13U AAU Nationals Recap

Louisiana Select takes home the title of 13U AAU National Champion

Behind the back passes, blocked shots into the crowd, and dunks in traffic are all things one would expect to see at an NBA game, but surely not from 13-year olds.  

Then again, 13U AAU Nationals is no ordinary event.

Select Sails to Tournament Title

Nearly 90 teams traveled to Memphis this past weekend with dreams of leaving as National Champion, but only one would go home with the crown. 2011 proved to be the year for Louisiana Select, who copped the coveted tournament hardware behind the dominating post play of 6-8 Khalea Turner. 

A Pair of Unbeaten Teams Collide
 
The finals pitted the undefeated Georgia Stars against the also spotless Louisiana Select team in a match-up of top talent who could have easily played up a few age groups. Turner's rebounding and scoring efforts in the paint gave Select an early lead and the boys from the Bayou never looked back.  

"I thought it wasn't going to be really emotional, but I started crying a little bit. Then I saw my teammates crying," said Louisiana Select guard Adrian Moore (who actually hails from Arkansas) after his team celebrated the victory. "We played really great. We deserved that and we've got more to come," he added.

Stars of Tomorrow

The kids played their hearts out, coaches pulled their hair out, and family members in the stands cheered until their throats were sore all weekend. These kids truly cared about their team's success as evidenced by the pure joy shown in victory and by tears streaming down the faces of kids whose dreams of becoming national champions had been dashed.

Even NBA star Eric Gordon was in the crowd cheering on his younger brother Eron, who plays for the Indy Hoosiers. The Hoosiers would finish third, beating Each 1 Teach 1 Dynasty out of Florida in the consolation game. The hometown Memphis War Eagles finished fifth by taking out the Houston Defenders (sixth) in another Sunday consolation matchup.

Certainly some future household names were in this field leading their teams to strong finishes to their summer season. We look forward to seeing a lot of these players for many Julys to come.