To say that something is “the best ever” is subjective. Without numbers and an apples to apples comparison we’d be fooling ourselves to think there is a definitive statement about something that everyone would agree with.
Having stated that, the summer of 2011 for Idaho Select is in the running. With great team wins, individual performances and players advancing in their stature and personal development, the summer warrants a look back.
The Memorial Day tryouts were packed with talent. From the 60+ players that tried out, four teams were selected from around the northwest. Idaho Select would field two 17U teams, a 15U team and 14U team. Our players would represent over 25 high schools on the various rosters (click here to see the summer rosters).
The summer started in July with 2-a-daysat the Boys & Girls Club. From there it was on to Seattle for the NW Premier Showcase, hosted at Bellevue Community College. While all teams did well, it was the Idaho Select White team that grabbed most of the attention. They went 7-0 to take the Gold Championship over ECBA. Click here to view the bracket (.pdf)
After a short break from Seattle, it was back to practice and then off to Las Vegas and Anaheim for two of the biggest summer tournaments in the nation.
All four teams competed in the adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas. A step up from the competition in Seattle, all four teams would face off against opponents at some point that were bigger, stronger and faster. Which is exactly why we go.
Again, all teams did well with highlights coming from the Black and White teams. Black finished third in their pool and would have to win a play-in game against national power, Dallas Mustangs, in order to qualify for the Gold tournament. White, finishing second in their pool, received an automatic birth into the tournament.
The Black team didn’t disappoint and played one of their best performances of the year to this point (foreshadowing their next game), upsetting the Mustangs in decisive fashion.
Things wouldn’t get any easier for either team in the tournament’s first round. The White team took on the Tru-Playaz from Colorado. The Black team would face The Factory. White would win easily. That wasn’t the case for the Black team who would be tested again.
The Factory is a Utah team that has a junior and sophomore that have already received several Division I offers including Oklahoma State and BYU. In an offensive explosion, Idaho Select Black would escape with the win and build momentum heading to the second round.
For the White team, the Round of 32 is where their victories would come to an end. A loss to Moore Management finished their run in Las Vegas.
Black wasn’t done yet. A win over the Arizona Sting would advance them to the Sweet 16 where they would face the same Moore Management team that White had lost to earlier in the day. But the result was the same and the adidas Super 64 would come to a close for Idaho Select. Click here to see the bracket (.pdf)
From there it was on to Anaheim for Black, White and Green while the young Red team headed back home for the summer. Black received a ranking in the top 64, the highest ranking of any Idaho team, placing them in the Gold Division. White was placed in the second tier where they would go on another streak through the tournament.
Black faced a top ranked team in each game and finished third in their pool. Green (15U) had its ups and downs but when they played well they turned a lot of heads and a few players started making names for themselves, especially with national scout Gerry Freitas.
White continued to dominate play and went all the way to the Silver Tournament Final Four. For the summer they finished 18-3.
That’s 21 games for the summer in just 3 tournaments for a single team! When you only get 12 games guaranteed (4 per tourney) you have to appreciate the level that these, and all our guys are playing at.
Ultimately, the Idaho Select players got better this summer, Idaho proved that its players can play at the highest level and our guys are ready to head back to school and show their high schools how far they can go!