AAU: 24/7 Hoops Is Back And Better Than Ever
One of the longest running programs in AAU history, 24/7 Hoops has always been a powerhouse to be reckoned with. Started in 1978 as The Outlaws, Pat Amico Sr. amassed some of the best players in the country, helping countless kids achieve something they could only imagine – a college scholarship.
Sponsored by adidas for most of their run, Pat was able to assemble the kids he needed to become a national powerhouse – oftentimes winning tournament after tournament and collecting trophy after trophy. But in 2008, Amico Sr. decided to step down and hand the reins over to his son,Patrick Amico Jr. And without a hiccup, he’s been able to carry on the longstanding tradition of turning dreams and hopes into reality. (Editor’s Note: Since 2008, 33 seniors have gone on to receive full college scholarships.)
In 2008, Patrick was approached by Under Armour for a sponsorship, knowing that he would need to do something to get out from his under his father’s shadow. And within a few months of signing with UA, the economy was rattled and the brand dropped them, causing Amico Jr. to have to recruit much harder than he ever had before.
Without a sponsor, Patrick still had to find a way to put a competitive team on the floor and pay for the tournaments. In addition to digging deep into his own pockets, he turned to his connections through basketball to put together teams that were competitive in every big Las Vegas tournament. But these squads always seemed to be lacking something. Whether it was star power, size or experience, his teams always seemed to lack that killer instinct.
In 2010 that all changed. Patrick worked endless hours recruiting the best players in Vegas, getting Mike Grinage (State College of Florida), Omari Grier (Florida Atlantic University) and Marcus Falley (University of the Pacific) to team up with Landon Littlefield (Dixie State College) and De’Quan Thompson (Dixie State College) and start to take the AAU scene in Vegas by storm. Rivals High Las Vegas even called this group a “top-50 team in the country” and said they “definitely have the best starting five in the state.”
With this recognition, Patrick knew he had arrived. And with that arrival, teams started to take notice. But the toughness they always seemed to lack was there, and they finally had that star power to go along with the coaching. They scored from every angle imaginable, and many times the score was in the high 80s. On defense they would run schemes that no one could figure out, and they’d fast break on all rebounds.
Right before the summer, Grinage and Grier both went back home to their respective states, leaving 24/7 Hoops undermanned once again. They started to slide in the polls, losing games to teams they shouldn’t have. But the ultimate test came right before the last tournament of the season with the No. 1 ranking on the line.
One of the parents decided he was a better coach than Patrick, thus pulling Littlefield and Thompson and causing the team to split in half. This left Falley as the only star (36.4 ppg in tournament play), so Patrick had to go out that night and recruit five new players and come up with a game plan.
As the kids played their hearts out, it was the leadership of Patrick that led them to victory, always encouraging the kids even when they were down by double digits. He never lost focus, always finding ways to carve out wins. They even came back twice from eight points down with a minute left to steal games, finishing the season on an 11-game winning streak.
And the people took notice. At the end of the 2010 season, Rivals High Las Vegasranked 24/7 Hoops as the No. 1 travel team in the state.
This year, 24/7 Hoops is expected to do much of the same. Currently ranked No. 4 in the state – even after losing nine seniors – the squad has added solid underclassmen to a team that is already stacked with experience. And I’m sure Patrick will find a way to continue to turn these kids’ dreams into reality.
AZ Red Shirts thrive in Vegas and at Three Stripes
Las Vegas' top team, the 24/7 Hoops, included two high-level Division-I prospects, Marcus Falley and Keith Taylor, both of whom played on the US Basketball Academy All-Stars and had stand-out years at respected prep academies.
In the end, the Red Shirts put together a solid game of team defense against the 24/7 Hoops, and proved to be the overall better team with a winning score of 66-61, which allowed them to advance to the championship game. The strong team defense was assisted by a remarkable offense, including numerous transition baskets off defensive rebounds and steals.
Leading the way for the Red Shirts, Mitchell Burnett scored 22 points and had his share of highlight reel blocks and dunks on the top ranked talent at 24/7 Hoops. Tony Fabiano shot 5/6 from mid-range to help collapse their zone trap, helped by Brandon Stiles 4/5 jump shots and Conor Farquharson's 5/6 in the paint.
After calling off the trap, Jake Cooper and point guards Alec Savage and Mark White penetrated the paint and dished to the big guy who scraped the glass clean with his work on the boards. All the players contributed to the win as the team play started to rise to the level of national competition.
