Basketball: AAU summer wrap

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/MELISSA SUE GERRITS - 04/18/2014 - Wings Elite's Malik Monk looks for an opening pass during their game against RL9 at the Real Deal tournament in Little Rock, April 18, 2014.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/MELISSA SUE GERRITS - 04/18/2014 - Wings Elite's Malik Monk looks for an opening pass during their game against RL9 at the Real Deal tournament in Little Rock, April 18, 2014.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

SPRINGDALE

Chris Owens had a very productive spring and summer.

The Springdale High senior guard spent the last few months playing against top talent in the nation on the 17-and-under Arkansas Wings Elite team in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.

All the work and travel paid off. Owens picked up an offer from Oral Roberts and has interest from around 10 other Division I schools, including Tulsa, Southern Illinois, Mercer, Texas State and Denver.

“They call every day or every other day,” Springdale coach Brad Stamps said of the schools. “Every day, I’m taking at least three or four calls from different people.”

Owens, who averaged a team-high 12.6 points for Springdale last year, had to fight for playing time on a loaded Wings Elite team, but showed college coaches glimpses of his talent, including scoring 17 points at the AAU national championship tournament in Louisville, Ken., last week and putting up 10 quick points at the renowned Peach Jam tournament.

“When he got asked to be the final spot for the EYBL team, he had all these local groups begging him to come be the guy and put up 30 shots a game,” Stamps said. “He said, ‘Coach, I don’t think it benefits me to go get 30 a game on a bad team. I’m going to learn and be a better player by practicing and playing against better players.’ And I said, ‘I agree.’ He’s so humble.”

Owens wasn’t the only Bulldog to play summer basketball.

Senior point guard TreShawn Gause got experience playing for several teams, including a stint with the Wings Select team. And junior forward Kyler Mahar played with the 16-and-under Wings Select team.

Most of the Lady Bulldog players spent the summer playing for Team Unity, which is coached by Shannon Lang, father of Springdale all-state point guard Kierra. Team Unity is wrapping up the summer with several big tournaments, playing in a Nike tournament in Las Vegas last week and traveling to Atlanta for an Adidas nationals tournament this week.

“I’m just hoping for good things from this Vegas tournament, getting them exposed to these college coaches and maybe start to get some interest,” Springdale coach Heather Hunsucker said.

Lang is already generating interest from several teams, including receiving invites to Kansas and Baylor elite camps. But the summer has also allowed other Springdale players, namely fellow juniors Chasidee Owens and Desiree Mack, to be seen by college coaches.

“Rickey Smith, the Northside coach, called me the other day after he saw them playing,” Hunsucker said. “And he said, ‘Wow, your kids are looking great. He really complimented how well they’re playing together. The growth of Desiree and Chas, he really pointed that out to me. He thought those two looked tremendously better.”

— JIMMY CARTER • @NWAJimmy

ROGERS HERITAGE

The summer break isn’t over yet, but Rogers Heritage boys basketball coach Tom Olsen likes what he sees from his team.

Even though he lost two primary scorers in his son, Crist, and Wyatt Kinnamon to graduation, the War Eagles added 6-foot swingman Lexus Hobbs, who moved into the district as the school year ended, and junior postman Joe Belnap has made a nice leap forward in the off-season.

“I’m very optimistic this is the best group of kids we’ve ever put together at Heritage,” Olsen said. “Lexus is very athletic and he’s capable of going for 30 in a night. Joe Belnap is a guy who has made big strides this summer. He’s about 6-4 and we think he will be a go-to type guy for us around the basket.”

The War Eagles went to team camp at Oral Roberts earlier this summer and performed well against some solid competition.

“I don’t know that we could have been in any taller timber in Owasso, Edmund (Okla.) North, Southmore,” Olsen said. “Our best game really we lost a close one to Booker T. Washington. They had some D-1 guys. And we lost by two to Springdale.”

Heritage also participated in a team camp in Branson, Mo., this past week.

Heritage returns three starters in 6-2 swingman Connor Hirsch, 6-5 postman Julian Jensen and point guard Dane Olsen. Marcus Breedlove and Collin Christian also saw action off the bench.

The Lady War Eagles have also made strides, coach Kevin Ramey said. Senior all-state guard Emilie Jobst has scholarship offers from Henderson State and Central Missouri State, while classmate Sara Giesen has offers to play for a couple of Division III schools out of state.

“It’s nice to see two who have put in the work reap some rewards,” Ramey said. “It’s been a great summer.”

However, guard Emily Seiler, who started as a sophomore, suffered a torn miniscus in her knee while playing in a soccer tournament. She had surgery in late June and is expected to be back full-speed in October.

Ramey took his team to camps at Arkansas Tech and Branson, Mo., in June, but have concentrated on some individual skill work in July. He said the coaching staff decided to attend fewer camps and utilize July to focus on individual work for a team that has a dozen sophomores.

“We’ve done it different ways in different years,” Ramey said. “But more of our kids have been playing AAU or travel ball than ever before. Six years ago, we didn’t have one playing travel ball grades nine through 12.”

— PAUL BOYD • @nwapaulb

Rogers

Rogers High junior point guard Amber Turner has made big strides this summer with the Lady Mounties and while playing with the Arkansas Hawks. Turner has traveled extensively with the Hawks this summer while also participating with the Lady Mounties in offseason workouts and at team camps.

Turner has been the starting point guard for Rogers at teams camps and Lady Mounties coach Preston Early expects the junior to be in the starting lineup come November.

“If we were going to play tonight, she would be our point guard,” Early said. “But it is up to her to grow into that position. Amber has had a really strong spring and summer and she has been playing in tournaments since April. She is taking care of the basketball and she is guarding well.

