Hug vs. McQueen Boys JV Hoops

This past Saturday, January 21, 2012 I decided to watch the Hug vs. McQueen JV Boys game.  I did this for a couple of reasons.
1. I've seen the Hug Varsity Boys play...and they're nice
2. McQueen is big sports school, so I wanted to check out the hoops team
3. Saturdays are made for sports

So I go into the game "expecting" Hug to be good, but not really knowing what to expect from McQueen.  You know, would they be shook (slang term for scared), any good or anything close to the football program (which by the way is really...really good).  So as the game starts and quarters are passing by, McQueen and Hug were really gettin' it in.  No lead was larger than 7 points and there were at least 8 lead changes. 

In every game I go to and shoot, I'm always looking for players that not only play their asses off but play with HEART.  There were more than a couple.  For McQueen, #'s 5, 21 and 3 really stood out and for Hug #'s 35, 11, 25 and 2 really caught my attention.  Here's a breakdown of what I saw...

McQueen Lancers



# 5 is a true floor general.  The kid took shots when he needed to take'm, fought through screens of D, drove the lane against the bigmen of Hug and hustled his ass off all game long.  Really good player.

#21 played a hell of a game too.  Although he was giving up a couple of inches to #35 from Hug, he still went hard in the paint all game long.  He had a bunch of hustle in'm as well.  One play it looked like Hug was going to get a free fastbreak layup...but out of nowhere comes #21 to block the shot.

#3 was a slasher.  This kid was always driving the lane and had a decent handle.  He didn't care who was in the lane, he was going to either get his shot off or get that bucket.  Every team needs a guy like this.  Big HEART and fearless when attacking the bucket

Hug Hawks

#35 was a straight up monster.  He grabbed boards, blocked shots, made his shots and battled all day long with McQueen's #21.  This kid basically went bananas during this game.

#11 was a beasting Saturday, just like #35.  The two of them combined made it really tough for McQueen on the defensive end.  For a bigman 35 has quicks AND hops.  He created his own shots and played hard on D.  Tough player...

#25 for Hug was ice cold.  This kid didn't care how big you were, he was getting in the paint...period.  His handle was ill and his shooting was iller (yeah, I know it's slang and it's not 'really' a word...but it's MY blog so I'm using it, lol).  At one point in the 4th quarter the game was tied up, the Hug coach called a timeout and set up a designed play.  With the game tied #25 ran around 2 screens to get open in the corner to pop a 3...he didn't hesitate at all.  The kid got the rock and pulled the trigger.  The kid was Reggie Miller lethal from range.

I can't lie, BOTH teams played hard and played with HEART.  Like most games I got to shoot, I found myself "watching" the game more than shooting photos.  This (to me at least) is a sign that the players on both sides are competing at their highest levels and leaving everything on the court.

Play with HEART!

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Bishop Manogue vs. Wooster Boys Freshman Hoops

With every game I go to, I go with absolutely no prior knowledge on which team is good and what player can do what.  The same was true when I went to the Manogue/Wooster game.  All I really wanted to do was take some quality pictures and witness a hard fought game.  I gotta tell ya, just like every other game I watched this year, both teams played their asses off.

I could write a really long blog about my opinions of the game, but in truth, I'd rather talk about the game and how the pictures I took reflect my feelings on the game in general.

Wooster Players

*Blogger Note* Since I do not know these players yet, I will have to refer to them by number...



#2  This kid played with a ton of HEART.  He never let ball pressure bother him and he didn't have any hesitation to take the rock into the trees (that's slang for driving the painted area and shooting over the taller players...you're welcome).  He also dove on the ground for loose balls, played D and was willing to take the open jumper when it presented itself.

#1  This kid was smaller than #2 but played just as big as he did.  I was actually zooming my lens to take a picture of another kid when #2 snatched a board (that's a Rebound for the uninitiated) from much...much taller players.  What the non-basketball player needs to know that is, rebounding is about determination.  You can jump out of the gym, but if you don't WANT to rebound...it's not going to happen.  This kid not only snagged this board, but he did it with some serious swagger.  He also hustled his ass off and knocked down open shots...ice cold this kid was.

