We just completed the Top Gun Winter League and we broke the team record again!  76 teams and the winners have been confirmed in the #topgunchampionship.  Here are the results.  Thanks to everyone who participated and our Spring league will start April 6th.

Please check out the tournaments will be hosting in the mean time!  For the Winter League email john@topgunbball.com or Call 855-218-7355 Extension: 700.  Make sure you follow us on Social Media:  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc Search: topgunball

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Upcoming Top Gun Basketball Academy Events

Camps

www.topgunbball.com/camps

2013 Camp Dates:

June 24-27, 2013
July 8-11, 2013
July 15-18, 2013
July 22-25, 2013

Download a BROCHURE

Tournaments

June 29-30 – SD Invitational @ Miramar College and surrounding Venues

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March 23rd, 2012 — Hourglass Fieldhouse Miramar College – Winter League Championships

8th Grade Boys Champions

Top Gun Flight

Runner Up: Broncos

7th Grade Boys Champions

Black Mambas

Runner Up:  Sundevils

“Game winner from the corner from Black Mambas with 2 seconds left!”

6th Grade Boys Champions

Top Gun Flight

Runner Up:  Future Titans

5th Grade Boys Champions

Coastal Elite

Runner Up: SB Cats

4th Grade Boys Champions

High Intensity

Runner Up: SD Ballers

8th Grade Girls Champions

EBO

Runner Up: Grizzlies

Thanks to all the participating teams!  All scores are at www.topgun-league.com

Again make sure to check out www.topgunbballphotos.com  and FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!  “Topgunbball”

Thank you to participating San Diego Youth Basketball Clubs: Sundevils, Future Titans, Broncos, Wolverines, Nighthawks, Top Gun Flight, Top Gun Jets, SD Dragons, SD Ballers, High Intensity, Supreme Court, Temecula Wolves, SD Rebels, EBO, 1 on 1, Wiggins Waves, Grizzlies, Coastal Elite, SD Monarchs, Black Mambas, Next Generation, SB Cats, SPARC, and Oceanside Boys and Girls Club.

See you soon,

Top Gun Basketball Academy

The San Diego portion of the SD vs. OC Challenge was a big success and a lot of fun.  We brought in the new year with great basketball!  There were some amazing competitive games and gave our San Diego teams a taste of some great out of town teams in our own backyard.

Make sure you follow us on Social Media:  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc Search: topgunball

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Upcoming Events

Top Gun Winter League – Starts January 12th
2nd Annual SD Invitational – June 29-30

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Make sure to check if your photo is up!  This site will be updated with more and more photos throughout the week!

www.topgunbballphotos.com

January 5th-6th, 2013 — Hourglass Fieldhouse Miramar College/Muni Gym – SD vs. OC Challenge #sdchallenge

*The MVP’s were determined by the scorekeeper.

14u Championship

Winner: Cavs

Runner Up: Top Gun Flight

13u

Winner: San Diego All Stars

MVP: Jordan McDaniel

Runner Up: San Diego Rebels

12u

Winner: Hard 2 Guard

MVP: Jordan Montgomery

Runner Up: San Diego Wildcats

11u

Winner: Gametime Elite

MVP: Jordan Lopez, Dylan Andrews and Donte Burnett

Runner Up: Open Gym

1ou

Winner: Cavs

Runner Up: Top Gun Jets

Big Thanks:

Open Gym, Hard 2 Guard, SB Cats, Black Mambas, Top Gun Jets  Flight & Coastal Elite, Cavs, Gametime Elite, United Sports Training, SDA, Gamepoint, SD Rebels, SD Ballers, SGV,  and Supreme Court, Future Titans and SD Wildcats!

Thank you all for a great experience do not miss the June 29-30 tournament in San Diego!  Make sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube as well as following our blog!

You ever need anything Top Gun Basketball is here for you.

-TG

We just completed the biggest and best league in Top Gun history!  73 teams and the winners have been confirmed in the #topgunchampionship.  Here are the results and MVP’s.  Thanks to everyone who participated and our Winter league will start Jan 12th.

Please check out the tournaments will be hosting in the mean time!  For the Winter League email john@topgunbball.com or Call 855-218-7355 Extension: 700.  Make sure you follow us on Social Media:  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc Search: topgunball

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Tournaments

Upcoming events www.topgunbball.com/ocsdchallenge

December 8-9 @ American Sports Center – Top Gun and Open Gym SD vs. OC Challenge
January 5-6 @ Hourglass Field House at Miramar College – Top Gun and Open Gym SD vs. OC Challenge

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Make sure to check if your photo is up!  This site will be updated with more and more photos throughout the week!

www.topgunbballphotos.com

November 17th, 2012 — Hourglass Fieldhouse Miramar College – Fall League Championships

*The MVP’s were determined by the scorekeeper.