Coach Jordan Ballard says, "The Arizona Red Shirts proved once again the power of team play as they defiantly shut down and overwhelmed top ranked D-1 prospects, Keith Taylor and Marcus Falley. To have incoming juniors like Jake Cooper and Tony Fabiano defending the aerial assault against players of this caliber provides a lot of experience for these young players who are playing up with more mature players."
In the end, the Red Shirts put together a solid game of team defense against the 24/7 Hoops, and proved to be the overall better team with a winning score of 66-61, which allowed them to advance to the championship game. The strong team defense was assisted by a remarkable offense, including numerous transition baskets off defensive rebounds and steals.
Leading the way for the Red Shirts, Mitchell Burnett scored 22 points and had his share of highlight reel blocks and dunks on the top ranked talent at 24/7 Hoops. Tony Fabiano shot 5/6 from mid-range to help collapse their zone trap, helped by Brandon Stiles 4/5 jump shots and Conor Farquharson's 5/6 in the paint.
After calling off the trap, Jake Cooper and point guards Alec Savage and Mark White penetrated the paint and dished to the big guy who scraped the glass clean with his work on the boards. All the players contributed to the win as the team play started to rise to the level of national competition.
Coach Jordan Ballard says, "The Arizona Red Shirts proved once again the power of team play as they defiantly shut down and overwhelmed top ranked D-1 prospects, Keith Taylor and Marcus Falley. To have incoming juniors like Jake Cooper and Tony Fabiano defending the aerial assault against players of this caliber provides a lot of experience for these young players who are playing up with more mature players."
24 7 Hoops- Patrick Amico Jr. Following in Father’s Footsteps Reaches Milestone
When 24 7 Hoops first started back in 1978 as the Outlaws, Patrick Amico Sr. set one goal and that goal was to get players into college through basketball. After 30 years of getting numerous players college scholarships, Amico Sr. stepped down and handed the future of 24 7 Hoops over to his son Patrick Amico Jr.
In the last four years, Amico Jr. has taken the team to new heights being named the number one AAU team in Nevada in 2010 and currently has this years team ranked third by Rivals High Las Vegas. Those are great accomplishments in and of themselves however, what separates 24 7 Hoops from all the other clubs in Vegas is that the program has always been about helping players see their full potential both on and off the court. Ask both Amico’s and they will tell you “it’s always been about the players and helping them succeed in life”. The players are taught early on that smarts are more important than basketball. If a players grades aren’t up to par, Amico cuts the players time until the players grades are back up. The players learn to play a team style game with an offense that not only helps develop their skills but also grows their confidence level with each touch. Earlier today when Wayne Pittman signed his letter of intent to play for Dominican University in California, Amico Jr reached a milestone in his young coaching career. Pittman is the 40th player that has played for Amico Jr in the last four years and gone on to play in college on a scholarship including the class of 2010, which featured 14 players that received basketball scholarships. Quite a feat considering most of the players do not start out as freshman sensations but instead as people with great character that turn into great players through the coaching of the younger Amico.
24 7 Hoops has assuredly done what they set out to do 33 years ago and as Amico Jr continues to improve his resume and this impressive stat there will never be a shortage of players
Update- 24 7 Loses to Nationally Ranked Florida Rams Blue
After going 4-0 in the first three days of the adidas 64 24 7 Hoops lost last night to nationally ranked Florida Rams Blue 76-64. 24 7 Hoops playing on limited rest and short handed without injured forward Dominique Lawrence lead for a brief period in the second half until they ran out of gas and got out rebounded allowing the Florida Rams Blue to control much of the second half. I talked to 24 7 Hoops head coach Patrick Amico after the game and he had this to say about the game ” Both teams played really well, but when you play a team like the Rams, you have to be at full strength and without Dom and the starters on limited rest, that really hurt us and we just ran of gas in the second half.”
Amico’s club will have practice tomorrow and should have Lawrence back before the end of the week.
