Kansas Elite 6th grade combo guard Anthony Masinton-Bonner led his summer league three-on-three team to second place in the 8th grade division of the Lawrence, Kansas, Hoopster three-on-three league.
All eyes in the Lawrence basketball world were on this exciting player as he and his teammates wreaked havoc in the league. Throughout the season, Masinton-Bonner left opposing coaches and players scratching their heads as he drove to the basket time and again, seemingly unstoppable, to score or dish to an open teammate. And when the lane wasn't open, count on Masinton-Bonner to sink the mid-range jumper or the trey.
As the season wound down to the semifinal game, the often assist-happy Masinton-Bonner went on a scoring binge, with the blessing of his teammates. In the semi-final game, he racked up up 7 three-pointers and ended up with 35 of the team total 44 points. That meant double-digit assists for his teammates. In the championship game, which was lost by a mere 8 points, Masinton-Bonner drove to the hoop for another 24 points. Bonner seemed stunned by his own numbers, as he usually tries to keep his scoring and assists at a pretty even pace. He gave all credit to his teammates for trusting him to take shots and feeding him the ball, and noted to this reporter that he totally expected either of his teammates to be able to score as many or more points as he did in any given game.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
MAYB Nationals
Elite Kansas Baller Anthony Masinton-Bonner is travelling to Wichita Kansas as a member of the elite KC Tarheels on July 31 for MAYB Nationals.
The Tarheels are coached by Nodie Newton, well-known on the tournament basketball circuit for fearless and hard-working teams.
More to come as the Tarheels head into pool play.
The Tarheels are coached by Nodie Newton, well-known on the tournament basketball circuit for fearless and hard-working teams.
More to come as the Tarheels head into pool play.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Kansas Players Win MAYB Summer Kick-Off
The Kansas Players, joined by guard-forward Anthony Masinton-Bonner, rolled to a decisive victory in the Wichita MAYB Summer Kickoff, beating all opponents by double digits. Masinton-Bonner, from Lawrence, Kansas, travelled to Wichita to play with the undermanned Kansas Players Elite for this tournament.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
KC Keys 15th Annual Invitational Basketball Tournament
From Friday night through Monday night I watched a whole lotta basketball games at two tournaments. Because I'm a dedicated basketball reporter.
So I'm just now getting around to reporting on the 15th Annual Kansas City Keys Basketball Invitational, where I was watching the 5th grade division. The 5th grade division featured 13 teams in 4 pools, including the Kansas Players, who were entered in the Gold Pool with the Kansas City Kings and the Arkansas Tigers.
The Players, from Wichita, joined by versatile guard-forward Anthony Masinton-Bonner and forward Weston Hack from Lawrence, Kansas, entered the Keys Tournament as the reigning champions in their age division, having won the Keys tournament every year since they first entered five years ago in the K-1 division. The Players planned to keep their crown and continue their Keys dynasty this year.
And that would prove to be no easy task, given a talent-heavy 5th grade division that included the Arkansas Tigers, the Little Rock Triple Threat, the Kansas City Tarheels, and the St. Louis Majestics.
Pool play was held on Friday night and Saturday afternoon in several venues across the Kansas City area. The Players faced off with the KC Kings first, on Saturday afternoon. After a pretty tight first stanza (Players up by a mere 19-15 at the half), the Players pulled away in the second half and ended up winning 48-22.
The Players' next game was held at the Sprint Center's College Basketball Experience (CBE), which is a great facility for kids. The game court is surrounded by a variety of basketball skills centers -- kids can practice their dunking, their buzzer beaters, etc. The whole place is decked out with college basketball decor, including a video panorama in the hallway leading to the court. The boys were pretty impressed.
Before the game began, all of the players from both teams were introduced, along with the coaches. Another nice touch was that music was played during warm-ups, half-time and time-outs.
The Players match-up at the CBE was with the Arkansas Tigers, who had beaten them by two points a month earlier at the 1st Annual Arkansas Mustang Invitational. Both teams came ready to play, and it was a tough game from the beginning. The Players were led by Masinton-Bonner's slashing attacks to the basket and roving defense, and the inside game of center Cameron Ellis, who controlled the paint for most of the game.
The Tigers weren't intimidated by the Players' firepower, though. In fact, even though the Players built up a 15-point lead, the Tigers battled back, and ended up leading the Players by one with only a minute to go. But the Players weren't going to let the Tigers win this one. . . they pulled out the victory in the end -- and I mean the VERY end. The final minute had everyone in the gym holding their breath.
