Quick Announcements

Cavs Sunday Schedule

11u: 3:00PM @ Montclair Prep

12u: 2:00PM @ Cleveland High School

14u: Noon @ Crespi High School 

Practice Schedule Week of 5/27-6/3

Thursday 5/30: 7:00PM-9:00PM 

Congratulations to our 12u Kings for finishing second in the Elite Level 1 Silver Division at the Reno "All Under One Roof" Tournament.  The Kings had an absolute blast all weekend long with our festivities, team dinners, and team outings.  We also played very well vs. the toughest competition in the tournament. The 12s lost our first play in game to eventual Elite Level 1 Gold champion Hoop Dreams from Boise (ID). All teams that lost their first game then moved on to Level 1 Silver Division where we had the championship all but wrapped up up 8 points with 3:51 to play, but having both Steven Ball and Sedrick Abrams foul out left us with only 4 players, and our 4 smallest players (Brandon Smith, Ryan Cartaino, Clark Slajchert, and Jaden Casey) vs. a VERY big 1 Team 1 Dream team that was also athletic.  We ended up losing at the buzzer on a three pointer in the corner and it was in a word...devastating.  I am so proud of the boys and how hard we played all tournament long.  

Our 14u boys had a tougher tournament also losing our first game to eventual Gold Level Division Consolation Champion YBA Dawgs.  Like I said the competition of the tournament was very high.  We won our second quite easily but lost our third to a very strong SABC team which we received 4 techinical fouls and for the first time in my life stayed another hour to officially complain that our refs that game hated us. We had our last game all but won as well up 10 and in control but Wes and Sam had to catch a flight and we ended up losing that one as well.  I wish we won a few more games and played a bit better.  But I was proud of our guys.  We always play in the ELITE divisions and vs. the best teams and our program is much more concerned with getting better and improving than it is with winning.  

NEW NEWS 5/21

1.  We will be participating in the CAVS Classic June 2nd/3rd and the ACES Coca-Cola Summer Invitational June 9th/10th.  Our 11s, 12s and 14s will play in the CAVS Classic and our 11s and 14s will play in the ACES event

2. We will be off June 11th-July 1st (Last Week of School for Finals, etc. and our highly anticpated Summer Camp at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas last week of June).

We will resume Kings Basketball after July 4th week to prep for Las Vegas in July.

Date: June 2nd and 3rd

Location: San Fernando Valley

Teams: 11u, 12u, and 14u

Schedule:  These are tentative. Final Schedule will be finalized 6:00PM Friday Night.

11u Schedule

Saturday 6/2: 11:30 AM vs. BTB and 2:30PM vs. Pacific Elite (Both Games at Chatsworth High School)

Sunday 6/3: TBA

12u Schedule

Saturday 6/2: 1:30PM vs. O.C. Blazers @ Chatsworth High School and 6:30PM vs. Inland Force @ Cleveland High School 

Sunday 6/3: TBA

14u Schedule

Saturday 6/2: 8:30AM vs. WestCoast Select and 9:30AM vs. ACES (Both Games at Highland Hall)

Sunday 6/3: TBA 

Rosters: 

11u Roster

Clark Slajchert

Demetrius Calip

Ryan Cartaino

Noah Laurie

Jack Abunassar

Bryce Howard

Zachary Songco

12u Roster

Javon Jones

Khari Osbourne-Roddy

Ryan Cartaino

Clark Slajchert

Steven Ball

Sedrick Abrams

Brandon Smith

Bobby Tatum

Mekhi Medley  

Daniel Foldes

14u Roster

Kihei Clark

Wes Slajchert

Harrison Pyros

Sam Orue

Michael Petralia

Gavin Hale

Marcel Addy

Trevor Burtzloff 

Date: June 9th and 10th

Location: Garden Grove

Teams: 11u and 14u

Schedule: TBA

Rosters: TBA 

DATE: May 26th-May 28th (Saturday-Monday)

LOCATION: Reno, NV.

TEAMS: 12u and 14u

SCHEDULE: 

CONVENTION CENTER ADDRESS: 4590 South Virginia, Reno, NV. 89502 

12u Schedule

Saturday 5/26: 4:00PM vs. Hoop Dreams (Ct. 32)

If Win...Sunday 5/27: 10:40AM in Bracket Play (Ct. 60)

If Lose...Sunday 5/27: TBA Pool Play

Expect 2 games on Sunday.

