Congratulations to the World Champion USA 13u National Team
13u Junior World Championship, Ardres, France
Sell-out crowds enjoy the firepower of the USA Elite 13u National Team
USA Elite 13u Team takes the World Stage
Douai, France- Coach Linzy Davis, is well-known on the FIBA international basketball circuit after winning two 19u World Championships in Douai, France in 2001 and 2005, and coaching players like Carmelo Anthony, MVP 2001, Nike World Championship, Douai, France, who has gone on to become a major star player in the NBA.
Now Coach Davis is expanding his attention to a 13 year-old group in the USA and says he wants to groom the class of 2012 to be the best ever produced in the USA.
Coach Davis began with a selection of the best players from super elite programs like the Houston Ambassadors, which won two consecutive national championships in their age group, and three Nike Elite Grassroot Travel Teams which include Team Texas 2012, Team Georgia Elite, and the Georgia Stars.
This was the first time these players have ever traveled outside the United States to compete in international competition. Two players traveled with coach Davis, without their parents, and all of the players had to leave their parents when they arrived in Ardres, France, to begin the World Championship, to stay in groups of two and three, with host families who only spoke French. Coach Davis turned from coach to interpreter as the parents had to say goodbye to their children who were in for the cultural experience of a lifetime. Tom Ferry, from ESPN traveled to France to follow J-Mychal Reese and John Allen, and the USA Elite National Team.
The team arrived at Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris, France in two separate groups, and began with an extraordinary sight-seeing tour of Paris. “There is so much to see in France.” Said coach Davis. “My favorite is the medieval enchanting castles.” The team had an opportunity see the Eiffel Tower and much more. It was a great start before traveling two hours north to the hotbed of worldwide basketball, Douai, France.
The team spent an half a day at two of the local schools and were mobbed for autographs. The entire team enjoyed their celebrity status. And the USA Elite did not disappoint their new fans.
The USA played an exhibition against a club team from Douai, France and won the game 123-46. That was a special beginning for the USA 13u Team that had to adjust to a new time zone that was six to seven hours ahead of the time the players were use to. The USA also had to adjust to the international rules and trapezoid lane.
J-Mychal Reese scored 30 points and Alex Ordu added 29 points. There were a host of other players who got in the scoring column. John Allen, Chris Campbell, Jordan Price and Fred Thomas were scoring inside and outside. Drew Davis was dishing out assist and scoring from 3-point range. Lynden Rose was playing like Kenny Smith, as he controlled the game with pin-point passing and he showed his ability to score when needed. And Akil Dan-Fodio was playing like Charles Barkley. And Stanton Davis was scoring inside and outside. This was a fast athletic transition team.
This team had no weaknesses. Everyone on the team has the ability to play three positions. And all of the big players could play five positions. If the USA Elite had any questions about how well will they perform on the world stage, those questions were answered.
The USA traveled on to Ardres, France, to compete for the 13u Junior World Championship. This presented a new challenge as the team was split up upon arrival and placed with host families in groups of two and three. This was culture shock for the USA parents who were handing their children to strangers in a foreign land who didn’t speak English, while the parents stayed in their hotel. “I am very concerned about leaving my child with someone I don’t know especially when I am right here and I have a room for him.” Said USA Assistant Coach John Reese. “All of the parents feel the same way.” However, this is common in Europe. And it became a big problem for coach Davis when he asked tournament director Jean Dannel to allow the USA players to stay with their parents in the hotel. “The request was reasonable to our parents, however, it sent a bad message to France. We were the only team making this request out of 20 teams. We were also creating a logistical nightmare for the tournament director who was reserving 15 rooms for our parents. No other team brought this kind of following.” Said Linzy Davis. “We were high maintenance, and I had to inform the parents before we left the USA that if their child and our team didn’t stay with a host family, we would not be invited back to the World Championship.”
