E-Time Hoops Academy in two southern California events

E-Time Hoops Academy is coached by Ernest Taubodo, who also coaches at Center High in Antelope, CA. Coach Taubodo has been providing updates on the ETH teams and players as they participated in a pair of events recently in southern California and generously agreed to our request to re-post his writings:.

Double Pump All-Star Camp

ETH had seven members from the 17/U team compete at this years All-Star Camp.  Devin Crisosto, Devin Murphy, Daniel Smith, Chad Haysbert, JT Adenrele, Jon Davis, and Robert Duncan all participated and represented ETH with pride.

Devin Crisosto was placed on Team Arizona.  The Arizona team was very talented and won the majority of their games over the three day period. Although the team was talented there wasn't much team play. Devin really fought through the selfishness of his teammates and competed hard through out the camp. He was still able to grasp the eye of the on-looking college coaches with savvy moves and clever plays.

Devin Murphy competed with Team Nevada. Team Nevada was an average team at the camp. Devin really shined on his team and showed lots of leadership. His team responded by trusting him with the basketball and responding to his instructions.

Daniel Smith was a Longhorn for Team Texas. Daniel suffered a finger injury in San Francisco which really slowed him down through out the camp. Texas really struggled early and lost most of their games the first two days. During the single elimination tournament, the Texas team went on a five game win streak and finished two games shy of the championship.

Chad Haysbert represented Team Iowa, arguably the most talented team at the camp. The Hawkeyes went undefeated until the final day of camp losing to Team Texas but Iowa was missing two of their top players for this game. Chad Haysbert was named to the all Senior team and was recognized as one of the top seniors at the camp.

JT Adenrele was the inside force for Team Colorado. Team Colorado was up and down for the 3 day event. JT had a few exciting plays during the camp but had a tough time getting his team in the championship game on the final day.

Jon Davis is our newest member to ETH and represented our club with pride. Team South Carolina used Jon inside as their physical imposing force. Jon responded with solid footwork and a great display of fundamental post moves. Jon made his team better as the camp progressed.

Robert Duncan carried team Florida to the championship game at the All-Star Camp.  Robert showcased himself and made his team better by dictating tempo and involving his teammates.  Robert was also recognized as one of the top seniors and participated in the All-Star game.

I am extremely proud of all of the players that represented ETH at the camp. Feel free to give these guys a pat on the back when you see them in the very near future.

*****

3 Stripes Adidas Tournament (Los Angeles)

Day One saw our 16/U team take on LA Elite at El Camino City College. ETH started off slow but grinded out a nine-point victory. Our second game in pool play will be against the very reputable Southern California All-Stars.
 
Day One - Our 17/U began the tournament against the number one team in pool M, O/C Pride White.  ETH started off slow as well and saw a 17-point deficit mid-way through the first half. Once we settled down, we methodically chipped away at our deficit one possession at a time. JT sparked the team with a block on a dunk attempt and returned the favor with a facial two-hander himself. The last three minutes E-Time played lock down defense while Devin Crisosto and Robert Duncan sealed a nine point victory  (77-70) at the free throw line.
 
Day Two - Picking up where they left off, the 17/U ETH team took on Branch West. Branch West is a big time LA-based program founded and coached by Bob Gotlieb. His son, Doug Gottlieb, was an All-American in college. Doug is currently an NCAA college basketball analyst on ESPN. ETH continued their strong play and defeated Branch West with a (77-43) victory. Our next opponent is TBA at 4:00pm.
 
Day Two - The 16/U ETH team will compete at 6:20 against SCA...

More updates to follow soon,



Quick update recap continued from Day 2

17's competed against Inland at 4:00pm, won (75-45). Second game was against CTB and we won a close one (59-54). ETH is now in the final 4 and plays the Bay Area Warriors for the right to play in the championship.
 
16's completed pool play with a victory over the Southern California All-Stars by 17. Our guys really started to click this game and look forward to continuing this morning at 8:00 a.m. The opponent is TBA...



Day 3 of the Adidas 3 Stripes NCAA Showcase:
 
The ETH 16's took on the South Eastern All-Stars at 8:30 to advance to the semifinals. ETH was victorious (70-62) after being up 22 early and watching a furious comeback from SEA.
 
A strong Arizona Pump n Run team, was standing between ETH 16 and a championship berth. Arizona, with fresh legs, seemed to wear on the short bench of ETH. After a hard fought effort, ETH fell to Pump n Run (87-98). ETH showed tremendous heart while only having a roster of 7 at this event. We expect an even better effort next week at Center Stage in Las Vegas.

ETH 17's:

ETH took on the Bay Area Warriors ,who added big name Stuart Wasonga to it's roster for the 3 Stripes Tournament. The winner of this game moves on to the championship game as a Nor Cal representative. The Warriors jumped on ETH early with three-point field goals and uncontested lay-ups. After a quick four man substitution, ETH methodically chipped away at the lead and tied the game with 4 minutes to go in the first half. The half-time score showed ETH with a 9 point lead. ETH dictated the second half with fast break points and stellar defense. The final score reflected a complete turn-around with ETH defeating the Warriors (65-39).

(The following description was not written by Coach Taubodo)
 
The 54 team tournament left two teams standing ready to rumble for the 3 Stripes championship title. LakeShow from Danville was re-matching ETH from Sacramento. ETH defeated LakeShow 6 days earlier in San Francisco at the Nor Cal Tip Off. LakeShow's coach Joe Fuca stated to me that his team was looking forward to the re-match. After the initial tip, LakeShow scored two quick baskets. ETH answered with a field goal to keep it close. After a back and forth battle for the next four minutes, Lakeshow began to impose its will. Kendall Jackson used his quickness and athleticism to breakdown ETH. His unselfish play created easy uncontested scoring opportunities for his teammates. James Davis hit two long range threes to extend the already double-digit lead. After a quick time out to break the LakeShow momentum, ETH looked to re-group. Mark Tollefson picked up where James left off with a three pointer of his own. ETH came up empty again and Mark took the ball to the hoop with a finish and foul. E-Time never recovered and the worn out team took a hard (39-65) loss to take 2nd place.

(Back to Coach Taubodo's writings)

After the game. the coaching staff engaged the players with a post-game talk. I took a softer stand and looked at the tournament as a whole and commended the team for their accomplishment. Coach Sondhi took a short direct approach and told the team to re-focus for Las Vegas. Coach Renee Wright decided to focus on the championship game and really took a firm stance with the team. She educated the ETH team with honest emotion and competitive tough love. Her challenge to them will definitely prepare them for the Adidas Super 64 Tournament in Las Vegas where the competition will be at a national level with teams from all over the United States.
 
This past week was a busy, tough, yet rewarding week for E-Time Hoops Academy. I'm extremely proud of our players, parents, coaches, and other supporters. At your next opportunity, please feel free to pat these young men on the back for their hard work and success.