The Players needed heroic action as the clock wound down. And in a win-or-lose situation, Anthony Masinton-Bonner stepped up. A steal and an elusive left-handed drive for the layup by the right-handed Masinton-Bonner, who ended up with 21 points in the game and would later be named to the Keys all-tournament team (check out the story on www.kckeys.org), put the Players up by one point. After the Tigers failed to convert on their end of the court, another layup by Savante Lawson,on an assist from Masinton-Bonner, gave the Players a three-point lead. But the Tigers quickly pulled to within one point with a field goal of their own on the other end. On the next Players' possesion, Masinton-Bonner drove to the rim, but was fouled and missed his shot. Like a recurring nightmare for the Tigers, though, he scored yet again, converting on 1 of his 2 shots from the charity stripe, and putting the Players up by 2 points. The Tigers, having only seconds to respond, couldn't make a shot, and the Players won a nail-biter, 69-67.
So the Players headed into bracket play on Sunday as the first place team in their pool.
The Players played, and beat, the Minnesota Hustlers first, by a score of 53-33. That sent them to the semifinal game against the KC Tarheels. That game was more of a battle. The Tarheels, coached by long-time AAU standout coach Nodie Newton, boast a high-intensity full-court pressure defense, led by a speedy backcourt, featuring DeAngelo (D-Lo) Bruster and Cartier Dean. The Tarheel press was likely the most challenging the Players had faced so far in the tournament. Luckily, the Players' big-game experience paid off, and the boys stayed cool under pressure. After a close first half, the Players steadily increased their lead in the second half, and had the game tucked away down the home stretch, winning by a final score of 57-40. But I can definitely say that the final score didn't reflect the intensity of the game, because the Tarheels came to play ball and didn't let down for a single moment.
The Players then moved on to the championship game, where they faced the Arkansas Triple Threat. The Triple Threat had defeated the St. Louis Majestics in their semifinal game to earn their date with the Players.
The Triple Threat jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the beginning of the game. But a couple of jumpers by sharp-shooting point guard Roman Young and guard Semaj Atkins tied the game. In addition, in-your-face-defense and attacks to the basket by Anthony Masinton-Bonner, and the inside play of Cameron Ellis, took the Triple Threat off-guard after their early spurt.
Ultimately, the championship game was nip and tuck all the way through, with the lead bouncing back and forth between the teams for most of the game. Towards the end of the game, though, the Triple Threat managed to build up a 7-point lead. At that point, the Players were looking a little rough around the edges. But I've got to hand it to them -- even though they were close to running on empty after a weekend of basketball, the Players somehow found the energy and inspiration to make the big plays -- on offense AND defense -- that allowed them to pull out a 2-point victory.
So the Kansas Players left Kansas City with another Keys Tournament championship. Congratulations to our boys for a great effort at the Keys Tournament: Anthony Masinton-Bonner, Weston Hack, Roman Young, Semaj Atkins, Cameron Ellis, Papi Conley and Savante Lofton. Congratulations also to Coaches Steve Young and Sebastian Bonner.
And congratulations to Anthony Masinton-Bonner and Roman Young for being elected to the KC Keys All-Tournament team!
Read more here
So I'm just now getting around to reporting on the 15th Annual Kansas City Keys Basketball Invitational, where I was watching the 5th grade division. The 5th grade division featured 13 teams in 4 pools, including the Kansas Players, who were entered in the Gold Pool with the Kansas City Kings and the Arkansas Tigers.
The Players, from Wichita, joined by versatile guard-forward Anthony Masinton-Bonner and forward Weston Hack from Lawrence, Kansas, entered the Keys Tournament as the reigning champions in their age division, having won the Keys tournament every year since they first entered five years ago in the K-1 division. The Players planned to keep their crown and continue their Keys dynasty this year.
And that would prove to be no easy task, given a talent-heavy 5th grade division that included the Arkansas Tigers, the Little Rock Triple Threat, the Kansas City Tarheels, and the St. Louis Majestics.
Pool play was held on Friday night and Saturday afternoon in several venues across the Kansas City area. The Players faced off with the KC Kings first, on Saturday afternoon. After a pretty tight first stanza (Players up by a mere 19-15 at the half), the Players pulled away in the second half and ended up winning 48-22.