14u Schedule

Saturday 5/26: 9:20AM vs. YBA Dawgs Black (Ct. 28).

Sunday 5/27: If Win first game...8:00AM (Ct. 35) If lose first game...8:00AM in losers bracket (Ct. 20). 

We will have 2 games on Sunday 

ROSTER: 

12u Roster

Clark Slajchert

Sedrick Abrams

Steven Ball

Brandon Smith

Ryan Cartaino

Jaden Casey

14u Roster

Wes Slajchert

Sam Orue

Harrison Pyros

Gavin Hale

Kihei Clark

Brett Triebold

Michael Petralia

Trevor Burtzloff

HOTEL INFORMATION:   

I have a room booked at the GRAND SIERRA RESORT & CASINO.  This hotel is pricey, However the resort includes an Bowling alley, Go-Kart Racing, Miniature Golf,  Movie Theatre, Indoor Golf, Driving Range, and Thrill Park. Resort also includes Fine Dining, Night life, and near Reno attractions.  5 minutes from the RENO SPARKS COVENTION CENTER where all our games will be played.

Rooms are going for $199.00 a night online.  This is a 3-day tournament so we do need to plan on staying Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.  

REMINDER: You do not have to stay here. This is just where I am staying and an option for you guys.  You guys are welcomed to stay where ever you like.  We will set up some activities for Saturday and Sunday Nights.  Maybe another Bowling night and Miniature Golf night.  

Our Kings 11u do it again taking home the championship going 5-0 vs. very good competition in Palm Springs.

Our Kings 14u did not have the same success as our 11s but played with heart and played very well at times vs. some tough teams.  The director of the tournament told me we were in the toughest pool with the 14s and it was true.  Our first game vs. VBA was a defensive battle.  The game was very much back and forth with both teams playing extremely hard.  Points were at a premium and with the us being down 31-30 with a few minutes the team with the final run was going to win.  We just couldn't make the big shots down the stretch and lossed 38-30.  

Right after the game we had to travel all the way back to Cathedral City to play the toughest team in the tournament...NSB.  They were super athletic, could shoot, tall, long, and really run up and down.  Our players were a bit tired from the VBA game and just could not find a rhythm all game.  Our guard play which was really good vs. VBA hit a wall and we just had too many turnovers to compete.  They would break our jump switch easily for easy baskets and we had no legs when we shot the ball.  Christian Juzang carried us throughout making jumpers and driving to the lane but we did not have the balance attack to win the game.  We made a valiant comeback to pull within 9 at the end but ended up losing by 12.  They were a very good team.

I was not in attendance for our last game vs. the OC Panthers team due to being at the 11s until there was only 4 minutes left in the game.  We were down 13 points but Coach Malik and the guys put on a furious comeback. From what I saw we played amazing basketball. Our press brought us back causing a ton of tunrovers and we converted on many jumpers.  Wes Slajchert got in the lane for two pull ups and Kihei Clark came off screens to hit another as our comeback seemed like it would lead us to victory. However, it was a little late as time ran out and we lossed by 4 points.  I was proud of our comeback and the way the boys played.  They fought hard and came back not giving up.  I was much more happy after this game then I was the night before.  Although the 14s didn't bring home the wins we were looking for, they played hard and had bright spots.  Sam Orue continued his good play from Santa Barbara into this tournament being aggressive and productive.  Harrison Pyros was a rebounding machine but got hurt in our second game and we really missed him in the last game.  Brett Triebold always brings hard work and had some very productive minutes.  Missing Trevor and Riley really hurt us and we can't wait until they return.

Our 11s were simply amazing all weekend.  We played fast, aggressive, unselfish basketball throughout the tournament with everyone stepping up at times throughout the tournament to lead us to victory.  It was truly a TEAM Championship and I could not be more proud of the way our boys played. Opposing coaches, refs, parents asking where we are from and complimenting so much on our style of play.  It made this coach extremely happy.

We started off pool play right with a win over Mark of a Champion.  We cruised to victory with our 'Switch" defense and fast offense moving the ball from side to side until attacking .  This would be a theme throughout the tournament. Highlight of this game was Jaden Casey guarding their big guy.  

