Results from The Big Weekend

So what a weekend it was.  Games and food galore.   I spend Friday night, the last session on Saturday and the semis/finals Sunday at the Pump N Run tourney.  Saturday's first half was at NY2LA and then the night session of the EYBL.  Tough call between the Fritos Walking Taco at Hopkins or the Famous Dave's BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich at the EYBL.  Add in a cinnamon roll and that's not a bad Saturday of food.  People galore at Pulley.  Full from the divider to the sideline and then on the 1 open baseline, 5 deep from the wall right to the edge of the court.  Parking was even worse as cars were being towed left and right.  Double parked, parking on the grass, you name it.  Anything to find a spot.  In fairness, all the of events did a nice job with their setups to manage the crowds and the coaches.    Amazing to see all the head coaches from Jim Boeheim to Coach K to Bill Self and the list goes on and on and on.

Pump N Run lost a heartbreaker on Friday night to the KC 76ers.  A great play call gave Cullen Russo a wide open layup that wouldn't go down and KC held on 56-54.  Liked point guard Martez Harrison and forward Joey Lillis for the 76ers.  Anybody named Cornsharks (Iowa) is worth seeing but no sight of their outstanding logo.  Illinois Warriors hung on in an entertaining game vs Team Breakdown.  Pump N Run 16s couldn't make a shot as Illinois Basketball Academy (with their Muscle Milk Jerseys) knocked them out in the semis.  Fury Dixon got a buzzer beater runner John Veil to beat IBA in that title game.  PNR 15s knocked off Wisconsin Blizzard-Pronschinske (last year's loaded Fox Valley Swing team) in a very good title game.  Cody Schwartz will be a player from that squad.  They took out a very good tNBA team in the semis.  Fun to see Schwartz go up against Henry Ellenson in the final.  Ellenson and Marshawn Wilson continue to impress.

15U Bracket Results
PNR def Heat Lesewski, NE Select Fisher def Triple Threat, WI Blizzard def KC 76ers, tNBA def Fury Shelman

PNR def Nebraska Select-Fisher
WI Blizzard def tNBA

PNR def WI Blizzard - Pronschinske 61-54

16U Bracket Results
PNR def MN Warriors, IBA def Chicago Magic, WI Blizzard def EOTO Black, Fury Dixon def WI Blaze

IBA def PNR, Fury Dixon def Blizzard

Fury Dixon def IBA 51-49  (Fury Dixon's only loss was to Heat Vang, they actually beat 2015 stud Diamond Stone and the Milwaukee Young Legends, corrected from original post)

17U Results
PNR def KC 76ers 67-50 for title

PNR def Team Breakdown, KC 76ers def Team Breakdown

KC 76ers def Team NE, Fundamental U def Grassroots, PNR def Fury Davis, Team Breakdown def AK Hawks.

KC 76ers def KC Premiere, Team NE def Fury Ouse, Fundamental U def MI Hurricanes, Grassroots def Ill Warriors, PNR def WI Blizzard, Fury Davis def Omaha Crusaders, AK Hawks def WI Jets, Team Breakdown def TX D1 Ambassadors

NY2LA Spring Extravaganza
Net Gain goes 2-2 as they lose to Texas Select in pool play and then bow out in the quarters to WI Swing on a buzzer.  Comets Hanson had a crazy overtime game to finish pool play and then lost to TP Elite in the round of 16.  43 Hoops lost their pool to ECI after beating them in St. Cloud.  43 then knocked out both Select before losing to the Green Bay Gunners in the semifinals of the gold bracket.  Comets Stock knocked out Getshook in the Silver bracket and then lost in the Silver title game by 4.

In the 16s Comets Lewis fell in the round of 16s to a very good KC Run GMC club.  MN Select lost in the round of 16s to eventual champ RAS (Ray Allen Select)  Net Gain 15s won their quarterfinal before losing to KC Run GMC in the semifinals.

The Rest
The Minnesota Cyclones lost to the St Louis Eagles at the IM Bball tourney before rolling through the Red bracket to win that title.  My old Magic crew was 1-3 in that same division.  Howard Pulley's top 17s went 3-1 and could have been 4-0 if not for a close loss to Albany City Rocks.

The Big Weekend Brackets

Here are championship brackets for Sunday of The Big Weekend 2012.

Best Buy Spring Classic
17U Semifinals - 12:30 PM Courts 1 and 2 Jefferson
KC 76ers vs Fundamental U
Minnesota Pump N Run vs Team Breakdown (FL)
Team Breakdown came from double digits down in 2nd half to beat Arkansas Hawks.

16U Semifinals - 11:25 AM Courts 1 and 2 Jefferson
Minnesota Pump N Run vs Illinois Basketball Academy
Wisconsin Blizzard vs Minnesota Fury-Dixon

15U Semifinals - 11:25 AM Courts 3 and 4 Jefferson
Minnesota Pump N Run vs Nebraska Select - Fisher
tNBA-Brown vs Wisconsin Blizzard Pronschinske

15U Championship - 1:40 PM Court 3 Jefferson
16U Championship - 1:40 PM Court 1 Jefferson
17U Championship - 2:45 PM Court 3 Jefferson

NY2LA Sports Spring Extravaganza
17U Quarterfinals - 9:10 AM Courts 1,3,4 and 5 Hopkins
Texas Select vs KC Run GMC
Kingdom Hoops Elite vs TP Elite
WI Playmakers White vs I-Can All-Stars
Net Gain Sports vs Wisconsin Swing