I know for any team victory, the victory belongs to the TEAM, but I can't front.  This kid #33 played his ass off in the 4th quarter.  He blocked shots, he made shots, he boarded and he played D.  This kid was the difference in Wooster winning and losing....period.  I know the entire team played as one, but damn, this kid has a big ass HEART.  He was all over the place when it counted.

I can't front, I really was watching the Wooster players more than the Manogue players because I live literally 3 blocks away from the school.  This is in no way demeaning the effort put out by Manogue because the game literally came down to the last 30 seconds before Wooster pulled out the "W".  So even though I didn't thoroughly dissect the Manogue players, here are some pictures of hustle and HEART that they put out over the course of the game.

At the end of the day, Wooster came up with the "W", but both teams played hard and played with H.E.A.R.T and that's really all that matters.  Somebody is going to win and somebody is going to lose...just DON'T lose the lesson that this recent loss has taught you...You feel me?

Douglas vs. Hug Varsity Boys Hoops

January 13, 2012

Tonight's game was a good one.  And the funny thing is, I wasn't even going to go to it.  I was going to go the the Wooster game instead for a couple of reasons:
1. It's closer (can't front, sometimes I'm lazy)
2. I've already seen Douglas and Hug play
3.It's closer
moving on....
So being that this was my second trip to Hug High School in about a week, I was privy to their pre-game, pre-warmup routine.  You can watch it here ----->CLICK ME AND WATCH.  If you have never been to Hug, this can be kind of intimidating, and it gets the crowd going.  *BLOGGER NOTE* If you are the visiting team, you always want to get the crowd out of the game, it then basically turns into a neutral court instead an away game...The game started off great for Hug.  Sam Williams owned the paint and Douglas had a hard time defending the 3 point line

The "battle" that I thought would happen between Williams and Meyers never happened.  Meyers never had enough touches to make that happen.  Also Hug went up 19-4 at the end of the 1st quarter.

The funny this is, most teams being down by that many, on the road, would probably start to mail it in.  Douglas kept on fighting to get back in it.  I know, I know, everybody goes on a run in hoops.  True...but how many teams come back against the number 1 ranked team in the area (on the road) to make it a game again?

You had guys driving and kicking out to open shooters....

You had guys turning turnovers into fast break points...

But in the end, the thing that really killed Douglas's chance of winning the huge lead they gave up in the first quarter.  Trying to come back from 15 down on the road is tough.  I can't front on'm though, those boys played their H.E.A.R.T's out, but there is only so much you can do in any situation.  And that's not to take anything away from Hug.  Hug was hot, I mean Hades hot in the 1st quarter!  Both teams played hard and as a former competitor, that's all you really can ask for.  With that being said, below are a few points from the game that are just my opinion.

Point 1

If you are playing a hotly contested game and the score is close, DO NOT give up an alley-oop fast break dunk.  It's not a good look and the crowd will go nuts...

Point 2

Number 10 for Douglas was doing work and getting buckets...we should probably give him the ball more.  He's a bigger guy, running the breaks, grabbing boards and defending a dude at least 6 inches taller than he is.  Throw him a bone and hope he gets to the freebie line.

Point 3

My man Nate can score...so Nate...SCORE.  Don't wait 'till the end of the game to go get buckets...

Point 4

Sometimes you're the hammer...and sometimes you're the nail.  If the Big Man is on, and tonight he was (in the paint defensively) there is NOTHING wrong with settling for a jumper...just saying.

All in all, I'm glad that Nate convinced me to come to this game.  A simple box score would have done this game absolutely NO justice.  This was one you had to see yourself.  Douglas came back from a 15 point deficit to tie the score in the 4th quarter, only to claim defeat in the end.  But it's not the end of the world.  They can take it as a learning experience, while Hug can take from it that they can't let off the gas pedal when they're hot.  But I'm glad I was there to see it for myself.  Both teams played hard and played with H.E.A.R.T.