8th Grade Boys Champions

SB Cats Red

MVP: Jack Peterson

Runner Up: SD Rebels

7th Grade Boys Champions

Black Mambas

MVP: Cliff Kidd

Runner Up: SB Cats

6th Grade Boys Champions

SPARC

MVP: Caleb Lowery

Runner Up: Top Gun Flight

5th Grade Boys Champions

SPARC

MVP: Jessie Lebell

Runner Up: Sabers

4th Grade Boys Champions

Sabers

MVP: Xavier Oddis (Left)

Runner Up: SD Ballers

8th Grade Girls Champions

1 on 1

MVP: Bianca Notasainni

Runner Up: Wiggins Waves

Thanks to all the participating teams!  All scores are at www.topgun-league.com

Again make sure to check out www.topgunbballphotos.com  and FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!  “Topgunbball”
See you soon,

Top Gun Basketball Academy

We here at Top Gun Basketball Academy are very excited to launch the SD Coaches Mastermind! This is a network of San Diego Coaches that have a passion for improving themselves, network, their programs, players and most importantly learn from each other.

Head over to the page: SD Coaches Mastermind

Our initial goals are very small. We are going to create a list of coaches that want to be involved to start. The level of involvement is completely up to the coach. With a network we can share books, plays, clinic notes, videos, gain access to top speakers as well as benefits we probably don’t even know about yet.

Mike Dunlap explains it very well here:

Mike was just hired at the Head Coach of the Charlotte Bobcats and definitely has his work cut of for him.

Each week the Top Gun coaching staff runs a teleconference to discuss coaching, philosophies, ways to improve, and has invited guest speakers. I would like to expand this to the San Diego Coaches network.

What better way to launch the SD Coaches Mastermind then to tell you about an event that we have been helping promote.

USS Midway Clinic

This will be an awesome experience I hope to see everyone there!

If you are interested in brainstorming ideas with me shoot me an email at brian@topgunbball.com our list of interested coaches is growing everyday!

Remember to follow us on twitter:  @topgunbball

Defense Defense Defense…its been said they win championships and our defensive philosophies have helped Top Gun Basketball come a long way.

Thought it would be cool to have a blog on defense to mix in with my last “Always on Offense” post. There is a the simplistic version…”get stops and its all about effort” but I typically like to “nerd” out on everything so going to explain our philosophies in more detail and then at the end come full circle to the simplistic “Don’t let them score…Get a stop.” I mentioned before the full circle is starting off with nothing much to say as a beginner, too much to say as an intermediate, and nothing much to say as an advanced because at that point It is internalized and saying “Get a stop” sort of embodies all the advance stuff. Simplicity is the greatest sophistication. The blog will end with our 5 defensive rules.

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Upcoming Events

Top Gun Basketball 1st Ever Winter Basketball Camp. Dates TBA

Travel

Top Gun Flight 12u – October 13-14 – SGV Aloha Invitational Tournament – Anaheim, CA
Top Gun Elite 13u – October 20-21 – SD Ballers Tournament – SD, CA
Top Gun Elite 14u – October 27-28 – Open Gym Haloween Classic – Anahiem, CA

Tournaments

December 8-9 @ Anahiem Sports Center – Top Gun and Open Gym SD vs. OC Challenge
January 5-6 @ Hourglass Field House at Miramar College – Top Gun and Open Gym SD vs. OC Challenge

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Likewise I love the concept of getting out of “intermediate purgatory” because it is something that I have lived through in other areas of my life. The difference between intermediate and advanced often times is not necessarily skillset but the advanced person is able to execute the fundamentals and skills CONSISTENTLY.

Intermediate is inconsistent, takes plays off, is up and down. The beginner is DOWN, the intermediate is UP and DOWN, and the advanced is more consistently UP.  Whoa I just made that up…cool.

My philosophy of defense is to STIFLE. What better way to stifle someone then be extremely loud with your communication. That is a huge piece. Also, a lot of teams gain rhythm off being able to score easily. The players hit a couple shots and their emotional states and confidence go up, so they start scoring more and gain momentum. When you take away this mechanism and you STOP people, it will trickle down to all the other things you want to do to be successful.

