2011 MYAS State Tourney Preview

This weekend is the last big event of the spring portion of the AAU season as MYAS holds their state championships.  With AAU crumbling away this year, MYAS has the weekend all alone.  The tournament format is seeded but teams will play pool play before moving into the bracket. 

The schedule for the weekend can be found here.  16U and 17U games are at Hopkins.  14U and 15U games are at Lakeville South.

17U
The best news is that MYAS decieded to combine 11th/12th grade this year after 2 years of forfeits in the championship game due to using seniors.  The field doesn't have the cream of the crop (HP, 43, PNR or Net Gain) but still has 4 noteworthy teams competing and they received the top 4 seeds.  That's Fury Blue, Comets Elite, Southside and Heat Elite in seed order.  Watch out for the 7th and 8th seeds WOTN and Comets Stock.  Heat Duberry comes in with the dangerous 12th seed.  But the most dangerous low seed I'm watching is #19 seed Johnson who should have Marcus Marshall with them.

Fury Blue has Heat Duberry in pool A.  EOTO Gold is the 14 seed and they're in with Comets Elite in Pool B.  Southside should have no problems in pool C.  Heat Elite has 16 seed Comets Seevers in their pool in a rematch from earlier in the season.  Riley Mickleson vs Dave Simmet inside gives me another chance to use the irresistible force vs immovable object cliche.  Pool F is winnable for WOTN but I'll take Johnson to win it.  Pool E is the most wide open with Comets Stock and 5th seeded Glory in the pool.  Triple Threat is down this year but they can still be dangerous in this pool.

The top 4 seeds will receive 1st round byes if they win their pools.  All 2nd place teams and the winners of pools E and F will play in the 4 pigtail games.  Southside ends up with the toughest bracket draw in my opinion.  I see them having to go through Johnson (or WOTN), Comets Elite and either top Fury or top Heat to win the entire thing.  My pick: Comets Elite

16U
Now the fun begins as this bracket is absolutely loaded (and not just with 6 of 24 teams being from the Heat).  Fury Gold and Fury Blue received the top 2 seeds.  Ultimate Hoops got the 4, Comets Elite the 6, PNR tourney runner up Dakota Pride only got a 7 (will AJ Jacobsen appear?) and lurking as a very very dangerous 8 seed are the MN PNR 15s.  If the 15 seeded 43 Hoops group is the Nick Anderson team then that's a very dangerous team as well.  They draw Fury Blue in pool play.  John Sherman's Magic Black crew is the 13th seed and they should have a good one with Ultimate Hoops in pool play.  Does Greg Wesley go back to them for the weekend?  If not, Nick O'Hara, Konner Goettsche and Collin Host still give the Magic plenty to work with.  But I think the top 8 seeds all win their pools.  That means a quarterfinal bracket that is outstanding.  Fury Gold vs MN PNR (wow), Ultimate Hoops vs Heat Altena, Fury Blue vs Dakota Pride (wow) and Heat Ogorek vs Comets Elite.  The winners of the WOW games move to the final with tough wins and any combination would be outstanding.  Though I'm sure Fury Blue would love another shot at Fury Gold (0-2 this season vs them, Fury Gold is 30-3 and no losses in state this season).  I won't bet against Fury Gold.

15U
This bracket misses out with the MN PNR 15s playing up, but it still is outstanding with 5 top teams in the bracket.  MN Elite earned the 1 seed.  Heat Select, Fury Black and Comets Elite are 2-4.   Some real sleepers right behind them though with Heat Frank, TC Force and 43 Hoops Carr at 5,6 and 8.  No problems for the top 4 seeds getting through.  Heat Frank vs 43 Hoops Carr will decide pool E in an entertaining game.  43 Hoops was runner up to the loaded Ray Allen Select squad at the NY2LA event 2 weeks ago.  TC Force is my pick in pool F (largely East Ridge kids who played well at Sabes).

Comets Elite vs 43 Hoops Carr sticks out in the quarterfinals with the winner likely playing MN Elite in 1 very good semifinal.  That sets up Heat Select vs Fury Black on the other side of the bracket.  These teams went to a buzzer beating thrilling finish in their last meeting in the semifinals of the Fury tournament 2 weeks ago.  Andre Wallace bank fade 3 from 25 feet after 3/4 court pass at the buzzer to win it in OT for the Heat.  That was after the Heat gave up an 18 point lead.  Such a tough bracket to pick as I think you could throw the top 4 seeds and 43 Hoops in a hat and come out with a quality pick.  Since the teams have met up so often this season, I'll take MN Elite over Heat Select in a close final.