We just worked on fronting the post in the practice before the tournement and our guys executed it beautifully thorughout the tournament.  Jaden was harrassing him and did not let him get comfortable.  If it was not Jaden, it was Bryce Howard.  Everyone played unselfish and we won by 20 plus.

Our next pool game was vs. our rival the Cavs.  They had some new players but we took control early driving past their pressure defense for layups and put backs. Our guards were magnificant handling their pressure.  Clark Slajchert and Jack Abunassar really handled the pressure and got our guys into the flow.  

The Cavs do a good job of not letting you run anything so our guys just simply outplayed them.  And the one who was really beating them up was Ryan Cartaino.  He must have averaged 10-15 rebounds a game for the tournament.  Ryan was a beast all tournament long doing all the dirty work and getting a ton of offensive rebounds. His ball handling and decision making were also on display against the Cavs pressure as he would really help out the guards. We caused turnovers and just played good unselfish offensive basketball leading by 12-15 the whole game and holding them off at the end for a 10 point victory.

Our third and Final pool game may have been our toughest test in the tournament.  San Pedro Knights had a very good big guy and very good guards.  The game was back and forth all first half and we could not pull away.  San Pedro made a nice 7 point comeback and tied the game at 24 with about 10 minutes to play.  Then our bench went to work...We were rotating guys in and out all tournament long bringing 4 in and 4 out and just making mass subs a lot.  Our 11s are so deep and there really is not a "bench" and "starters," everyone contributes so much and we are truly a team.  The catalyst for our run was the play of Trevor Howarth.  

Trevor was a mad man on the boards all tournament long and he was all over the court igniting fast breaks and causing turnovers. Another catalyst was our new player Jonny Juzang.  His length and speed, and skill were on display throughout the run as his anticipation for steals ignited many breaks that he would finish concluding with a picture perfect 2 on1 executed perfectly with Zachary Songo.  

Another major player during the run was Bryce Howard.  Bryce was great all tournament long.  His length and speed and skills as well are top notch.  He's so athletic and fast and his basketball skill level is quickly catching up.  When our first five guys came back in they had a comfortable double digit lead and extended it to finish off the Knights by 15 plus.  

Our Semi-Final was vs. the Riverside Matrix.  A very athletic, big, good team. They had some really nice guards and this game would prove to be the most exciting of the tournament.  I was not there for the first couple minutes due to coming back from the 14u game but Coach Joe held down the fort giving us an 8-0 lead before I even sat down.  And I vividly remember the first thing he told "Clark is on FIRE!!"  

Our man Clark scored our first 11 points and went off for 5 threes in the first half.  Clark set the tone for the whole game and his competitiveness and no fear attitude really feeds our team.  We played beautifully in the first half.  We executed against their zone, we trapped and pressed them but as you know, basketball is a game of runs and I knew our 24-12 halftime lead was not enough.  Riverside had an awesome comeback.  They got to the rim, they made free throws and made shots.  The second half was back and forth and with Riverside trying very hard to take Clark out of the game we needed our our guards to really step up...and they did!!

With us only up by 4 Jaden Casey came though in the clutch.  Jaden hit some HUGE jumpers from the right wing with just a couple minutes left to play.  His jumpers really gave us the cushion we needed to finish off the game and thats what Jack Abunassar did.  The 2 most important plays in the game were probably Jack's 2 huge rebounds in the closing minutes.  One of our "little" guys Jack played huge boxing out and grabbing 2 game winning boards.  And with only nursing a 2 point lead, Jack stepped up to the line for a one and one and knocked down both to secure the win.  Once again, a complete TEAM win to carry us into the Finals vs. AVAC Hoyas.

The Final game was really the culmination of everything we have been working on in practice and the games leading up.  Our chemistry, execution, and just fun for the game was really on display.  Our guys performed our "Switch" defense to a t.  

Our press is really designed to wear on the opposing team.  We want to physically and mentally and emotionally break our opponents down to the point where they don't know what to do anymore and thats exactly what happened to AVAC.  AVAC had some major talent.  And with the score close for the first few minutes our defense just destroyed their will.  We caused turnovers and finished on fast breaks.  Everyone was balling.  Great passes. Great Shooting. Great everything.  And the guy who started this run was Isaiah Hogan.  He was everywhere on the court.  Steals, deflections, everything.  He scored inside and outside. Ran his lane. Really got us going in the Final and we never looked back.  We rushed out to 17 point halftime lead and extended even more in the second half.