Simultaneously I believe in playing defense in an “offensive” way meaning although you have the ball we are still controlling what you are doing and limiting your options. Finally, easy buckets are transitioned from great defense and is the best way to get your offense going.

Finally a big part of our philosophy is teaching MAN TO MAN principles. A good Man to Man player can play zone very well. A good zone defender typically CAN NOT play Man to Man. If you zone the whole game you still need to work on man to man principles and this naturally leads in to our Long Term Value philosophy.

5 Defensive Rules

The rules flow through what it takes to get a stop in a half court man to man setting. These rules are meant to serve and if you respect them they will pay dividends for you.

1. Tremendous Ball Pressure
This starts with a great closeout. Shuffle your feet with a shot call and a HIGH HAND. If you are not as athletic start your closeout earlier and inch up. The more athletic you are the later you can start the shuffling of your feet. We protect against the shot first and then we get ready to big step right or left and win the “foot fight.” We force sideline/baseline so on the left side of the floor our right foot will be on the high side influencing where we want them to go. On the right side our LEFT foot will be higher. If they are middle of the floor you have your choice so force weak hand. GET THEM OUT OF THE TUNNEL so we can establish a weak side and limit their options.

The ball is what scores and it needs proper attention at all times. With correct ball pressure the player can not “window shop” and will make them do things they aren’t comfortable doing. Think about how much better a QB is with more time to throw. According to Mike Dunlap new Head Coach of Charlotte Bobcats, if we don’t ball pressure correctly we are going to suck.

Keep your head on the ball and your chest in front. Show your hands and slide your feet. Get a perfect defensive stance low, butt down and back straight.

2. No Dribble Penetration (Help)

If we execute rule #1 we will not need help but that is only in a perfect world. Our help defender one pass away is an adjustment I like to make in game and player to player. You can decide this for yourself. Both work…think of two big time college teams.
 

Tom Izzo, Michigan State – 1 Pass Away – HELP
Mike Kryzewski, Duke – 1 Pass Away – DENY
 

We err on the side of help because of our tremendous ball pressure. 1 pass away we stunt and recover.
Whenever the ball is below the free throw line we need 2 guys in the paint straddling the CENTER LINE. Seeing Ball and Man pointing pistols. The center line is an imaginary line that goes from the tip of the rim to the other tip of the rim.

When the ball is on one side of the court we have 5 guys defending on ball side with a guy right under the rim. We call it DEEP some call it the “Low Hole.” Whatever that is it needs to be protected at all times and is the second most important defender besides who is on ball.

Getting back to the ball being below the free throw line we need a guy in the low hole and the high hole right below the free throw line. The biggest key to all of this is your help defenders all jumping in the direction of the ball ON THE PASS NOT THE CATCH.

On ball screens we SHOW. We want our on ball defender to get skinny and go over the top. Off ball screens we take angles from the middle to the outer third of the floor. It is very beneficial to teach players about the game if the floor is split into thirds and halves.

But the biggest thing of this rule is NO MIDDLE DRIVES.

3. Contest All Shots

Pat Reilly stated that if you contest a shot with a high hand in the shooting pocket you decrease a teams FG % by 18% It is really as simple as that. Contest all shots with your hands and yell shot. Mismatches do not beat you open shots do. No excuse for that is not my man. Closest guy to the ball contest the shot.

4. No Second Shots

I hate using negative language and I was thinking of saying One Shot only but I don’t want to take away the possibility of them having no shot which is obviously ideal.

A big part of this is counter intuitive and if you break the previous rules you will put yourself in a bad position. Tom Izzo is the resident expert on rebounding in College Basketball. He stated that a reason for that is they keep guys in front, therefore they don’t have to help as much on penetration and they are in good rebounding position.

It is imperative that you find a body and pursue the ball with 2 hands and chin the ball at the end. All the other rules are irrelevant if you don’t rebound. Rebounding completes your defense.

5. BOOK

An acronym for Box Out Outside the Key. Find your man first make contact then pivot and seal them off. The contact is an acquired taste that we must have. Shots in the paint are tough to BOOK but you still must do it and that is called a “short shot box out.” How many times in youth do you see a big kid shoot the ball 4 times in the key because kids just jump for the rebound when the defense could just after the first shot give him a nice bump outside the key.

The encompassing component of all these rules is the ball is most important and man to man is all 5 guys responsible for the ball. Team defense and all 5 talking as a unit. Our players need to give eachother effective communication.

Also remember that rules exist so you know when to break them!

GET A STOP!