“But the thing that impresses me is that she has put the Lady Mounties first and she has been at every one of our team camps.”

Early said playing against quality players from across the country will be a plus in the 7A-West Conference, which welcomes back Fort Smith Northside and Fort Smith Southside this season.

“Amber has been exposed to playing against high-level talent, and that has been very good for her,” Early said. “She has had quite a bit of travel and I think that has helped her mature. When you see that other level of player, that elite player, I think it changes your work ethic and how you approach the game. I think she is a little more physical and she is playing the game a little bit faster.”

The Mounties have eight players playing with three different teams. George Black, Daniel Salvador, Jesse Davis and Trace Crawford are all playing for the Nike Wings Elite. Black averaged 3.2 points a game and 2.5 rebounds last season. Salvador averaged four points and two rebounds a game.

Mounties Hunter Wilkinson, McArter Murr and Dalton Smith are playing with NWA Primetime while Kaleb Stadler is competing with the Raimmakers.

— Paul Nielsen • @NWAPaul

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER

Tereke Eckwood is showing why Springdale Har-Ber fans are excited he’s joined the Wildcats.

Eckwood, a Springdale High transfer, recently scored 30 points during a summer basketball tournament in Las Vegas. Prairie View A&M is the latest to offer Eckwood, who also has offers from Southeastern Missouri State and Central Missouri State, a Division II power.

Eckwood and Mason Cline, who is Har-Ber’s top returning stater, are both playing AAU ball with Yanders Law Firm in Springfield, Mo.

JP Brandon, who started for Har-Ber as a sophomore, is playing for the Northwest Arkansas Wings, who finished ninth nationally in a 16-and-under tournament in Orlando, Fla.

“Those guys are all having real good summers,” Har-Ber coach Scott Bowlin said. “They’re playing a lot of basketball and getting a chance to be recognized by college coaches. High school coaches aren’t involved as much in the summer as they used to be. Playing AAU basketball allows them to be seen by a lot of college coaches throughout the country.”

Zane King, Tevin Eckwood, and Cole Phillips are each playing for 15-and-under teams.

The Har-Ber girls have been busy as well, including Paige Redmond, who was the leading scorer from last year. Redmond has received scholarship offers from Henderson State, Missouri Southern, and Central Missouri.

Carlye Bohannon, Jacie Higgins, Savannah Collins, and Karrington Whaley are also top players participating in summer games.

“We have three teams of Hawks,” Har-Ber coach Sandy Wright said. “Paige Redmond is probably the one getting the most pub right now. She has been offered three scholarships so far. They are all in New Orleans right now playing. They have been to Dallas, Chicago, and Kentucky to showcase tournaments.”

— RICK FIRES • @nwarick

BENTONVILLE

Malik Monk’s name and his basketball talents are known throughout the country, and the Bentonville junior competed for a chance to play for his country this weekend.

Monk is among 32 players battling for 12 spots on the United States U17 team that will compete in the FIBA U17 World Championship, which will be played Aug. 8-16 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. That team was scheduled to be announced Saturday during a training camp session in Colorado Springs.

The 6-foot-3 1/2-inch Monk continued to garnish national attention for his performances in during the Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C. He scored 40 points, then added six rebounds and five assists to lead the Arkansas Wings to a 90-88 victory over Team Penny before a crowd that included Kansas coach Bill Self and Kentucky coach Bill Calipari.

“What Malik is getting to do this summer is providing himself with opportunities to improve, especially with all the camps he has attended,” Bentonville coach Jason McMahan said. “He’s received some good instructions, and he’s received opportunities to play against some of the best in the nation.

“It’s a great opportunity for him to improve, and he told me he wanted to improve on his efficiency and his ability to be a playmaker. He said he’s been getting better at those.”

Meanwhile, Tyrik Dixon played a role in the Arkansas Wings winning the 16U championship at the Peach Jam with a 79-75 overtime victory over Team Final. Dixon was one of four Wings players in double figures with 10 points, and he added five assists.

Tyler Robinson averaged 11 points per game and helped the Arkansas Hawks’ U16 team take a top-three finish in its pool and reached the championship round of the Las Vegas Fab 48 Tip Off Challenge. Ben Smith earned an invitation to participate at an elite camp at Bucknell University.

— HENRY APPLE • @NWAHenry

FAYETTEVILLE

Few players have shined as bright on the summer AAU scene as Fayetteville junior Payton Willis.

For Willis, his stellar play for the Arkansas Wings Elite 16u team actually began back in the spring. The NWA Media Newcomer of the Year for this past season led the Wings Elite to the championship in the Real Deal on the Rock in Little Rock in April, where he was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

A foot injury kept Willis off the court for the early part of the summer, but the 6-foot-4 guard returned for the EYBL Peach Jam Sweet 16, where he again played big in the Wings Elite’s finals victory. Willis scored 15 points, had four assists and hit three of four 3-pointers in the Sweet 16 Peach Jam championship, drawing praise from several on hand.

The Lady Bulldogs also have many players touring the country playing with various AAU teams this summer, and none have possibly helped themselves as far as grabbing attention with college coaches as senior-to-be guard Sydney Crockett.

Crockett plays for the Arkansas Lady Hawks and has participated in tournaments in Chicago, Lexington, Ky., Houston, Baton Rouge, Dallas, Little Rock and Fayetteville. She has also attended team camps at Texas A&M, Arkansas and Belmont and the work has paid off as Crockett has picked up her first two offers from Southern Arkansas University and Central Missouri.

Rice University is also interested and has come to watch three of Crockett’s AAU tournament games.

— VERNON TARVER • @NWAVernon