The Players' next game was held at the Sprint Center's College Basketball Experience (CBE), which is a great facility for kids. The game court is surrounded by a variety of basketball skills centers -- kids can practice their dunking, their buzzer beaters, etc. The whole place is decked out with college basketball decor, including a video panorama in the hallway leading to the court. The boys were pretty impressed.
Before the game began, all of the players from both teams were introduced, along with the coaches. Another nice touch was that music was played during warm-ups, half-time and time-outs.
The Players match-up at the CBE was with the Arkansas Tigers, who had beaten them by two points a month earlier at the 1st Annual Arkansas Mustang Invitational. Both teams came ready to play, and it was a tough game from the beginning. The Players were led by Masinton-Bonner's slashing attacks to the basket and roving defense, and the inside game of center Cameron Ellis, who controlled the paint for most of the game.
The Tigers weren't intimidated by the Players' firepower, though. In fact, even though the Players built up a 15-point lead, the Tigers battled back, and ended up leading the Players by one with only a minute to go. But the Players weren't going to let the Tigers win this one. . . they pulled out the victory in the end -- and I mean the VERY end. The final minute had everyone in the gym holding their breath.
The Players needed heroic action as the clock wound down. And in a win-or-lose situation, Anthony Masinton-Bonner stepped up. A steal and an elusive left-handed drive for the layup by the right-handed Masinton-Bonner, who ended up with 21 points in the game and would later be named to the Keys all-tournament team (check out the story on www.kckeys.org), put the Players up by one point. After the Tigers failed to convert on their end of the court, another layup by Savante Lawson,on an assist from Masinton-Bonner, gave the Players a three-point lead. But the Tigers quickly pulled to within one point with a field goal of their own on the other end. On the next Players' possesion, Masinton-Bonner drove to the rim, but was fouled and missed his shot. Like a recurring nightmare for the Tigers, though, he scored yet again, converting on 1 of his 2 shots from the charity stripe, and putting the Players up by 2 points. The Tigers, having only seconds to respond, couldn't make a shot, and the Players won a nail-biter, 69-67.
So the Players headed into bracket play on Sunday as the first place team in their pool.
The Players played, and beat, the Minnesota Hustlers first, by a score of 53-33. That sent them to the semifinal game against the KC Tarheels. That game was more of a battle. The Tarheels, coached by long-time AAU standout coach Nodie Newton, boast a high-intensity full-court pressure defense, led by a speedy backcourt, featuring DeAngelo (D-Lo) Bruster and Cartier Dean. The Tarheel press was likely the most challenging the Players had faced so far in the tournament. Luckily, the Players' big-game experience paid off, and the boys stayed cool under pressure. After a close first half, the Players steadily increased their lead in the second half, and had the game tucked away down the home stretch, winning by a final score of 57-40. But I can definitely say that the final score didn't reflect the intensity of the game, because the Tarheels came to play ball and didn't let down for a single moment.
The Players then moved on to the championship game, where they faced the Arkansas Triple Threat. The Triple Threat had defeated the St. Louis Majestics in their semifinal game to earn their date with the Players.
The Triple Threat jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the beginning of the game. But a couple of jumpers by sharp-shooting point guard Roman Young and guard Semaj Atkins tied the game. In addition, in-your-face-defense and attacks to the basket by Anthony Masinton-Bonner, and the inside play of Cameron Ellis, took the Triple Threat off-guard after their early spurt.
Ultimately, the championship game was nip and tuck all the way through, with the lead bouncing back and forth between the teams for most of the game. Towards the end of the game, though, the Triple Threat managed to build up a 7-point lead. At that point, the Players were looking a little rough around the edges. But I've got to hand it to them -- even though they were close to running on empty after a weekend of basketball, the Players somehow found the energy and inspiration to make the big plays -- on offense AND defense -- that allowed them to pull out a 2-point victory.
So the Kansas Players left Kansas City with another Keys Tournament championship. Congratulations to our boys for a great effort at the Keys Tournament: Anthony Masinton-Bonner, Weston Hack, Roman Young, Semaj Atkins, Cameron Ellis, Papi Conley and Savante Lofton. Congratulations also to Coaches Steve Young and Sebastian Bonner.
And congratulations to Anthony Masinton-Bonner and Roman Young for being elected to the KC Keys All-Tournament team!
