LATEST NEWS - 17U Knights
(Updated 8/6/08)
Knights lost to Houston Hoops, Houston Elite, and Another Level Seniors and beat Texas Hurricanes and Houston Swoosh.
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!!
Knights to appear Live on "The Basketball Show" 7/16 at 9:00 pm
Knights will be appearing live on "The Basketball Show" 7/16 at 9:00 pm. Go to www.thebasketballshow.com to see the live stream. Go to RCS for more details.
Knights win George McClellan Invitational
Knights beat Another Level Elite, Suns Elite, L&S Airwalkers, and Houston Hoopstars 61-39 in the championship game. The Knights put together a great run throughout the tournament including playing an extra game due to a scheduling error. The Knights really played strong on both sides of the ball. The Knights defense held the Hoopstars to 17 first half points and nearly equaled that in the second half.
GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP: HOUSTON KNIGHTS
61 HOUSTON HOOPSTARS 39
K: Gabe Rogers 40 (6 treys), Isaiah Bazille 14, Dan
Thomas 9, Daniel Mataya 6, David Jackson 2
H: Darien Harris 11, Mike Davis 9, CC Gomez 6, Kenny Wells 4, Rashard Davis
3, Henry Riasco 3, Henry Buckley 2
Notes: Rogers scored 21pts in 1H as the Knights held a 39-17 lead. Hoopstars’
guards Rodney Milum and Andre Prince – DNP.
GOLD SEMIS: HOUSTON KNIGHTS 46 L&S
AIRWALKERS 45 (OT)
K: Gabe Rogers 19, Isaiah Bazille 14, David Jackson
10, Darius Gatson 3
L: Jonathan Simmons 16, Cartavious Kincade 12, Tootie Sledge 5, Cook 5, Jonathon
Flores 3, Benny Easter 2, Derrick Santee 1, Louis Barfield 1
***Gabe Rogers (MVP) and Isiah Bazile named to GMI All Tournament Team
Denton Great American Shootout Results
Knights beat All 4 Sports Dream Team by 10, lost to KC Keys (MO), blew out Dallas Showtyme 16 White in pool play. In bracket play, the Knights started strong with a huge win vs Oklahoma Elite. Things looked bleak with the Knights down by 3 with 15 seconds to go. Gabe Rogers hit a huge three at the buzzer to get to overtime. The Knights controlled overtime and won by 9. Rogers had 25 points at half and 41 for the game. Isiah Bazile had 17 points and 21 rebounds. The Knights lost a close one (2 points) to Texas Blue Chips to end the tournament. Great job on the tournament with two starters missing.
Isiah Bazile and Gabe Rogers to attend the Southwest Invitational Camp
Isiah Bazile and Gabe Rogers will attend the prestigious John Lucas Southwest Invitational Camp July 5-6 at the University of Houston.
Daniel Mataya attend the Hoopmountain Academic All-American Camp in Boston
Daniel Mataya was invited and attended the 2008 Academic All-American Camp held 7/11-13 at Brandeis University in Boston. The camp is sponsored by HoopMountain.
Amir Rashid (2007 Klein/Trinity Valley JC) invited to Jerry Mullens Elite 120 Camp
Amir Rashid has been invited to the Jerry Mullens Elite 120 camp for the nations top 120 juco players. The camp will be held in Tulsa, OK on 7/5-8.
Derrick Parker signs with LSU-Shreveport
Derrick Parker has signed with LSU-Shreveport and will play there in the fall. Derrick was recruited by several schools and his recruiting really heated up this summer. He had interest from Bradley, Cornell, Weber State, and others. In the end, LSU-S really won out with persistent recruiting throughout the spring and summer. Congratulations to Derrick and his family.
17U Knights finish 2nd in Off Da Hook Tournament
17U Knights finished second in a strong field that included some of Houston's top teams. The Knights started with a 47-45 win over Houston Hoops-DGibb coached by Daniel Gibson's dad. Darius Campbell (2008 Klein Forest HS) had 6 threes to lead all scorers. The knights never got on track against the J Prince Hoopstars and lost their second pool game to finish 2nd in the pool. This led to the first bracket game against the Goalbreakers. The Knights were down to seven players for Sunday's games. The Goalbreakers are led by some excellent three point shooters and athletic posts. The Goalbreakers took a late 7 point lead with 5 minutes left but the Knights got physical and turned up the defensive heat. This lead to some big plays and a couple threes later by Daniel Mataya (2010 Klein) and Campbell, the Knights had regained the lead. The Goalbreakers were forced to foul and the Knights won by 10. This lead to a rematch in the semis vs. the Houston Hoops-DGibb. It is always tough to play a team twice in a tournament. This time the Knights did not even let the game get close. A tremendous first half by Isiah Bazile (2008 Minden, LA) capped by a buzzer beater 3 to close the half left the Hoops wondering what hit them. The Knights closed it out for a 16 point win. In the championship game against the Powerhouse, the game was tight with the Powerhouse holding a 1 point lead with 8 seconds left. Bazile made a steal off of the inbounds and headed for a game winning lay-up. Jesse Sanders came out of nowhere to block it. A great game by the Knights to battle with a limited bench against one of the top teams in Houston.
17U Knights finish 3-1in Houston hoops Spring Showcase
17U Knights beat Another Level elite, Team Trinidad, Houston Flight but lost a thrilling 4-Overtime game to the Southwest Celtics. In the Another Level Game the Knights looked like they would put them away early but the Elite kept making runs. In the end the Knights defense prevailed and they won by 11. Against Team Trinidad (with the services of Jamal Fenton - Chavez) the Knights used a tough defense to hold Team Trinidad to 36 points and Jamal Fenton to 15. The Knights beat the Flight and headed to a showdown with the Southwest Celtics. The game was close and a tight battle throughout. The Knights had several chances to put the Celtics away in regulation but they didn't and it would come back to haunt them. After 3 tight overtime periods the game went to a sudden death period and after a miss the Celtics got a breakaway layup for the win.
17U KNIGHTS sweep Icebreaker
17U Knights dominated their pool in the RCS Icebreaker, handling their business and going 3-0. Knights started play against the Northside Select, Knights jumped out to an early lead but Northside Select kept it close. Dano Mataya (6'2" sg Klein 2010) hit some big shots to pull away including a 3 at the buzzer. Derrick Parker (6'6" w Minden 2008) had a huge game and finished with 18 points. The Knights defense and press forced turnovers all game. Great job for the first game of the season. Next came a game with a scrappy Kileen Ambassadors squad. The Knights opened up some big leads but the Ambassadors kept making runs. Following an in-your-face slam dunk by Parker, the Knights never looked back. The Knights finished with a tough game against the Houston Indians. The Knights again opened up some big leads but the Indians kept coming back. Some big shots and defense finally put it away including some big steals by Kevin Hartley (6'4" w Klein Collins 2009). Time was running out so the Indians were forced to foul and the Knights hit the free throws to seal it.
E-mail:tmataya@yahoo.com