Game 7 Sharks ELITE

Game 7 Sharks ELITE took the trip to the 11th annual Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, KS. The tournament is widely recognized as the premier grassroots basketball tournament in the Midwest. Players such as Team USA and current NBA players Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors) and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz) first burst onto the national stage here. The prestigious tournament is held at The University of Kansas surrounding areas. Kansas, arguably the greatest college basketball tradition school, has been home to great players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Manning, and Paul Pierce. Many highly respected coaches have been at the helm of Kansas or started there as assistants. Notable ones include Dr. James Naismith (Inventor of the game), Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen (longtime legendary Kansas coach, invented pressure defense), Adolph Rupp (former Kansas player and assistant, legendary Kentucky coach), Dean Smith (former Kansas player and assistant, legendary North Carolina coach),  Larry Brown (former Kansas coach, now coach of Charlotte Bobcats), Gregg Poppovich (former Kansas assistant, now coach of San Antonio Spurs), Jerry Colangelo (former Kansas player, now director of USA Basketball), and many more.

The Sharks started off the weekend against one of the top ranked teams in Minnesota, Net Gain Sports. The game was back and forth, with the Sharks taking a two point lead towards the middle of the second half. However, Net Gain Sports were able to counter and put together a strong last few minutes to gain the victory. On Saturday morning, the Sharks slow start against the Wendam Blue Pumas was too much to overcome as the Pumas, who were coached by former Boston Celtics standout Scott Wendam, put the Sharks down early.

After a team meeting and a pre-game speech from University of Kansas standout Tyshawn Taylor, the Sharks rebounded strong with a 26-point stomping over the St. Louis Majestics. The Majestics are one of the top ranked programs in the St. Louis area, which has been a hotbed for hoops. The Sharks started the game 9-0 and had the lead going into the half. Eric Youncofski (5'9'', G, 2012, Middletown North) started the big second half run with a steal and pass that led to a bucket. Jack Donnelly (6'0'', G, 2012, Rumson-Fair Haven) followed that up with a deep three pointer. Several plays later, Jason Huelbig (6'3'', G, 2012, Middletown North) brought the crowd to life with a one handed dunk over one of the Majestics defenders. On the very next play, Mike Aaman (6'8'', F, 2012, Raritan) rocked the building with an and1 slam over a Majestics defender. Guards Will Boman (5'9'', G, 2013, Middletown North) and Pete Passafaro (5'9'', G, 2013, Middletown North) also had strong second halves. 

The Sharks match up with Kansas City Gametime  may have possibly been the game of the day Sunday. John Martens (6'4'', G/F, 2011, Middletown North) had his best game of the tournament, scoring several big buckets down the stretch and taking a big charge. Tim Frawley (6'3'', G/F, 2012, CBA) continued his great play on the season with big plays at key moments. After a questionable call towards the end of the game, Gametime was able to put the Sharks away 50-52.

After a disappointing 1-3 showing on the weekend, Coach Greg Youncofski was asked about his team's performance:

• "In the long run this is the best thing that could ever happen to us. I'm interested in seeing how we respond to the adversity; interested in seeing who steps up to be a leader in the coming weeks. We built these guys up endlessly over the past few months, now it's about time we take them back down to reality. But, in the long run, this learning experience will be a big reason for our success as a team."