End of Summer Travel Team Rankings

Last month, the top teams and players from the state of Iowa took to the road to participate in some of the top summer basketball tournaments in the country. Many players impressed enough to land scholarship offers while younger players put their name on the recruiting map for the future.

Now that the travel team season has come to an end we have decided to take a look back at how the teams performed. After our review we came up with team rankings based upon how they did this past season. That said, here's a look at how we thought they stacked up.

17U Team Rankings
1. All-Iowa Attack Red – They started off the season a little erratic and even lost Harrison Barnes, but since then they have performed very well and even won the Next Level Invitational to go along with an earlier title at the Jayhawk Invitational. They are a nice looking bunch led by Iowa commitment Zach McCabe and TrayVonn Wright.

2. Iowa Barnstormers – This team has been solid, but not spectacular this season. They never won anything big, but they always competed well against top level competition. They are led by the dynamic duo of Will Artino (Creighton) and Nate Buss (UNI).

3. Martin Brothers – This group is hard to put a finger on. They lost to the Barnstormers, but defeated Attack Red. They looked good at times, but then would look merely average at others. They have been led all season by Doug McDermott and Jordan Dykstra.

Just missed: Iowa Mavericks Black and All-Iowa Attack Black

16U Team Rankings
1. Iowa Barnstormers – Consistently good is the best way to describe this team. They went deep in everything they entered and proved that they could compete with anybody. They never played against AIA Red, but they did face Martin Brothers in a game they easily rolled to victory. They are led by Josh Oglesby and Seth Tuttle.

2. All-Iowa Attack Red – This team is a close second as they proved they could also compete with anyone this summer. They weren’t as consistent as the Barnstormers, but when they clicked they were special to watch. They were led by sharp-shooter Kelly Madison and Grant Lang.

3. Martin Brothers – It’s hard to describe this team. On paper they look great, but on the court they never really put it all together. Something seemed to be missing. However, they did make a nice run to win the Gold bracket in Milwaukee. Leading the way was Matt Bohannon and Tavian Pomlee.

Just missed: Iowa Mavericks Blue and Bound 4 Glory

15U Team Rankings
1. Martin Brothers – They are the top team in this age group and it isn’t even close. These kids are fun to watch as they go out and win game after game. The trio of Marcus Paige, Mike Gessell and Adam Woodbury are fantastic in just about every way imaginable. Expect big things out of this team in the future.

2. All-Iowa Attack Red – This team was good throughout the season. Most years, this team would be ranked #1, but being #2 on this list isn’t so bad. This squad is led by Cory Meyers and Amarra Darboh.

3. Iowa Barnstormers – Sometimes this team looked very, very good and at other times looked very, very bad. They have some talent, but just don’t seem to have the maturity or leadership to keep them focused on playing to win. If they figure things out this team might surprise next season. They are led by Taylor Olson and Anthony Shaw.

Just missed: Iowa Stars and Bad Boys

14U Team Rankings
1. Iowa Barnstormers Gold – They have a talented squad and it showed all season long as they won a bunch of games. They also notched a couple victories over the other top programs in the state to include our #2 and #3 ranked teams. They won the USSSA Midwest Showdown and the Iowa 8th grade AAU state championship. They are led by nationally ranked power forward Josh Weeber.

2. All-Iowa Attack Red – This team was a close second to our #1 ranked team. Led by Peter Jok, who one service has ranked #1 in the nation, this team was very successful and won their fair share of games and tournaments. They are talented group and it will be fun to see how these guys fair this winter with their high school teams.

3. Iowa Storm – Over the last few years this has been the team to beat. This year, the pack finally caught up them and passed them just a little. Though they didn’t win as often as they did in the past, they went deep in most tournaments and had chances to win them. They were led by guard Jared Jones.

Just missed: The Pack and All-Iowa Attack Black

Now that you have seen our rankings, share your thoughts with us.

Impressions From The July Evaluation Period

The month of July is huge when it comes to the recruiting process and player evaluations. It's the only time of the year that college coaches can view dozens and dozens of prospects in a short period of time. So, this month the top basketball programs in the state hit the road to compete in front of the college coaches with hopes of gaining scholarship offers. Here's who we thought made the biggest impressions on the coaches and scouts in attendance.

