Dallas Raptors Youth Basketball Club Blog

PSA Holiday Tournament: 6th Grade – Game 1 (T.A. Pistons)

DRYBC Admin — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 06:43:52 +0000

Great victory for the young Raptors at game one of the PSA tournament held at PSA2 the week of December 13th, 2010. From the start of the game, tension was high and victory looked elusive at best. Only five boys of our boys showed up in the first quarter. As we gazed upon the obvious, well-established, seasoned Pistons team, we knew that the Raptors were in for a good fight. They had eight to nine boys from the start and they looked like they came to play! Not only did they come ready, they also had the height they that the young Raptors lacked. From the get go, we soon saw besides the height advantage, they also had speed and some strong shooters.

Coach Ronnie knew he was going to have to work strategy to combat their advantages and compensate for our weaknesses. He quickly decided to play ball-control instead of running the ball up and down the court, which is why the young Raptors controlled the tempo of the game from start to finish. Myles displayed great guard control and ran the offense exceptionally well. He was able to find the open man at just the right time. Down at the paint, Paulino, Avery and Parker had strong control despite the fact that the Pistons had the height advantage. As usual, Paul and DaMarcus provided strong rebounding support and defensive plays when needed. Our clutch player Audie came through towards the end with key baskets that put us back in the lead permanently. Both Jacobi and Avery provided the offense in the first half and kept us well in the game. Our offense has improved with the addition of Avery, our newest player. He was able to score several points under the basket. The game was up/down from start to finish. The highest lead by the Piston was 5 and the Raptors was 3. It was a see / saw battle but midway into the third quarter, Pistons made a run and took a five point lead. The boys didn’t panic however…didn’t point fingers or even get down on themselves….they beared down on defense and got a few steals which they converted into an 8 point run led by Audie.

According to Coach Ronnie, the whole team played exceptionally well and similar to last Saturday’s PSA league game, we won simply by playing great defense! For game number two, these boys have to keep their head in the game. They cannot allow the other team to get close or gain any momentum. They have to focus, keep the energy high, and minimize the mental mistakes and finish strong. If they can do this, we are sure to see more great things coming from this young Raptor team. Overall, this was an awesome game! I think Coach Ronnie said it best when he said, “this is a great group of young men…over time, they will get even better….they will play like brothers…this is the Raptor future.”

Go Raptors…

Raptors 6th Grade: Game – 1 against Texas Trojans

DRYBC Admin — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 06:40:53 +0000

First game of the season for the 6th grade Raptor team, and they pulled off a tough win indeed which is always a good start for the season in my book! I hope that many more will follow! It was obvious from the start that although our boys were not new to the game, they were definitely new to the team. They were sporting plain white Hane’s t-shirts with numbers pasted on with painter’s tape. Half the time, numbers were pealing off and missing. Even our own coach was sporting some kind of Hawaiian shirt. What was up with that? Across the court, the Trojans looked lean, mean, and quite intimidating in their nice custom red, white, and black uniforms. They had one player, their center, which looked like he could rub shoulders with Yao Mein himself! Luckily, for us, veteran player, Parker Shortino who had to defend against him was not easily intimidated. In fact, I think it was the reverse! Parker played exceptional defense against this player. I hope that come next game, our nice uniforms will be in and we will not have to worry about this aspect of the game. According to Coach Ronnie, all that matters is that we win which we did. As a female commentator and speaking on behalf of the mothers on the team, winning is good but winning while looking ”good” is so much better!

Despite the pathetic way we looked, we showed the Trojans that we were more than just fancy uniforms and designer shoes. We came to play. It was not an easy victory by any means. In fact, it could have gone either way, but in the end, the young Raptors were in deed victorious. Parker and Paul taking turn leading team in defence, which ultimately won the game for us. Myles provided strong guard play and got the ball to the open person, which ultimately led to key baskets. Big boy Paulino unfortunately took a hard fall and was injured for a good portion of the game. Luckily our post players were able to work together and protect the paint especially with Yao Ming’s brother down there! We had several boys, Avery, Audie, and Jacobi, contributed to the point spread. This of course is always a good thing. We look forward to seeing what this team can do come January. Stay tuned and keep it here for the latest on this new Raptor team.

A big win and a confidence booster for a young team….Go Raptors.

The Raptors Are Back…

DRYBC Admin — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:28:39 +0000

Winter basketball is fast approaching and the three Dallas Raptors teams are gearing up and getting ready for the new season. Anticipation is high and so is the expectation. We can’t wait to see what these players can do together as a “team.”

Also custom uniforms have been designed, practices have been booked and scheduled– all in preparation for this newly formed club. A kick-off- party is next on the agenda!

Welcome to the Dallas Raptors!