LATEST NEWS - SENIOR Knights
(Updated 8/7/2010)
Darius Graves signs with Huston-Tillotson University!
Darius Graves has signed with NAIA Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. Darius, aka "Slim" has been a Knight for three seasons and also played this year with Hoops City Elite.
Sam Mitchell and Joaquin Chappell excel at GMI Unsigned Senior Showcase
At the recent unsigned senior showcase, Sam Mitchell had something to prove. Out of the 50 players, Sam finished 3rd in scoring one of only 2 players to get at leat 22 points in every game. Same finished with 71 total points for three games, for a 23.6 average. Joaquin also had a great day with a highlight game of 7 threes in game 2. He finished 7th in scoring with an average of 13.3 points on the day.
The Knights lost to Franchize Red 57-56 in a great game. Then lost to the TXCagers to finish 3rd in the pool.
Houston Knights go 3-2 in the Summer Shootout in the Woodlands
The Knights went 3-2 and got some quality work in after the May layoff. Great effort in all games by the guys that were able to play.
Houston Knights beat Franchize Red 63-38 in tribute game for Tobi Oyedeji
RCS sports and Elite Action sponsored a tribute game to raise money for the family of Tobi Oyedeji. 16 of Houston's best summer teams played in the one day tournament. The game was held at Bellaire High School. The Knights played the Franchize Red who were fresh off a 2nd place finish in a local tournament. The Knights started the game with 4 players in honor of Tobi until the first dead ball. The Knights took an early lead on a Sam Mitchell 3 and never looked back. The Knights lead grew in the second half to over 30 but the Franchize Red made a final push. Sam Mitchell led all scorers with 19 (5 3's), Will Whyte had 12 and Dano Mataya had 9 along with three steals for the Knights. Robert Goffney had 17 of the Franchize 38 points.
Daniel Mataya Commits to Southwestern University!
Daniel Mataya commits to Southwestern University. Daniel has been a Houston Knight for over 7 years. Southwestern is a great academic school located near Austin. Daniel will major in business at Southwestern.
Knights finish 2-1at Pearland Classic
The 17U Knights beat Houston Fever and TW Flight and lost to the Next Level Kings at the Pearland Classic.
Angel Avila signs with Temple JC!
Angel Avila signs with Temple Junior College. Angel had tremendous seasons at Klein Forest and with the Knights the last few years and was voted All-Region this year.
Knights finish in the sweet 16 of Houston Hoops 2010 H-Town Classic platinum bracket
The Knights won the silver bracket of this event last season and this year reached the sweet 16 of the platinum bracket. The Knights beat the Houston Raiders and the CJ Miles All Stars but lost to the Houston Hoopstars.
Knights shine at the Texas Roundball Senior Showcase
Nine Houston Knights played in
the Texas Roundball Senior Showcase March 27 in Belton, Texas. The Knights
did very well and several colleges expressed interest which included 2 scholarship
offers at the event! Players that participated included: Joaquine Chappell
6'0" cg (Humble Christian Life), Dominic Countee 6'5" pf (Aldine),
Colby Daniel 6'3" cg (Klein Oak), Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney),
Terry Johnson, Jr 6'6" sg (Klein Oak), Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg/sf
(Cy Creek), Sam Mitchell 6'1" cg (Klein Forest), Brayon Molden 6'4"
sf (Klein Collins), Brodrick Ratcliff 6'4" sf (Klein Forest). For college
coaches that require additional information or need to contact a player, call
Coach Tony at 713-775-2461. Terry Johnson, Jr was rated 3rd best player at
the showcase and Sam Mitchell was rated #16.
Knights go 2-1 at RCS Icebreaker
Knights beat Brazoria Ballers and TX Phenom but lost to Jr Hardballers.
Check out Coach Tony's interview on Acrylic Sports
Coach Tony was interviewed by Al Woods of Acrylic Sports. http://acrylicsports.com/
Knights Win another Spring Shootout Championship!
The 17u Knights continued the season undefeated by taking the championship of the Spring Shootout tournament held Mar. 13 in Humble, Texas. The Knights beat Project Hoops, TX Slam, and the Houston Cowboys. This was another good tune-up for the upcoming tournaments.
Knights Win Spring Shootout Championship!