Class of 2010
Zach McCabe – He is a strong forward who can grind it out in the paint or stick the jumper. He's white hot right now and really looked good in both Milwaukee and Chicago. (Recently gave verbal commitment to Iowa)

Doug McDermott – He did a nice job rebounding and scoring the ball in the paint or off the catch and shoot. He's one to keep an eye on.

Chanse Creekmur – This kid can really shoot the rock. He's not that quick and not that big, but his stroke is lethal. (Recently gave verbal commitment to Santa Clara)

Will Artino – A long and bouncy post that runs the floor and scores the ball. He has tremendous upside and drew a large following. Watch him explode in the coming weeks and months.

Trayvonn Wright – Dunking machine who is active around the glass at both ends. He's rail thin, but a very athletic post player.

Class of 2011
Josh Oglesby – He is fun to watch as he just knows how to play. He is a good shooter and even better passer. He looks like he will blow up in the near future.

Rasham Suarez – Powerful guard who likes to score, but also makes great passes. He looked good playing up an age group. Rumor has him attending school back in Iowa this fall.

Seth Tuttle – Skilled big man with a mean streak. He just keeps getting better and better.

Kelly Madison – Strong guard who can fill it up from distance. He is money if you give him an open look.

Reggie White – Appears to be done growing at about 6-6, but he is athletic and really rebounds and defends well.

Matt Bohannon – He displayed nice handles and jumper. He is another kid who is just fun to watch.

Jarrod Uthoff – He's a skinny kid, but he can flat out play some ball. He proved he could hit jumpers and get to the rim off the bounce.

Class of 2012
Dwight Sistrunk – He has crazy handles and change of direction. His ability to break defenders down and create is uncanny. Wait until he hits his growth spurt!

Taylor Olson – He has always been good off the dribble, but he displayed an emerging jumper. He's also a tough kid.

Marcus Paige – Smooth, really smooth. The lefty hits the jumper, gets to the rim and creates for others.

Adam Woodbury – He runs the floor well and does work in the paint. He hit a few short jumpers and does a nice job on defense too.

NY2LA Invitational Preview- 17U Pools E through I

Earlier today, we took a look at the NY2LA Sports Invitational's Pools are picked who we thought would advance to Platinum bracket play in Pools A-D. Now, we take a look at Pools E through I and give you our picks!

Pool E (ECI West N. Dakota, Team Nebraska, Grand Rapids Blue, and SW IL Jets Orange): ECI West N. Dakota has a talented big man in 6-9 Bryan Kielpinsk, and Team Nebraska counters with 6-10 big man Kyle Schlake. I like Team Nebraska and Schlake in that match-up, and but that will be ECI W. ND's only loss, and those are the two teams that will advance.

Pool F (Team NLP, Iowa Mavericks Black, Full Package White, ECI South Dakota): Team NLP has had a good season so far, and are by Dickey Simpkins, the former Chicago Bull. The Mavericks Black team put together a suprising run in the spring, and are led by guard Tayler Bontrager and sharpshooter Andrew Wirth. I take those two as #1 and #2 in the pool.

Pool G (RBS All-Stars, Wisconsin Blaze, Grand Rapids White, SW IL Jets Black): RBS has a strong team this year, and the Wisconsin Blaze had a nice run the last NY2LA event. I pick those guys from this pool, in that order.

Pool H (Rising Stars Blue, Midwest Stars White, All Iowa Attack Black, ECI Minnesota): Rising Stars has a nice program going in Chicago, and they've got a couple guys from their program playing for the Hawkeyes. I like them to win this pool, and give the Attack's Black squad the nod for second... look for Chad Malloy from Williamsburg to have some coaches watching for him in Milwaukee. He can really shoot it.

Pool I (MN Comets White, ECI East N. Dakota, Illinois Magic, Iowa Mavs Blue, HLC): In the last pool, I like the Minnesota Comets white team to prevail, with Mavericks Blue team coming in second. Watch out for Chris Norton from Bondurant-Farrar on the Mavericks Blue team... he could catch on fire and carry them at times.

Later today we'll fill out the bracket play (based on our predictions), and pick a final winner!