Update- 24 7 Hoops Pushes Winning Streak to 4 with Overtime Victory
24 7 Hoops defeated AAU team the Nashville Celtics 68-64 in an overtime thriller earlier today making their record 4-0 in the adidas 64 tournament. In a game where the Nashville Celtics came out on fire hitting big shots and stifling the 24 7 Hoops offense with their size and power the Nashville Celtics lead by twelve at the end of the first half. Trailing for the first time in the tournament 24 7 Hoops head coach Patrick Amico told his players in his speech at halftime “We need to play 24 7 Hoops basketball, if we do that, we will be there in the end.” Amico’s club responded led by Chris Willis (28 points) Recee Kirkland (20 points) and Victor Bermudez (18 points) outscoring the Nashville Celtics 43-27 in the second half and overtime to squeeze out the big win. 24 7 Hoops made key plays down the stretch including a late three by Bermudez and an uncontested lay up by Kirkland to tie the game in the closing minutes of regulation. After Willis’s jumper gave 24 7 Hoops their first lead of the game, the Nashville Celtics scored on a jumper tying the game with under a minute left. It was all defense from then on as both teams struggled to score and with five seconds remaining in regulation Willis was fouled and sent to the free throw line where he missed both attempts. The Nashville Celtics secured the rebound after the second missed free throw and called a timeout giving them one more chance to score. The Nashville Celtics inbounded the ball and beat the 24 7 Hoops defense down the floor getting a good look on a lay up only to be turned back by Willis who pinned the ball against the backboard as time expired causing the game to go into overtime.
In the three minute overtime, both teams played well and hit their first few shots going back and forth until the final 36 seconds left where 24 7 Hoops grabbed the lead for good by scoring on an easy lay up to put them ahead by two. After a turnover by the Nashville Celtics, Amico told his players to “hold the ball and wait for the other team to foul.” 24 7 Hoops passed the ball around for 24 seconds until the Nashville Celtics defense finally trapped Kirkland with the ball in the corner and had him falling out bounds when he threw a dangerous pass over the defense to Willis who scored on a lay up giving 24 7 Hoops a four point lead. The Nashville Celtics scored on a quick basket to cut the lead to two. Then, after a failed steal attempt by the Nashville Celtics they fouled 24 7 Hoops guard Victor Bermudez with 1.3 seconds left who hit both free throws putting 24 7 Hoops back up by four and ending any hope of a comeback by the Nashville Celtics.
24 7 Hoops will face nationally ranked Florida Rams Blue tonight at 9PM PST
Update- 24 7 Hoops Enters Bracket Play of adidas 64 Unbeaten
24 7 Hoops continued it’s winning streak by defeating San Diego Pump and Run (CA) 73-71. In a game where they never trailed and lead by as many as twelve points it came down to the last shot. Amico’s club gave a total team effort to carve out the win with Victor Bermudez scoring 21 points and Chris Willis adding 20. Recee Kirkland (17 points) hit several key shots down the stretch to keep 24 7 Hoops ahead as San Diego Pump and Run closed the gap. 24 7 Hoops lead by 6 with 20 seconds left as San Diego Pump and Run scored on a quick three and then fouled Wayne Pittman who hit both free throws to put 24 7 Hoops back up by five. However, San Diego Pump and Run hit another quick three and with 7.8 seconds left 24 7 Hoops lost the ball out of bounds, giving San Diego Pump and Run one last shot. San Diego Pump and Run passed the ball into the corner, which gave Amico’s club the opportunity to trap causing an errant shot that hit off the front of the rim as time expired allowing 24 7 Hoops to win their third consecutive game and putting them into bracket play undefeated.
As they head into bracket play tomorrow they will be without Dominique Lawrence who is out with an injury. Head Coach Patrick Amico said “this will be our toughest test yet especially without Dominique , but I know other players will step up in his absence”.
Tomorrow 24 7 Hoops will take on nationally ranked Nashville Celtics (TN) at Rancho HS at 1020 AM PST.
http://hateradehoops.com/2011/07/24/update-24-7-hoops-enters-bracket-play-of-adidas-64-unbeaten/
Update- 24 7 Hoops Wins Second Consecutive adidas 64 Game
24 7 Hoops won their second game of the adidas 64 beating AAU team Trans Canada out of British Columbia, Canada by a score of 73-55; in what was another blowout win for Amico’s club. 24 7 Hoops started the game playing sloppy defense and giving up easy baskets in the first minutes causing head coach Patrick Amico to call a timeout to calm his team down. After the timeout, 24 7 Hoops came out playing tenacious defense and lead by as many as 34 points in the first half. The big lead allowed the starters to rest for big minutes during the second half for the second consecutive game giving them a huge advantage going into tonight’s game.