All of the fear remained as the players were divided into two groups of three, and two groups of two. The host families were waiting and taking the kids away after coach Davis translated the introduction and exchanged telephone numbers with the host parents. And the cultural experience began as the parents would only see their children at the games for the rest of the tournament. “My wife watch my son and Fred Thomas leave with their host parent Cecelia. And she became so apprehensive that she made me drive to the host families’ home. They had a farm and a lot of different animals which she thought would be a problem for our kids.” Said Davis. “I had no choice but to find their home even though I didn’t know where they lived, however, I drove to the town where they lived and happened to see Cecelia and her husband Frederick in the center of their town. They just finished shopping and told us to follow them. I was relieved to see that everything was perfect and they were an affluent professional family.”
It turned out that all of the USA players were placed with tremendous families who were more than cordial. The families fed the kids and even washed their clothes. The USA kids also played the French version of Play Station with the host family’s children. “I like the fact that our USA kids said they would like to go to school with my son Drew in France. I like the fact that they were ambitious enough to try and learn the French language, culture, and even the food. My Aunt Tootsie use to say, The reason Carnation puts a cow on the can of Carnation milk is because it is a contented cow, and happy cows give good milk.”
If happiness was the key factor in the way this 13u team played, then it would be safe to say that these kids were having the time of their lives. The USA Elite players enjoyed their celebrity status as they were hounded for autographs and pictures. And the USA received an extra boost from the sellout crowd of which many of the fans were hollering, “USA, USA.”
The USA Elite blew through Pool Play going 4-0, and clearly established themselves as the favorite to win the tournament with blowout wins over Slovenia, Croatia, and Germany. The USA Elite faced Greece in the final eight and the blowout victory prompted tournament officials to check the passport birthdates. All USA players proved they were born in 1993 and 1994. “I considered the checking of passports a compliment,” said coach Davis. “It showed us how impressed the other countries were with our team.” It also quite the critics who thought kids this young could not be this good.
The USA advanced to the final four, and had to face Lithuania before another sellout crowd. The win over Lithuania set-up a showdown with France who defeated Germany in the other semi-final game.
The game between the USA Elite and France was sold-out two hours before game time. The USA wasted no time in taking control of the game in which the crowd enjoyed the USA Elite from start to finished, as John Allen capped off the victory with a slam-dunk.
The USA remained uncontested as they came away with a 72-27 championship win, prompting coach Davis to say this is the most dominate team he has ever coached in Europe. The team consisted of what coach Davis proclaims as the top six graders in the USA led by J-Mychal Reese, a left-handed Kobe Bryant, from College Station, Texas; Fred Thomas, a Kevin Garnett type forward, from Atlanta, GA; John Allen, College Station, Tx., is a very skilled athletic inside player who is already dunking the basketball, and has the ability to play point-guard. Jordan Price, Atlanta, GA, is a multi-dimensional player who can do it all. Drew Davis, Atlanta, GA, is a Mark Jackson type point guard with a deadly 3-point shot. Drew shot 75% from the 3-point line during the tournament, and has had a game where he was 6 of 6 from 3-point range. Lynden Rose, Houston, TX, is a Kenny Smith type point-guard. He is deadly. He knows how to run a team and get others involved. He can quarterback like Dan Marino. He can also score at will. Stanton Davis, Atlanta, GA, is a versatile player who like to slash to the basket and shoot mid-range jumpshots. Chris Campbell, San Antonio, TX, is a warrior. He is very tough inside, yet he can handle the ball and shoot the 3-point shot. Alex Ordu, Atlanta, GA is a 7th grader that coach Davis really likes. He can finish plays with precision. He is very smooth and crafty. He also has a nice outside shot. And Akil Dan-Fodio, Atlanta, GA, is a 7th grader and Charles Barkley type player who can take command of a game. He is a very good ballhandler and he has a good outside shot. He is very tough to defend when he attacks the basket.
The USA Elite 13u National Team has been invited to play in a World Championship Tournament in Switzerland, during the Christmas break, and coach Davis has accepted the invitation and will expand his search to create new opportunities for additional players. “It is exciting to have a positive impact on the lives of our future leaders.” Said Davis. “I just want to be part of a team that is interested in the growth and ambition of our kids. And we need to create opportunities that tie into academic excellence. And just think about this question. How many 12 and 13 year-olds have their name known in about 35 countries? I know 10 of them. And their family ties and friendship expand the globe. That’s the difference this trips makes in the lives of these great young men…