Read more here
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The First Annual Arkansas Mustang Invitational
The Kansas Players travelled to Springdale, Arkansas, for the first annual Arkansas Mustang Invitational basketball tournament, held on January 19-21. There were nine teams entered in an elite 5th grade division.
How did the Players do in Springdale?
I have to say that the Mustangs Invitational was very well run from an operations standpoint for a first-year tournament. Since the field of teams was relatively small, all of the games were held in the same facility. That made it easy for teams to watch each other -- which always builds up the excitement in a tournament. Overall, the referees were solid, which is always a plus.
The best thing about the tournament, though, was the level of competition.
As I mentioned before, there were only 9 teams in the 5th grade division. But they were quality teams: the Texas Titans, the Kansas Players; the Arkansas Tigers, and the Houston RYTES Warriors; the Oklahoma Storm; the St. Louis Majestics. The up-and-coming KC Tarheels made their regional debut at this tournament, as well.
To begin with, on Saturday, the Kansas Players played pool games against the OK Storm and the Texas Titans.
The Players beat the Storm 41-23, but I've got to give big props to their big man, Douglas -- if you're reading this, you know who I'm talking about. This kid is amazing -- and was arguably the best big man in the 5th grade division in this tournament.
The Players' second game was against the Texas Titans, a team pretty well known in AAU basketball circles not only for their success on the basketball court, but for the fact that they're financed (in high style) by a billionaire. There are a lot of people who hate on the Titans for both of these reasons, but I thought they were a class act. They appear to hold themselves to a very high standard, and not only on the basketball court -- players, parents and coaches are all showed great sportsmanship and were a lot of fun to be around.
Back to the game. . .
The Titans came out with both guns blazing, led by powerhouse guard Austin Grandstaff, and the Players' backcourt seemed a little intimidated by the Titan firepower at first. The Titans looked as if they would control the game from the outset, and managed to build up a 15-point lead.
All it takes is one Player to show some heart, though, and the rest of the team will follow. In this case, it was Anthony Masinton-Bonner. Masinton-Bonner, a natural combo-guard, was playing the post because of his aggression and athleticism. He continually swiped rebounds and caused Titan fouls in the paint, confusing and frustrating the Titan big men. Due to the fact that he's a guard first, Masinton-Bonner was able to out-maneuver the more traditional Titan big men, hitting some well-timed shots in the paint and easily eluding the bigger but slower Titan big men. Teammates Roman Young and Weston Hack provided cover by hitting three-point shots from the perimeter, leaving the Titans confused about who to guard.
What started out as looking like a boring blowout by the Titans turned very exciting, thanks to the leadership and the physical inside-outside game Masinton-Bonner and the sharp shooting of his teammates. In fact, the Players battled the 15-point deficit and tied the game 42-42 with just one minute left in the game. It was anybody's game as the clock wound down. Turns out it was the Titans' game, as they beat us 46-42 in that final minute. It was a loss the Players shouldn't feel too bad about though, since it would have and could have gone either way at the end.
I didn't realize it until after the game ended, but the game had drawn quite a crowd by the time the final buzzer sounded, and the efforts of players on both teams were commented on across the gym.
Note: Fittingly enough, both the Titans and the OK Storm were staying in the same hotel as the Players and this reporter were. That gave some of us the opportunity to meet, hang out and get to know each other a little bit. This reporter was impressed by the people I met from all teams. Shout-outs if you're reading, Titans and Storm!
On Sunday, the Players started out playing the KC Tarheels. After beating them, 48-30, we faced the St. Louis Majestics, led by dynamic guard Ryan Williams, in a tough game that was marred by some real issues with the clockkeeper, a Majestics parent who kept playing with the score and letting time run off the clock. The constant arguing over the status of the score and clock killed momentum for both teams. The Majestics pulled out the slim victory, though, in a pretty ugly game. The Players left the court feeling as though they hadn't played a real basketball game.
The loss to the Majestics left the Players at 2-2, and unable to compete for the championship. So they played their final game against the Arkansas Tigers, in a game you can only play for pride. The Tigers wanted the victory much more than the Players at that point, though, and ended up winning after building a big point margin and holding on even against a Player push at the end. Congratulations to the Tigers' coaching staff for showing their kids that every victory has meaning!
Update: See my report on the Keys Tournament for the results of the Players' rematch with the Tigers a month after the Mustang Invitational.
So who won the Arkansas Mustang Invitational? The Texas Titans beat the Houston RYTES Warriors in the championship. Congratulations to both for making it to the championship -- and congratulations to the Titans on the championship.
