CAVS 13U WIN SP KNIGHTS/ARC TOURNEY

Before we begin, HUGE SHOUTS OUT to CAVS 9U who finished as 2nd Place Champions in the same tourney we are referencing in this post. However, no photo + no information = no separate post. Therefore.....

Palm Springs is known for its sunny weather, golf courses, retirees and spas, but during the weekend of March 17^th and 18^th, 2012, the rain was the main headlining factor. Oh, but that didn’t stop the mighty CAVS 13U from winning the championship in the SP Knights/ARC Tourney—even playing half-mast. WOOT!

Before we really begin, WTH happened to Marquis Villas? OMG. For those that don’t know, Marquis Villas is the “resort” (and I use the word “resort” in the lightest of terms) the CAVS have rented out during all of our past Palm Springs tourneys.  Most of the CAVS crew stayed in this establishment during the tourney THIS time. Now I KNOW I haven’t lost my mind. Did the hotel travel backwards in time? Was it always THIS BAD? Sofa pullout beds all but had the springs poking through our boys’ backs, the TV’s were STILL the original tube TV’s (even in the main room) the rooms had to contain THE oldest microwave ovens in history and one of our parents came face-to-face with a cockroach in their kitchen. Needless to say….

NO MORE MARQUIS VILLAS!!!

With that said, here we go…..

On Saturday, CAVS 13U started things off with an early evening game vs. the Indio Warriors and won, 59-25.

At 7pm, CAVS 13U faced off with Team Nikos, an Orange-County based team who reportedly had not lost a game in six months. CAVS 13U scored the victory, 33-5---earning them a spot in the Semi-Final Game on Sunday.

Oh...and before we continue, let me say that THIS particular game included the COOLEST female refs in the game, representing the ladies sector in the sports arena! 

Moving along.....so Inland Force apparently became the Semi-Final team to beat. CAVS 13U did just that, finishing with a 48-31 score.

 It was on to the Championship Game at 6pm. Okay. 6pm on a Sunday…when players must get back to town for school on that Monday? Um. Yeah. NOT the best schedule. Whatever. We dealt with it! CAVS 13U battled it out with GYGR for the Championship Title.

It was as if our boys had shed their real selves and had stepped into someone else’s shells. Huh? They began playing like someone had removed a few brain chips. Countless mistakes, turnovers and moves that even caused Coach Darryl McDonald to stand there with his mouth open; unable to comment for at least three minutes.  For a basketball coach of Darryl’s magnitude, three minutes of not speaking during a basketball game is FOREVER. It is like a Volcano in full eruption momentarily pausing for three minutes before spewing again. In fact, Coach Darryl was so flabbergasted that he had to sit down when half-time arrived! Lol.

 Yeah. Sometimes, it’s like that.

Well…somehow, someway the boys pulled it all off and defeated GYGR for the Championship Title, 50-43. GO CAVS 13U!!!

 
Check out all tourney photos from the weekend on our Facebook site HERE.

Next stop....the CAVS/Impact Spring Spectacular Tourney!!! GAME ON!!!

CAVS 9U BALLIN' OUT, SWEEP SGV TOURNEY

You know we couldn’t leave CAVS 9U out! 

We keep telling you big things come in small packages.

HUGE congrats go up for CAVS 9U, who swept the SGV Invitational Tourney, President’s Day Weekend, February 18^th-20^th, 2012.

I don’t have explicit details because I didn’t attend the games, but here are the results:

2/18/12 (Saturday)

CAVS 9U (34) vs. New Heights (30)

CAVS 9U (42) vs. SGV Black (6)

2/19/12 (Sunday)

CAVS 9U (34) Vs. Edge (0)

CAVS 9U (33) vs. Monrovia Mountaineers (15)

2/20/12 (Monday)

Semi-Final: CAVS 9U (39) Vs. Beach Stars (21)

Championship: CAVS 9U (26) vs. Monrovia Mountaineers (19)

GO CAVS 9U!!!

CAVS 13U SWEEP SGV TOURNEY

I’m sorry…I can’t get started without commenting on the highway robbery occurring that is otherwise known as PARKING, going on around the Sports Center. You’ve gotta be kidding me. The folks around these lots close (and further away) from the complex are charging up to $20 for parking. Huh? I’m sorry, but this is NOT the Staples Center! First of all, $20 to park ANYWHERE is complete, utter LUNACY to begin with. Next, there’ll be auto timeshares. At a tournament that already costs families $7.00 admission per person, plus pricey food and team tournament fees for their kids to play in the first place…it’s all a BIT MUCH. Thank you, parking goblins, for making our three, required tourney days muuuch more expensive. We all felt like we were paying to get into DISNEYLAND or going to see a 3D movie--thanks!