Another huge impact player in the Final was also Zachary Songco.  Zach made good decisions vs. the Press and hit shots when he was open. Bryce Howard put the cherry on top of our tournament with his highlight "Rondo" move for a layup and our second straight championship.  The fans and our guys loved that one...We moved the ball vs. their zone. We broke their press with ease. We just played a great game.  We just played a great tournament.  

The best part of this 11u team and tournament was that every single player stepped up at big moments and it was always someone different.  Our MVP and ALL-TOURNAMENTS was everyone.  I am so proud of our guys and even more excited about the next few months to really see where this team can go. 

It was brought to my attention that our Kings 11u is now ranked #12 on the West Coast Club Basketball Rankings Website...Here's a link to the rankings

www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?cmenuid=1&url=guruwestcoastbasketballrankings2019&sid=496922931

I'm not a big believer in rankings and quite frankly don't like them, but I know you guys will enjoy seeing ALL your hard work PAYING OFF!!!

TOURNAMENT MVP: Ryan Cartaino, Clark Slajchert, Jaden Casey, Bryce Howard, Jack Abunassar, Trevor Howarth, Jonny Juzang, Isaiah Hogan, Zachary Songco 

The Kings Basketball Program went 6-1 over the weekend at UCSB with our 11u winning the Championship!!!  

Our 14u went 2-1 losing to eventual champion Beast Up in our last pool game.  Our 14s at times looked really good executing and shooting the ball with the confidence, but were once again plagued by inconsistent play.  Its been the same story all year with our 14s as we just can not put a full game together.  One very bright spot for the 14s was the play of Sam Orue.  Sam had such a great week at practice preparing for the tournament and it carried over to this last weekend.  Sam shot lights out from deep and was aggressive all weekend en route to being on the All-Tournament Team.  

Another bright spot was newcomer Gavin Hale.  His size, athleticism, and his willingness to work as hard as possible is a very nice addition to our team.  He rebounded well, finishes around the basket and has a nice touch from the outside.  He's only going to get more and more comfortable and his potential only being a true 13 year old is high. Hopefully we can carry the momentum of our 2 wins over the weekend and learn from our 1 defeat into Palm Springs this upcoming weekend.

14u All-Tournament Selection: Sam Orue

Our 12u went a perfect 4-0 over the weekend crushing the competition.  We cruised into the finals defeating rivals Ventura Heat (White), Camarillo Swoosh, and Team 805 by margins of 20 points plus.  Only having 6 players, our guys relentlessly attacked the opposition offensively and defensively with aggressive play.  And the player who stood out the most was our tournament MVP Jaden Casey.  Jaden was fearless with attacks on the rim and on defense. Jaden's speed, strength, and athleticism were on full display all tournament long.  His dazzling finishes at the rim, his steals, and pin-point passing on the break led us to victory.  In the Finals we played the top Ventura Heat 11u team and after a very back and forth first half where the refs gave us 2 technical fouls, and I feel were clearly not giving our kids a fair deal, we really put it on the Heat in the second half eventually winning by 25.  

Clark Slajchert ran the point well all tournament long and broke out of his little shooting slump in the Finals knocking down outside shots from everywhere.  Ryan Cartaino played huge getting all the rebounds no one else wants to get to ignite our fast break and he too broke out in the Finals and played a great game.  Zachary Songco shot the ball very well all tournament long as he is establishing himself as one of the better shooters in our program.  Newcomer Jack Abunassar is getting more comfortable as he gives our team another smart steady point guard who pushes the ball, makes very good decisions, and can finish on the break.  And Isaiah Hogan is gaining very valuable on court experience as he's putting together his raw talent and potential with learning how to really play the game.  All in all it was a great tournament for our 11s.  We are builiding up our chemistry and with Bryce and Trevor coming back this weekend in Palm Springs, I'm looking forward to how much better we can get!!

11u Tournament MVP: Jaden Casey

11u All-Tournament Team: Clark Slajchert and Ryan Cartaino