How did the Players do in Springdale?
I have to say that the Mustangs Invitational was very well run from an operations standpoint for a first-year tournament. Since the field of teams was relatively small, all of the games were held in the same facility. That made it easy for teams to watch each other -- which always builds up the excitement in a tournament. Overall, the referees were solid, which is always a plus.
The best thing about the tournament, though, was the level of competition.
As I mentioned before, there were only 9 teams in the 5th grade division. But they were quality teams: the Texas Titans, the Kansas Players; the Arkansas Tigers, and the Houston RYTES Warriors; the Oklahoma Storm; the St. Louis Majestics. The up-and-coming KC Tarheels made their regional debut at this tournament, as well.
To begin with, on Saturday, the Kansas Players played pool games against the OK Storm and the Texas Titans.
The Players beat the Storm 41-23, but I've got to give big props to their big man, Douglas -- if you're reading this, you know who I'm talking about. This kid is amazing -- and was arguably the best big man in the 5th grade division in this tournament.
The Players' second game was against the Texas Titans, a team pretty well known in AAU basketball circles not only for their success on the basketball court, but for the fact that they're financed (in high style) by a billionaire. There are a lot of people who hate on the Titans for both of these reasons, but I thought they were a class act. They appear to hold themselves to a very high standard, and not only on the basketball court -- players, parents and coaches are all showed great sportsmanship and were a lot of fun to be around.
Back to the game. . .
The Titans came out with both guns blazing, led by powerhouse guard Austin Grandstaff, and the Players' backcourt seemed a little intimidated by the Titan firepower at first. The Titans looked as if they would control the game from the outset, and managed to build up a 15-point lead.
All it takes is one Player to show some heart, though, and the rest of the team will follow. In this case, it was Anthony Masinton-Bonner. Masinton-Bonner, a natural combo-guard, was playing the post because of his aggression and athleticism. He continually swiped rebounds and caused Titan fouls in the paint, confusing and frustrating the Titan big men. Due to the fact that he's a guard first, Masinton-Bonner was able to out-maneuver the more traditional Titan big men, hitting some well-timed shots in the paint and easily eluding the bigger but slower Titan big men. Teammates Roman Young and Weston Hack provided cover by hitting three-point shots from the perimeter, leaving the Titans confused about who to guard.
What started out as looking like a boring blowout by the Titans turned very exciting, thanks to the leadership and the physical inside-outside game Masinton-Bonner and the sharp shooting of his teammates. In fact, the Players battled the 15-point deficit and tied the game 42-42 with just one minute left in the game. It was anybody's game as the clock wound down. Turns out it was the Titans' game, as they beat us 46-42 in that final minute. It was a loss the Players shouldn't feel too bad about though, since it would have and could have gone either way at the end.
I didn't realize it until after the game ended, but the game had drawn quite a crowd by the time the final buzzer sounded, and the efforts of players on both teams were commented on across the gym.
Note: Fittingly enough, both the Titans and the OK Storm were staying in the same hotel as the Players and this reporter were. That gave some of us the opportunity to meet, hang out and get to know each other a little bit. This reporter was impressed by the people I met from all teams. Shout-outs if you're reading, Titans and Storm!
On Sunday, the Players started out playing the KC Tarheels. After beating them, 48-30, we faced the St. Louis Majestics, led by dynamic guard Ryan Williams, in a tough game that was marred by some real issues with the clockkeeper, a Majestics parent who kept playing with the score and letting time run off the clock. The constant arguing over the status of the score and clock killed momentum for both teams. The Majestics pulled out the slim victory, though, in a pretty ugly game. The Players left the court feeling as though they hadn't played a real basketball game.
The loss to the Majestics left the Players at 2-2, and unable to compete for the championship. So they played their final game against the Arkansas Tigers, in a game you can only play for pride. The Tigers wanted the victory much more than the Players at that point, though, and ended up winning after building a big point margin and holding on even against a Player push at the end. Congratulations to the Tigers' coaching staff for showing their kids that every victory has meaning!
Update: See my report on the Keys Tournament for the results of the Players' rematch with the Tigers a month after the Mustang Invitational.
So who won the Arkansas Mustang Invitational? The Texas Titans beat the Houston RYTES Warriors in the championship. Congratulations to both for making it to the championship -- and congratulations to the Titans on the championship.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