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Hug vs. Reno Varsity Wrestling

January 11, 2012

In the sports hierarchy, wrestling doesn't get a lot of love.  If you ask most people, it ranks behind Football, Hoops, Baseball and in some parts of the States, Soccer.  But if you have ever been to a wrestling match, you can tell that wrestler's could care less if there's a full house, just parents or absolutely nobody watching.  I went to go watch Hug High wrestle against Reno High tonight at Reno High School.  I came away impressed by how hard the kids wrestled, the intensity of every match and the sportsmanship between both teams.  I didn't have a roster of either team, but Adrian Rodriguez (Hug High Wrestler) was cool enough to talk to me afterwards.  And after talking to him, these are just my thoughts on the nights matches.

These first two pictures are from the very first match I saw.  The Hug wrestler (in Green) was aggressive as was the Reno wrestler.  The Hug wrestler kind of faded in the third period while the Reno wrestler still had a high motor going.  Some kids would quit, get frustrated and do something reckless if they thought they were going to lose.  The Hug wrestler just kept on fighting.  I could tell he was gassed, but he continued to wrestle his ass off.  He lost the match, but he went down fighting.  Can't be mad at that....kid definitely has H.E.A.R.T.

The very next match was Adrian Rodriguezs' (Hug wrestler).  This kid has a very high motor and controlled his match from start to finish.  He was aggressive, kept moving and was in control in every situation.  Since this was my first wrestling meet I've ever been to, I found myself watching more than taking pictures, but he was a very technical wrestler who knew what he was doing.  He won his match.

The match that really sticks out in my mind is this one (the four pictures that you see preceding this paragraph).  It was hard fought on both sides.  The Hug wrestler was doing work and the Reno wrestler was too.  The thing that really stood out in my eyes was the Reno wrestler had head gear that kept slipping down over his face, restricting his vision.  At no time during the match did he try to stop or complain the refs about it though, he just kept trooping on like nothing happened!  I mean the kid was straight up G!!!!  You can even see in the last picture that he's about to get pinned with eyes covered.  Not ONCE did he say a word (and I would know, I was only 10-15 ft away when this was going down).

Both of the teams tonight (Hug High and Reno High) wrestled their asses off and did so with a ton of H.E.A.R.T.  Regardless of the outcome, both teams wrestled clean and with respect to their opponents.  I was highly impressed how they conducted themselves and hyped each other up before each match.  These kids weren't wrestling for the people in the stands, they were wrestling out of love for the sport and for each other.

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Reed vs. Hug Varsity Boys Hoops

January 10, 2012

I'm still trying to get a feel for High School hoops out here in Nevada.  Last week I went to see Douglas vs. Reed and came away impressed.  So my dude Nate (from Douglas H.S.) told me I should check out their game against Hug.  So to get a fair assessment on Hug, Reed and Douglas, I was fortunate enough to see Reed play Hug tonight.  For me, it's not all about wins and loses, it's about how hard and how much H.E.A.R.T you play with.  I don't care if you lose by 50, just don't give up, don't quit and never, ever think of a loss as a loss...it's a learning experience.

So I'm at the game shooting pictures H.E.A.R.T Athletics and I couldn't help myself actually watching more of the game than picture taking.  Here are a few of the players that stood out from this game from Hug and the dudes from Reed who cemented what I thought about them from the Douglas game last week.

The game had mad energy from the get go.  The Hug players before they even started to warm-up did the huddle thing and got the crowd GOING! *BLOGGER NOTE* I tried to up load the pictures from the game but for some reason blogger.com is being stubborn, you can see the Reed vs. Hug game photos on my business facebook page www.facebook.com/heartathleticsllc.com.  Moving on...

Hug Players



Andrew Johnson (PG) is a stud...period.  This kid can get any shot, anytime he wants.  He's at home controlling the tempo, driving the lane and playing D.  Without a doubt, I was thoroughly impressed.  He's not the biggest kid, but his H.E.A.R.T is huge.

Norris Dupree (SG) is the glue man.  He's quick, can create his own shot and hustles.  I actually sat in front of his Uncle and we chopped it up a little.  Also played with a lot of H.E.A.R.T.

Sam Williams (C) is a force in the middle.  Without a doubt he owned the paint tonight.  But I got to be honest.  Douglas has this kid Hunter Myers that's going to make Friday's game a true battle.