Here are the write ups courtesy of Nchoops.net

When he got in his hands on the wing with his Eagles trailing by 3, he said he “just threw the ball up hoping it would go in.” It did and he was fouled. Corsi’s dramatic 4-point play gave the Eagles a lead they would never surrender, as the team played excellent defense the final half minute to escape with a 47-46 OT victory to cap an exciting Day 1 of the Top Gun-Gamepoint San Diego Showcase. 

Here are other game scores from earlier key matchups:

Santa Fe Christian 40, Mission Hills 38 – A game the Grizzlies kept close all night without their 7’0” center Kameron Rooks, who was on an official visit to Drake University, but they had no answer for Justin Byrd.  Byrd put on a show, unofficially tallying 22 points and four assists, accounting for 30 of the team’s points.  Kibret Woldenmichel and Cody Hicks led the way for the Grizzlies, scoring a number of mid-range and three-point shots.

La Costa Canyon 58, Temecula Valley 49

In a tilt of two potential heavyweights in their respective divisions, the Mavericks got the upper hand spearheaded by solid offense from forward Brandon Miller and point guard Jeff Van Dyke. La Costa forward Fritz Eibel played a stellar defensive game, limiting Golden Bears’ star forward Brandon Rosser to 8 points. Michael Price played a solid game for the Golden Bears, picking up the slack for Rosser.

Temecula Valley 41, Vista 29

Temecula Valley raced out to a 22-5 lead and never really looked back, as Rosser bounced back from a disappointing first game with 6 three point shots and a baseline slam that got the crowd working. Hakim Arnold played well for Vista.

Rancho Bernardo 44, Foothills Christian 42

Rancho Bernardo’s team-first style helped the Broncos race out to a 13 point lead, but the Knights stormed back thanks to the play of their talented freshmen trio of J.R Rivera, Jerome Sherman and TJ Leaf. Foothill Christian captured their first lead of the game with less than 3 minutes to go, but Broncos guard Elijah Brown scored four points and assisted on another shot to help Rancho Bernardo escape.

Standout players:

Brandon Rosser, 6’7” 200 PF Temecula Valley

There was  a lot of hype surrounding Brandon entering into the tournament, and he delivered, especially against Vista, when he was virtually unstoppable. The long, rangy four showed solid ball handling and impressive perimeter shooting, as well as solid helpside defense and consistent rebounding. He needs to continue to work on his motor (has a tendency to take plays off) and remember to continue attacking the basket to set up his jumpshot, not the other way around. He’s a surefire D1 prospect who already holds two offers and should see the interest grow if he continues to play like he did Friday.

Fritz Eibel, 6’5” 190 SF-PF La Costa Canyon

Fritz prides himself on his defense and his energy, and he showed loads of it tonight. He effectively shut down Brandon Rosser in the Mavericks victory over Temecula Valley by using his lower center of gravity to keep Rosser off balance. He also rebounded with great energy. On offense, Eibel showed that he’s a capable mid-range shooter and a good slasher off the dribble. He had one dunk in transition that showed his great athleticism in the open court. He sometimes tends to play a bit flat-footed in the halfcourt set, but if he can guard against that, he’s going to continue to move up recruiting rankings. Mid-major prospect.

Grant Corsi 6’5” 180 SF Santa Fe Christian

Corsi had the entire package working in the game against La Costa Canyon, from his silky perimeter jumpshot to his crafty and slick handles, including an assortment of well-executed pump fakes and hesitation moves. On defense, he showed quick hands slid his feet good on drives. He gets in trouble when he has to defend larger, quicker guys, but has improved on the defensive end as well. He claims interest from a host of NCAA DII schools, and received his first contact from a D1 school, Utah Valley State, earlier this week. One to watch this year.

Justin Byrd 6’2” 170 PG Santa Fe Christian

Prior to the injury, Byrd was one of the most impressive prospects in the gym. He showed great burst slashing to the rim in halfcourt and the ability to finish at the basket through contact. He also hit several midrange pull-ups where he stopped on a dime off the hard dribble for the score. In transition, he’s a load and almost impossible to stop once he gets a full head of steam. Defensively, he’s a elite on-ball defender and a great help-side defender in the post, blocking several shots during the proceedings. He has  a tendency to sometimes fall asleep on the helpside perimeter defense, but made adjustments once pointed out to him. Solid D1 prospect for a lower or mid-major school

Jeff Van Dyke, 6’3” 180 SG La Costa Canyon

The recent Pepperdine commit showed why the Waves were quick to offer him. On offense, he unveiled a game that belied his reptutation as just a spot-up shooter. He handled the ball at the point and rarely turned it over. He showed the abilty to hit shots off of the dribble, as well as hit his favorite shot, the one- to two-dribble pull up. Defensively, he really gets after it and has improved his lateral quickness, and also crashes the boards frequently. He’ll need to continue to improve his assertiveness, demanding the ball in big-time situations, and also continue to develop his handle in the halfcourt. Definitely played like a D1 guy tonight.