24 7 Hoops will play San Diego All-Stars 17U Pump N Run at 740 PM PST tonight at Desert Pines HS.Update 24 7 Hoops wins first game of adidas 64
In the first game of the adidas 64 tournament this weekend 24 7 Hoops continued on it’s path towards a second straight title by putting the smack down on their first opponent, AAU Team Titans Basketball out of Colorado. beating them 74-58. In a game that was never close 24 7 Hoops had five players in double figures, which was led by Chris Willis who had 17 points and 14 rebounds with Hawaii commit Victor Bermudez scoring 14. Defense led the way as they got out to a 14-3 early lead and never looked back. At half time 24 7 Hoops led 55-26 and finished the game winning by 16. The big lead allowed the 24 7 bench to get some much needed playing time and bring home the win with Austin Henderson leading the way (9 pts/ 5 ast) Head Coach Partick Amico said he was “proud of his players, especially their defensive effort and that the team really seems to be gelling right now. This is what the kids have worked their whole lives for so to see them come out and play this way was awesome”.
Tomorrow they will take on Trans Canada Athletics at 1140 PST Desert Pines HS.
24 7 Hoops Hawaii Commit Victor Bermudez
24 7 Hoops star guard and University of Hawaii commit Victor Bermudez has been coming on as of late during this years AAU season. Bermudez who played his high school basketball at Cheyenne in Las Vegas and recently attended prep school University Park Academy in Houston was some what unknown a few weeks ago, but teaming up with head coach Patrick Amico has changed all that. Standing at 6-4 and playing the point guard position Bermudez has been killing his opponents this season averaging 17 points per game in tournament play however, Bermudez is more than just an offensive threat that can take his opponent off the dribble or shoot it from deep. With his long reach he can easily rip his opponents pocket and block shots giving him the all around package. A package Hawaii decided they couldn’t live without and Bermudez is excited about this new found opportunity telling the Warrior insider ”I like Hawaii, in general. It’s a great place to be. Great environment, great fans. It’s like another version of Vegas, but it’s Hawaii.”
Originally considering a junior college Hawaii contacted Bermudez a few weeks ago after seeing him play in the adidas 3 stripes tournament in California where he showed off his talents. Bermudez is currently playing in “the nations premier summer hoops event,” adidas 64 in Las Vegas and has helped 24 7 Hoops record a 2-0 record with both games being blowout victories. If Bermudez continues this play, Hawaii fans will have a lot to cheer about next year.
24 7 Hoops- Gunnin’ for that No.1 Spot
24 7 Hoops featured 5 legitimate All Stars last season and was named the number one team in Nevada by Rivals High Las Vegas. Most of the players on that squad (a team said to be top 50 in the country) left and went on to college leaving head coach Patrick Amico with veterans Wayne Pittman (12ppg/ 7rpg) and Recee Kirkland (11ppg/ 9rpg) as his only returning players. Patrick had a huge challenge ahead of him if he was going to duplicate last years success.
Overcoming adversity is nothing new to Amico; at only 24 years old he has had to deal with being the youngest coach of the best program with the greatest tradition of success in Nevada for years. Amico wasn’t about to bury his head in the sand, like most critics thought he would. Instead he brushed off his shoulders and stepped up to the challenge by teaming Pittman and Kirkland with Victor Bermudez (17ppg), Chris Willis (19ppg/ 14rpg) , Dominique Lawernce (13ppg/10rpg) and sophomore sensation Chandler Gines (8ppg/5apg); forming a squad that must be reckoned with.
The team didn’t start out this way. 24 7 Hoops lost in the first big tournament of the season and strugged early on to focus when it mattered most, but as Patrick kept his patience and instilled belief and confidence in the team reminiscent of teams past. 24 7 Hoops started to turn things around winning several games by double digits including street like beatdowns of NSA (CA) and Double Pump (CA) to win three tournamnets. Currently ranked number three in the state by Rivals High Las Vegas Amico has 24 7 Hoops diving in while going into the final weeks of the ‘live period.” The team will be playing in “the nations premier summer hoops event” adidas 64 tournament this weekend competing against the top teams in the nation including Team Rose (IL) and Compton Magic Elite (CA) giving them the opportunity to show case their talents and be on stage in front of every major college program in the nation as they try to secure a second straight state title.
If 24 7 Hoops plays up to their expectations and wins out bringing home another championship, Amico and his program will have once again silenced the critics at least until next season.
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