The 17u Knights started out the season by taking the championship of the Spring Shootout tournament held Mar. 6-7 in Katy, Texas.
Knights to play un-signed senior team in 2010
The Knights will be playing a team of seniors in 2010. We are looking for players to add to our nucleus from 2009. We are looking for a point guard, a shooting small forward, and 2 post players. Players must be college capable players, and be unsigned. The Knights have successfully placed seniors in college the last four straight years. Contact Coach Tony with your information at tmataya@yahoo.com.
Knights play in Houston National Summer Showcase
The Knights finished undefeated in pool play beating the HH Warriors, DGibb Hoops, ISTI All Stars to take first in the pool. The Knights advanced out of the first round to the elite 8 after the Louisiana Hoops dropped out of the tournament. The Knights play the Gulf Coast Blue Chips Thursday at 3:30 pm, winner advances to the final four. All games at The Gym in Humble. The Gym is located at 2325 Atascocita Rd, Humble, TX 77396.
Knights impress at Texas A&M Team Camp
The Knights had an excellent showing at the recent 2009 Texas A&M team camp in the Large School/AAU division. The camp consisted of three elements, skills development, team game play, and the one minute challenge drill tournament. The Knights started out the event strong, capturing the coveted 1 minute challange championship. The one minute challenge is a simulated end of game situation where both mental and physical skills are key. Friday night play had the Knights winning their first two challenges, 2-0 and 2-1. Saturday, the Knights went 4-0 to capture the championship. In the championship match, the Knights took the first game with tenacious defense and timely scoring. In the second game, the Knights held an early lead but their opponent hit a big shot to take a 2 point lead with 6 seconds to go. Angel Avila brought up the ball and calmly hit a buzzer beater three to seal the championship. In game play, The Knights went 5-1 in pool play and 7-2 overall. In bracket play, the Knights won their first two bracket games setting up the semifinals. In the semi's, the Knights lost in double overtime to South Lake Carroll to end bracket play. The Knights played 9 games in 40 hours, so team depth and conditioning were key. Great job working hard, bringing home the "hardware," and getting ready for July. Here are the Knights pictured with their trophy.
Knights finish 2-2 in College Station GASO
Knights beat HEB Rockets and Houston Lynx Yellow and lost to Kileen Ambassadors and Gulf Coast Blue Chips to finish 2-2 at the GASO
Knights finish 4-1 in Summer Shootout II
Knights finished 4-1 to take 3rd place in the summer shootout. The Knights beat Texas Cougars, Houston Lynx Yellow, and Houston Fever (twice). The Knights shot well all weekend until they lost a tough game to the Cypress Heat in which the Knights could not hit anything outside against the Heat Zone defense.
Brandon Laubach commits to Austin College!
Brandon Laubach 6'6" pf (2009 Klein HS) has committed to playing basketball in the fall for Austin College in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Austin College is located in Sherman Texas and is a great academic and athletic fit for Brandon. Congratulations Brandon! Brandon chose Austin College over several schools including Dallas Baptist.
Knights shine at HABCA All-Star Game
Brandon Laubach 6'6" pf (2009 Klein HS) scored 8 points and Darius Gatson 5'10" pg (2009 Klein Forest HS) scored 14 points in the recent HABCA All-Star game.
Knights take second place in Summer Shootout in the Woodlands
The Knights went 3-1 in pool play beating Legends/Oak Ridge, Houston Flight North, and Woodlands Knights and lost to the Southside All-Stars in the championship. Stats will be available later this week.
Knights finish in final four of Kingwood Classic Platinum Bracket!!!
The Knights had a great showing in the Kingwood Classic going 5-1 and reaching the final four of the Platinum bracket. There were 56 teams in the 17U division in the Kingwood Classic this year. The Knights won all three pool games to take the first seed into the Platinum bracket. The first round game was against the Next Level Elite team out of Austin and the Knights took an early lead and finished strong with a win. In the quarter finals the Knights met up with the Southwest Celtics for the second time this year and the Knights beat them again, this time it was not really close. In the semifinals of the Platinum bracket, the Knights lost to Moore Management/OC out of California.