Michael Price, 6’2” 160 SG Temecula Valley

Price was one of my favorite guys to watch today. He showed impressive burst off the dribble to get to the cup against both Vista and La Costa Canyon’s guards. He also showed excellent lift on his jumpshot, especially in the transition, where he knocked down some really nice mid-range buckets. Defensively, he was a gnat, collecting help-side steals all over the place. His lack of size will limit his options, but there is no question in my mind that this senior sleeper could have his pick of NAIA, NCAA Div. 3 or D2 schools calling for the Golden Bear.

TJ Leaf 6’5 210 PF Foothills Christian

A coach’s son, Leaf certainly played like it. He showed excellent footwork (not too many big guys can execute a flawless Eurostep) and a soft shooting touch both from the perimeter and the low post. Defensively, he’s a tad slow afoot, but makes up for it with incredible legth. Once he puts it all together, Leaf might have a chance of being a D1 player.

DAY 2 & 3

Hourglass Fieldhouse was again the place to be for the die-hard hoop fan Saturday and Sunday, as Days 2 and 3 of the SD Fall Showcase featured another slate of stellar matchups.Saturday saw the much ballyhooed debuts of two future stars, freshmen wings Johnny McWilliams, Jr. of San Marcos and Brandon Cyrus of Torrey Pines.  In the showcase game of Satuday night, a deep La Costa Canyon team pulled away from the new-look San Ysidro Cougars 51-34, paced by strong efforts from senior guard Jeff Van Dyke and senior center Kyle Sachrison.

Mission Hills and Corona Santiago proved to be the big winners during the two-day frame.  The Grizzlies rattled off four wins against Temecula Valley, Bakersfield Liberty, San Diego and Sweetwater, while the Sharks beat Vista, El Camino, San Ysidro and Torrey Pines.

Here were some of the standout players from Days 2 and 3:

Michael Price: 6’2” SG Temecula Valley (2013)

The senior guard proved time and again to be one of the best players in the gym. The wiry guard is an automatic shooter from off the catch and off of dribble with the pull up. He’s not a great ballhandler, but a guy who can get to wherever he wants to on the floor in two dribbles. He’s also a very aggressive defender who makes his presence felt both on and away from the ball. A little undersized for a two-guard, he probably will make some high-level D2 school very happy.

Brandon Rosser: 6’8” PF Temecula Valley (2013)

Rosser picked up from where he left off Friday, absolutely dominating the competition from the perimeter and in the post. He showed tremendous quickness on several blow-by moves on the baseline and finished through traffic. And, while his mechanics on his shot are a bit unorthodox, he can shoot it from deep. For Rosser, it’s going to be about his motor. There are stretches where he seems content with letting other players pick up the slack and he disappears. If he can play consistently at a high level, he’s a Pac-12 level player, as several D1′s have expressed interest.

 Grant Corsi: 6’5” SF/PF Santa Fe Christian (2013)

In front of Puget Sound Head Coach Justin Lunt, Corsi put together his strongest performance of the tournament. And that is saying something, because he was huge for the Eagles all weekend. On offense, he was a force, taking bigger defenders off the dribble (playing point forward), hitting the pull-up jumpshot with efficiency and finishing at the rim. His footwork is absolutely   impeccable on the low block, as he maneuvers himself into better shots. He also rebounded the ball well for the undersized Eagles. Lunt might be hard-pressed to get Corsi. He’s peaking just at the right time, and look for some strong D2 or low-major D1 interest.

Kibret Woldemicheal: 5’9” PG Mission Hills (2013)

Woldemicheal may be the smallest person on the court in most of his games, but he was flat-out dominant this weekend. He has a beautiful jumpshot that gets great arch and rotation and almost never hits the rim. In transition, he showed electric quickness (pulled the fastest Euro step move I’ve ever seen at the high school level against Temecula Valley) and almost always made the right pass.

There is a lot of debate about Woldenmichel’s ceiling due to his size, but if guys like Tajuan Porter (Oregon), Maurice Jones (USC) and Jerome Randle (Cal), can play at the high-major level, there’s no reason why a lower-level D1 school should be willing to take a flyer on him.