Reed Players

Jamel Ramos (PG) is a Freshman playing Varsity hoops...enough said.  He started off the game guarding Drew Johnson and held his own.  The kid hustles, plays D and can knock down the open jumper.  When he's a Senior he's going to own the Reno area (you heard it here first).

A.J. Silva (F) can knock down open shots, hustles and plays his ass off.  I've seen him twice and he definitely translates his football skills to the hardwood.  Big ol' H.E.A.R.T on this kid.

Ty Shepard (G) plays hard all game long, but I got to be honest...he's quick enough to get past his defender but looks to get others involved first.  At the end of the Hug game he was taking control by driving the lane and getting buckets....I just wished he had done it sooner.  Either or, the kid "gets it" and is team first.  Hard nosed player.

Overall it was a great game, some iffy officiating (but that's to be expected) and both teams played hard to the end.  I'm really starting to dig Reno hoops.  A lot of the kids here play with a ton of H.E.A.R.T and I can't wait to see this Hug vs. Douglass game!



Douglas vs. Reed Varsity Boys Hoops

January 6th, 2012, I went to a High School Boys Varsity Basketball game in Sparks, NV.  Being from New Jersey/Maryland, I have no background in Nevada High School hoops.  I don't know who's good, who sucks and who is just having a good/great/crappy year.  I am COMPLETELY out of the loop.

This is where my man Nate Vonahsen, makes his very first appearance.  As I try to spread the word about H.E.A.R.T Athletics (the company that I own and run), my goal is to contact student athletes that I feel embody the characteristics of the values that are dear to me and my company.  Being that H.E.A.R.T Athletics is still a "start up" company, we are happy to provide FREE products to the public representing our gear.  This is one of the reasons why I attend the Douglas vs. Reed game, to give Nate his shirts and to see what Nevada hoops is all about..

So I show up to the Varsity Boys game on Friday not knowing what to expect.  All I know is that after the first quarter of play, the visiting team (Nate's team Douglas) is down 21-8.  And to put it nicely, this was not an easy 13 point deficit to overcome.  Reed H.S. had not only hit a variety of 3 pointers, but they were harassing the hell out of the ball and putting on a 3/4 press as well.  In all honesty, it DID NOT look good for the Douglas Tigers.

This is why I'm not a Basketball coach
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Beginning of the 4th....

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And by the end of the game.....
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The point of the story is this, no matter what your "history" says about you, you are able to change it in one day.  It's all about your attitude.  I still do not have a definitive idea on who Douglas and Reed are when it comes to hoops, but I know that Douglas will NOT give up no matter what.  This may be an outlier, but it could also be who they ARE.  All I know is that I can only go by what I see.  The Douglas Tigers took the Reed Raiders best shot, and still came back for more.  Although Douglas didn't give up, neither did Reed.  Both teams played their H.E.A.R.T's out and I couldn't be more proud of the effort put out by both teams.

Santonio Holmes = No H.E.A.R.T

There is nothing worse than quitting...nothing.  The one thing that makes quitting even worse is when it is displayed by a professional.  Enter, Santonio Holmes.  Not only is he playing on the biggest stage (the NFL) he is payed very...very well to do so.  You can find the ins and outs of his contract here------>CLICK ME. 

I'm not a fan of the Jet's, but I don't hate'm either.  What I do hate is shitty attitudes.  Especially a shitty attitude that believes it is either better than the team or quits on the team.  Where's the H.E.A.R.T in that?  Santonio Holmes quit on his team...period.  I know the media and NY PR people will try to spin this but it is what it is.  A team Captain doesn't get "benched" during the most important game of the year.  Even if that game "appears" unwinable (I know, this isn't a word, but it sounds good...so I'm going to use it).

The fifth paragraph in this article sums up everything in a nutshell (you can find the article here---->THE QUITTER LINK).  It's sad that an individual with absolutely NO H.E.A.R.T can manage to make it to the highest level of sports.  It's actually funny, except that being on this stage (the NFL), there are hundreds of thousands of kids watching this guy.  Kids who are impressionable and may think this kind of behavior is acceptable.  It isn't and shouldn't be.

I don't want to point fingers or cast judgement on anyone, but...this ISN'T what H.E.A.R.T looks like.