Here are the Knights stats:
POOL PLAY (3-0)
Knights vs. Klein Elite 2010 (Knights win)
Sam Mitchell 6'1" sg (Klein Forest 2009) 19 pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 17 pts, Brayon Molden 6'4" w (DeKaney 2010) 9 pts, Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 6 pts
Knights vs San Antonio Suns (Knights win)
Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 12 pts, Brayon Molden 6'4" w (DeKaney 2010) 9 pts, Angel Avila 5'11" pg (Klein Forest 2010) 8 pts, Brandon Laubach 6'6" pf (Klein 2009) 6 pts
Knights vs Texas Phenom (Knights win)
Sam Mitchell 6'1" sg (Klein Forest 2009) 20 pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 11 pts, Brayon Molden 6'4" w (DeKaney 2010) 10 pts, Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 8 pts, Angel Avila 5'11" pg (Klein Forest 2010) 7 pts, Brandon Laubach 6'6" pf (Klein 2009) 6 pts, Lawrence Oke 6'4" pf (Alief Taylor 2010) 6 pts
PLATINUM BRACKET PLAY FIRST ROUND:
Knights vs Next Level Elite (Knights win)
Sam Mitchell 6'1" sg (Klein Forest 2009) 17 pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 15 pts, Brayon Molden 6'4" w (DeKaney 2010) 11 pts, Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 10 pts, Brandon Laubach 6'6" pf (Klein 2009) 10 pts
QUARTERS: Knights vs Southwest Celtics (Knights Win)
Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 16 pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 13 pts, Brandon Laubach 6'6" pf (Klein 2009) 13 pts, Sam Mitchell 6'1" sg (Klein Forest 2009) 12 pts, Broderick Ratcliff 6'4" f (Klein Forest 2010) 10 pts, Angel Avila 5'11" pg (Klein Forest 2010) 8 pts
SEMIS: Knights vs Moore Management/OC (Knights Lose)
Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 18 pts, Brayon Molden 6'4" w (DeKaney 2010) 9 pts, Angel Avila 5'11" pg (Klein Forest 2010) 8 pts, Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 6 pts
Knights win H-Town Classic Silver Bracket Championship!!!
The Knights won the inaugural H-Town Classic silver bracket championship. The tournament started out with the Knights shorthanded with Brandon Laubach on a college visit and others missing due to the bad weather. The Knights dropped the first pool game to the NW Cougars. The Knights got behind early and then pulled back within 2 in the second half but ran out of gas and lost by 19. Brayon Molden manned the paint for 13 points using his quickness to power past the taller Cougars. The next morning at the bright and early hour of 8:00 am, the Knights faced a young but dangerous Texas Select Elite squad that ended up in second place in the gold bracket championship. The Knights kept it close all game but in the end, the size of the Select was a little too much for the Knights who again played without any posts. Angel Avila lead the way with 21 points including 5 threes. Bracket play was another story with the Knights at near full strength, they went on a tear winning the first game Saturday against a tough ATX team from Austin. Daniel Mataya had the hot hand hitting 20 points. Next was a rematch against a familiar foe, the Coast 2 Coast team. This time the Knights had the size advantage with Emmanuel Okoro going off for 20 points and 8 blocks. In the semifinals Sam Mitchell, Darius Graves, and Mataya teamed up for a combined 33 points to pace the scoring against a scrappy NW Select team. In the championship game, The TX D-1 Ambassadors, a team made up of Houston Elite, Total Package, and other players kept it close in a physical game where both sides were tired. Sam Mitchell was the man in this game hitting 23 points including some killer 3's just when the Ambassadors were making a run. Even though someone different stepped up in each game to lead in scoring, there were solid contributions from everyone.
For bracket results click here.
For a nice writeup at RCS sports click here.