Jeff Van Dyke: 6’2” PG/SG La Costa Canyon (2013)

Van Dyke, who recently committed to Pepperdine, showed why the Waves wanted to snag him up before his senior year. He’s no longer a catch-and-shoot player. He showed much-improved ball handling skills and was rarely rattled, even under intense pressure by San Ysidro’s lightning-quick backcourt. He made a couple of beautiful passes in transition, including an impossible bounce pass to forward Brandon Miller. And of course, he can still shoot it, showing great rotation and arch on his shot.  Defensively, he’s improved as well, as he was able to keep Ronald Stewart, arguably one of the five fastest guys in the gym all weekend, in front of him.

Kyle Sachrison: 6’7” C La Costa Canyon (2013)

Sachrison is Division 1 prospect in baseball, but if he decided to  pursue basketball at the next level, there is a place for him. The big-bodied post has excellent footwork on the low block and very soft touch on his jump hook and turnaround shot. He uses his size very effectively to neutralize the athleticism of other centers. He’s also a warrior on the boards, as he, Fritz Eibel and Brandon Miller dominated the paint against San Ysidro. Defensively, he’s also very active, blocking  a few shots and altering a number of others. Again, if he decided to pursue hoops, I could see him being very effective at the NAIA, D3 or D2 level.

Other Day 2 standouts:

Keeko Sinegal (San Ysidro) - Known more for his offense, Sinegal showed some potential to be a lockdown defender at the next level.

Brandon Dumas (Poway) - The Titans senior wing handles it well, is really crafty in getting to the hoop.

CJ Cadua (Sweetwater )- This diminutive lead guard is one of the quickest guards in the gym. Has flashy handle, and has eyes in the back of his head.

D’Aubre Doucette (Temecula Valley) - Good size and quickness for a lead guard.

Brandon Miller (La Costa Canyon) - Baseball prospect is fundamentally sound in the paint. Rebounds it, runs the floor well in transition.

Imanni Sobers (El Camino) - Exciting lead guard defends, shot it well all weekend.

Izzy Wagner (Mt Miguel) – Quick guard has a good jump shot and can really score it.   

Day 3

Kameron Rooks: 7’0” C Mission Hills (2013)

Rooks missed the first two days of the showcase as he was on an official visit to Drake University, but he really put his stamp on Day 3. He’s got such imposing size at this level, as with his arms straight up he’s two feet taller than almost everyone on the court. He uses his size well, rarely brings the ball below his chest level, and has soft touch around the rim. An underrated part of his game is his ability to pass the ball out of the post and find the open guy, usually marksmen Woldemicheal and Cody Hicks.

Rooks’ potential at the next level will be what happens with his body. He sometimes is a little clumsy and can be knocked off balance, but I think that’s because he might not be done growing. His conditioning will also be a factor, but if he’s willing to
continue to put the work in, he’s gotta be on some high-major radars in a year where big men are at a historic premium.

Marvin Butler: 5’8” PG Corona Santiago (2013)

There were a number of diminutive guards who left a good impression during the proceedings. Butler, along with Kibret Woldemicheal of Mission Hills, probably left the greatest impression. Butler has a muscular frame, is an explosive athlete and a disruptive force on the defensive end, collecting steal after steal during the proceedings.

What sets him apart from some of the other guards built like him is his control. He makes crisp, on-point passes, controlled drives to the hoop and finishes at the rim consistently. He’s a bit streaky on his perimeter shot and will need to improve that  area of his game. If
he chooses to go to school in the IE for college, he could thrive at destinations like Cal Baptist and CSUSB.

Chima Wami: 6’3” SF/PF Corona Santiago (2013)

If you were watching the Torrey Pines game, you might have pegged Wami at 6’4” or 6’5”, as I did in an errant Tweet. It’s just because Wami plays much bigger than his size would suggest. Built like he’s cut out of rock, the Temescal Canyon transfer has freakishly long arms and is an explosive athlete. This makes him a load to handle on the boards, where he cleans up rebound after rebound. Offensively, he is a work in progress, as he scores mostly on straight-line drives and offensive put backs. He’ll have to diversify his offense to make an impact at the next level. In an era where a number of undersized wing-types have been able to play due to their athleticism and heart, Wami might be one those guys.

