Local 15s squad acquits itself well at Hoop City Classic

Source: The Star

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Zach Large had practiced most of his life for the moment he lived last Saturday afternoon at Okun Fieldhouse in Shawnee.

Large, who will be a sophomore at Truman High School, and his Spiece Mo-Kan Elite 15-and-under teammates were tangling with Oklahoma Elite 2012 in the age group’s Gold Division championship game at the Hoop City Classic presented by Gym Rats and Price Chopper.

The only area team to reach a title game at the inaugural summer basketball tournament, Mo-Kan 15s coach Brett McFall watched in horror as a nine-point lead withered during a spate of missed free throws in the final few minutes.

Tied at 54-54 with only seconds remaining, the game rested in the hands of Large, who popped out to the left wing off a series of screens to accept a cross-court pass from Travis Jorgenson, who will be a freshman at Columbia Rock Bridge.

“The play kind of broke up, and I had a tough pass to catch,” Large said, “but I just tried to get off the shot as quick as I could.”

Large said he never doubted the shot was good, although he wasn’t sure he got the shot off before the horn.

Not unlike the countless times in his driveway or while goofing around during downtime at practice, the basket counted, and Large was the sudden hero and the Mo-Kan 15s’ savior.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a buzzer-beater like that before,” he said. “It felt really good though.”

He did, however, have one regret.

The tournament had drawn various coaches of major colleges, including Rick Pitino of Louisville and Tom Izzo of Michigan State a few days earlier, but neither was in the stands Saturday for the title game.

“I’m a little disappointed Rick Pitino wasn’t here to see me hit that shot,” Large said. “That would have been cool.”

Still, it was quite a moment for the sharpshooter the Patriots will count on when winter rolls around. It’s such moments that make the travel and time invested in summer basketball worth the effort.

“Tournaments like this one will be a huge advantage for these kids when they step into the high school game,” said McFall, who was hired in May as the new boys basketball coach at Shawnee Mission South.

If anything, the Hoop City Classic and similar tournaments help over-prepare players for the high school game.

“There’s a lot more talent than junior high ball, but it’s a lot of fun,” said Shavon Shields, who will be a sophomore at Olathe Northwest. “This is going to help a lot going into high school and knowing what it’s like to play against high school talent.”

The high school game might seem easy by comparison.

“There’s a lot more athletes in these games,” said Ryan Murphy, who will be a sophomore at Basehor-Linwood. “You have to step it up on defense. This is one of the better tournaments we played in this year. There were a lot of better teams out here.”

Beyond the experience and potential college exposure, the chance to make a statement for the quality of local basketball also provided motivation for the Mo-Kan 15s, who had a 7-0 record in the tourney and claimed the squad’s second championship of the summer.

“Our 16s and 17s are very strong too,” McFall said. “When we saw them lose (Friday) night, we wanted to come out and take care of business, because we knew we were the only Mo-Kan left. It’s not necessarily our tournament, but it’s right in our backyard.”

submitted by TOD PALMER - 2009-07-28 13:18:02