Atlanta Select: Select Nation's Current NEWS, Tuesday, Mar 24, 2015

Good Morning Select Family and Friends,

A total of six trophies earned over the weekend. Here is a recap of what each of the 16 teams in tournaments did last weekend.

The Mighty 9U SYNERGY Select with Coaches Baskerville and Stewart - Champions - YBOA Wheeler Classic. Played on Sunday.

The Mighty 10U BLACK 2023 with Coach Chan and Tabb - Champions - Hardwood Super Regional. Played on Sunday.

The Mighty 11U BLACK 2022 with Coaches Keown and Elston - Runner - Up - Hardwood Super Regional. Played on Sunday.

The Mighty 12U RED with Coaches Lawson and Malone - Slow start, picked momentum, made it to the Quarter finals. Hardwood Super Regional. Played on Sunday.

The Mighty 13U SILVER with Coaches Frazier and Windfield - 1 - 2 in Pool Play - Hardwood Super Regional.

The Mighty 14U PRIME with Coaches Hall and Cooper - Slow start, picked up momentum, made it to the Quarter finals. YBOA Wheeler Classic. Played on Sunday.

The Mighty 14U BLACK Elite with Coaches Thompson and Stephens - Runner - Up - Georgia Cup. Played on Sunday.

The Mighty 15U SILVER Elite with Coach AC - Quarter final finisher at YBOA Wheeler Classic. Played on Sunday.

The Mighty 15u BLACK with Coaches Morris and Wells - Tough Weekend at the Hardwood Super Regional.

The Mighty 15U RED with Coaches Burton and Sanders - Quarter finals finisher - Hardwood Super Regional. Earned a bid to the Div I AAU Nationals. Played on Sunday.

The Mighty 16U Classic with Coaches Ricker and Larkin - 1 - 2 in Pool Play at the Hardwood Super Regional.

The Mighty 16U BLACK with Coaches E. Hill and T. Hill - Quarter final finisher at the Hardwood at Dobbs Creek. Played on Sunday.

The Mighty 16U SILVER with Coaches T. Hill and E. Hill - Runner - Up - Hardwood at Dobbs Creek. Played on Sunday.

The Mighty 17U PRIME with Coach JayBee Brown - 2 - 1 in Pool Play. Missed championship round by Point Spread.

The Mighty 17U PRO with Coaches Glenn and Glenn - 2 - 1 in Pool Play. Top Six finisher. Played on Sunday.

The Mighty 17U BLACK (Gates) in 2 tournaments. Bombed in Hardwood Super Regional. Champions at the Hardwood Dobbs Creek. Played on Sunday.

Twelve of 16 teams played on Sunday. Eleven made it to the quarter finals, Three finished second (Runner - up). Three Champions. Sixteen teams earned six trophies over the weekend. The Trophy Count is now 25. We met our goal for March of 25. Only 75 more to go by Sept 1, 2015.

Coach Baskerville - 9U Team SYNERGY Select = 5

Coach Johnson - 14U COLLEGE Bound = 3

Coach Jackson - 8U SOUTH SIDE = 3

Coaches Keown & Elston - 11U Black 2022 = 3

Coach Lawson - 12U RED = 2

Coach Chan -10U BLACK 2023 = 2

Coach Hill - 16U SILVER = 2

Coach Shepherd - 8U PUNISHERS = 1

Coach Frazier - 13U SILVER = 1

Coach Woods - 13U COLLEGE Bound = 1

Coaches Thompson & Stephens - 14U BLACK Elite - 1

Coach Gates - 17U BLACK (Gates) - 1

Twelve or 1/3 of our 36 named teams have earned trophies. Four of the teams have met their quota of 3 trophies for the season. I hope they do not stop achieving.

The AAU District/State tournament for ages 8U, 9U and 10U is this coming weekend. Coach Jackson and his Mighty 8U SouthSide, Coaches Baskerville & Stewart and their Mighty 9U SYNERGY Select, Coach Chan and his Mighty 10U BLACK 2023 and Coach Harris and his Mighty 10U SILVER will represent the Select Nation. Good Luck to all.

There is no discount to play in a USBA tournament this year but the Administrative fee of $39 per team has been paid by the organization. Remember when registering to play USBA do not pay the admin fee.

I want to commend Coach AC Christopher (Mighty 15U Silver) for handling a delicate situation on Saturday in which could have resulted in a brawl on the basketball court. An opposing player (Georgia Kings) called our player the N word and all Hell could have broken out. Coach AC stepped in and controlled the situation enforcing our Codes of Conduct. He reported the incident to the YBOA Director and in turn the Director of the opposing team has offered an apology and has implemented a diversity/sensitivity program for all his teams. I commend the Georgia Kings Director for his swift action and apology. Lesson Learned for Atlanta Select. Discuss how a player should handle a situation like this and how you as a coach should do, also. Talk to Coach AC for input. It's a SYNERGY thing.

I have a thing for you as a team to take good pictures for posting on our website and other social media. Pictures are a thousand words to the world on who we are and what we are all about. I posted a picture of the Mighty 16u BLACK team as our cover photo on Facebook with no comments except the name of the team. It has received a tremendous amount of hits (Likes). It shows professionalism and class. I encourage all of you to continue sending me pictures for posting. If they are not of good quality you will not see them posted. Just Business.

I encourage you to periodically check out our web site and Facebook posing. Many pictures and stories are posted that give a flavor of what we are doing and who we are. You must be ready to talk about our organization.

The goal was for every Select team is to play in a tournament in March. Some are not quite ready to do so. I understand and that's no problem. I know that you are still planning, waiting for uniforms and of course some are just getting started. Teams that are up and ready I task you to support your brother/sister teams. I have a thing about this SYNERGY.

We have passed the 300 mark in AAU/Atlanta Select paid membership this year. The largest in Georgia and still growing. Several teams are still gathering and finalizing their rosters. Hey, 400 members are in sight. We do not strive to be the largest organization, only the one that uses youth basketball as a tool to expand the horizon of young people with the primary goal to successfully prepare young boys and girls, both academically and athletically, for the opportunity to pursue a degree of higher education at the college level. Thus, our mission. Guess what? We would rather have 12 teams thoroughly immersed in our mission than 36 teams just fiddling along. We will not have any fiddling teams.

Coach Hill and I are extremely proud of the teams we have assembled this year. We have a group of dynamic coaches, who know how to take charge and make things happen. No Excuses. We have haters. But we have many more who admire our organization and its operations. It is you who receive the credit. All I do is sit back and write emails. You are the ones that make it Happen and that is why we all should be justifiably proud to be called an Atlanta Select or a member of the Select Nation. Tell all to "Just Go Select!!!"