Sam Worman: 6’5” SF/PF Torrey Pines (2014)

While much of the attention on Torrey Pines this weekend was on the debut of Canadian import Brandon Cyrus, Worman was the workman for the Falcons. Just a junior, Worman showed an impressive inside-out game, using superior footwork to outmaneuver bigger defenders, while also stepping outside and showing great touch from the perimeter. He’s a very patient and skilled forward, that is only going to improve under John Olive. If he grows an inch or two, he could be a guy who could thrive in the Ivy League setting.

Ronald Stewart: 5’9” PG San Ysidro (2013)

If San Ysidro is to live up to the hype that it has surrounding it’s new-look team, Stewart is going to have to be the guy who leads them. For much of the proceedings, he was a bit erratic, even out of control off the dribble, and was hitting from deep. Then, against Torrey Pines (a grudge match game after TP beat them in last year’s D1 semifinals), Stewart exploded.

He used his explosive speed to burn the Falcons’ guards play after play, and when he was not doing that, he was knocking down three after three. On defense, Torrey’s guards had no answer for the pressure applied by he and his younger brother, Lynard. The key for Stewart will be to find that balance between organized chaos and simply chaos. If he does, he’s going to have a big year for the Cougars.

Dillion Hamlett: 6’6” PF/C  Steele Canyon (2015)

Some of the 2015 players in the gym had bigger reputations than Hamlett, who was a virtual unknown up in North County. That changed Sunday, as Hamlett had a breakout performance in an upset win over Poway. The sophomore big has great hands and footwork in the post, and a number of good post moves. He’s also an excellent passer from the post and a capable ball handler. His jumpshot needs lift and a bit of work. He was the biggest kid on the court, so I want to see him against some of the elite centers, but for now, he’s left a good impression.

Other Day 3 standouts:

Dominick Mattoni (San Pasqual) – The junior showed excellent footwork in the post and touch from the perimeter in both games against Otay Ranch and Bonita Vista.

Spencer Mattox (Sweetwater) –  Mattox woke up in a big way against Fallbrook, showing flashes of the explosiveness that made him one of the state’s top sophomore scorers.

Dalton Soffer (Poway) - The marksmen missed a combined six shots in two games on Sunday. One of the best shooters in the 2015 class.

Carston Nyenhuis (Vista) - The rail-thin post player for the Panthers showed off his skill and footwork in a big win over Bakersfield Liberty.

Fernando Grant (Fallbrook) - The transfer from Illinois looked good in his role as do-it-all guard for the Warriors.

Brian Nunn (Bakersfield Liberty) - One of the most intriguing prospects in the gym. Solid framed guy looks like he’d bang in the post, but was Liberty’s best ball handler by a wide margin.

Caleb Hoffman (Foothills Christian) - His freshmen teammates might be more heralded, but the junior guard was quietly the best player for Foothills, and one of the most underrated guards in the gym.

John Crowder (San Ysidro) - The rangy wing showed great athleticism and good touch from three.

Alec Wulff (Torrey Pines) - The junior wing can stroke it. Needs to be a bit more assertive on the offensive end.

Thanks everyone for coming out and see you next year!

The Flight teams will practice at nearby Bishop’s High School.

Top Gun Basketball is entering the La Jolla Community with working relationships with the coaching staffs at La Jolla High School and Bishop’s High School already in place.  We look forward to strengthening these connections to help make the transition from our club to the high school level a smooth one.

If you notice at the top of our website a new tab has been formed under Jets that says TG Flight.  Click there for all Top Gun Flight info.

Tryouts: @ Bishops High School Gymnasium

Wednesday, September 5th

4th-8th Grade 6-7:30 pm
Games:  Saturdays at Miramar College starting Sept. 15^th.

We are excited to get going!  Any questions?  Send them our way to support@topgunbball.com

Wanted to crank out a post on the blog before headed out to Las Vegas for the Fab 48. Bringing 7 teams out there for what is going to be a great experience no matter what happens because you either win or you learn.

Before I get into it please check out our upcoming events:

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SD High School Fall Showcase – September 7-9 @ Miramar College
Top Gun Fall Youth League – September – December.
Jets Tryouts – September

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I actually have recorded a series of videos that will help complement these blog posts, but I am not going to release them for some time until I edit them down, work on my delivery a bit more, and consolidate my ideas to be a lot more concise. It is a process but I am excited when I can get to the point where I can get them out on the blog quickly. The latest one is a 20 minute rant called “Don’t Get Played.” I am very excited about sharing one day.

LONG TERM VALUE WHAT IS IT

One very influential book to me is George Leonard’s “Mastery.” Here is one of my favorite excerpts regarding how our culture is anti mastery and long term thinking.