STATS:
POOL PLAY
Knights vs. NW Cougars (Knights lose 80-61)
Brayon Molden 6'4" w (DeKaney 2010) 13 pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 12pts, Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 11 pts, Sam Mitchell 6'1" sg (Klein Forest 2009) 10pts, Angel Avila 5'11" pg (Klein Forest 2010) 5pts, DeMarco Bourgeois 6'3" w (CE King 2010) 2pts
Knights vs Texas Select Elite (Knights lose 57-63)
Angel Avila 5'11" pg (Klein Forest 2010) 21pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 18pts, Sam Mitchell 6'1" sg (Klein Forest 2009) 9pts, Sam Mitchell 6'1" sg (Klein Forest 2009) 9pts, Brayon Molden 6'4" w (DeKaney 2010) 8 pts, Ronny Dyer 6'2" w (Klein 2009) 5pts, DeMarco Bourgeois 6'3" w (CE King 2010) 3pts
SILVER BRACKET PLAY
FIRST ROUND: Knights vs ATX (Knights win)
Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 20pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 12pts, Angel Avila 5'11" pg (Klein Forest 2010) 10pts, Brayon Molden 6'4" w (DeKaney 2010) 10 pts,Emmanuel Okoro 6'6" pf (Elsik 2010) 6pts, Sam Mitchell 6'1" sg (Klein Forest 2009) 6pts, Ronny Dyer 6'2" w (Klein 2009) 5pts, DeMarco Bourgeois 6'3" w (CE King 2010) 4pts, Lawrence Oke 6'4" pf (Alief Taylor 2010) 4pts
QUARTERS: Knights vs Coast 2 Coast (Knights Win)
Emmanuel Okoro 6'6" pf (Elsik 2010) 20pts, Brayon Molden 6'4" w (DeKaney 2010) 16 pts, Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 11pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 10pts, Sam Mitchell 6'1" sg (Klein Forest 2009) 7pts, Lawrence Oke 6'4" pf (Alief Taylor 2010) 1pt
SEMIS: Knights vs NW Select (Knights Win)
Sam Mitchell 6'1" sg (Klein Forest 2009) 14pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 10pts, Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 9pts, Angel Avila 5'11" pg (Klein Forest 2010) 6pts, Jerel Williams 6'2" g (Alief Taylor 2010) 6 pts, Ronny Dyer 6'2" w (Klein 2009) 5pts, Brayon Molden 6'4" w (DeKaney 2010) 5 pts, Emmanuel Okoro 6'6" pf (Elsik 2010) 2pts, DeMarco Bourgeois 6'3" w (CE King 2010) 2pts, Lawrence Oke 6'4" pf (Alief Taylor 2010) 2pts
CHAMPIONSHIP: Knights vs TX D-1 Ambassadors-Houston (Knights Win)
Sam Mitchell 6'1" sg (Klein Forest 2009) 23pts, Emmanuel Okoro 6'6" pf (Elsik 2010) 15pts, Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 14pts, Brayon Molden 6'4" w (DeKaney 2010) 10 pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 8pts, DeMarco Bourgeois 6'3" w (CE King 2010) 4pts, Angel Avila 5'11" pg (Klein Forest 2010) 3pts
Amir Rashid Signs with Central Michigan University
Amir Rashid (Klein/Trinity Valley JC) signed a scholarship with Central Michigan University. Amir was a key player for the Knights from 2002-2007 and had a fantastic career at Trinity Valley where he was the starting point guard for his two seasons. Amir worked hard on the court and in the classroom to earn his scholarship. Amir had offers from Jacksonville State, Middle Tennessee State as well but chose the Chippewas after he and his mom visited the campus this week.
Isiah Bazile Signs with LSU-Shreveport
Isiah Bazile w (Klein Forest/Minden LA/Midland JC 2009) signs with LSU-Shreveport. Isiah will be joining Derrick Parker at LSU-S where they will have a strong team returning from a very good team in 2008.
Darius Gatson Signs with Trinity Valley Community College
Darius Gatson pg (Klein Forest 2009) has received a scholarship to attend Trinity Valley Community College. Darius visited McClellan and Trinity Valley and wasted no time in making a decision. Darius has been a key member of the Knights for the last 4 years and had a standout career at Klein Forest High School. Darius follows another Knight as point guard at Trinity Valley. Houston Knight Amir Rashid (Klein 2007) finishes up this year as the starting point guard for the Cardinals and will be attending a D-1 school next season. Coach Smith and Coach Furr at Trinity Valley have a proven track record of developing successful D-1 players. We are proud of you Darius!!
17U Knights selected to All-District Teams
Post Brandon Laubach 6'6" 245 (Klein HS 2009), Point Guard Darius Gatson 5'9" 170 (Klein Forest HS 2009), Point Guard Angel Avila 5'10" 175 (Klein Forest 2010), and Point Guard Emmanuel Rivera 6'0" 175 (Woodlands HS 2010) were selected first team all-district. Shooting Guard Sam Mitchell 6'0" 170 (Klein Forest 2009) was selected second team all district.