Otherwise, SGV has got their act together. We're talking the SGV Tourney, President's Day Weekend, February 18th-20th, 2012. I LIKE the SGV organization! The tourney, itself, was organized and fast at posting game results each day. GO SGV!! With that said….let’s get on with it.

On Saturday, first game of the day (10:40am): CAVS 13U met up with the AVAC Hoyas and defeated them, 44-21.

 At 1:00pm, CAVS 13U faced off with the San Diego Top Gun Elite Team and scored the win, 44-36.

On Sunday early evening, CAVS 13U stood face-to-face with none other than the SCV Playmakers; to see who would get a shot at the Semi-Final game. CAVS 13U would get that shot, with a 46-44 victory.

Okay, pause. We are going to address this right here; right now.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. We admit that. We won’t bring up the parts that belong to the “opinion” category. However, untruths are not worthy of entitlement. Apparently, there was some drama with the usual he/say, she/say stuff over this particular win over the Playmakers. Come on, guys. How old are we….ten? We really don’t have time to bicker and spread drama with verbal ping-pong. This thing we have going here, is ALL ABOUT THE KIDS. Period. We will clarify one thing, though. CAVS Youth Basketball does not “borrow” players to try to beat teams---despite what was ridiculously stated in a Facebook post (by a party that we shall leave nameless at the moment). It was expressly stated that the CAVS “borrowed two players” to beat the Playmakers. Really? That’s very interesting. 

Perhaps people should get their facts straight before spewing them? 

One of our alleged “borrowed” players that played with us during the SGV Tourney (who is not currently a CAVS regular) has been playing with us since he was merely 9 years old---and just so happens to regularly play for another top team in the country right now. We had him first. What—he can’t come back to play with us when he wants to, without us earning a “borrowed player” rep? Really?

As far as a second player goes, well….gee, please….enlighten us on who this player is-----and then we’ll ALL know!

What people fail to realize is this: CAVS Youth Basketball has been at this for over 24 years. The program is growing daily. Sometimes players leave; more often, they return. We don’t have rosters of our players plastered all over the web. How would anyone really know what we have, unless they are on our Leadership Staff (which, by the way, has to work hard at keeping up with new kids globally, themselves)?

We didn’t hear any of this when CAVS 13U lost to the Playmakers in our own Winter Classic Tourney this past December. How crazy was that; to lose in your own tournament? The horror! However….it was what it was. Playmakers played hard; CAVS 13U didn’t at the time. We even gave them props for the win.

Oh, well. 

That is what it’s about, folks. You win some; you lose some. It’s not just the game of basketball—it’s the game of LIFE.

[Okay….back to business]

6:35pm. Sunday evening. CAVS 13U battled Team Bibby Red in the Semi-Final Game. 

Other than two, separate hemming and hawing sessions between parents on nearby courts (none from CAVS or Bibby Red) that almost turned into full-blown fights, CAVS 13U pulled the win, 49-32—placing them into the Championship Game on Monday.

Just who would be battling CAVS 13U for the Championship Title? Why, it was none other than the San Francisco Rebels.

OMG.

What has our friends in the Bay Area been feeding these boys? Are you kidding me? Before the championship game began, the Rebel boys marched past me like living trees with legs. It was mentioned in an opinionated Facebook statement (from the same Playmaker-related party that accused us of “borrowing two players”) that the Rebels were probably going to be “too much” for the CAVS. You know…from first look, one would probably and honestly think about that. I could also see why that comment was unleashed. After all, the Rebels defeated the Playmakers, 48-45, on Saturday evening.

However, CAVS 13U Ballers went to work on the court against the San Francisco Rebels. Surprisingly, the game went off without a hitch. The refs were good (I know, right?!) the parents weren’t cackling and squawking at each other and the coaches (for the most part) got along. One Rebel coach became a little “agitated”, but all coaches from both teams ended up shaking hands fifteen minutes later.

That’s basketball, baby! Or, is it just men and their testosterone moments?

Drum roll, please…….

……..CAVS 13U brought home the Championship Title, 51-35. GO CAVS 13U!!!

Okay. Here is OUR moment of truth. CAVS 13U did not really play well President’s weekend…that is…not like their usual selves. This can be chalked up to not having every team member consistently in practice because of nursed injuries, illness, scheduling conflicts and other snafus. MANY mistakes were made; yet CAVS 13U pulled it off.

Just imagine things when the REAL ball gets rolling!

Until it does, we’ll just take our little “2-point Playmaker win”, along with our SGV Championship Title, smile and keep it moving.

GO CAVS 13U!!! GAME ON!!!