17U Semifinals - 11:30 AM Courts 3 and 4 Hopkins
17U Championship - 1:50 PM Court 4 Hopkins

16U Quarterfinals - 8:00 AM Courts 1,3,4 and 5 Hopkins
Wisconsin Swing-Litscher vs Milwaukee Rebels
Inland Empire vs Wisconsin Playmakers
RAS vs SYF Hoopmatics
Iowa Barnstormers vs KC Run GMC

16U Semifinals - 10:20 AM Courts 3 and 4 Hopkins
16U Championship - 12:40 PM Court 4 Hopkins

15U Semifinals - 10:20 AM Courts 1 and 5 Hopkins
Kingdom Hoops Elite vs DTA Spartans
Net Gain vs KC Run GMC

15U Championship - 12:40 PM Court 3 Hopkins

IM Bball Spring Showcase
17U Bracket Semifinal 1 10:10 AM at Metcalf
17U Bracket Semifinal 2 11:15 AM at Nicollet
17U Bracket Championship 2:30 PM Eagan Court 1

15U Red Bracket Semifinals - 9:05 and 10:10 AM Eastview Court 2
Minnesota Cyclones vs Wisconsin Playground Elite
MOKAN vs All Iowa Attack Moore

15U Red Bracket Championship - 1:25 PM Eagan Court 3

15U Black Bracket Semifinals - 10:10 AM Courts 1 and 2 Burnsville
Illinois Elite vs Pumas 15U
MN Magic Blue vs DSM Knicks 15U

15U Black Bracket Championship- 1:25 PM Eastview Court 1

EYBL
Howard Pulley vs NJ Playaz - 9:30 AM Court 1 Hight Performance Academy

The Big Weekend Preview

The biggest weekend in Minnesota basketball history comes to town this weekend.  Nike brings their EYBL to town at High Performance Academy in Eagan.  It'll be very interesting to see how the setup there works with all of the fans, coaches and media.  IM BBall has the lesser 17s and the 15s/16s from that division.  That's at Bursnville and Eastview.  NY2LA looks to cash in as they add to their list of tournaments by adding an event here this weekend.  They'll take over Hopkins and Minnetonka.  Then there's the annual Best Buy Spring Classic in Bloomington.  Here's what catches my eye.


Best Buy Spring Classic
Most Interesting Pool Matchup: SW MN Stars 16s vs MN Pump N Run 16s- 1:10 PM Saturday Court 5 Jefferson.

I'm hoping Ishmael Wainright rejoins the 76ers for the tournament.  He was the leader for a club that swept the late period last July by winning the Fab 48 in Las Vegas and The Best of Summer in Los Angeles.  The Michigan Hurricanes return to the cities with star forward Byron Ziegler.  Team Nebraska Express also returns after losing last year's Best Buy Summer Classic title game in double overtime.  Traditionally strong Team Breakdown from Florida makes the trip in.  The Wisconsin Jets make the trip in as a next kid on the block but they've picked up some nice talent in kids like Tim Wagner who played here with Gale-Ettrick-Trempeleau last fall and winter.

I'm hoping for a tNBA vs Pump N Run final in the 15U bracket on Sunday at 1:40.  tNBA might have to go through the top Fury team in the quarters though to do it.    In the 16s could get a Fury Grosz vs PNR semifinal.  EOTO with a tough pool on the other side of the bracket.  In the 17s I absolutely love the bracket format with the big games on Friday night.  Pump N Run vs KC 76ers (Travis vs Wainright?, that would be cool), Fury Davis vs Team Nebraska Express, Omaha Crusaders vs Iowa PNR-Henderson, Illinois Warriors vs Team Breakdown highlight that schedule.

EYBL/IM BBall
No less than 30 of the top players in 2013 are expected at the 1st session of the EYBL.   No surprise then that it also means you have some of the most talented teams in the country.  That list begins with the Oakland Soldiers and star Aaron Gordon.  The 2014 talent is loaded with Andrew Wiggins, Jahil Okafor, Trey Lyles and D'Angelo Russell.  Oh yeah and some kid named Tyus Jones too.

Howard Pulley has 4 games all outside their pool, highest profile should be vs Jackson Tigers on Saturday night at 6:30 on court 2.  Kyle Washington not eligible for the EYBL but he will play in the 17U division of the IM BBall event with the 2nd team.  Might be the only chance to see him with Pulley in true AAU ball.  This group is loaded at 15s/16s with the Nike teams.  Minnesota Cyclones, Mokan Elite, Playground Elite, CIA Bounce and top Pulley team (along with the remains of my old 14U team) all in the top 15U division.  Similar criminal level of talent in the 16U field.

NY2LA Spring Extravaganza
Best Pool Matchup: KC Run GMC vs Wisconsin Swing - 1:50 PM Saturday Court 3 Hopkins.
Must See Game: Wisconsin Playmakers White vs Net Gain  - Friday 7:10 Hopkins Court 4
Crazy Schedule Game: ECI vs 43 Hoops in a pool rematch of last week's quarterfinal in St. Cloud


Top Minnesota Players: 
Riley Dearring and Rashad Vaughn - Net Gain
Carson Shanks and Jon Sobaski - Minnesota Select White

2013 Top Players: 
Connor Frankamp - KC Run GMC
Luke Fischer, Nick Fuller and Bronson Koenig - Wisconsin Swing
Turner Botz, Toby Hegner and Matt Thomas - Wisconsin Playmakers White
Deonte Burton - TP Elite

2014 Top Players: 
Emanuel Mudiay - Texas Select
Kevon Looney - Milwaukee Rebels
Dominique Collier - KC Run GMC