont Shore players that have suited up for Gibbons on Tobacco Road include future lotto pick Baron Davis (UCLA), Alvin Jones (Georgia Tech), Edmund Saunders (UConn), Erron Maxey (Providence), Ricky Anderson), Tony Bland (Syracuse), Ruben Douglas (Arizona), David Bluthenthal (USC), Casey Jacobsen (Stanford), Joe Shipp (Cal), Chris Osborne (Arizona State), Andrew Zahn (Redondo Union HS), Tito Maddox (Fresno State), Travon Bryant (Long Beach Jordan HS) and Jermaine Medley (Villanova). If Gibbons feels that it is not in the best interests of his event to continue to bring in these top prospects, that is his perogative. But before you start quoting sources Jerry, let Gibbons make that decision, because it is his alone to make.

I apologize for the length of this response, but something is terribly wrong when young kids are blasted for playing one bad game out of 5 versus one of the top teams in the country. If you want to blast us fine! But look at our record at Gibbons! It speaks for itself in a way no Waffle House patron can tarnish!!!