“And the sitcoms and soaps, the crime shows, and
MTV all run on the same hyped-up schedule: (1) If
you make smart-assed one-liners for a half hour,
everything will work out fine in time for the closing
commercials. (2) People are quite nasty, don’t work
hard, and get rich quickly. (3) No problem is so serious
that it can’t be resolved in the wink of an eye
as soon as the gleaming barrel of a handgun appears.
(4) The weirdest fantasy you can think of can be realized
instantly and without effort.

In all of this, the specific content isn’t nearly as
destructive to mastery as is the rhythm. One epiphany
follows another. One fantasy is crowded out by
the next. Climax is piled upon climax. There’s no
plateau.”

I got news for everyone…if you are in something for the long run and into mastery, your whole life is spent on a plateau. Once you get to the next level you reside on that plateau albeit that one is at a higher level than the previous one. Most people can’t deal with that and that is one reason why 1% of High School players receive scholarships. The only solution is to LOVE the plateau and the day to day grind. If you don’t love the game you’ll never get good.

80% of results come from fundamentals. Fundamentals can be boring, but they aren’t boring when you are winning and beating really good teams.

I have such a disdain for this type of thinking as you can tell because I am not naturally talented at ANYTHING…so I understand the processes of getting better at many different things. I don’t take any of it for granted and have been on plateaus that have lasted 5-7 years…so I am not going to listen to someone who is upset over not seeing significant gains in 5 months.

Good Horse, Bad Horse

In his book

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Zen master

Shunryu Suzuki approaches the question of fast

and slow learners in terms of horses. “In our scriptures,

it is said that there are four kinds of horses:

excellent ones, good ones, poor ones, and bad ones.

The best horse will run slow and fast, right and left,

at the driver’s will, before it sees the shadow of the

whip; the second best will run as well as the first one,

just before the whip reaches its skin; the third one

will run when it feels pain on its body; the fourth

will run after the pain penetrates to the marrow of

its bones. You can imagine how difficult it is for the

fourth one to learn to run.

“When we hear this story, almost all of us want to

be the best horse. If it is impossible to be the best

one, we want to be the second best.” But this is a

mistake, Master Suzuki says. When you learn too easily,

you’re tempted not to work hard, not to penetrate

to the marrow of a practice.

Here are some common mindsets that play into ANTI-MASTERY of players that I have seen:

- Playing down winning tournaments with low competition
- Too much focus on plays and not HOW TO PLAY
- Focus and preparation for certain games instead of where skill level should be at certain times
- Not teaching during blowouts
- Magic Pill mentality – Rick Pitino talks about our Microwave culture. Let me pop something into the microwave and it be ready in 1 minute. (Nothing you ever put into the microwave will be healthy for you and even more funny is how toxic even being close to a microwave is for you.) You get the point.
- Joining Cherry Picked Teams that roll the ball out.
- Unhealthy view of how important middle school wins are at expense of skill-set building not playing up

Coincidentally one of the best players in the world right now at the High School level is from Canada.

The last concept is “Long term and short term consequences of an action are often the exact opposite of each other.”

Let’s take an example of eating broccoli vs. a chocolate chip cookie.

Eating broccoli could suck in the short term but has massive long term benefits for your health.

Eating a chocolate cookie is great in the short term but leaves you feeling tired, has poor nutritional value and negatively affects you in the long term.

Not everything is like this, I recommend getting into the habit of being nice to your future self. People are notoriously bad at emotionally estimating how they will feel in the future. I saw a TED talk (If there is one thing I encourage to kids or anyone at all ages is to watch as many videos at www.ted.com as you can) was about long term investing.

He had a computer software program that showed your face now and what you would look like in 30 years on another side of a continuum. The higher you made your retirement savings you could see your future self smiling at the expense of your current self frowning. The more you saved the more exaggerated the facial expressions changed. If you did not save much the older person had the frown and the current self was happy.  Point being is there is a sweet spot on how you can operate that will benefit both.

A lot of people also misinterpret long term value and thinking into not enjoying the moment. This is far from the truth and what I am speaking of.  A lot of my enjoyment in the moment is from thinking and actions I took 5-10 years earlier so I am reaping the benefits NOW and that will only improve later because of the proper habits being developing today. Enjoy the ride, the outcome is usually anti climatic.

The joy is in the ups and downs, the plateau, the path to mastery. Long Term Value. You either win or you learn. Nothing more, nothing less.