DeMarco Bourgeois inducted into High School Honor Society
DeMarco Bourgeois 6'3" sg/w (CE King HS) was inducted into the high school national honor society this week. Congratulations DeMarco!
17U Knights play in Off Da hook Tournament in Katy
Knights beat the Houston Celtics 72-70, Lost to the Gulf Coast Blue Chips (GCBC ended up second in tournament), and beat Coast 2 Coast in pool play. Knights captured second seed and went to the Gold bracket. Knights lost to first seed Hoops-DGib in the first round. Overall a solid performance. In the GCBC game, Brayon Molden had to leave to get stitches for a deep cut below the eye. Here's to a speedy recovery Brayon.
Stats
Knights vs. Houston Celtics (Knights win 72-70)
K: Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 13pts, Emmanuel Rivera 6'0" pg (Woodlands 2010) 12 pts, Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 10 pts, Brayon Molden 6'4" w (DeKaney 2010) 10 pts, Angel Avila 5'10" pg (Klein Forest 2010) 9pts, DeMarco Bourgeois 6'3" cg (CE King 2010) 9pts
Knights vs Gulf Coast Blue Chips (Knights lose)
K: Sam Mitchell 6'1" sg (Klein Forest 2009) 19pts, Brandon Laubach 6'6" pf (Klein 2009) 12pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 10pts, Daniel Mataya (6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 8pts
Knights vs Coast 2 Coast (Knights win)
K: Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 20pts, Brandon Laubach 6'6" pf (Klein 2009) 12 pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 9pts, Darius Gatson 5'9" pg (Klein Forest 2009) 8pts
Knights vs Hoops-DGib (Knights Lose)
K: Daniel Mataya 6'2" sg (Cy-Creek 2010) 13pts, DeMarco Bourgeois 6'3" sg (CE King) 9 pts, Darius Graves 6'2" cg (DeKaney 2010) 8pts
17U Knights go 2-1 in RCS Icebreaker
Knights lost a close one to Coast 2 Coast on Friday, then beat Texas Heat by 8 on Saturday and the Texas Hurricane by over 30 points on Sunday.
17U Knights Tip-off the 2009 Season with 2nd place finish
Knights started the season off well with a 2nd place finish in the 2009 Spring Shootout. Good job for the first tournament. Knights beat Texas Slam and Bobcats and lost to Houston Fever in the championship.
Jason Hurns playing for University of Houston
Jason Hurns, a Knight in 2005, played at San Bernadino JC in California the last few years and this year joined the Houston Cougars. Jason graduated from Klein HS in 2005.
Dominique Andrews signs with Midland College
Dominique Andrews finished the 2008 season with the Knights and this spring joined the #4 ranked Midland College Chapparals.
2009 marks the 10th anniversary of AAU participation for the Houston Knights organization
It began with some eager 5th graders many years ago and the Knights now boast college players at NAIA, JUCO, D2, D3, and D1 levels.
Gabe Rogers Signs with Northern Arizona University
Gabe Rogers has signed with Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. "Gabe has been a huge lift to our program, and we are very proud of him," said Knights Coach Tony Mataya. Gabe had a great season with the Knights and had top performances at the John Lucas Southwest Invitational Camp, Houston National Summer Showcase, Denton GASO, and the GMI where he was named MVP of the tournament. Gabe had several D1 and JUCO offers and selected Northern Arizona. Northern Arizona is an excellent program and due to graduations, there is a great opportunity for Gabe there. Gage is expected to finish his high school career at The Reebok Last Stand July 28-30.
Isiah Bazile Signs with Midland College
Isiah Bazile, one of the original Houston Knights has signed with Midland College in Midland Texas and will be playing this fall on a full scholarship. Isiah started with the Knights in the 6th grade and has been a key part of the program. This spring/summer Isiah had a spectacular season and had multiple offers. He chose Midland based on the opportunity to play and the strength of the program and coaches. "It just felt right, and the point-forward is my natural position" said Bazile, when asked why he chose Midland. The coaches built a great rapport with Isiah in a short time and it looks like a true win-win situation. Congratulations to Isiah and his family!!
E-mail:tmataya@yahoo.com