NY2LA Sports Invitational Preview- 17U Pools A-D

NY2LA Sports Invitational Preview- 17U Division

With the NCAA ruling earier this year to eliminate the April “Live” period, the recruiting period starting on July 6 will be the first time this year that Division 1 coaches will be allowed to watch potential recruits play with their AAU teams. For the first event of this all-important month, most of the top Iowa teams (and players) will be participating in the NY2LA Sports Invitation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin next week. IAHoops.com will be in Milwaukee to watch the action, and we’re going to do a series of previews leading up to the tournament. Today, we’ll take a look at the 17U Division.

For purposes of this article, we’ll look at the pools and pick the teams that will advance to “Platinum” bracket play, and pick the winners. There are 9 pools of 17U teams in the tournament… Pools A, B, C, and D have the top 3 teams advance to the Platinum tournament, and Pools E through I only advance two.

Pool A (SYF Players, Milwaukee Spartans, All Iowa Attack Red, Buffalo Storm): This loaded pool features some great talent, including Vander Blue from the Spartans, who might be the best player in the tournament, Xavier Jones and Jesse Berry from the SYF Players, and our local All Iowa Attack's top team, which will feature Zach McCabe, TrayVonn Wright, etc. This is a tough pick, but I'm going to go with the Attack as the winners here, with the Spartans (2) and SYF Players (3) also advancing to Platinum bracket play.

Pool B (Net Gain Sports, Iowa Barnstormers, Wisconsin Scholars, Illinois Wolverines): Another loaded pool, with the headline for Iowa fans being the Net Gain Sports and Chanse Creekmur against the Barnstormers on day 1. The best player in this pool, though, is Flavian Davis, the wing from the Wisconsin Scholars who already holds a Marquette offer. The Scholars won another NY2LA event earlier this year, and I pick them to win this pool, too... with the Barnstormers (2) and Net Gain (3) also advancing.

Pool C (Howard Pulley, Meanstreets, Martin Bros Select, Illinois Heat): Lots of talent again here, with Howard Pulley featuring 6-11 Chad Calcaterra and 6-3 guard Jacob Thomas, along with the always strong Martin Bros who will feature Jordan Dykstra and Doug McDermott. Meanstreets and the Illinois are great programs, too, making this the hardest pool to pick. Harrison Barnes is not expected to be at the tournament for HP... he'll be at the LeBron camp this week. I'm going to go with Howard Pulley as the pool champions, with Martin Brothers (2) and Meanstreats (3) advancing.

Pool D (Playground Elite, MN Comets Blue, Midwest Stars Blue, Illinois Kings): This is the last pool that advances three to tournament play, and this is a little harder pick... no Iowa teams, and not quite as much of the top talent as "Super Pools" in A-C. We'll pick Playground Elite #1 here, with MN Comets (2) and Midwest Stars Blue (3) also Platinum-bound.

We'll take a look at pools E through I later this afternoon.

IAHoops Stock Report

The recruiting process is a major part of summer basketball. Players can have a big tournament and suddenly receive a ton of attention from both scouts and college coaches. On the flip side, if someone struggles at one of these events they can suddenly see interest fall off. It’s safe to say that prospects playing on the summer circuit are kind of like stock. So, let's take a look at another installment of our IAHoops Stock Report.

Name	Pos.	School	Stock
Will Artino He is a very long and athletic post with tremendous upside. Already holds Mid-Major offers, but July will certainly bring more.	C/F	Waukee
Doug McDermott Steadily improving forward who has some offers on the table and will likely snag more in the next month.	SF/PF	Ames
Isaac Gardner Big time shooter who should open some eyes if he plays well this month.	SG	Washington
Grant Lang Slick wing with a nice skill set. Keep an eye on this guy.	SG	Ankeny
Tavian Pomlee He has a great frame and is athletic, but struggles big time going to his left.	SF	Davenport Central
Zach Burnham He had some buzz going this winter, but has been non-existent on the travel team circuit. Is he done growing???	PF	Davenport Central
Anthony Shaw He's the new kid on the block as he recently moved into the state, but he's already proved to be an explosive athlete with lots of raw ability.	SG	City High

Check back with us soon as we will continue to provide updates to the IAHoops Stock Report.