Recaps

12/27 - 12/30/07 - Manchester Tournament (UK)
This Christmas break the Blair academy basketball team was invited to the Haris Memorial Basketball tournament in Manchester, England. The tournament had several international teams, from clubs to junior national teams. The team left from Newark Airport on December 26th and returned on New Year’s Eve. It proved to be a truly memorable, successful tournament and experience for both players and coaches alike. The team was especially dedicated to getting back on track after a competitive but ultimately disappointing showing at the Boys Club tournament in which they won only one of three games.

The team arrived early the 27th (England time) and slept for around three hours or so to get used to the time-zone change, as all games would be played in GMT friendly times. Players had a shoot-around before the game that afternoon to get their legs back a little, and just to stretch out and be ready, as the game was the very night they arrived.

For the first game of the tournament Blair played a club from Birmingham, England. This game counted as a group game, meaning if the team could beat the other three teams in the group, it would advance to the semifinals as the top seed. Despite having just arrived off the plane and being a bit unaccustomed to the time difference, Blair managed to win comfortably, 97-66. However, the Bucs’ play was a little sloppy and mistake-prone, but a win’s a win. After a well-deserved good night’s sleep, the team played two more group games the next day, determined to advance to the semifinals as the top seed in the group.

However, the road to the top spot was not easy, as coaches and players had just watched the Manchester Magic destroy another group opponent by over eighty points. Blair played the Magic the morning of the 28th, knowing it would be a stiff challenge. Even though the game was played at roughly 8 AM EST, players were prepared and ready to go. Hakeem Harris and Jarrett Mann took the lead in the game, scoring 18 and 19 points, respectively. Alex Vouyoukas also helped the winning cause, chipping in 14 points, and Ryan Lubreski gave the team a big lift off the bench, scoring 11 points. Blair won 85 to 78, securing first place in its group regardless of the next game’s result.

The final game of the group stage had Blair facing a team from the Netherlands, which it won by sixteen points. In this game many subs were able to earn some good minutes, including a starting slot for five players who usually come off the bench. They got some much needed reps that they don’t normally get in game situations. The starters were also able to earn some much-needed rest. PG’s Cam Chambers and Nick Lehn were able to show off their scoring prowess, with Cam topping all scorers with 18 and Nick adding 15, including three makes from behind the arc. Coach Mantegna and the assistant coaches are optimistic that such quality play from so many non-starters is a good sign for the last two months of the season.

The semifinal game of the tournament was against the talented Switzerland junior-national team, and coach Mantegna knew that they would certainly be a tough match-up if allowed to execute in the half court. However, increased defensive pressure compared to the first three outings took the Swiss team out of their offense, speeding up play and allowing Blair to enter the half with a comfortable 41-24 lead. The Bucs were led by strong performances from Hakeem Harris (14 points), Austin Johnson (18 points) and Jarrett Mann (18 points). Coaches were also pleased with the defensive efforts of Ameer Brown. Blair managed to win 76-63, but the game was never really that close despite a more potent offensive output from the Swiss in the second half.

The finals of the tournament proved to be a rematch against a first-round foe for Blair, as the Manchester Magic had also managed to advance to the final with another strong performance in the semifinals, and no one on the Blair squad was taking them lightly. The finals were much the same as the first round match-up, with Blair taking a comfortable lead early. However, Manchester whittled the lead down to a single point late in the third quarter before a barrage of treys and fast break baskets put Blair up by 21 points. From there, Blair managed to coast to a 79-62 victory. Hakeem Harris’s all-around game and Nick Lehn’s sharp shooting were big keys to Blair’s success, with Hakeem posting 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. Nick scored 19 points on 5/6 shooting from behind the arc. As usual, Jarrett Mann’s excellent all-around floor game, including some highlight dunks over the five games, was vital to the team’s success. Blair was able to cap off the tournament on a high note, going undefeated in five games and putting in place a good building block as the team goes into the New Year. Hakeem Harris was named MVP of the tournament, a feat sure to come again for this impressive young guard, whose game develops with each passing day.

The final couple of days in England gave everyone the opportunity to watch soccer (or footy as the English are fond of calling it) and to mingle with the Brits a bit in a huge, up-scale mall. It was with some regret that players and coaches had to board the buses to drive to the Manchester Airport, but all good things must come to an end. The flight back was longer than the flight out, but it was safe and relaxing. Everyone was happy to have arrived back in the states with a bit more time to spend with their families before heading out to celebrate the New Year. Hopefully ’08 can contain many of the winning ways that ended the year of ’07, as the team looks to build upon this success as they set their goals to winning another MAPL tournament and that elusive state championship.
Thanks are especially in order to assistant coach Terrell Ivory, whose tireless efforts and experience as a former pro for the Manchester men’s team made this great opportunity a reality. Thanks T.I.!

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