The Oakland Soldiers; a very tight knit group came together
earlier this year with a singular goal in mind – to win a national
championship. A lofty goal one might
think; but when you have the commitment and involvement of what many consider
to be some of the top players in the country – which includes the consensus top
ranked player in the nation; such goals become attainable.
Yet in the youth world of basketball the best laid plans
even face challenges. The Soldiers
competed in the NYBL going undefeated; but came up a game short of the
championship. Oakland traveled to New
Orleans and again battled many of the top teams there too; but found themselves
once again on the outside looking in.
Perseverance, dedication, and the understanding of what it
takes to become a champion was the result of the obstacles that we’re placed in
front of this special group of Coaches and young men. Of course there were tough times throughout
the season; but then again there was one goal at the beginning. The reality is that no other championship
would have mattered as much as winning the national title.
The Soldiers moved through pool play with ease and dominated
the first few rounds of bracket. Jumping
a high hurdle against the NY Gauchos 66-54 – Morrow’s 29-points led and propelled
the team into a Final 4 match up against the Cinderella and a most dangerous St.
Louis Wildcats squad. Behind 32-points
and 17-rebounds from Shemar Morrow Oakland advanced to the National
Championship game against the We All Can Go All-Stars.
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Shemar Morrow |
Just as in the two prior games; down the stretch the score
remained close and WAGC started the 4th quarter using a stall
holding the ball for close to 4 minutes.
The lead went between 4 to 5 points, until Morrow hit 30-foot 3-pointer
to cut the lead to two with 46 seconds remaining. After a layup tied the game WACG had the ball
for what many assumed would be the last shot.
A good look had the WACG players jumping for joy on the bench as it left
the hands of the shooter; the ball careened off the rim into the hands of
Shemar Morrow as he snatched the rebound he turned and took 3 dribbles from the
paint – reaching his side of the half court circle; he rose and released a high
arching shot. The gym for a moment,
after being filled with cheers and screams for days, became silent….the ball
bounced off the glass and into the basket, 58-55 Oakland, game, set, match.
The Soldiers were victors, champions, legends – no west
coast bias, no coming up short, no wondering why or what happened. Not this time; this time at the apex when it
counted most they made the plays, the winning play to win the most important
game; the 2014 6th grade AAU National Championship. It was done in dreamlike fashion; a shot
heard around the country (scroll down for video of final shot); a moment that will never be forgotten.
That won shining moment finally belong to the Soldiers of
Oakland, congratulations to the following for conquering the journey.
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Soldier salute with Championship Trophy |
Shemar Morrow: Consensus #1 player in the country; an unselfish
game changer who cannot be stopped in transition or in the half court. The best player in the country did it all
giving the Soldiers whatever was needed to secure victory.
Kyree Walker: Walker played his best ball of the season when
it counted most. Showing a versatile
skill set throughout the tournament, it’s easy to see that Walkers ceiling is Twin
Towers high – dangerous from all over he thrived pressing the paint as an offensive
weapon and passer.
Dillon Dipena: Not a coincidence teams from the west coast with
Dipena in the line-up both made it to the championship at the nationals. A breath of fresh air to the game the
inside/out multidimensional star handled, posted, rebounded, passed, and
scored at an elite level; doing whatever
it took for his team to win. If it meant
getting water or taping an ankle he would have done that too, a special player
and kid.
Kendall Munson: Great
size and length ran the floor and filled the lanes – his defense was game
changing as he blocked and altered shots throughout and was a factor in crucial
times during the most important games.
Finished extremely well and shot a great percentage.
Fred Burton: Excelled
in transition and played great perimeter defense; the versatile wing made the
most of his opportunities and was a consistent contributor. Could be a star and scoring artist for another
team but sacrifices his personal accolades for team success.
Devin Askew: Zone buster with the shot and the ball the team
General; Askew only knows one way to play the game and that’s hard. He attacks forcing the defense to honor him
no matter their set, creating opportunities for himself and others.
Devin Hightower: May
have been the difference maker; played steady ball and made sure all the hungry
mouths were feed. The physical presence he
provided on the defensive end was equally as important as his high percentage
shooting both from distance and the mid-range.
He kept the defense honest and made the most of his opportunities. 3 of 4 from the behind the stripe in the championship
exemplified his entire week.
Mason Mastrov: Can’t
be left alone, the importance of a championship team having this type of player
can never be underestimated. Every time he
stepped on the floor his skill set had to be honored and respected. When he stepped in and handled and pressed
the defense it wasn’t possible to stop the other weapons. They do not advance and play at the level they
do without Mastov being on the floor.
Jamir Thomas: On any given night Thomas could fulfill
various roles; always counted on throughout he didn’t waiver in his
contributions. He scored when needed, handled the pressure, ran the team, knocked down big shots - he was a quality lead guard while being a scoring threat; another coach on the floor.
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